Leviathan

by Scott Westerfeld, 440 pages

As World War I begins, all the greatest European powers start to divide. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their clanker machines and the British have their Darwinist, fabricated beasties. Prince Aleksanders parents have been murdered by the Germans and now he must flee his home with Count Volger and his master of mechaniks teacher or risk being killed himself. Shortly after arriving at their hideout in the mountains of Switzerland they are joined by a badly wounded Darwinist air ship, the Leviathan. Alek goes against Count Volgers advice and tries to help the ship, but they soon find out that he is Austro-Hungarian. To save Alek they make a deal with the Leviathan, they will replace the ships engines with their clanker engines as well as help run them if they ship will fly them to safety. While on the ship they must keep their true identities a secret, but Alek's new friend Dylan Sharp discovers their secret. Their Secret is safe with Mr. Sharp, who has a very big secret of his own. Will their secrets be discovered? Will the Leviathan captains keep their word and fly them to safety?

While Mortals Sleep

Kurt Vonnegut, 253 pages

Smart and imaginative short stories about how love, fame, and values can take a extradordiary turn in ordianary lives. A successful business owner of a road construction company spends all of his time working or playing with is train set instead of spending time with his wife - until his mother destroys it all. A young nurse recieves a gift that everyone would dream to have, but will it stop her from having the life she wants to have? Two young man decide to start spread rumors and convince a co-worker it is true, but when the joke is on them how will they react?

I thought Kurt Vonnegut short stories were witty and creative. Each story ends with the character usually learning something as well as the reader. Whether or not you want moral advice I would recommended that you read this book.

THE BOY WHO COULDN'T SLEEP AND NEVER HAD TO

by DC Pierson, 226 pages

An imaginative novel about a two teenage boy's journey through high school. When Darren Bennet meets Eric Lederer, there instant connection even though Darren can sense there is something different about Eric. They start to create a movie using Darren's artistic talents. Eric begins to trust Darren as friend and decides to share a secret about himself that no one else knows: He doesn't have to sleep. Darren thinks it is a gift and sees the world in a new light. Eric represents possibility, because if he able to exist, imagine what else could exist. When word leaks out about Eric's thing, he and Darren find themselves on the run or Eric will become a science experiment. Is it the government chase them or something Eric has created with his gift?

While this novel is imaginative it is lacking in other areas. I found it very hard to get into the book and once it started getting good it went bad again. The whole plot of this story is that these two boys become friends and Eric shares his secret with Darren. Then eventually someone finds out about his gift and they have to runaway. In the story it mostly focus's on Darren's thoughts, which are useless information and the movie TimeBlaze that the boy's are creating. The boy's didn't even start running until 3/4 of the way through the book and the ending was very abrupt.

Behemoth

by Scott Westerfeld, 485 pages

Behemoth is a ferocious beast used in the British Navy. Now that they are at war with the Clankers the Darwinist will need both the Behemoth and the Leviathan to battle. As Leviathan makes its way to the Ottoman Empire to deliver Dr. Barlow's mysterious eggs they run into trouble with the German Navy ship. They peacekeeping quest has failed and they find themselves alone in enemy territory.
Deryn and Alek struggle to maintain their friendship when it might mean they are being treasonous. Deryn is posing as girl aboard the British Air Services and is falling for Alek, who has no idea that she is a girl. While Alek is posing as a commoner in the Ottoman Empire when he is actually an archduke of Austria-Este. To bring this war to an end they will need each other, new allies and bravery to overcome what is ahead.

If you loved reading Leviathan, you will definitely love reading Behemoth. It is a steampunk adventure, full of nonstop action. The black and white illustrations by Keith Thompson enhance the story and capture the imaginary world Westerfeld has created. Leviathan focused a lot on the introduction of the characters and the setting, while Behemoth is full of constant action and character development. The Leviathan series is an awesome YA book and I would suggest it to anyone who is just starting to read steampunk books.