Behemoth by Scott Westerfield Illustrated by Keith Thompson

Behemoth by Scott Westerfield Illustrated by Keith Thompson

Behemoth is a mixture of alternate history and steampunk written for young adults.  It is the second book in the Leviathan trilogy.  The title Leviathan in the first book refers to a giant living airship.  Leviathan won the 2010 Locus Award for Best Young Adult Novel. I think it is quite readable for adults as well.

The setting in this part of the series is an alternate history Ottoman Empire.  There are ornate clockwork mechanical walkers and intricate steam powered machines.  The year is 1914.  In this world, the English and Russians are Darwinists masters of genetically engineered beasts and the Germans and Ottomans are Clankers makers of complex clockwork machinery.  I like that in this world, the Americans do both.

This makes for wonderfully ornate illustrations by Keith Thompson.  His website has some of the art from Behemoth http://www.keiththompsonart.com/ The illustrations are wonderfully ornate in black in white with touches of Victoriana, Art Deco, and even Middle Eastern motifs.

The reader encounters living airships, articulated steam elephants, a steampunk library, and an alternate Orient Express.  This transports you to a very different world.  The descriptions are inventive and eloquent.  We get to imagine Iron Golems in the Jewish quarters of Istanbul, fallen nobility in grand hotels, and an air of revolutionary change.

There is constant action, intrigue, hair raising escapes, and suspense.  Tension is created between the main characters; a young woman posing as a boy to serve in the English air corps, and an aristocratic German who is trying to pass himself off as a commoner.

The design of the book is superb; it is set in Hoefler text.  The line spacing and layout are very easy on the eyes.  The jacket design and photo illustration are by Sammy Yuen, Jr.

This is highly recommended, especially for people who read steampunk or atlernate history.

Blameless An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger

Blameless An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger.

This is a wonderfully silly fantastic novel. It manages to mashup steampunk with werewolves and vampires in a comedy of manners. It is quite fun to read.

The main character who is pregnant by a werewolf travels to Italy where she meets the templars and learns a bit about her fathers history.

Lots of silliness ensues. Alexia Terrabotti endures ornithopter rides, angry vampires, and pesto in her travels in Italy. She wards off villains with her weigted dart shooting parasol with the help of her trusty footman Floote and the cross dressing hatmaker Madame Lefleux.

The writing is lighthearted and fun. It is well worth following the author, Gail Carriger. Her blog is quite fun to read with its pictures of parasols and other victorian and steampunk fashions. http://gailcarriger.livejournal.com/

Clementine by Cherie Priest

Clementine by Cherie Priest

This is a chase novel. One main character, Captain Beauregard Hainey seeks to recover his stolen property, a war dirigible.  Another character, Maria Isabella Boyd, must make sure the stolen dirigible, the Clementine reaches its destination.  This creates opposing chases.

The characters are also described in opposition.  Captain Beauregard is an African American air pirate, arms smuggler, and wanted man.  Maria Isabella Boyd is an ex-confederate spy hired by the Pinkertons.  This makes for a novel with strong clashes.

The clashes between the opposing sides happen at a whirlwind pace.  The reading is as fast as the storyline.  It is nonstop action mixed with intrigue;  aerial dirigible battles, dirigible hijackings, and quick thinking.

The setting is a steampunk version of the American civil war replete with clockwork technology.  The book makes some references to her previous novel, Boneshaker, but it is not necessary to read it to understand the action.  There are a few cliches in the novel like a man portable gatling gun and a diamond powered deathbeam.  This is the only real flaw I found in the writing.

I sat and read the book on the train home, then finished it that same night.  It works very well as an action novel.  If you want a couple days worth of fast paced escapism, this novel is worth reading.

Changeless An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger

Changeless An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger

This is the second novel in the Parasol Protectorate series featuring Alexia Tarabotti. It is set in a Victorian England with touches of steampunk. The first was Soulless. Alexia is now Lady Maccon. She is married to Conall Maccon who is a werewolf. She is the lady of a house of werewolves.

In this novel, paranormals are mysteriously losing their powers. This is bad for England because so much of their military power lies in regiments of vampires and werewolves. It is a mystery for Lady Maccon to solve. She travels between England and Scotland by dirigible, she hobnobs with werewolves, vampires, and nobility. At the same time she takes tea, wears fashionable dress, and reads the society papers.

The novel is lighthearted entertainment. The writing breaks boundaries by moving between a variety of genres from gaslight to romance to steampunk to adventure. The writing is more comic adventure than scary. She wards off the villains with her trustry umbrella and dangerous hatpins.

The backstory is one of an eccentric, intelligent lady with a difficult family and quirky friends both normal and paranormal (ghosts, vampires, and werewolves). Her friend Ivy is entranced by terrible hats and her sister must travel with her to Scotland to avoid scandal.

The third book in the series coming out in September 2010, Blameless, should be as entertaining as the first two.

Soulless An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger

Soulless An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger

The main character of this novel is a proper english lady and a spinster. She carries a silver tipped parasol, likes, tea, and reads a lot about science and the supernatural. Alexia Tarabotti has an original personality which is quite charming to read in this novel. Her proper manners and headstrong character create a nice juxtaposition to the humor in the novel.

The book is quite lighthearted. It jumps around many genres and constantly spins out new takes on old ideas. Where can you read about a comedy of manners in courting a Scottish werewolf lord in London? How about talk to fashionable vampire fop, or be chased by a bloodthirsty golem.

I could call this book a victorian steampunk, supernatural, romance, comedic thriller. A surprising mix and mash which comes up with exuberant new ideas in each chapter. There are also elements of alternate history, Queen Victoria even makes a brief appearance.

Soulless is the first book in a series. I put the second one, Changeless on reserve at my library and am waiting for the third book to come out. Her writing is fun to read. I also like Gail Carriger's website http://www.gailcarriger.com/ It has a nice mix of Victorian fashion, funny pictures, and lists of steampunk novels and films.