Trailer for Scott Westerfeld's YA steampunk novel LEVIATHAN

Here's the book-trailer for Leviathan, the first volume of YA superstar Scott Westerfeld's kick-ass new steampunk alternate WWI series, featuring chimera-splicing Darwinist Brits fighting the clanking steam-mecha of the German side. Total gilliamfab!

Leviathan Trailer (Thanks, Scott!)

Previously:

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: Art and Design • Book • Happy Mutants • History • Kids • Steampunk

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siliconsunset

Yes, this looks to be especially badass.
striatic

i’m not really a fan of the new young adult fiction, or of steampunk, but i have to say that i found the premise of the story very intriguing and the artwork in the trailer gorgeous.
siliconsunset

Agreed, and something about alternate history with high-technology just makes me smile.
prunk

ah! crazy. it’s a trailer for a book. I thought these didn’t exist for some reason and really hoped they had but they do. Do many books have trailers?

aside from the weird-coolness of book trailers this book does look like it will kick ass. if only my to read pile wasn’t crushing my bookcase as it is.
runwithskizzers

just grabbed a copy of this a half hour ago – so excited to read it!
runwithskizzers

@PRUNK – you should check out http://www.jacketflap.com – they have a toooon of book trailers
Tenn

If this appeals to you, try The Hungry City Chronicles, by Phillip Reeve.

The first one’s quite good, but the later ones are absolutely stellar. The characterization in these books is some of the most frank and honest writing I’ve ever read. Hester is an incredible anti-hero, the rough and tumble female companion that the spoiled male character runs into. I love YA because the authors in the genre try new things, but often, it seems the supposed ‘underdog’, the character that is misunderstood, turns out to have a heart of gold. This is not -so- in Reeve’s work. All of Reeve’s characters have believable, terrible flaws. Tom Natsworthy (said spoiled, ignorant male character who, while very low in class aboard London, still behaves with irritating superiority) takes a hell of a long time to mature and get over himself, and while it’s reasonable, I get quite frustrated with his character.

And, the steampunk aspect?

Bloody cities on bloody caterpillar tracks EATING eachother whole and enslaving the population that doesn’t get killed in the process. Powered by steam engines. ‘Urban Darwinism’. And old-scrap-tech scavenged- ‘CDs’ are now known only as ‘seedys’, shiny baubles. Brassy zeppelins piloted by goggle wearing knaves that speak ‘Airsperanto’. Limping, ancient death robots with creepy glowing eyes.
Vanwall

Reminds me of Czech director Karel Zeman’s “The Fabulous World of Jules Verne” and “The Fabulous Baron Munchausen”, both stop motion animation masterpieces from the late 1950′s-early-1960′s, and very steampunkish.
Grabthar

Hmmm, reminds me of Michael Moorcock’s The Warlord of the Air from 1971, are there no new ideas any more?
tomaq

It reminds me a bit of His Dark Materials, too. Not a bad thing.
Daemon

Biotech for the win.
rikchik

The “clanker vs. darwinist” conflict is a nice echo of Bruce Sterling’s “Shaper/Mechanist” posthuman factions – and considering the opening line of Uglies, Westerfeld is probably doing it on purpose.