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Behemoth

By: Scott Westerfeld
Narrated by: Alan Cumming
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Publisher's summary

The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers.

Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory.

Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what's ahead.

©2010 Scott Westerfeld (P)2010 Simon and Schuster Audio
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Editorial reviews

Set during World War I, Behemoth tells a steampunk-esque alternate history. As in real life, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand triggers the conflict, but in Behemoth, the archduke has a secret heir whose life must be preserved at all costs. That is not the only historical divergence from reality, however not by a long shot. Behemoth features a familiar sociopolitical landscape but radically different scientific one. In this world, the British and other Allies are known as “Darwinists”, as their knowledge of biological sciences is super-advanced, to the point where instead of airplanes, they have giant, living airships (such as the eponymous Behemoth), and instead of something like walkie-talkies, they have messenger lizards. The Germans, meanwhile, are known as the “Clankers”, and they have eschewed the use of the biological creatures in favor of mechanical might; so where the Darwinists might have a giant, living airship, the Clankers would have giant mechs and other mechanical marvels.

Behemoth, the second book in the series (following 2009’s Leviathan), takes the protagonists British midshipman Deryn Sharp, and Prince Alek, heir to the throne of Austria to Constantinople, a city where the Darwinist and Clanker philosophies collide. There, the two are thrust into an explosive political machine that threatens to destroy all they’ve worked for, even as both Darwinist and Clanker factions attempt to sway the Ottoman Empire into joining their side in the conflict.

Every bit as full of a sense of wonder as its predecessor, Behemoth is a thrilling, masterful piece of fiction, a sterling example of what alternate history, steampunk, and speculative fiction is capable of. Peppered with enough details from real history to lend the book a rich authenticity, Westerfeld spins the story in wildly new directions at the same time. Although Behemoth is categorized as a young adult novel, it’s really a must-listen for anyone who enjoys speculative and/or historical fiction no matter their age.

Veteran and highly regarded actor of the stage and screen Alan Cumming’s performance is nothing short of enthralling. His Scottish brogue lightly accents his narration, but disappears or transforms into something else entirely when voicing the dialogue of the Austrian Prince Alek and the German Clankers and the other characters. Likewise, he does an excellent job portraying the teenage Deryn, a girl passing herself off as a boy. Somewhat subdued, without much vocal trickery, Cumming’s narration is simply a pleasure to listen to.

A brilliant book plus brilliant narration equals a surefire contender for audiobook of the year. John Joseph Adams

What listeners say about Behemoth

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Loved this story

Great story! I grabbed this as soon as I'd finished up Leviathan as that one ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. Half way through, and the story is carrying on grandly! Can't wait to see what the perspicacious loris turns out to be & where Deryn and Aleks go next.

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Great story

The narrator bring the book to life! Great follow from the first book of the series.

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1 person found this helpful

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I've loved this series ever since high school

Narration was great took a bit to get used to though. I love Scott's books.

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Fabulous!

Would you listen to Behemoth again? Why?

Oh yes, I would happily listen again. This is a great sequel to Leviathon, which ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. Here we get introduced to Instanbul & Deryn and Alek's adventures in formenting revolution in the city and how they help the British Darwinists.

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Quite possibly BETTER than the first book!

Leviathan left me with baited breath- wondering what the Barking Spiders was going to happen! Behemoth is a great follow up - and I'm about to start the third book now! In short - if you like well written historical fiction - this is a great series.

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Engaging

Our sons have enjoyed this trilogy very much. Mom and dad were drawn in when we decided to listen to the series with our youngest son. We like the blend of actual history with the fantasy fiction - um, it IS fiction- right?

Congrats and thanks to Scott Westerfeld We have enjoyed this together as a family- amazing !
so far, no offensive language, no inappropriate relationships - just swashbuckling excitement and fun.
Good story and reader ! First there was Leviathan then Behemoth- now,
Onward to GOLIATH (Mr.Sharp...hehe)

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Best series ever! I just love everything about it!

The Leviathan trilogy is seriously one of my all time favs, I would recommend it to anyone! It's got adventure, suspense, romance, friendship, and an amazing world where fabricated beasts fight powerful machines in this fictional take on World War 1.

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Good read

Simple read well spoken, no convoluted storyline easy to follow enjoyable would recommend to anyone in the neighborhood for a good book.

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The Adventure Continues!

Here continues the engaging adventure that began in Leviathan...Aleks, Deryn and the others are vivid and winning characters. The writing is intelligent and informative but does not forget a sense of humor! Superb narration by Alan Cumming

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This Series is fantastic

I remember when I was a kid, Scott Westerfeld visited my middle school to promote Leviathan, I wasn’t able to buy the book and recently I have the entire series and I love his work from being a steam punk, bio punk, and alternate history it’s fantastic I absolutely love these stories I will keep reading and hearing these stories
Awesome Work Mr. Westerfeld

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