As told by Amazon:

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.

Amazon currently has the hardback listed for $11.75. Now that’s a deal.

For more information about the series, check out Scott Westerfeld’s official site.

This year I read sixteen novels. Let’s make a list.

#1: A Feast for Crows, George R.R. Martin

The fourth novel in the epic Song of Fire and Ice series leaves, potentially, a little longing for resolution. When your novel is so big that it has to be broken up into two books, there could potentially be some additional editing in there somewhere. HOWEVER, if you have signed up for the ride and made it this far, another 700-1,000 pages shouldn’t rock your world. The fifth novel in the series hasn’t been released yet with no signs of when it will, but when it does you can be sure that it will have some meat behind it.

Pages: 685

#2: Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan, Jake Adelstein

The subtitle for this novel kind of sums up what is going on. A true story, Adelstein helps uncover and bring to light happenings in the yakuza (or Japanese mafia) in addition to showing an inside view of Japanese journalism and police work. I found this novel to be quite interesting, if at times somewhat slow.

Pages: 331
Reviewed on Episode 89

#3: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner

This nerd book is a nerd’s nerdy joy. Containing several interesting juxtapositions of data, like how some of the most organized gangs are incredibly similar to most successful corporations or the relationship between wealth and baby names. As someone who absolutely hates economics (Supply! Demand! Equilibrium that will never happen!), I found this book to be pleasantly refreshing. It’s no wonder why many economics classes use the text as supplement material.

Pages: 300
Reviewed on Episode 92

#4: Around the World in 80 Days, Jules Verne

What can I say about this book? I have had a long standing hesitation for reading “classic” novels, having been forced to read a few bland ones in highschool. Then I got a chance to read this book and holy crap, what a read. Totally enjoyable and really funny, this trip around the world is something that you need to take. See what I did there?

Pages: 283
Reviewed on Episode 96

#5: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith

So you thought that mixing anything with zombies was a good idea, didn’t you? Well, maybe, but, well, not always. Full disclosure: I had never read the original, so I have no “aww, look how funny the changes are” reminiscing going on in my head the whole time. Instead, I felt like there was a really boring story peppered with ninja action. Your results may vary.

Pages: 320

#6: The Incumbent, Alton Gansky

This is the story about a small town mayor who gets caught up in a murder mystery. On paper, that doesn’t sound too bad, but in practice it leads to a lot of unrealistic happenings. The lead character – the mayor – is a woman, and apparently all she can do is cry and worry. Then, in the last couple of chapters Jesus comes and saves the day out of the blue, or, at least, when everything is all said and done the survivors all fall back on their spirituality that until that point had not been touched on at all. Overall a pretty lame book.

Pages: 268

#7: The Last Drop, L. Ron Hubbard

Why do I do this to myself? He may have created an entire “religion” full of Kool-Aid drinking idiots, but he also was a shitty writer, as far as this short story is concerned. Luckily, the price of admission for me was $0.00, so the pain comes only from wasted time. The story is about a guy named Mac who ends up drinking some growth potion and shenanigans happen. It’s dumb.

Pages: 25

#8: The Way of Shadows (The Night Angel Trilogy), Brent Weeks

Hot on the tail of reading thousands of pages of Martin’s saga (See #1 above), I decided to try out another fantasy series. Unfortunately, after you read the best that fantasy has to offer, reading anything else just doesn’t quite cut the mustard. It’s like watching The Thin Red Line after watching Saving Private Ryan. The Night Angel Trilogy, in this first book at least, follows the exploits of Durzo Blint, the most awesomest assassin around. In the slummy part of town is Azoth, a boy who has basically had enough of being bullied by the local jerks. After a severe beating of one of his friends, Azoth vows to get the kid back by learning all of the tricks of the trade by Durzo. Blint reluctantly agrees and takes on Azoth as his apprentice. So on and so forth, Azoth becomes an assassin and Blint my actually be a total bad guy; you will just have to find out.

It’s ok. But I always felt like the world wasn’t as imagined or interesting as what I have been reading, which isn’t necessarily its fault, but I just couldn’t get into it.

Pages: 488
Reviewed on Episode 104

#9 A Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Jules Verne

Like Around the World in 80 Days, Journey totally owns. Upon acquiring a manuscript with a coded message about a hole in Iceland leading down and down and down, Professor Lidenbrock takes his nephew on a journey to find this place, and subsequently go down and down and down themselves. Using the same hilariousness and fun dialogue, this is another of those “classic” novels I didn’t think I would like but totally did. Read it.

Pages: 339
Reviewed on Episode 101

#10 The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins

Well, you can guess from this title what lies in store for the curious reader. Dawkins is definitely the most outspoken Atheist around these days, so love him or hate him, here’s his book. Inside are many pages filled with datas on the nonexistence of a divine creator. Whether or not you believe the words, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to explore its contents just to fill out your bank of knowledge. Be forewarned: there is some smugness is there.

Pages: 341
Reviewed on Episode 98

#11 The Corrections: A Novel, Jonathan Franzen

If you like somewhat dysfunctional families, then this book may very well be for you. The story follows the Lambert family, and each chapter is dedicated one of the five and their exploits. One of the sons is a former professor who had a relationship with his student. The other son doesn’t really want to come to his parent’s place for the holidays. The daughter is a chef with a checkered past. The father once worked for a train company and had a hand in creating a treatment for a certain disease. And the mother just wants to have one last Christmas at her house.

This book has been praised quite a bit, but at the end of the day, because there are hardly any redeeming qualities for the characters, I found it to be rather trying to get through. While there are some instances and scenes that are pretty universal to everyone, there are definitely some pretty slow parts in the book as well.

Pages: 488
Reviewed on Episode 107

#12 Water for Elephants: A Novel, Sara Gruen

After his parents’ death, Jacob Jankowski, in frustration over the events, flees from his final exams as a veterinarian and hitches a ride on a passing train. This train, traveling from city to city during the Great Depression, just so happens to be that of a traveling circus, and they need a vet. Jacob joins the crew, and becomes enamored with one of the performers. It’s too bad that she is married to the menagerie director, who may or may not be a jerk.

This story is told from the first person from present day, as Jacob reminisces to himself of these olden times. Knowing where Jacob ends up makes the events of the book all the more poignant. It’s a fairly quick read, but also a feel good one. Recommended.

Pages: 281
Reviewed on Episode 109

#13 Dracula, Bram Stoker

This is another “classic” that I decided to try, and like some of the others proved to be great and worthy of the distinction. We all sort of know the story behind Dracula, but reading the actual text definitely helps.

Jonathan Harker, what we could describe as a real estate agent, travels to Dracula’s castle to help Dracula purchase some property in London. While there, Harker understands why the local villagers have apprehensions about the owner of the castle when he is essentially held against his will in the castle for a long period of time. While he physically unharmed, the crazy things that happened there makes Harker basically say “F that noise.” Unfortunately, Dracula comes to London, and through various events gets all up into Harker and his significant other’s business. Their only help may very well be from a one Professor Helsing.

This book is great. I had no idea that the majority of this story takes place in London, but it does. It is also entirely written in journal entries from the characters themselves after the events happen, which is really interesting and somehow not boring at all. And the best part about it all? You can find it for free!

Pages: 400

#14 Behemoth, Scott Westerfeld

Behemoth continues the incredibly fun steampunk WWI setting started by Leviathan. Deryn and Alek return and find themselves in Constantinople, which serves as a crossroads between the warring nations.

Like the first novel, this book is great fun and I recommend it to everyone. Also returning? The most awesome illustrations by Keith Thompson.

Pages: 485
Reviewed on Episode 110

#15 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum

You probably know this story for the most part, but I would suggest reading this text anyway, if only because you will learn how many things get murdered. Yep, many things, and there is also at least one beheading. Yeah, kid’s books!

Like Dracula, this book can be found for freeeeeee!

Pages: 176

#16 Dreadnought, Cherie Priest

Part of the “Clockwork Century,” this book is one of three novels that Priest has written set in Civil War era America. Like Behemoth, this is a steampunk adventure in the finest. The story follows Mercy, a nurse in a war hospital in Virginia, as she travels across the country to meet her sick father on the west coast. Her main mode of travel is by rail, and it just so happens that the only locomotive headed in that direction is the Dreadnought, a giant Union engine that commands both respect and fear.

Both this and the other novel in this series (Boneshaker) are great fun, and I recommend reading them.

Pages: 400

So there you have it: all of the books I read in 2010. For those keeping count (really I am the only one keeping count), they all total 5,610 pages. As of this writing I have knocked down one (great) book in 2011, and I look forward to seeing what this years brings!

Episode 110 of Pressed & Bound is online! We have had more than one episode description start out with: “It’s been a long time since we’ve had a show…” and this time really is no different. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a show! And, unfortunately, since the holidays are right around the corner, it will be a bit before we have another show. Yeah!

In this week’s episode we discuss:

Books:
Behemoth (Leviathan)

Films:
Tron: Legacy

On DVD:
Zardoz

Right click and download the one hundred and tenth episode here:
MP4 309ish mb

Comments or questions? Email us at: pnbfans(at)gmail(dot)com

For Behemoth, I will simply let the product description tell the tale:

The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers.
Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan’s peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory.

Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what’s ahead.

This novel will again feature great illustrations by Keith Thompson, so gird yourself for that.

Behemoth arrives tomorrow.

Just in the passed day, however, Twitter allowed me to connect with someone we’ve actually talked about on the show: Scott Westefeld. Through a series of but four tweets, we had an incredible thought provoking dialogue:

ScottWesterfeld:

Just read three reviews of Leviathan in a row, none of which mentions the illustrations. (Silly adults.)

garretble:

@ScottWesterfeld I did a review a bit ago and I definitely mentioned the great visuals! http://www.pressednbound.net/episode-82-hatisode/

ScottWesterfeld:

@garretble Dude, you totally GOT IT. Yes, I am a lucky man to have Keith alongside. Anyone who doesn’t get the pix fails at the book.

garretble:

@ScottWesterfeld Indeed, my friend. High five!

So there you have it. Scott is a cool guy, a good author, and you would be remiss to ignore how interesting Leviathan is.

Leviathan was further discussed on Episode 82.

Last time, we brought you a bio of Scott Westerfeld, author of super cool, steampunktastic Leviathan. Today, following in those punky steam boots, we’ll discuss another author who rolls in that genre: Cherie Priest. Just a few weeks ago, her latest novel, Boneshaker, was released, replete with zombies, airships, and a walled Civil War era Seattle full of craziness; and from all I can tell, it’s pretty damned cool.

Born in 1975 and currently living in Seattle, Priest’s first novel, Four and Twenty Blackbirds, introduces Eden Moore, a girl living in the south who is visited by spirits as a child that guide her in figuring out the history behind her crooked ancestry. After this, Priest went on to pen two more novels involving Eden Moore, which conveniently became known as the Eden Moore Trilogy: Wings to the Kingdom and Not Flesh Nor Feathers. These novels all center around the South and mysteries therein. To date, Priest’s writing falls mostly within the horror/holy-crap-there’s-voodoo-and-stuff-in-this-novel-genre, but is now extending into the fields of the aforementioned steampunk (although according to the all-mighty Wikipedia she likes to describe these novels as an “alternate history,” but we’ll get to that).

More currently, as as mentioned above, Priest has released Boneshaker, about a son who attempts to clear the names of his grandfather and father and his mother who attempts to save his life. You see, the only way for the son, Zeke, to complete his goal is to go into a walled off part of 1870s Seattle that is full of zombies (a.k.a “rotters”). The reason Seattle is walled off just happens to be part of why everyone kinda hates his late father and grandfather. Zeke believes that they can’t be all that bad, and ventures inside to find some proof of that theory. Knowing that it’s essentially a suicide mission, his mother, Briar, sets off to bring him home, and goes within the walls herself.

Boneshaker is the first of a series that Priest is calling The Clockwork Century. Basically here’s the scoop:

Here, it is 1880 (or thereabouts). The Civil War is still underway, drawn out by English interference, a different transportation infrastructure, and a powerful Republic of Texas that discovered oil at Spindletop some fifty years sooner than real life allowed. The competition of war has led to technological progress and horrors unimaginable, and many people have fled the combating states, hoping for an easier life out west. Some of them have found it. Some of have found something else.

These novels are described as an “alternate history,” and so far that history is filled with zombies and airships. I’m currently about halfway through Boneshaker, and I must say it’s a very enthralling tale. Civil War history is fairly interesting in its own right, but what if there were ZOMBIES, you know? As far as I’ve come in the novel, I can’t help but think there could be a really interesting screenplay to come out of this. I’d watch a Civil War zombie movie.

And to end this all out, I want to briefly mention the novel itself, in it’s physical form. The paperback is a really solid, really sharp cut book that feels good in the hand. Most people probably don’t think twice about that sort of thing, but I like it when paperbacks feel sturdy. I’m going through a pretty large series right now, the current novel being upwards of 1,000 pages, and it just flip flops all around like a dead fish in your hands. And while that series is super epic, I wish I didn’t have to strain my weak nerd arms just holding the book upright. That is all.

Look for more about Boneshaker on a future episode.

Books:

• Leviathan

Movies:

• Metropolitan – Criterion Collection

Also, as mentioned in the show, we will be doing a charity gaming marathon in December for the charity Child’s Play. More information, and the website where the event will be held, can be found at Hardmode.org.

Right click and download the eighty-second episode here:

• MP4 292mb

Comments or questions? Email us at: pnbfans(at)gmail(dot)com

Leviathan

Coming straight from his own personal (WordPress, woo!) blog, Scott, a native of Texas, has written five science fiction novels and does some ghostwriting for other authors, none of whom he names. I suppose if you were a ghostwriter and then told people who you wrote for, would that make you a zombiewriter? I’m not quite sure how all of that works.

Mr. Westerfeld has penned a few young adult novels, which I believe Leviathan falls under. His other works include the Midnighters series, about five kids who where all born at midnight, and the Uglies series, about a world where everyone at age 16 has to get plastic surgery. All very interesting ideas.

For Leviathan, his latest work, Scott has teamed up with a fantastic artist to help illustrate the world, and I would be remiss to leave him out. Before we discuss the artist, however, let’s take a quick look at the plot, so you can have it in your mind when you see some of these illustrations. Leviathan’s world is set during WWI, a super badassed WWI, but I’ll let the product description speak for itself:

It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.

Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She’s a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With the Great War brewing, Alek’s and Deryn’s paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever.

So now that we have that setting in our heads, let’s look at a couple of works by Keith Thompson, badass extraordinaire:

I don’t know about you, but with these images in my head, with a story set in a WWI Europe with airships and fantastical beasts used for warfare, in addition to gear/steam powered mechs, how can this book not kick ass? I would urge you to go check out Keith’s website and browse through all of his pieces. They’re all pretty gritty and freaking amazing. For a little bit more of his artwork, there just so happens to be a trailer for Leviathan:

So there you have it, the short scoop on Scott Westerfeld AND bonus scoops of Keith Thompson. I have yet to be able to dive into Laviathan outside of two chapters I read at work today (don’t tell anyone), but it looks to be a completely interesting, if not totally awesome work. Look for a discussion of it on a future episode.