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lightreads ([personal profile] lightreads) wrote2009-11-09 11:25 am
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Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Leviathan Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Alternate history 1914, where the Austro-German contingent has massive, striding mechanical walkers, and Darwin's work gave the west DNA and hybridized living creatures for flight and battle. Franz Ferdinand's son flees west, while a British girl dresses as a boy and enlists for the coming war.

Heee. It's kind of like Fullmetal Alchemist with cross-dressing. The alternate world technology is the best thing about this book – giant hydrogen-floating whale ships versus Star Warsy many-legged metal walkers! The story is otherwise cute, and fluffier than you might expect for, you know, the first world war. Relatively light-weight young adult, with a lot of nice color and zing. I'm certainly intrigued enough to pick up the sequel when it arrives.

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