Leviathan
By: Scott Westerfeild

Not very often I read a book that helps me in social studies. Scott Westerfeild’s Leviathan takes place before World War I. He wrote about the events leading up to World War I.

The main characters are Alek and Deryn. Alek’s dad was the Archduke of Austria- Hungry. A Siberian killed him and his wife. Now the Germans are after Alek. His uncle doesnt want Alek to take the place of his father. He is already the prince of Austria-Hungry. Alek’s father had a plan for Alek if this ever happened to him. Alek’s father wanted his friends; one is Alek’s fencing teacher, to take Alek to the Alps in a walker. A walker is a metal war machine. It has 6 legs and Alek is learning to drive it. I thought Westerfeild did a really good job describing the walker. He said how it walks and how it runs, what it looks like and so on.

Deryn is a 16 year old British girl that wanted to be in the air service. Girls can’t join the air service so she cuts her hair, wears different clothes, and changes her voice and name. She changes her name to Dylan. When she got to the school she had to take a test with all the other boys. They were sent up in a Huxley. A Huxley is a jelly fish like creature. It is full of hydrogen so it can fly. The worst storm Britain has ever seen comes when Deryn is in the air. She and the Huxley get out of the grip of the rope and drift off. The Leviathan is the biggest air beastie ever. Leviathan goes and saves Deryn and the Huxley. Westerfeild could have had more detail here. I felt like I didn’t really know what the Leviathan has done. Deryn said that it is a very famous air beastie but that was about it.

Alek runs in to trouble. He is having a hard time hiding who he really is. Once they get to the Alps, they run into the Leviathan. He meets Deryn/ Dylan. She thinks he is strange and not who he says he is. Alek says that his family is living on the other side of the mountain. I thought that someone would turn Alek in. His story wasn’t very believable.

Doctor Barlow is picked up back in Britain. She has a special package that is a military secret. She notices things about people that no one else sees. Will she find out that Dylan is a girl? Will she find out who Alek really is? I thought she would find out for sure.

I like the book but I didn’t like the ending. In my opinion I thought it didn’t really end. Other than the ending it is a very good book. I would recommend this science fiction novel to everybody 6th grade and up.