However, a storm hits while she is aloft, severely tossing Deryn and the Huxley about, and they narrowly survive-she is forced to cut the Huxley loose from its mooring in order to avoid crashing into a nearby building. To pass the starting exam, she goes aloft with a Huxley (a jellyfish-like creature which uses hydrogen to float) to prove her air-worthiness. In order to do so, she must pose as a boy ('Dylan Sharp'). Deryn dreams of joining the Royal Naval Air Service and to serve on one of the great air beasts. Her father died in a ballooning accident and her mother and aunts want her to grow up as a proper lady. Meanwhile, Deryn, a commoner girl, is staying with her brother Jaspert in London. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.Īleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry.

The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, diesel-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition.

It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. Leviathan was named the Best Young Adult Novel by the Aurealis Award in 2009, Locus in 2010, and Mir Fantastiki in 2011. The trilogy is set in an alternative version of World War I in which the Central Powers (known in-universe as 'Clankers') use mechanized war machines and the Triple Entente (referred in text as 'Darwinists') fabricate living creatures genetically for use in battle. It is the first work in the trilogy of the same name, followed by sequels Behemoth and Goliath. Leviathan is a 2009 novel written by Scott Westerfeld and illustrated by Keith Thompson.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld