Leviathan

By: Scott Westerfeld

Narrated by: Alan Cumming

Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. The Leviathan is a living airship, the most formidable airbeast in the skies of Europe.

Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way - taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever.

©2009 Scott Westerfeld (P)2009 SImon & Schuster

great alternate history

a retelling of WW1 where Darwin figured out how to make new animals and where the German engineers made mechanical fighting machines like Star Wars. quite good.

Awesome Steam Punk

This was an awesome steam punk story set in an alternate ww1 era world where great massive created creatures, the Darwinists, fought against the Clankers, the mechanised machines of war. But I like this story because it's about Cooperation..

pure fun

What did you love best about Leviathan?

the book took me to another demention.

What did you like best about this story?

the interplay between the characters was completely believable.

Have you listened to any of Alan Cumming’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

this is my first

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Every adventure was a new/old book and it took to why I love literature so much.

Any additional comments?

A literature lovers dream.

no ending

the story was ok. the reader was good. but there was no ending whatsoever to the book. who knows how many books have to be read to get an actual ending. i hate it when authors do that.

absolutely wonderful

I read this series as a kid and was mesmerized by the world and charmed by the characters. Listening to this now as an adult, that hasn't changed one bit. If you love fantastic world building and strong character writing you will love this series.

Wonderful, but don't forget to buy the book

Alan Cumming does an excellent job of narrating and I quickly fell in love with the characters. However, it wasn't until I bought the book as a present for a friend that I realized how much I'd missed--the illustrations in the hard copy are simply breathtaking in their detail and of course, you don't get them with the audiobook. I highly recommend listening to the book, but if you love it as much as I did, don't forget to buy the book as well.

Wild fun!

This is my first time writing a review since becoming a member a year ago. While I've thoroughly enjoyed many of these audio books, this is one of the first that completely pulled me in. I'd been trying to multi-task and take care of the dishes as I listened to the book, but gave up after the third time I found myself standing there with a dish suspended over the sink for 5 minutes. I've really enjoyed the other two Scott Westerfeld series I've read (Uglies, Peeps), but this is by far my favorite!
It takes a highly engaging story to keep me still for more than a few minutes ~ and even more so to keep me up well past the witching hour.
I really loved hearing Alan Cumming's deliberate and enchanting character voices. Daryn's personality came across so crisply, even while switching between "he/she" references as a girl airman. And Dr. Barlow - what fun!
For those who've enjoyed other books by Westerfeld - you won't be disappointed. For anyone who enjoys a good steampunk and/or alternate history genre - I'd highly recommend this as well. Heck, if you have even a squig of interest in concepts pertaining to biomechanics or fabricated animals - read up!
Cheers!

Good world

This is an ok story with good characters, a great world, and fantastic narration. It took a while to get into this story. Even at the times it was meh though, the narration was worth sticking around for until it picked up again. It's good enough that I got the next 2 books.

slow start

typical to most first novels in a series. build up characters. interested to hear where the story takes you. like the background at the end. didn't know i was a steam punk girl my whole life!

Good, Lighthearted Steampunk

What did you love best about Leviathan?

I loved the contrast between Darwinist bioengineers and clanker machinists. The simple good nature of the young protagonists in this narrative is also quite refreshing.

What other book might you compare Leviathan to and why?

Has some similarities in terms of plot and setting with Agatha H and the Airship City by Phil + Kaja Foglio.

What does Alan Cumming bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He does some wonderful voices for some of the clanker characters. His performance was generally quite good.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Without giving away too much, I was quite sympathetic to the plights of the young protagonists when they wound up in conflicts where they seemed outgunned and outmanoeuvred.

Any additional comments?

While I completely enjoyed this book as a young adult, I think it would be an excellent book for teenage readers, too. It is fun without too many mature topics.