Listen to the Episode

Verdict:

If you like great action and inventive alternate realities, you get an appetizer in this book, but outside some fun battles, there is no resolution to major plot points, which are pushed off to a second book. With no payoff, it’s harder to care what happens to the characters.

Rating: 3.25/5

We conclude our World War I alternate reality Young Adult novel “Leviathan” by Scott Westerfield. The last third of the book saves the best part of the war for last, that is the actual parts of the war we see. The Clankers and the Darwinists join forces and cultures to survive their frozen prison. And the inevitable attack by the Germans puts our heroes in real life-and-death danger.

We find out what happens when giant hydrogen-filled airships don’t pay attention to fire safety 101, it seems Deryn is either crazy or just young and impulsive, and secrets that have been building up throughout the book are saved until…. the…. very…. next… book. At least we can hope.

So even without a payoff to some big questions – the eggs anyone? – it’s an action-packed finale with more talking lizards, eight-legged giant robots and a hollywood worthy finale.

Thanks for joining us on the REIGN of Books.

NEWS in this episode:

• Serial Novels: Modern Torture or the Best Way to Read Fiction?
• Twitter Fiction Fest tells stories one tweet at a time
• George Saunders becomes first winner of UK’s newest literary prize