Leviathan Series

Leviathan, Behemoth and Goliath by Scott Westerfeld (440, 485, and 543. 1468 total)

When I was looking to expand upon my forays into the steampunk world I stumbled upon this trilogy. Just glancing at the cover and description was enough to convince me to give it a try. The cover and the inside cover art is quite elaborate and beautiful. Plus it is a young adult series so I knew it would read quickly.

The Leviathan trilogy follows the lives of two teenagers (Aleksander and Deryn) as they are swept along by love, war and station.  The overall trilogy follows a rough rehash of World War 1 with an interesting twist. The German powers and their allies are Clankers, who fight with mechanized war machines, and the British Empire are Darwinist, who rely on grown and genetically modified creatures.

I quite enjoyed the strange and at times weird creatures and machines that Westerfeld created. Unlike most fiction, this series had accompanying pictures to help the reader visualize what was being described. I would love to see this Darwinist/Clanker world expanded upon and brought to life through more books.