This thrilling conclusion to the Leviathan series won't disappoint! Familiarity with the first two titles, Leviathan and Behemoth is a must in order to understand the conflict between the Darwinists and the Clankers in this alternate history version of WWI. When the Leviathan airship goes to Russia on a secret rescue mission, Alek and Deryn witness amazing destruction in the wilds of Siberia that they are told is from a new super-weapon, Goliath, created by the mad scientist Nikola Tesla. Tesla believes that the simple threat of his new weapon being unleashed on the Germans will be enough to end the war. Students who have studied WWII and the atomic bomb will immediately understand the magnitude of this threat. The adventure is cover to cover, as the Leviathan heads from Russia across the Pacific to California, Mexico, and New York, where the crew encounters real life historical characters William Randolph Hearst, Pancho Villa, intrepid female reporter Adela Rogers, and more. The author includes an afterword that explains these real-life folks and what parts of their stories he fictionalized. Deryn is revealed to some of the characters as a girl, and worries about her future as a woman at the turn of the century. She is inspired by the liberated activities of many of the women she hears about in the United States. Both Alek and Deryn are horrified by the scope of the war, and only want to do their part to end it. The only explicit casualty in this story is a character that Alek kills in order to stop what he believes is a weapon of mass destruction from being used. This book is best for teens, or mature tweens who can understand the politics of a war plot. Kissing takes place.
