Goliath

April 15, 2011

The Leviathan trilogy-ender delivers on the promise of the series: thrilling airship battles, world travel, ginormous Tesla coils and a few daring smooches.

A revolution in Istanbul behind them, Alek and Deryn travel wherever the living airship Leviathan is ordered by the British Empire. Deryn knows Alek's secret—that he is heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire—but Alek doesn't know that Deryn is truly a girl. They don't have much time to spare for their own personal soap opera as they freewheel around war-torn continents, from Siberia to Japan to the United States to Mexico. Alek and Deryn escape ravenous fighting bears tall as houses, ride atop a gale-tossed airship and star in motion pictures. The whole is peppered with sagacious statements from the tragically underused Perspicacious Lorises, faux-simple creatures always ready to spout off a wise word or three. This entry is relatively light on the steam-powered clankers and genetically engineered beasties that drove the first two volumes of the trilogy, replacing them with repeated airborne drama. Still, any lost steampunky science is compensated for by nonstop action; it's hard to mind theatrical revelations when they occur in a made-for-CGI storm. Besides, in the midst of all that action Alek learns the art of navigation and how to measure the weight of water; how cool is that?

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 1, 2011

Gr 7 Up-The title of this final volume in the trilogy refers to a device created by the mad inventor Nikola Tesla, which he claims can lay waste to entire cities. The story picks up with Alek and Deryn/Dylan traveling in the living hydrogen dirigible known as the Leviathan to Russia under orders to pick up a cargo from the czar, along with Tesla as a passenger. While there are questions about the mysterious cargo and the inventor's wild claims, the real thread of plot here is that Alek finally discovers that Deryn is a girl and has to deal with his conflicted feelings toward her. Deryn, on the other hand, is in love with him, but doesn't believe her love can be returned as she is a commoner. Along with Tesla, a host of other historical figures appear in the plot, including William Randolph Hearst and Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. The Leviathan makes an epic journey from Russia to California, and then to New York, via Mexico, where in a fateful last stand, Alex has to make a decision as Tesla prepares to use the Goliath device to destroy Berlin while the city is under attack by German undersea Walkers. At story's end, Westerfeld's alternate steampunk version of World War I is not over, but Alex and Deryn's life together appears to be just beginning. Goliath delivers some action, thrills, and a satisfying love story, despite some muddled plotting in the middle section. Nonetheless, it is a must-read for fans of the series and of the steampunk genre.-Tim Wadham, St. Louis County Library, MO

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2011
Grades 7-10 Gadget-loving Clankers and biology-based Darwinists are still at war, but there is new hope for peace based on the threat of using Goliath, a powerful weapon developed by the famous inventor Nikola Tesla. Prince Alek believes Tesla's intentions are good, but Midshipman Deryn is skeptical. Goliath arrives safely in New York, but an attempted attack by German mechanical walkers ignites a series of events that may mean the end of a European cityand the Leviathan, with all her crew. The alternative-history steampunk extravaganza that began with Leviathan (2009) ends with this third volume, and it does not disappoint. Westerfeld stays true to his characters and the strength of his earlier story as he propels it to a satisfying close, and there are tantalizing bits in that wrapping up that could birth a terrific next series. (Fingers crossed, Mr. Westerfeld.) Secondary characters remain vivid, and the real stars of this entry may be lorises Bovril and Tazza. Once again, Thompson's evocative art enlivens the narrative.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)