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 book

I loved the book so much first found it in highschool so glad to enjoy again

A good but quick listen

Would you listen to Leviathan again? Why?

I would, but only later down the road, I loved the story and it was fun to revisit in an audible format. It did make the story seem much shorter then I remembered but I absolutely loved Alan Cumming's performance. He did brilliantly.

Outstanding Narration

Most of the reviews talk about how outstanding the story is, and I agree wholeheartedly. I didn't know about the steampunk genre when I picked this up, and it is an excellent introduction. And I want to say that the last I learned about WWI was in ninth grade (more than 15 years ago) but I still knew what was historical fact and what was made up.

But I thought proper tribute needed to be made to Alan Cumming, the narrator. For the most part I use audiobooks as a way to pass the time. I work with words, so I prefer to see them. But this story was significantly enhanced by having it read to me by a European man. I hate to admit it, but it is because I am from the United States and not well traveled - that's why I love books. I don't know how accurately Cumming is doing these different accents (Austrian, various Brittish and I can only assume that Russian will come later) but they are a hella lot better than I could do them on my own head if I were reading the novel. He even gets the differences between the common Brittsh and "posh" Brittish.

I will say this about the author's work. As I said, I work with words myself, so I find the slang of the mid-shipman protagonist highly entertaining. Is that true Brittish slang of the time or did the author make that up as well? I don't know, but I love it. "Barking spiders!" and a "rattled attic," all without uttering what we would consider profanity today, which we all know sailors are prone to doing.

Two masters of their craft come together to create a truely imaginative work. HIGHLY recommended.

An unexpected pleasure

From time to time I do enjoy a "young adult" listen (particularly the excellent City of Ember series, as well as His Dark Materials) but generally I don't expect too much in terms of story, setting, and character. Here is another fine exception to that expectation. "Leviathan" was amazingly brought to life here by Cumming, as we follow the stories of Aleks (a prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, on the run for his life) and Deryn (daughter to a ballooner, she enlists in the British Air Services as a boy in disguise) at the outbreak of The Great War as set in a wonderfully detailed and re-imagined alternate history, where "Clankers" (steam-powered mechs) power the German forces, and crossbred animals (tiger-wolf hybrids to pull carriages, amazing engineered jellyfish and whale airships) are the basis of the "Darwinist" forces of England.

All in all a thoroughly satisfying listen which I enjoyed immensely.

entertaining

Though a young adult novel, Leviathan is one of the most fun books I've read in a while. Its alternate universe version of Europe on the eve of World War One imagines the major powers equipped with cool steampunk technology. The British and their allies have fantastical genetically-engineered creatures, such as living airships, on their side, while the pickelhaube-clad Germans clank about (naturally) in giant, armored walkers. Such concepts have been done in fiction before, but Westerfeld creates a thoroughly enjoyable world, filled with likable characters, drama, wit, sci-fi speculation, and some real history. It's written on a level accessible (and appropriate) to middle school-aged kids, but I think many adults will like it just as much. Can't wait for the sequel! PS. If you get the audio version, be sure to check out the grotesquely cool map of Europe on Westerfeld's web site.

terrific

This is a wonderfully fun story in a deeply imaginative world with engaging characters. But I agree with the other reviewers who say that it is the narration that makes this a truly excellent audiobook. Alan Cumming is a genius... his expressive reading and facility with accents gives the characters depth and consistency. This first book in the series is a little slow getting started-- but only b/c it is laying the groundwork for a longer series. By the end of the book (which I'd originally downloaded to entertain a teenaged friend), I rushed to download the sequel, and now am waiting with baited breath for the 3rd book.

Barking Crickets!

Where does Leviathan rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Great story! Scott Westerfield writes really wonderful characters who carry everything.

What did you like best about this story?

The plot was nice but a bit simple. So I liked the world he invented (all the beasties!) and the characters the best. The dialog is hilarious!!

Did Alan Cumming do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes :)

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh yeah, and then I bought the next two in the trilogy!!

Any additional comments?

Barking delightful

Who would have thought that whales could fly??

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

If you like a well written book that takes history & interjects a whole new twist you might like this.

A Fun Listen

What did you love best about Leviathan?

I haven't actually finished listening to this story yet, but I'm enjoying the narration so much, I had to comment. So far, the story has been great fun - two very likable teenage protagonists and their adventures in the run-up to WWI. In this alternate history, the Austro-Hungarians have mechanized weapons like clankers, while the Brits have fabricated beasts (genetically engineered crossbreeds). If you like steampunk and modern European history, you should definitely enjoy this. And Prince Alec and Derryn Sharp (a Scottish girl posing as a young airman) should be a great hit with teens. But really, the best thing about this audiobook is Alan Cumming. He is stupendous. He nails all the different accents and conveys the characters' personalities so well through tone of voice -- and he reads the story with such obvious relish. It's a delight to hear. I want him to read ALL my audiobooks from now on. I might even like him better than Jim Dale and Stephen Fry. At any rate, he certainly joins them on my list of absolute favorite narrators.

Accent hard, especially for young listeners

Any additional comments?

Wonderful alternate history of preWW I. Positive male and feme protagonists for kids to relate to. But Alan Cumming's accent proved too difficult for the middle school children with whom I tried to listen to this.