I just learned a cool new term!   Steampunk is a name for a genre of science fiction that's often set in a time that uses steam power . Sometimes the setting resembles the late 19th or early 20th century, but with some futuristic elements, such as advanced technological devices like robots. One of my favorite YA books, Airborn by Kenneth Oppel, fits into this genre. So does Scott Westerfeld’s new book, coming out in October 2009, called Leviathan.

Leviathan can also be described as an alternate history. Westerfeld reimagines the beginning of World War I. In this story, the two camps are known as Clankers (Austria-Hungary and Germany), and Darwinists (Britain and France). Clankers love machines and technology, and manufacture great war machines that are a cross between robots and tanks, with names like Stormwalkers and Herkules. Darwinists have used Darwin’s discovery of DNA life strands to create new types of "beasties", such as a whale airship known as Leviathan.  Deryn is a Darwinist who disguises herself as a boy so she can be a soldier on a British airship. When she meets Clanker Alek, son of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after a crash, they have to decide whether or not to help each other and trust the other's technology.

This action-packed start to a series is a fun read. Westerfeld was imaginative, as usual, with his creation of spectacular great machines and made-up beasties. I liked the message lizards, who scamper along the airship and bring messages to others on the ship by reciting the message in the sender's voice. Every time I read about one, I pictured the gecko with the Australian accent in those TV commercials. And like the Uglies series, Westerfeld also uses much made-up slang, which adds to the fun.

I was lucky to get an advance reading copy at the American Library Association meeting in Chicago last week. The only problem with scoring an ARC is having to wait even longer for the next in the series to come out. And like Uglies, the book ends with a cliffhanger that made me groan. I’m starting to count down to Oct. 2010 already. (write faster, Scott!).  I'll be giving this ARC to some of our Teen Advisory Board members for them to review.  So check back to see what teens think of the book.