Midshipman Deryn “Dylan” Sharp and prince-on-the-run Aleksandar, secretly heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, are still serving on the great airship,Midshipman Deryn “Dylan” Sharp and prince-on-the-run Aleksandar, secretly heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, are still serving on the great airship, the Leviathan. After leaving the Ottoman Empire in the last book, the crew is heading east to meet up with a very brilliant but odd inventor in Siberia. Deryn is still keeping a major secret from Alek, and they will need to come to terms with the truth and each other if they are to truly be able to work together to try to end the war.
I loved the first two books in this series, Leviathan and Behemoth, so I was greatly looking forward to reading the series conclusion. Goliath does not disappoint! There is action, romance, adventure, and a cast of characters from history who spice up the pages of this book. Goliath was my favorite of the three books because we already know and love the main characters, Deryn and Alek, and we finally get to see how the story ultimately resolves.
Deryn is daring as ever in this book, but Alek now really steps up to the plate and makes a huge contribution to the war effort. This allows Deryn and Alek to become more of equals, and strengthens their relationship.
My only beef with this book is kind of a minor one. Nikola Tesla is a character that pops up, and he’s presented as being nuts. In the Tesla-Edison smackdown, I’ve been strongly Team Tesla for years. I can’t complain too much, though, because everything in this book is fictionalized, so alternate-history Tesla can be as crazy as he wants. Maybe this character will actually inspire readers to go seek more information about the actual man.
As always, the illustrations in this book add delightfully to the story. Westerfeld describes a lot of Klanker and Darwinist technologies, and the drawings help to solidify those images, especially when depicting battle scenes. Sadly, the galley did not include the gorgeous endpapers that I’ve so grown to love from the past two books, so I’m going to need to find a finished copy so I can see what genius design they’ve come up with this time for the WWI map of Europe.
This is series that just gets better, so I really encourage everyone to give it a try, especially if you’re a fan of alternative histories, WWI, steampunk, or just stories involving spunky girls who pretend to be boys and princes who pretend to be peasants....more
The world’s first exhibition of Steampunk art was held at The Museum of History of Science at the University of Oxford from October 2009 to February 2The world’s first exhibition of Steampunk art was held at The Museum of History of Science at the University of Oxford from October 2009 to February 2010. It was a success and drew large crowds of visitors to the museum. This catalog is the result of that exhibition, now in a form where it can be owned, admired, and instructive to those who were not able to make it to the actual event.
In The Art of Steampunk, Donovan attempts to give a summary definition of Steampunk in this catalog, which is meant to appeal to both Steampunk enthusiasts and the layman who knows nothing of the genre and is experiencing it for the first time through the exhibition. We also get a short history of the genre, and samples of work and bios of many of the artists currently creating Steampunk art.
The typography and page layout of this book really worked to compliment the art shown in the photographs, which made the catalog much more appealing to readers and evocative of the idea of steampunk. Nothing can replace the experience of viewing these 3-dimensional art pieces up close and in person, but the photographs still portray enough of the pieces to leave you with a sense of wonder and appreciation for the art.
My recommendation? Have this on hand for when you need a point of reference while reading Westerfeld’s Leviathan or Pullman’s The Golden Compass. Or just keep it on your coffee table to tickle the imagination of guests....more
Nora Dearly is one of the New Victorians, living in what was formerly South America following a massive global meltdown and disintegration of most of Nora Dearly is one of the New Victorians, living in what was formerly South America following a massive global meltdown and disintegration of most of the world's major powers. The New Victorians are at war with the Punks, a more savage people who do not want to live according to the prim and proper rules that emulate 19th century England. Nora is just coming out of a year of mourning for her father when she is captured by what turn out to be zombies. That's when she finds out that although her father is dead, he is still walking and talking. She also starts to fall for Bram, one of the undead soldiers caring for her. However, Nora's father is missing, zombies are invading Nora's town, and her best friend is being forced to protect her family while trying to find a suitor. Nora's got big problems, and a massive zombie outbreak is just one part of the equation.
Dearly, Departed had a lot of fun elements to it. It's a post-apocalyptic, steampunk zombie novel, which could have been a really good time. It fell flat for me, though. There was a bit too little action and a bit too much reveling in the cleverness of itself. In a way, it reminded me of a work of fan fiction, written in an attempt to honor the genres. At first I was having fun, but after a while the pacing of the book wore me down.
Part of my problem with the pacing was that the story would rotate narrators each chapter. Narrators included Nora, her father, Bram, Bram's superior, and Nora's best friend Pam. I had the same problem I have in a lot of books that alternate narrator: they each had the same voice. I'd have to go back to the first page of the chapter to gain my footing in who was speaking, which would have been apparent without the chapter title if the characters sounded more different from one another.
I did enjoy Nora's relationships with the characters around her, though. Bram's a zombie, so there will always be an "ick" factor in them getting together, but he was a stand-up guy and I didn't mind the romance that developed between the two of them. Nora also has a complex but happy relationship with Pam, a lower class scholarship girl with her sights on elevating her family's social standing. The girls stick together and stick up for one another, which is as it should be.
Overall, Dearly, Departed had some memorable characters and fun moments, but relied too much on its genres to carry it rather than moving forward because of its substance and action. I do think it will find its fans, but it just was not the book for me....more
When we left off at the end of Leviathan, the potential future Archduke of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Alek, and his group had joined up with the teaWhen we left off at the end of Leviathan, the potential future Archduke of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Alek, and his group had joined up with the team of the British airship, the Leviathan, including a plucky girl-disguised-as-boy, Deryn (or Mr. Dylan Sharp to everyone, including you!) The partnership is an uneasy one, as very few on the Leviathan know anything about the Austrian group. They only know that they are enemies of the Germans. The Leviathan makes a diplomatic visit to Istanbul (not Constantinople), where things go very wrong. Alek and some of his crew make an escape into the city, but are soon pursued by the Germans who have taken over the city. Deryn is sent on a very dangerous secret mission where she loses her team. The two adolescents must find and help each other if they are to save themselves, the crew of the Leviathan, and perhaps end the war.
I enjoyed Behemoth better than Leviathan, mainly because we already have been introduced to the characters and are able to really get into the meat of the action and plot. In this book, we could sense the tension forming between Alek and Deryn, which was pretty obviously set up from the start. We’re also introduced to an incredibly cute prefabricated beast, Bovril, who knows much more than Alek and Deryn give him credit for. Deryn’s guilt has greatly increased about not telling Alek that she’s really a girl, but she also feels that it’s her duty to not tell him, since he’d have to fall in love with a girl as awesome as her, and since she’s a British commoner that would not do.
Like Leviathan, Behemoth is illustrated by Keith Thompson, and the illustrations are great. He does a nice job of capturing Westerfield’s description. I myself didn’t always know how to picture the prefabricated beasts or clanker machines, so Thompson’s drawings definitely enhanced my reading experience. Once again, the endpapers are really incredible and capture the character of WWI propaganda. I’m really curious to see what Thompson does for book 3′s endpapers to top the first two.
The trilogy’s final installment, Goliath, is set to be released on September 11 of this year....more
The town of Arcane exists at a crossroads, a place of power where strange things can happen. Natalie Minks had grown up hearing strange stories from hThe town of Arcane exists at a crossroads, a place of power where strange things can happen. Natalie Minks had grown up hearing strange stories from her mother, so she knows that there is something wrong about the new traveling medicine show that has come to town. As the story unfolds, she notices the show is filled with automata that seem to work without any source of force, something that is against the nature of physics itself. Natalie works to find out what is really happening at the show, and how she can stop it before it destroys her town.
The Boneshaker is a bit reminiscent of Something Wicked This Way Comes with a bit of The Devil Went Down to Georgia mixed in. The story mentions deals with the devil, trickster demons, and the battle between good and evil. I enjoyed the parts of the story that were based on folk tales. Sometimes, the emphasis on historical detail slowed the story down for me. In fact, the beginning was very tough for me to get into; however, things picked up after about 100 pages. It's a good read for people who like a strong female protagonist, and carnival-atmosphere evil....more
Alexia Tarabotti is not the height of London's desirable women. She is half Italian, resulting in a too-big nose and too-dark skin tone, her figure isAlexia Tarabotti is not the height of London's desirable women. She is half Italian, resulting in a too-big nose and too-dark skin tone, her figure is a bit more generous than fashionable, and she has no soul. In the universe of Soulless, vampires and werewolves are a well-known cultural group, and have been assimilated into society in the British Empire. However, after Alexia is rudely attacked by a strange vampire, it becomes apparent that something strange is happening in the supernatural community. Werewolves and vampires have been going missing, while others seem to appear out of thin air. Working with the hot, alpha werewolf Lord Maccon, Alexia will work to uncover who is behind the disappearances, all while having a good time in the process.
Soulless is a fun, cheeky reimagining of the Victorian era, with a strong, witty heroine. The plot moves fairly quickly, and there is enough action and romance to keep the story going. I really enjoyed Alexia's character. Being soulless and a resolute spinster, she feels she is able to take more liberties than the age would normally allow. She's very intelligent and unafraid to speak her mind. I also really enjoyed Lord Maccon's character, in all his rough animalism and passion, and Lord Akeldama, a foppish and lovable vampire. The story had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing, and more than enough humor to keep me constantly laughing. I can't wait for Changeless, the second of the three-part series....more
Loading...
