A review of the Leviathan Trilogy

A Review of the Leviathan Trilogy

By Scott Westerfeld

Leviathan is the opening salvo in Scott Westerfeld’s trilogy which explores the trials and terrors of World War 1, only with an alternate Steampunk history and style. The novel focuses on the adventures of Prince Aleksander Ferdinand, son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and Deryn Sharp, a British girl posing as a boy in order to serve in the Royal Air Navy.

True to the real-life situation which triggered the Great War, Alek’s parents are assassinated by Serbs, although suspicion of a conspiracy arises. Alek’s caretakers smuggle the young prince out of Austria in a desperate attempt to reach the neutral territory of
Switzerland. Meanwhile in England, a fifteen year old girl named Deryn changes her name to Dylan and signs up for the Royal Air Navy. As the result of a mishap in a training, she finds herself stuck on board the giant, living airship, Leviathan. Events converge and the teens end up meeting on a Swiss glacier.

The two are from completely different worlds and backgrounds. The British refer to themselves as Darwinists. Following the teachings and science of Charles Darwin, they have learned the secrets of life threads and as such are able to manufacture living
creatures to serve ever purpose, from messenger lizards to the giant floating whale which is in fact, their airships. The Germans and Austrians are Clankers. Their use of mechanical devices has advanced to the point that airships, aircraft and giant walking monstrosities, bristling with guns and cannons are common place.

As we progress from Leviathan to Behemoth and finally to Goliath, we see the pair growing closer while soaring around the globe on board the massive airship. The novels are punctuated with great action, outstanding characters and a rich, well described world. The mash-up of real events and historical characters with the fictional world of Alek & Deryn is brilliantly executed and leaves us longing for the next book in the series to see what path Mr. Westerfeld will take us down. 

This is a great start and a must for steampunk fans. Although billed as a young adult series, this book is great for folks of all ages.

5 Stars for each from Alan. 

Reviews are coming... Prepare yourselves.

Reviews

When I first started my website, I was told that the best way to get views was to post book reviews. I did a few, but just didn't keep up with it.

Well, with all the good stuff I've been reading lately, I think I'm going to start back up. SO... the plan is to post 2 or 3 a week until I feel like I'm caught up.


Prepare yourself for the onslaught.

Woooohahahaha!!!

A Black Wolf teaser

A Black Wolf teaser

Here is a first draft for an upcoming Black Wolf story. Actually, I may turn this one into a novella. It is still a little rough, but let me know what you think.

The frustrations of a nightmarish day diminished with each heavy breath I took. I needed this distraction from the insanity of the world or at least, the insanity of the streets of Port Victoria. Roxie’s method of stress relief, as she called it, left me weak but satisfied. Opening my eyes, I looked down at her flawless round face and fell in love again with her. Her golden hair fell over the sides of the pillow and caught the last rays of the sun which poured through the bedroom window. Milky white skin, unblemished or tanned by the winter sun, glowed with an orange tint. In a surreal way, my girl looked as if she were on fire.

I rolled and laid back down beside her, sinking into the plush mattress. I wanted to push the last memories of the day out of my head but the vast assortment of images and emotions held fast. I’d been through too much for one day. Roxie rolled onto her side, draped one arm over my chest, and pulled herself up against me, latching on as tight as a starving deer tick. Her head rested on my shoulder and we lay still until our mutual breathing slowed to its usual pace. Slowly, Roxie’s hand caressed my chest and a content sigh escaped her lips. She ignored the deep black scars that criss-crossed my chest.

The cuts had healed, but constantly reminded her of the dangers of my job. My unnatural strength and dexterity were far better than the normal man, but one lucky thug with a knife had made hurting me his mission in life. That’d been six weeks ago. She found me in the alley, out back, bleeding and gasping through my shredded right lung. The thug lay nearby too. Before going down, I saw to it that he wouldn't bleed or breathe again. The knife he’d used to cut me up was shoved so far inside his chest that the folks at the morgue just left it there.

“So…” she whispered and then cleared her throat to continue a little louder. “You didn't answer my question.”

“I… what was the question?” I asked, not remembering anything from the point I’d entered the door to our apartment and saw her there, beside the stove in her favorite yellow dress. The sun coming through the window silhouetted her petite form, making the dress almost invisible.  

“I asked how your day went. You left out on that case this morning and I didn’t hear a word all day.” She said as her fingers moved across my skin, raising goose pimples.

The case. I didn’t want to think about it. It should have been a stupidly simple job. I would follow a suspected adulterous husband around for a wealthy socialite wife. The wife suspected that the old man was banging some young tart behind his wife’s back. Some men are just too stupid to live. He’d married her after losing his fortune when the stock market crashed a few years back. Her family’s wealth had been well protected. She was his cash cow. Why would he risk a divorce by chasing skirts?

“Babe, I don’t wanna talk about it. Just a long… frustrating day.”

“Dex, you charged through the door, ripped my dress to shreds and all but raped me,” she said. When I looked confused, she added, “You only do that if you’re overly stressed about a case or you’ve been hanging around a smokin’ hot dame that has spent a few hours teasing you.”

Women, I’d explained to Roxie when we first got together, are God’s only true works of art and as such, they should be appreciated, appreciated with eyes only, of course. Roxie didn’t let my wandering eyes bother her. Given her past, she knew I might look but she’d be the only one I’d ever touch again.

She playfully giggled as her hand moved down across my stomach. Her fingers found me and lightly wrapped themselves around me. With slow manipulations, I started coming back to life.

“I know how to get you to talk,” she said and let out one of those seductive chuckles that I’ve never been able to resist. “Tell me about your day and I’ll make it worth your while.”

He exhaled in defeat. “Okay, it started with Jones.”

“The cheating husband?”

“Allegedly cheating husband.” I replied.

“Did you catch him cheating?”

“Yes, but that was only after…”

“Then why not just say, cheating husband?”

“Woman, would you let me tell the story.” I said. When she glanced up at me with those playful, sparkling green eyes, I couldn't help but smile. “All right, so it started off with me following him around town. He stopped at a couple of strip clubs over in West Vic." I paused and exhaled in weary frustration. "And then the chicken entered the scene.”

Her fingers stopped and she slowly asked, “Chicken?”

The Blood in Snowflake Garden update

The Blood in Snowflake Garden update

Big announcement… well, big for me anyway. 

SO, I've been teasing this for a while, but can finally talk about it out-loud. ;)

I’m happy to announce that the movie/TV rights for my first novel, ‘The Blood in Snowflake Garden’ have been optioned by Sidecar Inc. Brian Buckner, executive producer of HBO’s ‘True Blood’ and his production team are working to developed the novel into an ongoing murder mystery television series in the tradition of Twin Peaks. 

So, everyone keep your fingers crossed that one of the networks will bite and pick it up.

The Dreadfuls - Naughty & Scary

The Dreadfuls

Hey folks, a couple of friends have started up a new steampunk take on the Penny Dreadfuls, part scary and part naughty. Check out Nick and Elizabeth Valentino's new project. I don't think you'll be disappointed. ;)

 

http://www.thedreadfuls.com/

The Steampunk & Gothic Expo, 2014 - After Action Report

The Steampunk & Gothic Expo, 2014

After-action Report

When Alan Darr first approached me, early this year about coming to a ‘new’ steampunk convention in Chattanooga, I was all for it. Of course, I wasn’t sure that they could really pull a quality event together in just a few months. Folks I know who work in various conventions had mentioned that most start-up cons take at least a year or more to pull together. So, I was concerned but hoped for the best.

What I found when I arrived was a well-organized event with one of the friendly staffs that I’ve encountered. Check-in was quick and painless. They provided a well-stocked ‘Green Room’ for the guests and vendors. The Dealer’s Room was full of some great steampunk vendors, writers and artist. The ‘steampunk swap meet’ was a big hit. The entertainment, Voltaire, kicked butt and was certainly a hit with the ladies. And the cos-play/costuming was great!

The Dealer’s Room was in the Main Ballroom of the Choo Choo Hotel. While they could have sold more space for vendors, their set-up worked nicely and provided plenty of room for everyone. With it being a first year con, sales were lighter than some of the other Chattanooga conventions, namely Chattacon and Connooga. Having said that, I did more sales at this convention then the last two cons I’ve attended, combined.

There were only a handful of panels. The guest, including myself only had one panel each. Again, it was a first year event and I expect to see a major step-up in the programming next year.  I will say that my panel with the lovely J.L. Mulvihill was perhaps the most enjoyable con panel I’ve ever been on.

Although attendance was light, again... first year con, the Choo Choo was rocking with a lot of familiar faces, friends, fellow writers, and folks from the local and surrounding area's steampunk communities. Not once over the course of the weekend did I hear anyone complaining or stating that they wouldn't return. Actually, it was the opposite. Everyone kept stating that they plan on returning in 2015. 

So bottom line is… this was a great con for a first year. If they keep this level of professionalism and organization, next year promises to be incredible. For those that missed it, plan on going in 2015!

Luna’s Children Author Interview with James C. Simpson

Luna’s Children Author Interview with James C. Simpson

 

Fear the Moonlight!

For countless centuries, mankind has watched as the sun goes down knowing that Luna will rise in its place, to rain her brilliant shards of light upon the Earth. But for the cursed and afflicted, that silvery orb brings horror and death.

In celebration of the release of the two Luna's Children werewolf anthologies from Dark Oak Press, I'll be interviewing some of the collection's authors.

Today's victim ... lucky recipient is James C. Simpson

What sparked your interest in werewolves?

I watched The Wolf Man(1941) with Lon Chaney Jr. when I was younger and always found the plight of the character pitiable. It put him on par with characters like Frankenstein's Monster and the Phantom of the Opera. The concept was intriguing and I sought out several werewolf films and any of the (limited) literary selection there is. Guy Endore's The Werewolf Of Paris and James Blish's There Shall Be No Darkness were among the best I read.

 

What spawned the idea for your story?

The idea was one bred from my fascination with the Second World War, particularly the war in Europe. I have always wondered what the Third Reich would have done had they been able to conjure the powers of the supernatural. They studied the occult and had strange practices, going back to some pagan roots in Germanic lore, so that inspired me. I thought of how the war was concurring with all of these monsters existing and may perhaps build something more from that in the future. There's references in the story to this. The werewolf being used as a weapon of war or in this case, a sadistic means of execution and extermination, was something different. Toward the end of the war, Hitler even had a group of particularly vicious soldiers that he dubbed "werewolves," so there's that.

 

Are you a Pantser or Plotter?

I suppose I am a "pantser." I do plot these things, writing down key pieces of dialogue and other bits that interest me. I have a bare skeleton and just start writing and hope it sticks. The last second reveal was not planned and was off the cuff.

 

Is there a soundtrack to this story? (A song you think fits... or something you had on while you were writing?)

I remember listening to the more atmospheric and darker bits of Pink Floyd's The Wall during the writing of this, as well as selections of heavy metal, particularly New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. There was this one song that stood out by a band called "Wolf," of all things and it was called "Shock Treatment." That was in rotation, as were songs by Black Sabbath, Angel Witch, Motorhead and Judas Priest etc.

 

Is this a familiar genre for you... or did you try something new?

I write a lot of Gothic based horror. My preferred prose is that archaic type that the writers of the 19th century enjoyed so well. This was slightly different in that respect, as it was a bit more "modern," and certainly with a larger dose of action involved. I was wary of the werewolf concept, if only because I feel there were only so many ways to approach it. Either you have the guy who is infected and rejects the notion, much like Larry Talbot in the Universal Wolf Man films. Or you have someone who embraces it, a more modern theme. Or you have a "who is the werewolf?" and you begin that Agatha Christie trajectory where each character is bumped off until we know which one is howling at the moon. Yet, I feel that the werewolf is so less anthologized than vampires or ghosts that I had to try my own hand at the mythology and hope for the best.

 

What is your next project?

I have contemplated a novel for some time and even an expansion of the universe suggested in my story, "Another Solution." I have just finished a short story related to Lovecraft's "From Beyond" and am contemplating a quiet ghost story next.

 

Thanks for taking some time to chat with us.

Look for James’s story, Another Solution in Luna’s Children.