Behemoth (Leviathan: Book Two)
The adventures of Deryn (a girl masquerading as a boy in the British Air Service) and Alek (undercover heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne) continue in this alternative history of World War I which began with Leviathan (Simon Pulse, 2009). Intrigue and double-dealing drive the plot as the teens are swept up in a British ploy to keep the Ottomans from joining forces with the Germans. When Deryn runs into trouble on a top-secret mission from her commander she ends up in Istanbul, a hotspot of conflicting loyalties. Deryn hopes to be reunited with Alek, who escaped from the airship Leviathan. She even contemplates telling him the truth about her identity—he doesn’t know she’s a girl—as her feelings for him start to run deeper than friendship. But Alek’s alliance with resistance fighters in Istanbul raises unexpected complications, not the least of which is his friendship with a fierce and beautiful young woman named Lilit. As in Leviathan, steampunk elements and fascinating possibilities of Darwinism add to the setting of this novel, with ingenious genetically engineered creatures and mechanical wonders part of the richly imagined world. ©2010 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by Keith Thompson
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 10-14
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
20th Century
Alternate Histories
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Politics and Political Systems
Spies and Intrigue
Technology and Engineering
World War I
Diversity subject:
Gender Nonconformity
Publisher:
Simon Pulse
Publish Year: 2010
Pages: 485
ISBN: 9781416971757
CCBC Location: Fiction, Westerfeld