I'm reading Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, the author of The Uglies series. This fantasy/adventure, based very loosely on real history, takes place on a variation of our world at the time of the beginning of World War I. In this story, Darwin has discovered not only evolution, but has also discovered DNA and how to manipulate it to create fabricated beasts to take the place of polluting machinery. England and some European countries have built their military as well as industrial might with these creatures. Germany and its allies have, on the other hand, rejected Darwin and focused on created advanced machinery, including huge walking machines of war. The main characters are a girl masquerading as a boy so she can join the British military, and the young prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire whose parents have been murdered, and who must keep on the run to avoid the same fate.
I'm enjoying the story and the illustrations. Here are some examples of the illustrations for this 428 page book.
