Review
Scott Westerfeld, author of the popular
Uglies series for young adults, tries his hand at steampunk in
Leviathan, an imaginative alternate-reality story featuring two teenagers who must cope with personal loss and isolation, and who learn the meaning of friendship in a time of war. But this book is no downer. Westerfeld takes readers along for the wild adventures of the two young protagonists. Written for a YA audience,
Leviathan is a fun read for adults as well.
Alek and Deryn are 15, on the cusp of adulthood, but still young enough to hold onto the idealism, rebelliousness, and naiveté of youth. Young readers will see something of themselves in these characters, traits that transcend gender, nationality, time period, and the sci-fi setting of the book. Adult readers will appreciate the realism that Westerfeld imbues them with....
Beyond the Book
Leviathan's Illustrator
Keith Thompson, who contributed fifty illustrations for the interior of
Leviathan, began freelancing as an artist in high school. After graduating, he studied illustration and continued his freelance work. He has contributed art for books, video games, film, and television.
Preparing the Leviathan illustrations involved a year of planning and working on the project, drawing the illustrations as author Scott Westerfeld wrote. He often asked questions of Westerfeld to find out his conception of the visual elements of the story.
In an interview with Irene Gallo on Tor.com, Thompson is...
