The Austrian horses glinted in the moonlight, their riders standing tall in the saddle, swords raised. Behind them two ranks of diesel-powered walking machines stood ready to fire, cannon aimed over the heads of the cavalry. A zeppelin scouted no-man's-land at the center of the battlefield, its metal skin sparkling.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria-Hungary Empire, and his wife, Sophie Chotek were assassinated in Sarajevo. The story of Leviathan is based on the events that led to the Great War, or World War I. Yugoslavia murders Austria's royalty, Austria seeks their revenge. Serbs are allied with Russia, who is allied with France, who is allied with Great Britain. Germany protects Austria and declares war on Russia. The perfect political ingredients for a global war.
In Leviathan, it is a war of
fabricated beasts vs. mechanical monsters.
Austria - The Clankers
Hapsburg Prince Aleksander Hohenberg, the young archduke and son of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie, is almost 16 years old. Alek's mom wasn't proper royalty to marry into the Hapsburgs. It was difficult for them to marry, but when they were finally granted permission, it was for a 'left-handed marriage' - the children will inherit nothing. Prince Alek is a prince in name only.
After his parents' death he was forced to escape the palace in the middle of the night to learn his uncertain fate.
Britain - Darwinists
Fifteen-year old Deryn Sharp wants to be in the British Air Service. She'll do anything, including cutting her hair and impersonating to be a 16-year old boy. She is absolutely fearless. An amazing adventure brings Deryn, or now Dylan, to the Leviathan - a huge airbeast, a vast web of live, an entire ecosystem.
Britain has fabricated beasts, thanks to Charles Darwin's discoveries and principles. Crossbreeds had been the backbone of the British Empire for the last 50 years. The Clankers are afraid of fabricated species and instead worship their mechanical machines.
Scott Westerfeld's creation is dark, mysterious, and a creative spin on the events that led to World War I. The cool thing about this book is that it appeals to many interests - historical fiction, science fiction, relationships, family dynamics, loss and love.
Rating: 10 out of 10 stars
Rating: 10 out of 10 stars
