Review: Goliath (Leviathan #3) by Scott Westerfeld

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Alek and Deryn are on the last leg of their round-the-world quest to end World War I, reclaim Alek’s throne as prince of Austria, and finally fall in love. The first two objectives are complicated by the fact that their ship, the Leviathan, continues to detour farther away from the heart of the war (and crown). And the love thing would be a lot easier if Alek knew Deryn was a girl. (She has to pose as a boy in order to serve in the British Air Service.) And if they weren’t technically enemies.

The tension thickens as the Leviathan steams toward New York City with a homicidal lunatic on board: secrets suddenly unravel, characters reappear, and nothing is at it seems in this thunderous conclusion to Scott Westerfeld’s brilliant trilogy.

My Thoughts: I have to admit that I had a hard time reading this one.  Not because it's not good - it's seriously fantastic - but because I kept looking at how many pages I had left and thinking "But I don't want it to ennnnnnnd".  Yes, there was wailing.  I might have teared up the closer I got to the end.  That's the rumor, at least.

Sadly, the book did end.  But, oh, what a ride it was.  Scott Westerfeld has done such an exceptional job of creating this world and the critters that inhabit it that you'll be amazed.  The Leviathan is a richly detailed ship and as you progress through the books you find yourself delving into the nooks and crannies with Alek and Deryn.  You'll see the message lizards darting around and smell the stink of the hydrogen.  It's a beautiful thing.  Not the stink.  I'd imagine that smells, well, stinky, but everything else will blossom inside your head and leave you wailing at the inevitable end.

All my whining aside about endings and such, this book gave Deryn and Alek a very satisfying ending.  They aren't handed a happy ending on a silver platter, they have to sacrifice and work for it.  Alek has to deal with the (unfounded) guilt that his family caused the war.  Deryn has to come to terms with how she fits into a predominantly male world.  It amuses me that she ended up being so highly decorated and that she was the one the important people listened to when the chips were down.  It just goes to show you that girls are smart!  Especially girls who don't let anybody tell them that they can't do something just because they're a girl.  (I want to shout GIRL POWER here but that might date me.)

This entire series has been phenomenal from beginning to end.  I am in awe of the way Scott Westerfeld tweaked history just enough to make it fresh and steampunk-y while simultaneously keeping it true to the timeline.

All in all, this was a fabulous end to an outstanding series.  I'm sad to let it go.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Other reviews in this series:
Book 1: Leviathan
Book 2: Behemoth

More books by Scott Westerfeld