Monday, December 21, 2009

REVIEW: LEVIATHAN BY SCOTT WESTERFELD AND STEAMPUNK GIVEAWAY!


Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Firstly, I want to send a HUGE THANK YOU to Michelle at Simon and Schuster Canada for sending this out to me!!!!

And now on to my thoughts on this book.  I can sum it up in two words:

HOLY.


CRAP.

I literally just finished it yesterday and I cannot WAIT to tell you all about it!  Now I have to somehow put my words into some sort of coherant meaning. 

This is my very first Steampunk EVER, and suffice it to say it will NOT be my last.  I am so in love with this genre I cannot even see straight. 

Westerfeld has recreated World War  I in this little gem, and in it we follow two main characters - Deryn and Alek.  Deryn is a 15 year old girl who wants desperately to join the air service and train as an airman, and with the help of her brother she disguises herself as a lad and does just that.  Turns out she is naturally good at pretty much everything that comes her way, which makes her a solid asset to the military.  Alek is the son of the Duke and his common-wife who were murdered at the beginning of the story.  He is hoisted from his room by two of his father's men and quickly realizes that he is on the run for his life. 

The world that Westerfeld has created is fascinating!  Basically there are two camps and two trains of thoughts.  There are the Clankers and the Darwinists. The Clankers are the sort that use these incredible machines to fight the war, and the Darwinists use fabricated animals.  Seen through the eyes of Deryn, the beasties are to be respected and even loved, but seen through the eyes of a Clanker they are repulsive.  And Westerfeld gives us an authentic look from both view points. 

The story is loosely based on actual facts from World War I.  The "shot heard round the world" when Arch Duke Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian-Hungary throne and his wife were murdered, started the war and in Leviathan the beginning is exactly the same scenario.  He explains the similiarities and differences in the last section of the book.  For history buffs and the layman it is very interesting!

The Steampunk genre is awesome as it intertwines futuristic creatures and machines with old world ideologies and time frame.  The clothing is extremely cool, with the goggles and the boots and leather and bowler hats, along with the inventions of the time. 

The artwork is GEORGOUS, by Keith Thompson, and it accompanies the book nicely with illustrations sprinkled throughout.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to ANYONE of ANY age.  It is a relatively fast read, and you will be immersed into the Steampunk world in all its glory.  What an amazing movie it would make!  And the BEST part is that this is the FIRST in the TRILOGY, I just found out.  WOOT! 

RATING: 5/5

Now for the GIVEAWAY portion of this post!!  Because I got this book for free for the purposes of review, I want to show my support for this author and select one lucky winner for which I will order the book from Book Depository and ship it directly to them! 

Here are the rules to enter:  PLEASE PROVIDE SEPERATE COMMENTS FOR EACH ENTRY OR THEY WILL ONLY BE COUNTED AS ONE!
  • post a comment, you do not have to put your email address if you do not want to, you then must just check back here on the contest end date when I will announce the winner and we will sort out the details then.  (1 entry)
  • Follow my blog and get an extra 2 entries.
  • Post about the contest in your sidebar or tweet about it and get another 2 entries.
Total of 5 chances to win! 

The contest will close on January 15th at midnight Alberta time.  January 16th I will announce the winner and will follow up with email if it is provided.

This contest is open to EVERYONE!  (Thank you to LADYBUG for the tip for ordering books from The Book Depository for free shipping!)
Good luck to the winners, and I can't wait to hear what the winner will think about the book!!

PS since this giveaway will definately bring me over the 200 follower mark, I will be doing the huge giveaway once we hit 300!  :0)

119 Blabs:

Mari - Escape In A Book said...

Great review! I have Leviathan on my wishlist(and this review definitely did not put me off the book ;))!

A little tip when it comes to international contest The Book Depository has free shipping worldwide(almost at least). I don't think I could afford to have much international contest if I hadn't discovered BD :)

Katy said...

This is a great review! I didn't really know what the book was about before I read it! :)

(My e-mail addy is available in my profile)

Katy said...

I'm a follower. :)

Katy said...

Tweeted here: http://twitter.com/afewmorepages/status/6900380414

BookHounds said...

I have read one other steampunk book, Soulless by Gail Carriger and just loved it!
Please enter me!
MaryinHB at gmail.com

BookHounds said...

I follow you!

BookHounds said...

I follow you (another entry)
Mary :)

Anonymous said...

I have been dying to get my hands on a copy of this.

carolsnotebook at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

I retweeted this, too. I'm @carolsnotebook.

carolsnotebook at yahoo dot com

Bryce L. said...

This review makes me really excited to read this!
seaklos(at)gmail.com (+1)

Bryce L. said...

I'm now a follower (+2).

Bryce L. said...

I've also got a link up on my blog (in the right column). http://seaks.blogspot.com (+2)

Thanks!

alitareads said...

I had already planned to read this book next year, but you've just made me even more excited to read it! I'd definitely like to win a copy :)

alitareads said...

+2 I'm a follower :)

alitareads said...

+2 Tweeted! http://twitter.com/alitareads/status/6902420893

Amanda said...

Wow! Thanks!

Simply Stacie said...

Please count me in.

simplystacieblog at gmail dot com

Simply Stacie said...

follower

simplystacieblog at gmail dot com

Simply Stacie said...

follower

simplystacieblog at gmail dot com

Lindsay Frost said...

I would LOVE to win this!!
2+I am a new follower
Thankyou!! :D:D:D

-Lindsay

lindsay15photo@gmail.com

Mitzi H. said...

+1 Great interview and can't wait to read this novel. Yummy!!!

mitzihinkey at sbcglobal dot net

Mitzi H. said...

+2 I'm a follower on google friends.

mitzihinkey at sbcglblobal dot net

Happy Holidays!!!

Natalie said...

Awesome! Count me in!

n_monzyk_27@yahoo.com

Natalie said...

Follower

n_monzyk_27@yahoo.com

Natalie said...

Follower

n_monzyk_27@yahoo.com

Michelle (su[shu]) said...

This sounds like a great book. Would love to be entered for the draw. =)

Michelle
mich_yms[at]hotmail[dot]com.

PS: I am a follower already.

Stacey Brucale said...

I am a follower #1

squiggles87(at)aol(dot)com

Stacey Brucale said...

I am a follower #2

squiggles87(at)aol(dot)com

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

Please sign my up; i am a follower:

bibliophilebythesea AT GMAIL dot com

Hot Off the Shelves said...

Oh sounds exciting. Please enter me.

jasmyn9[at]hotmail[dot]com

Hot Off the Shelves said...

+1 I am a folloer #1

jasmyn9[at]hotmail[dot]com

Hot Off the Shelves said...

+1 I am a follower #2

jasmyn9[at]hotmail[dot]com

Anonymous said...

+1 Please enter me :D

thebookvixen at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

+2 following your blog

Anonymous said...

+2 tweeted

Marian Perera said...

What the Darwinists do sounds really interesting. Please enter me into the giveaway as well!

Marian

mdperera at hotmail dot com

Alessandra said...

Please enter me, too :)

Alessandra
outofblue1(at)gmail(dot)com

Alessandra said...

+2 now following your blog

Alessandra
outofblue1(at)gmail(dot)com

Alessandra said...

Tweeted about it here: http://twitter.com/alessandra83/status/6970401970

Alessandra
outofblue1(at)gmail(dot)com

Marce said...

Great giveaway, I have Uglies on my list for Jan 1st to start.

consultmarceAThotmailDOTcom

Marce said...

I'm a follower

consultmarceAThotmailDOTcom

Natalie Shinn said...

Wow! This book does sound good...I guess I'll have to enter!
Olivelover101@aol.com

wheresmyrain said...

i had heard randome things about this but you definitly convinced me

love to read it
wheresmyrain at yahoo dot com

E.J. Stevens said...

oooh, I've been wanting to read this book!
xx,
E.J.

e.j.stevens.author@gmail.com

E.J. Stevens said...

+2 Following :)

Ursina said...

+2 New Follower (Great Blog!)

farmersdaughtersbooks@rocketmail.com

Trisha said...

Don't you just love books that you want to write "holy crap" as your entire review! I'd love to be entered: eclectic.eccentric@hotmail.com

Trisha said...

I'm already a follower.

Trisha said...

Hmm...should I post again for the extra follower point? Why not?

Spav said...

Looks like an interesting book.

spav05@gmail.com

Spav said...

+2 I'm a follower

Spav said...

+2 Tweet: http://twitter.com/Sparima/status/7067499260

Anonymous said...

Great contest! Enter me please!

+2 I'm a follower

+2 Posted the link on my sidebar
(the-bibliophiles-lounge.blogspot.com)

hanjie.1992 @ live.com.my

Thanks!

nfmgirl said...

Well, you really make this one sound like a MUST! Please count me in. Thanks so much!

nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com

nfmgirl said...

I follow

nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com

nfmgirl said...

I follow #2

nfmgirl At gmail DOT com

nfmgirl said...

Tweet:
http://twitter.com/nfmgirl/status/7123572716

nfmgirl At gmail DOT com

nfmgirl said...

Tweet:
http://twitter.com/nfmgirl/status/7123572716

nfmgirl At gmail DOT com

#2

Anonymous said...

+1 Sounds awesome. I would love to read this book. Please count me in!

Anna ♥
goodgonegirl@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

+2 Follower!

Anna ♥
goodgonegirl@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

+2 Sidebar: http://goodgonegirl.blogspot.com

Anna ♥
goodgonegirl@gmail.com

Rabid Fox said...

I borrowed this from the library last month and loved it. Wouldn't mind a copy for my permanent collection, that's for sure.

I just became a follower of this blog too.

e-mail: rabidfox(at)ymail.com

Sarah E said...

Please enter me in this giveaway!

saemmerson at yahoo dot com

Sarah Emmerson

Sarah E said...

I'm a follower.

#1

saemmerson at yahoo dot com

Sarah Emmerson

Sarah E said...

I'm a follower.

#2

saemmerson at yahoo dot com

Sarah Emmerson

Sarah E said...

I tweeted:

https://twitter.com/saemmerson/status/7230386947

#1

saemmerson at yahoo dot com

Sarah Emmerson

Sarah E said...

I tweeted:

https://twitter.com/saemmerson/status/7230386947

#2

saemmerson at yahoo dot com

Sarah Emmerson

Michelle Santiago said...

i want to read this book so badly! please count me in!

bookmakeupreview AT gmail DOT com

Michelle Santiago said...

i tweeted about this giveaway: http://twitter.com/chelleyreads/status/7239750265

bookmakeupreview AT gmail DOT com

Michelle Santiago said...

i tweeted about this giveaway: http://twitter.com/chelleyreads/status/7239750265

bookmakeupreview AT gmail DOT com

ninefly said...

I would love to win a copy please! my brother and I are both really interested in reading this book =)

ninefly(at)gmail(dot)com

ninefly said...

+2 new follower =)

ninefly(at)gmail(dot)com

ninefly said...

+2 tweeted + sidebar
http://twitter.com/angeltyuan/status/7282090890
http://angeltyuan.blogspot.com

ninefly(at)gmail(dot)com

Jessica B said...

Thanks for the awesome contest! I'm a follower.

shutupjessicasreading@ gmaildotcom

D Q said...

I would love to be entered.
djeanq(at)gmail(dot)com

Sandra K321 said...

I would love to read this. This type of book always reminds me of Dr. Who.
seknobloch(at)gmail(dot)com

Sandra K321 said...

I am now following your blog via google.

bison61 said...

what a great review-I'd love to win and read this

tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com

Bani said...

Winning this would be fantastic.

wakeupangel at gmail dot com

Bani said...

Following your blog with the name Bani. (Entry 1)

Bani said...

Following your blog with the name Bani. (Entry 2)

Bani said...

Tweeted about contest here- http://twitter.com/baniclips/status/7392605521 (Entry 1)

Bani said...

Tweeted about contest here- http://twitter.com/baniclips/status/7392605521 (Entry 2)

Bani said...

Tweeted about contest here- http://twitter.com/baniclips/status/7392605521 (Entry 3)

Susan said...

This was a great review! I would love to read this! off to my wishlist to add it!

1993wel said...

What an interesting book, and a great explanation of what steampunk is. I have been wondering, and now my curiousity is piqued!

Nina said...

This book sounds so interesting and I want to read it bad. :)

Nina.happyendings@yahoo.co.uk

International.

Jan said...

Great review. I'd love to read the book.
Thanks,
Jan
jwpoole51@yahoo.com

Marianna said...

Thanks for the chance to win
mannasweeps (at))) gmaildotcom

Shweta said...

I love Westerfeld's books and I think the review has me intrigued about the book.

I follow ur blog
Thanks for the giveaway

Carol M said...

I would love to win this for my grandsons. They are avid readers and I know they would really enjoy this book!
mittens0831 at aol dot com

Carol M said...

I follow your blog.
mittens0831 at aol dot com

Scorpio M. said...

Your review wowed me, count me in please!

jenma76(at)hotmail(dot)com

Scorpio M. said...

I follow your blog, thx for the giveaway.

jenma76(at)hotmail(dot)com

Miss Haley said...

aw man i really want this bookk..... :D :D

+2 I'm a follower, haleymathiot@yahoo.com

+2 posted at twitter.com/haleymathiot

Ellen Sallas, TAM said...

Wow great review! I am adding it to my wishlist too!
Count me in for the giveaway, and I am following now!
hugs, ellen c maze
author, RABBIT: CHASING BETH RIDER

Jenn (Books At Midnight) said...

Great review! Leviathan sounds awesome. :D

booksatmidnight(at)gmail(dot)com

Jenn (Books At Midnight) said...

+2 I'm already a follower! :)

Jenn (Books At Midnight) said...

And... +2 it's on my sidebar on my blog: http://booksatmidnight.blogspot.com. Thanks!

Mystica said...

I follow.

This book has got rave reviews all over book blogging land and I would definitely like to be given the opportunity of reading this. Please count me in and thanks for making it possible for overseas readers to enter.


mystica123athotmaildotcom

avalonne83 said...

Please count me in. Thanks.

avalonne83 [at] yahoo [dot] it

avalonne83 said...

Please count me in. Thanks.

avalonne83 [at] yahoo [dot]it

hippmom said...

THis looks great! THanks for the review.

angelahipp (at) charter (dot) net

hippmom said...

I'm a blog follower! +2

angelahipp (at) charter (dot) net

Brodie said...

+1 Great review!! I've heard nothing but good things about this book, it sounds so intriguing. I would love to enter in for this.

The Book Depository has become my new best friend... although I think we're closer than that. Lovers might be a more fitting word ;)

Thanks!
hanging.by.a.moment_@hotmail.com

Brodie said...

+2 Following your blog

Thanks!
hanging.by.a.moment_@hotmail.com

Darlene said...

I'd love to enter!

bj19662001 (at) yahoo (dot) ca

Darlene said...

I just found your blog - great blog! And I'm a new follower.

Anonymous said...

OMG what an awesome idea! I love this! This book looks fabulous!

28darthsydious@earthlink.net

Ellz said...

What a great giveaway. I heard this is an incredible book. Great review.

zenfoxflowerATyahooDOTcom

Ellz said...

I am a blog follower!
zenfoxflowerATyahooDOTcom

Ellz said...

http://twitter.com/EllzReadz/status/7762942889

tweet link
zenfoxflowerATyahooDOTcom

Anonymous said...

I've been dying to read this book. Count me in for the giveaway.

Anonymous said...

I am a follower (profile-Lisa M. Basso)

angel28140 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com

CherylS22 said...

I've been following this one all over the blogs & it looks like a fascinating book. Please enter me in the drawing!
Thanks ~ megalon22 at yahoo dot com

CherylS22 said...

I follow in GFC
#1

megalon22 at yahoo dot com

CherylS22 said...

I follow in GFC
#2

megalon22 at yahoo dot com

I ♥ Book Gossip said...

+2 Follower

cindyc725 at gmail dot com

I ♥ Book Gossip said...

+2 Tweeted

http://twitter.com/iheartbkgossip/status/7805682380

cindyc725 at gmail dot com

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