In this sequel to the tremendously popular Leviathan, fans will find themselves returning to the amazing alternate history of the First World War. The two protagonists have been brought together aboard the Leviathan as the war slowly spreads, bringing all of Europe into battle. Prince Alek of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, who is the son of two assassinated royals, and his men have been helping to maintain their Clanker engines, which were merged with the bio-ship to help everyone escape from German soldiers at the concluion of the previous book. His friendship with Deryn, a young English girl pretending to be a boy so she can be a midshipman, continues to develop. Each has secrets, and they feel everything they know will be endangered if the truth came out.



The Leviathan is making its way to Constantinople, the capital city of the Ottoman Empire. The British representatives have been sent there to unruffle the feathers of the Sultan and his people after Winston Churchill was forced to keep a vessel the British were building for the Turks out of fear that it would be used against its makers. The British are hoping the Turks will not opt to join the Germans in the war.

What the crew finds is an amazingly interesting city that uses Clanker technology, but models the forms of their mechaniks after the natural world. For example, their tanks really look like mechanized elephants. As everyone is caught up in the the beauty and differences of the city, Alek realizes that this will be his chance to escape from the British so he will not be imprisoned. He, and some of his men, are able to escape and find themselves drawn into the revolutionary underground in the city. The rebels are hoping to overthrow the Sultan.

Deryn is saddened to find that her friend is able to get away from the ship, but she is given a new assignment to lead a mission that may help shift the balance of power in the war in the region. It is this assignment that will prove to be a turning point for Deryn and pretty much everyone else in the book.

Westerfeld has done another masterful job of weaving in the realities of World War I with the unique world he has created. Deryn and Alek continue to be interesting characters. The only problem I had with the book is that there is a lot of talking about what might or will happen by the characters rather than allowing the action to carry them forward. That is not totally out of place in a book that involves a lot of political intrigue, but it does seem to bog things down from time to time.

Westerfeld has done a great job of introducing the steampunk technology of the Clankers and the bio-tech beasties of the Darwinists in a way that keeps the interest of the reader. Amazingly, he continues to include unique and new creations that challenge the imagination. The text is masterfully accompanied with beautiful illustrations that capture the imagery described. These are drawn by Keith Thompson, and they really capture the drawing style of the period.

While this was an interesting story, this second volume suffers a bit from sequel-itis. The first novel was incredible and really kept the reader on the edge of his seat. This one is definitely enjoyable, but it seems to move much more slowly. With that said, it is definitely worth the read, and it definitely sets up the next novel in the series.