The Leviathan Trilogy: WW1 Reimagined (Part 2)
Sup! It's Nate here again and today I'll be talking more about the first book of the Leviathan trilogy, appropriately called Leviathan. Go check out part 1 if you haven't already to catch up on the current summary!
After Alek and his men run from the Austro-Hungarian palace because the Germans think he has a claim to the throne, Alek begins learning how to use the intricate Clanker walkers, and find that he quite enjoys piloting them. He navigates the crew through several skirmishes with German walkers, and the crew eventually end up at an old castle in the Alps. Because Alek's dad is a super rich and paranoid king, he had this castle outfitted to be used as a hiding place. At this point, Alek's teacher Count Volger reveals that the pope made Alek his father's heir. Alek was doubting that he would have royal status because his dad had married a commoner, but this confirms he is technically the new Austro-Hungarian king. While Alek contemplates this, he is distracted by a large flying mass overhead.
While Alek had been on the run, Deryn Sharp was getting used to her role as midshipman on the Leviathan. Disguised as a boy named Dylan, she learns all the skills and duties of British "middies." The Leviathan stops in London to pick up an important Darwinist named Dr. Barlow. She fabricated several types of "beasties" and she has a special delivery of some beastie eggs to the city of Constantinople. Deryn is assigned to be Dr. Barlow's cabin boy, and she almost finds out Deryn's secret when she discovers her "shaving." However, she simply thinks Deryn is below the required age to be a middie. Soon after, an alarm sounds that signals the Leviathan is being attacked. Deryn rushes to her battle station, but the Leviathan is being attacked by multiple German aircraft. Even with its impressive hybridized defenses, like dart-spitting bats and steel-taloned hawks, the Leviathan crashes in the Alps.
Of course, the flying mass that Alek and his crew saw was the Leviathan. Alek goes to inspect it, meets Deryn (who he thinks is a boy), and then manages to get himself taken hostage. Good job, Alek! Dr. Barlow decides to employ Alek to fix the temperature system for the beastie eggs, which was broken when the ship crashed. While on the ship for a while, he and "Dylan" get to know each other. But their bonding soon is interrupted by... Alek's crew coming to rescue him!
I particularly enjoyed this section of the story. The writing and descriptions about the machines and fabricated beasties were very detailed and imaginative. The plot was also intriguing, with a good balance of action and character development. There was enough action to keep me interested in the story, while also having enough character development so that the characters didn't seem lifeless. There were also several unanticipated plot twists that helped keep me interested. At this point, the character I liked most was Deryn. She has a quick wit and often makes funny observations about the things around her. She also was very good at acting like a boy, which I found to be an interesting trait.
Thanks for reading this review! I would highly recommend the Leviathan series to anyone looking for an exciting historical fiction story. More parts of the review will come soon!
After Alek and his men run from the Austro-Hungarian palace because the Germans think he has a claim to the throne, Alek begins learning how to use the intricate Clanker walkers, and find that he quite enjoys piloting them. He navigates the crew through several skirmishes with German walkers, and the crew eventually end up at an old castle in the Alps. Because Alek's dad is a super rich and paranoid king, he had this castle outfitted to be used as a hiding place. At this point, Alek's teacher Count Volger reveals that the pope made Alek his father's heir. Alek was doubting that he would have royal status because his dad had married a commoner, but this confirms he is technically the new Austro-Hungarian king. While Alek contemplates this, he is distracted by a large flying mass overhead.
While Alek had been on the run, Deryn Sharp was getting used to her role as midshipman on the Leviathan. Disguised as a boy named Dylan, she learns all the skills and duties of British "middies." The Leviathan stops in London to pick up an important Darwinist named Dr. Barlow. She fabricated several types of "beasties" and she has a special delivery of some beastie eggs to the city of Constantinople. Deryn is assigned to be Dr. Barlow's cabin boy, and she almost finds out Deryn's secret when she discovers her "shaving." However, she simply thinks Deryn is below the required age to be a middie. Soon after, an alarm sounds that signals the Leviathan is being attacked. Deryn rushes to her battle station, but the Leviathan is being attacked by multiple German aircraft. Even with its impressive hybridized defenses, like dart-spitting bats and steel-taloned hawks, the Leviathan crashes in the Alps.
Of course, the flying mass that Alek and his crew saw was the Leviathan. Alek goes to inspect it, meets Deryn (who he thinks is a boy), and then manages to get himself taken hostage. Good job, Alek! Dr. Barlow decides to employ Alek to fix the temperature system for the beastie eggs, which was broken when the ship crashed. While on the ship for a while, he and "Dylan" get to know each other. But their bonding soon is interrupted by... Alek's crew coming to rescue him!
I particularly enjoyed this section of the story. The writing and descriptions about the machines and fabricated beasties were very detailed and imaginative. The plot was also intriguing, with a good balance of action and character development. There was enough action to keep me interested in the story, while also having enough character development so that the characters didn't seem lifeless. There were also several unanticipated plot twists that helped keep me interested. At this point, the character I liked most was Deryn. She has a quick wit and often makes funny observations about the things around her. She also was very good at acting like a boy, which I found to be an interesting trait.
Thanks for reading this review! I would highly recommend the Leviathan series to anyone looking for an exciting historical fiction story. More parts of the review will come soon!
I think your review was insightful and gave me a really good idea and some parts of the book. Although this is true, I would suggest focusing on the book as a whole instead of narrowing in on certain parts. I like how you described the different aspects that make up the story (character development, setting, etc.) in detail so that I could get an idea of what the story would be like.
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