Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Leviathan
Author: Scott Westerfeld
ISBN: 9781416971733
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Summary:
"Leviathan begins in 1914, with Europe on the brink of war. Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife have just been assassinated, and political intrigue and panic have engulfed the region.

This sounds familiar, but the fault lines in this conflict are not exactly as you remember them from history class.

In this world, the powers align themselves in two opposing philosophies: Either you're a CLANKER, who puts faith in machinery, in intricately tuned gears and cranks that operate logically and according to man-made design, or you're a DARWINIST, who takes Charles Darwin's revolutionary findings a step further and begins evolving living creatures into tools to advance society.

So the question is, do you oil your war machines, or do you feed them?"
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Review:

I was a little worried about how complicated this story seemed. When you read the summary and all, it kinda feels like you're going to be learning a whole new language to get through this book. But those worries flew out the window once I got through the first few chapters.

I've always enjoyed Westerfeld's books - and this one was no exception. You may not fully understand everything that's being said, but a little ways in you'll notice that it doesn't matter completely. The story carries you along and the language gets stuck in your head - kinda the way the language of Uglies does.

This book doesn't come out until October of this year (another reason I love my job... ARCs!!!), but I totally recommend you look for it when it does. And it is another start to a series - so I'm really excited for when the next one comes around (whenever that may be!). I'm pretty sure guys are going to love this one - because it's really technical and science-heavy. Of course, not just for guys, but it's got that edge to it :).

I also loved the illustrations throughout the book - it just added to the experience, and honestly helped me get an idea of what things looked like. I have a good imagination, but it's kinda stretched a little thin on this one. But it's a great book! Go read it!

Other blog reviews:
Reading Rants
An interview with Scott Westerfeld at My Favorite Author
And Westerfeld's own Blog

I didn't find many reviews out yet - I think the ARCs are just making their way out there. But I'm sure there will be more soon! It's just that good of a book :).