Behemoth

What a way to spend a day . . . off.

Since I was on my own for most of today, I spent a good chunk of it reading Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld. That's the sequel to the book that I finished (and reviewed) only yesterday.

The book picks up where the first one left off. Alek, the "missing heir" to the Austrian-Hungarian empire, is still hiding on the British airship Leviathan. They need his help to maintain the mechanical engines that have been added to the sides of an otherwise living airship. But now that the Leviathan is approaching Istanbul on a vital diplomatic mission, Alek sees his chance to escape.

Deryn Sharp, still disguised as a boy, is finding Istanbul a strange place. Not only is it a Clanker country (where steam-powered machines dominate the city), the Germans obviously have designs to bring the Ottomans into the war against the Darwinist nations.

Soon both Deryn and Alek find themselves in the midst of international intrigue along with shadowy plots that could reshape the world and the course of the on-going war.

This was another fun read. Again, Westerfeld has given his storyworld a great deal of thought and executed it well. There are just enough twists and turns to keep a reader guessing, especially as the story continues to weave in historical and almost-real events.

Personally, I'm looking forward to reading the final entry into this trilogy, but it doesn't get published until September. Oh well. Hopefully I'll have whittled away my to-be-read pile by then so Goliath can take priority.