Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld, sequel to Leviathan
Posted: October 4th, 2010, 9:07 pm
Oh honestly, you'd think at 31 years old I'd stop going all fan girl about books and authors but oh no! No no, there's no dignity in middle age my friends. Go on, ask me if I own a pair of goggles and secretly dream of joining Her Majesty's Royal Air Navy. Go on. Ask.
When Leviathan came out, I was having near constant heart flutters. I remember when Scott Westerfeld showed off his new steamy blog and the teasers of beautiful artwork for the book. I was already a pretty big fangirl after the Uglies series, but I'm a huge fan of steampunk and the awesome marriage of visual storytelling with written storytelling. While I'm not really sure Leviathan counts as steampunk (maybe? I don't know. Can we get a ruling here?) it sure has all the elements and it has a pretty great retelling of a point in history that is completely ignored in YA.
And the book trailer for Leviathan? One of only three that I think are done to the credit of the book and actually work hard to sell people on it. Really, it's worth watching because it uses artwork pulled right out of the book itself. Did I mention Leviathan is illustrated? Love it.
When I picked Leviathan up (with its gorgeous cover, I so wish they hadn't changed the style) I didn't put it down until I was done. But here's the thing- I went into Leviathan thinking it was a stand alone book. I don't know why I thought that, it just seemed like a stand alone book. It even read like one. Until the last page. I swear I read the last page and turned to the next and...I swore and threw the book down and stalked around the house almost in tears. It leaves us off on a cliffhanger that I couldn't possibly stand a whole year worth of waiting to find out what happens. I mean, I love Scott-freaking-Westerfeld and his work, but I was so mad! I don't think I've ever been so mad at an author or book in my life. It's not really fair, I should have been paying more attention. But still.
So tomorrow, October 5th, the sequel finally comes out. Behemoth, and while there doesn't seem to be any fantastic book trailer to go along with it this time, that's ok. I'm jumping around super-excited-can't-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-it. My husband and I are going straight away after work to pick it up and then I will be completely lost to the world until I'm doing inhaling it. My poor husband is not going to get dinner tomorrow night.
Anyone else? I know a lot of people passed on reading Leviathan because the premise is kind of crazy, but I assure you it really is brilliant.
Who else has read Leviathan? Anyone buying Behemoth tomorrow?
"The year is 1914. The Archduke Franz Ferdinand has just been assassinated and Europe is on the brink of war. But put your history books away, this is not the war you remember. There is something else at stake. Who will triumph: The Clankers who put their faith in machinery? Or the Darwinists who evolve living creature into tools and weapons? Fighting Kracken, living airships, and all manner of dangerous beastie. And at the center of it all: Alek, son of the archduke is running from those who murdered his father. He collides by chance with Deryn Sharp, a girl passing as a boy to serve in the royal air navy. One is a clanker, the other a darwinist. One's in hiding, the other is hiding a very big secret. As the adventure begins, the intrigue heightens and the stakes grow. The question is, do you oil your war machines? Or do you feed them?"
When Leviathan came out, I was having near constant heart flutters. I remember when Scott Westerfeld showed off his new steamy blog and the teasers of beautiful artwork for the book. I was already a pretty big fangirl after the Uglies series, but I'm a huge fan of steampunk and the awesome marriage of visual storytelling with written storytelling. While I'm not really sure Leviathan counts as steampunk (maybe? I don't know. Can we get a ruling here?) it sure has all the elements and it has a pretty great retelling of a point in history that is completely ignored in YA.
And the book trailer for Leviathan? One of only three that I think are done to the credit of the book and actually work hard to sell people on it. Really, it's worth watching because it uses artwork pulled right out of the book itself. Did I mention Leviathan is illustrated? Love it.
When I picked Leviathan up (with its gorgeous cover, I so wish they hadn't changed the style) I didn't put it down until I was done. But here's the thing- I went into Leviathan thinking it was a stand alone book. I don't know why I thought that, it just seemed like a stand alone book. It even read like one. Until the last page. I swear I read the last page and turned to the next and...I swore and threw the book down and stalked around the house almost in tears. It leaves us off on a cliffhanger that I couldn't possibly stand a whole year worth of waiting to find out what happens. I mean, I love Scott-freaking-Westerfeld and his work, but I was so mad! I don't think I've ever been so mad at an author or book in my life. It's not really fair, I should have been paying more attention. But still.
So tomorrow, October 5th, the sequel finally comes out. Behemoth, and while there doesn't seem to be any fantastic book trailer to go along with it this time, that's ok. I'm jumping around super-excited-can't-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-it. My husband and I are going straight away after work to pick it up and then I will be completely lost to the world until I'm doing inhaling it. My poor husband is not going to get dinner tomorrow night.
Anyone else? I know a lot of people passed on reading Leviathan because the premise is kind of crazy, but I assure you it really is brilliant.
Who else has read Leviathan? Anyone buying Behemoth tomorrow?
"The year is 1914. The Archduke Franz Ferdinand has just been assassinated and Europe is on the brink of war. But put your history books away, this is not the war you remember. There is something else at stake. Who will triumph: The Clankers who put their faith in machinery? Or the Darwinists who evolve living creature into tools and weapons? Fighting Kracken, living airships, and all manner of dangerous beastie. And at the center of it all: Alek, son of the archduke is running from those who murdered his father. He collides by chance with Deryn Sharp, a girl passing as a boy to serve in the royal air navy. One is a clanker, the other a darwinist. One's in hiding, the other is hiding a very big secret. As the adventure begins, the intrigue heightens and the stakes grow. The question is, do you oil your war machines? Or do you feed them?"