An Interview With Scott Westerfeld, The End Of The Leviathan Trilogy and a Giveaway

Leviathan was the first steampunk book so it will always have a special place in my heart.  I'm not a huge fantasy reader but did enjoy reading this series. I loved the alternate universe, and with the added pictures, I was in awe at how cool the machines were...they blew my mind. The fact that Deryn was a kick butt character,  may have also have won me over ;) I had a chance to ask Scott a few question, enjoy!

Mel: Hey Scott! Thanks for taking the time to chat about Goliath, the last book in your Leviathan trilogy!

The series is steampunk mixed with an alternate WWI setting. While researching for the book, what was the most interesting fact you found and wanted to include?

Scott: I knew from the beginning that one of my characters would be the son of the Archduke Ferdinand, a teenager who would feel somewhat responsible for this huge war that his own family tragedy started. But I didn't realize when I began the book that Alek's parents had a morganatic marriage. (In other words, his mother wasn't royal enough for any offspring to inherit his father's titles.) When I discovered that, it was clearly a great YA hook: a teenager calling into question his identity and place in the world, and perhaps realizing that the whole notion of royalty that he's grown up with is at its core a bit arbitrary.

M: One of the things I loved about this series is the illustrations, something not often found in YA books. Was this something you envisioned being part of your book while writing it OR added after?

S: Keith and I worked together from the beginning. I would send him a few chapters at a time, and he would respond with sketches, and often I would rewrite based on the way he drew the events. Also, beasties or machines would often wind up with more screentime than I had planned for them, just because I'd fallen in love with how they looked. So it really was a collaboration, with Keith's visualizations influencing the flow and content of every scene.

M: When creating your own world, you also have the pleasure of making up new words & using different slang. I loved Deryn's use of barking, what was your favorite and how did they come about?

S: Most of the slang in the series is historical. My favorite is certainly "clart" for poo. It has a wonderfully Scottish lilt to it. Of my made-up terms, I think I like "monkey Luddites" the best, referring to the people who are against Darwini's fabricated creatures on principle, because it combines the historical anti-technology movement with the word "monkey," a term that makes everything more amusing. (Of course, being from the US, I'm used to having to defend Darwin from neo-Luddites as well.)

M: With Alek finding out about Deryn's true identity, how did that change your writing of her character? What things could you do/show now that you had to hold back on before?

S: Hiding the fact that she was a girl meant that Deryn could hide a lot of her own feelings as well. But once she doesn't have being a boy to hide behind, she has to face the way she feels about Alek. So in a funny way, Deryn was more comfortable pretending to be someone else than facing what she really wants. Any time you get to take character out of her comfort zone, it's a wonderful challenge.

M: Now that the series has come to an end, what character will you miss the most being inside your head?

S: Probably Deryn. She has such a joyful and practical approach to everything. She's very no-nonsense, and doesn't spend a lot of time in her own head. After writing Alek's rather brooding point of view, I was always glad to get back to her. Plus, I love writing in Scottish.

Thanks Scott, I really enjoyed this series and am sad to see it end.

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Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada, one lucky reader can win a copy of Goliath! To enter, be a blog follower, leave a comment , then enter the form below.  For your viewing pleasure, I'll leave you with the  awesomeness of Leviathan:

Review: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Released: October 6, 2009

Hardcover, 448 pages

ISBN: 9781416971733

Ages: 12 and up

Grades: 7 and up

Recommended for: fantasy and action readers

Teaser quote:

Alek watched a massive foot plant itself upon the forest floor. Long seconds later another tremor arrived, rippling across the trees around them and up through the Stormwalker's metal frame. As the next step fell, a distant treetop flailed and then vanished, torn down by the giant walker's stride. (page 46)

My rating: 4.5 /5

My thoughts:

It is 1914 and Prince Aleksander's parents have just been murdered. His father had planned for such an event & the necessary steps where put into motion. Now Alek was on the run & not sure who to trust. Deryn Sharp was a tomboy of sorts who loved Ballooning with her dad. With the help of her brother & a disguise (remember this is 1914, no girls allowed), she tries out for the British Air Service. By chance, thanks to a storm, she joins the crew of the Leviathan, a whale airship. Ironically for such caring people, it is war that brings together Alek & Deryn's two completely different 'worlds'.

This first book of a trilogy is full of action, easily devoured. Scott Westerfeld paints an amazing alternate world drawing from the origins of World War I. In this world, countries are divided into Clankers (who create machines that mimick animals) and Darwinists (where biology is key, they create new creatures). Alek is a Clanker, Deryn is a Darwinist and both carry secrets. One person's secret is revealed to a few, the other remains untold... I can't wait for it to be discovered. Once that comes into play, I can see the characters taking on a bigger role. In this story, I think Alek & Deryn took the backseat with action as the focus - or maybe I was just in awe at the machines & animals?

I can't help but say how much I loved the art work, it added so much more to the reading experience. I am still in awe at the Leviathan on page 70, what an awesome creature. This was my first "steampunk" read & wow, I loved it!

Teaser Tuesday - November 3, 2009

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Deryn had always reckoned herself a tomboy, between Jaspert's bullying and Da's balloon training. But running with the other middies was more than just punchups and tying knots - it was like joining a pack of dogs. (pg 102)