I am a huge sucker for this series to begin with, since it is A) good steampunk B) cross-dressing adventure C) fabulously illustrated, but this book really upped my interest in where the plot is going. It felt like a lot of "Leviathan", the first book was spent in set-up, whereas in Behemoth we jump right into the action. And the action just keeps on going.
The Leviathan is headed for Istanbul (not Constantinople) so the "lady boffin" Dr. Barlow can present the Sultan with a mysterious present that might help halt the war. Of course things go wrong- the almost-electrocution of the giant flying whale, a hijacking of a huge mechanical war elephant. Meanwhile Alek and his crew are desperately trying to escape their English captivity. A botched attempt leads Alek right into the middle of a revolution...
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| (Picture from Keith Thompson's Gallery just to give you a taste of how great the art is. Don't you want to go buy a print now? I know I do!) |
My favorite character in the book is Deryn Sharp, my new girl-dressing-as-a-boy role model. Incredibly capable, fairly fearless and sometimes baffled by how weird boys are, Deryn is always in the middle of something crazy. Behemoth delves more deeply into Deryn's feelings about both her father's death and her feelings for Alex (OMG does she LIKE like him?!) but mostly it just features Deryn kicking ass and taking names. It seems like her secret identity as the best (not)boy in the British Air Corps is a little closer to being exposed but so far is in safe hands. Also, an almost love triangle that doesn't turn out quite the way Deryn expects. Ha ha, "MR. Sharp"
The secret of the mysterious eggs from the first book is revealed and it is ADORABLE. Imagine one of these but it speaks better Turkish than you, is named after a British meat extract and keeps making sarcastic references to your secret identity. Pretty much the perfect pet.
The next book in the series looks like it will deal with the Orient Express. I love trains so I am EXCITE. Can't wait to read the further adventures of Deryn and Alek!
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