Leviathan (Boxed Set): Leviathan; Behemoth; Goliath (The Leviathan Trilogy)

This was a leap of faith for me as I had not had any prior familiarity with Scott Westerfeld, nor any of his work. But what a wonderful gamble it proved to be!The Leviathan world seems to have diverged from our own when Charles Darwin was able to figure out how to create new living "fabrications" by bio-engineering the life threads of existing beings. The title of the first book (and the series), "Leviathan", takes its name from one such "fabrication", or "fab": a gigantic hydrogen-breathing living airship that had been fabricated from, among other creatures, a whale!Not everyone is sold on the idea of having "fabs" around, however. The world, in fact, seems to have been divided into two general camps: Darwinists and Clankers. While Darwinists have embraced the use of "fabs", Clankers have shunned "fabs" and instead have hinged technological progress on the development of machinery (albeit ones that are fantastically different from the those that had been prevalent by the same time in our own world's history).The story follows the adventures of Alek and Deryn, two headstrong youngsters who find themselves having to confront considerable obstacles to their aspirations. Alek is Prince Aleksandar of Hohenberg, son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His royal lineage notwithstanding, Alek does not have any direct route towards becoming heir-apparent -- much more, Emperor. The current emperor, Franz Joseph, had decreed that the Archduke's marriage to Sophie Chotek would be merely morgantic; consequently, children borne of the marriage would not be able to inherit the Archduke's titles, including being designated as the heir-apparent.Deryn is Deryn Sharp, a Scottish commoner with a passion for airships. Her father, one Artemis Sharp, stoked the flames of this passion by taking Deryn up with him when he went hot air ballooning. Deryn had hopes of one day joining the British Royal Air Service, but recognized that she faced a very real stumbling block: only men are allowed to enlist in the service.The character development was stellar throughout the series. Alek and Deryn (and most of the other characters) were living, breathing literary "fabs" with distinctive personalities, weaknesses, and strengths. The depth of characterization gave a sense of authenticity to how the plot devices moved the story forward.Thankfully, Westerfeld shied away from lazily penning a simple good vs. evil kind of story. The sociological and political dimensions were quite nuanced, befitting the richness of the characters that populated that alternate steampunk world. Much as it does in real life, greyness -- rather than black & white -- colored the interpersonal dynamics that facilitated human agency.Suffice to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the series -- so much that I couldn't help but feel that the end of it had come too soon. On the other hand, that disappointment (if it can be called that) could just be part of the ebb that naturally follows the exhilarating high of taking part in a grand adventure. And what a truly exciting one this was!

Good read

I reallly enjoyed the books

Westerfeld's trilogy is not only fun steampunk, but it has a lot of WWI history in it too. Perfect for someone who likes historical novels AND scifi. And the best part, each novel includes beautiful illustrations by Keith Thompson to help you visualize the fabricated beasties and monstrous walkers.

Great price for this set! I was looking for a new genre for my 13yr old son who is an avid reader. I decided to introduce him to steampunk with this series and now he’s hooked. I was a little unsure because he doesn’t usually like history/sci-fi but does enjoy fantasy/adventure. He received it for Christmas and finished this series in just two days.. not because they are fast reads, but he was completely engrossed in the story and didn’t put it down. I literally had to make him stop reading just to eat. For a teenage boy that’s a big deal lol. He also ignored his new video games until he finished this series, so definitely a win.

These books are so good. This series is worth a read, and the set is highly affordable.

Read this trilogy, for it is awesome and contains thylacines.Take a moment if you need to google that, if you have never heard of them.Ok, now that you are back from that internet rabbit hole: it also has lorises.Googling? I'll wait....And you thought cat videos were fun.We have not even gotten to the giant robots yet.GIANT ROBOTS that we shall escape from on flying whales...OK, now this just sounds ridiculous instead of awesome.I promise. Actually awesome.Go now! Read it!

Wonderful!Even in my adult years I can truly appreciate a solid adventure story. If you get this you absolutely have to purchase the illustrated compendium "The Manual of Aeronautics: An Illustrated guide" as the wonderful illustrations made this entire trilogy a fast and fun read.Highly recommended.

Fantastic story. Takes you places SF has not taken me before.The books beautiful to behold.Loved them.

If you liked the adventures of Harry Potter and are into alternative histories then this book is for you and suitable for children who are comfortable reading at the level of the Hobbit.

Diese Produkt ist genau der richtigen ich haben wollte. Diese Produkt ist genau der richtigen ich haben wollte. Einfach Toll.

I was interested in the book after seeing the book trailer. "So do you oil your war machines or feed them?" was a great hook. The books did not disappoint. I read the trilogy in less than a week.

Took a while to get here but worth it! Really pleased. Many thanks!