Goliath

Written by Scott Westerfeld

Narrated by Alan Cumming

The riveting conclusion to Scott Westerfeld’s New York Times bestselling trilogy that’s “sure to become a classic” (School Library Journal).

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 as it seems in this thunderous conclusion to Scott Westerfeld’s brilliant trilogy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Sep 20, 2011
• ISBN: 9781442343856

Scott Westerfeld

Scott Westerfeld is the author of the Leviathan series, the first book of which was the winner of the 2010 Locus Award for Best Young Adult Fiction. His other novels include the New York Times bestseller Afterworlds, the worldwide bestselling Uglies series, The Last Days, Peeps, So Yesterday, and the Midnighters trilogy. Visit him at ScottWesterfeld.com or follow him on Twitter at @ScottWesterfeld.

Reviews for Goliath

[sara_cat-107388 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can’t express how much I have loved this trilogy. Part of me wishes that the author had written more about this characters, but part of me is glad to let their future exist in imagination only. Even though I really hated the two reporters, I’m glad there were some characters whom I had uncomplicated feelings about. For many of the key characters, there were moments where I saw good and bad in their thoughts, motives, actions, etc. But the two reporters... I just wish they would give thought to the fact that they write about real people and their stories have real impacts on them. But, they were being true to who they were. There was one character whom I didn’t feel the author really gave any closure to. There were two or three sentences that gave a hint about something for their future, but no showing or hunting at how they would be able to move forward with how things played out.

[friederike.geissler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

ganz nett, entwickelt sich allerdings etwas schnulzig.

[Heather Caudell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an incredible book (and I can hardly wait to read the first two.) I had to go back and read it again and found that things made more sense the second time (and the third, lol! It really was that good!) I think it was made all the better by being narrated by Alan Cumming! He added a new dimension to the story in his wonderful use of accents for the characters and voice inflection and emotion. I highly recommend this book! (But be sure to remember to use your imagination as you read it! Makes it so much better!)

[ddbrown201 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is book 2 of a trilogy. It has the same great characters and adds a few new ones. This book got really exciting toward the end and I can't wait to get number 3 and finish this series.

[wanderlustlover_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Adorably started, these children stole my heart right from the very start. Because I read all three of these novels in one week, they all kind of blur in my head. So I'm going to write them all one big review pretty much.


This series is promising to become one of top ten my favorite mini-series I would read in the early part of this year/all of 2012 (so far, as we area only 1/3 of the way in). I was captivated with how things happened, the slow reveal, how our characters learned things, how they handled ending up places, what was more important morality among people or loyalty to a cause.

The illustrations made my heart sore every time. I like that the children aren't super-people by the end, but still feeling their way through the world. I adore madly the Lady Boffin and The Count. I want to know ssssoo much more about the gifted pets, because you know they go, continuing to be awesome.


If you have not read this series (and I was already one of the late, late comers, with the series already completely when I found it), You Should Be Now. Go, go. Get copies. Giggle and love it.

[sarahlh-41506 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ugh, that was amazing. Simply bloody amazing. But - wait, that's the last one? FFFFFFF- dang it, Westerfield! Barking spiders man, I need more! Excuse me, I must fill the Darwinist beastie-shaped hole in my heart with fan creations, especially those of the Alek/Deryn variety.

[obtusata · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a great series.

If you decide to listen to any or all of the books, I highly recommend finding the audiobook version read by Alan Cumming. He does an excellent job with the accents, which helps remind you of the international collection of characters.

[urph818 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Goliath was a satisfying conclusion to the fantasy alternate timeline trilogy which features two teenagers taking a role in trying to head off World War 1 between the machine-loving Clankers and bioengineering Darwinists (aka the Germans and British and their allies). Deryn, who poses as a boy (Dylan) to serve as a midshipman on the giant British biological airship, carries out numerous feats of heroism on her beloved airship, as it wends its way around the world from Istanbul. Alek, the son of the assassinated Serbian archduke, draws his friend,Dylan, into his ambitions to support the scientist Tesla in forcing an end to the war through the threat of a powerful death ray weapon. Alex discovers that Dylan is a girl,Deryn and that perhaps a potential throne in Austria isn't what he wants in his future. I enjoyed this audio book, Goliath and would certainly recommend the entire series. Jack Murphy

[benuathanasia · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What started as an exceptionally promising series, quickly proved to be a trudging slog in the second novel and confirmed itself as irredeemable in the third. The mystery and political intrigue of the first novel gives way to journalistic BS and happily ever after nonsense in this one. It draws on tired tropes ("Oh my god, why didn't you trust ME with your extreme secret that could have easily gotten you killed even if *I* wasn't the squealer??? Now I must hate you forever!") and just never reaches the satisfaction I got from reading the first novel in the series. I honestly couldn't bring myself to *care* how this finished, I'm just an insufferable completionist.

[lillibrary · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Last of trilogy that began with Leviathan. A steampunk alternative history of World War I, Alex discovers that his best friend, midshipman Dylan Sharp, is really a girl. Amid this revelation comes the scientist Nikolai Tesla and his purported weapon of mass destruction, Goliath, capable of destroying an entire city.

[bryndahlquis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's been so long since I read the first two books of the series, so I probably lost a lot of the continuity. But nevertheless, I really liked the book.Deryn and Alek are both super cool, as is the world Westerfeld has created. I'm normally not a fan of alternate histories, but he pulls it off well.There are several things that still bother me, however. There was a lot of hinting at the lorises, suggestions that there might be a lot more to them than everyone thought. But nothing really came of it. I don't know what I was expecting, which was part of why I enjoyed the mystery so much. I love Bovril, he's probably my favorite character. And while they are certainly central to the story, not much ended up being done with the lorises in general. And since this is the last book in the series, not much ever will be. This makes me very sad.But as a whole, I really enjoyed it. Would recommend.

[bubblyair-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Romance and steampunk is what I’m assuming go hand in hand in most works of fiction, and although I always tend to hope that science fiction novels stay as far away from romantic sub-plots as possible, I found myself looking for the opposite in this instance.This series in its entirety has received relatively great reviews, but one of my most trusted book recommenders found she didn’t enjoy the trilogy as much as many others have. This may have influenced my take from Goliath as I found myself a bit bored with the plot and the “shocking” revelations. I found myself firstly disappointed that the loris did not have any major political turning points because, throughout the series, I was led to believe they would play a major role. The book didn’t hold any funny aspects as the predecessors had and many characters held no meaning as they had in previous books. Volger, for example, did not have any repercussions about the final decision Alek made in the book; I don’t believe that one bit! I found myself skim reading the last bits of the book when I pretty much predicted all the happenings. The story itself seemed like it had such great potential, travelling to Japan and Siberia and America with a madman while Alek and Deryn fight political instabilities alongside the rest of the Leviathan crew. At the end of it all, I’m not sure if I can get behind the fact that the privileged Prince Aleksander, who has always cared so much for Austria, basically threw away all his responsibilities. One of the greater aspects was the first half when Deryn deals with the consequences of being found out from different people. I admire her for thinking far ahead with all her options and not letting her developing feelings take charge of her decisions. So the book started off quite promising but lost me when characters started doing things they probably wouldn’t have done and the writing became too descriptive which is when I lost interest. I still think the drawings were perfect and a great aid to the storytelling, no doubt.

[themulhern · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Continues in the same vein as the others, enjoyable. There is a nice afterward by the author, describing the actual events of the time.

[trgllylibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Westerfeld skillfully balanced the emotional development of the characters with the action-packed finale of the trilogy, all the while providing a satisfying amount of detail about the fantastic creatures and machines in this alternate historical reality.

[edgeworth_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Goliath is the conclusion to Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan trilogy, an alternate-history WWI steampunk YA adventure series in which Franz Ferdinand’s fictional heir Alek attempts to stop the ongoing war while travelling around the world on the living British airship Leviathan, assisted by able young cadet Dylan Sharp – actually Deryn Sharp, a boy in disguise. Goliath greatly expands the scope of the story, with the Leviathan travelling across Siberia and Japan, crossing the Pacific and eventually reaching North America. It’s probably objectively the best book of the series.Unfortunately I found the trilogy as a whole underwhelming. It’s competently written, and Westerfeld clearly has a marvellous imagination, but much of it too often feels like a publisher’s ideal YA series rather than something more original or daring. We check off all of the following cliches: noble child on the run learning to live amongst common people, girl who dresses up like a boy to serve in the military, fetishisation of British naval service, scheming journalists and foolish millionaires, an inevitable romance between the two leads, and cute animal sidekicks which eventually prove irrelevant to the plot. And the alternate history setting, which was put to good effect in Leviathan and Behemoth, becomes tiresome in Goliath, as Westerfeld takes us on a roll call of all the era’s famous figures. Nikola Tesla is integral to the plot and is put to good use, but by the time the Leviathan went on a Mexican detour purely, it seemed, for the purposes of meeting Pancho Villa, I was starting to get annoyed.I suppose what I didn’t like about the Leviathan trilogy was that it never really surprised me. Can’t we have YA fiction where the main leads don’t fall in love just because they’re of the opposite sex? Can’t we have strong roles for female characters that don’t involve putting on trousers and doing boy stuff? Can’t we have characters’ fears about punishment or consequences actually realised, instead of everything turning out OK at the end of each book? We can, of course, and there’s plenty of YA fiction out there that does that (I feel like a broken record going on about Philip Reeve, but I’m also thinking of John Christopher – who, to be fair, had the benefit of writing YA fiction before the term itself was invented by publishers as a marketing angle). And I don’t want to suggest that genre subversion is a mandatory prerequisite for successful YA fiction. I’m just trying to put my finger on why, despite many points in its favour, I found the Leviathan trilogy ultimately unsatisfying.Anyway, that’s just my take. Although I think it’s true that nobody’s ever too old to read YA fiction it’s also important to remember that I’m no longer the genre’s target audience. If you’re looking for fun young adult fiction, or are stocking a school library or your kid’s Christmas stocking, by all means give this series a try. I thought it was okay, and a lot of people loved it more than me.

[crystalantoinette-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first steam punk title I've read, so it took me A WHILE to wrap my mind around what was happening. But once it "clicked"--WOW! With issues ranging from gender identification to the ethicality of genetic engineering, this series is both entertaining and substantial.

[shouldireadit · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The series grew on me as I continued to read through them. Alex and Deryn's attempts to reconcile, despite all odds, along with the details of W.W.I. unveiling, kept me reading to the very end.

[ninelarks-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A decent end to this series.

The inclusion of Tesla and the other inventors was.. interesting. Not surprising because the book did have the whole Darwinism and Clanker divide along with a bit of steampunk elements - and who in history is touted as a technology genius forgotten by history? Tesla, of course.

The whole plotline about his machine was a little dumb though, especially the way it ended. You would think bluffs would not work as they do in books. But hey, what can I say.

I did appreciate the romance ending. No fuss, no drama. That's a good way to tie things up.

I still have the same complaints about the world and the politics as my review of the first book in this series.

This series is just okay. Nothing to scream about, but nothing really to hate either. I would recommend Airborn by Kenneth Oppel over this book. But still, it's okay.

[mirandalg14 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think this was a great wrap up to the series.

[jamespurcell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not quite as interesting as the rst. However, enough interesting characters and conflicts to keep your attention until the conclusion.

[clare_m-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this entire series. Goliath was a very fitting end to the adventures of Deryn Sharp and His Serene Highness. Highly recommend this series for adults and children. The most unusual/cool thing is that at the end of each book in the series the author states what he changed about the actual history, and why (was it to make story more exciting, etc.) and he talks a bit about the actual history. I learned quite a bit and so did my daughter. Really a worthwhile read.

[tahleen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A satisfying conclusion to an entertaining trilogy. I loved the inclusion of Nikola Tesla, and other real-life personalities. Alan Cumming's narration was fantastic again, though his voice for Tesla sounded like he was constipated a bit. I recommend this whole series, either in print (there are pictures) or on audio (great narrator).

[maj_bootred-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Zu guter Letzt hab ich mich dann doch ganz schön durch diese Trilogie gequält. Im dritten Teil gab es für meinen Geschmack etwas sehr viele zum Teil neue handelnde Charaktere. Und die Geschichte ist irgendwie zum Schluss ausgelaufen und konnte den Steampunk-Charme, der ihr manchmal so gut gelungen ist, nicht durchhalten. Stattdessen wurde immer wieder auf den selben Motiven rumgeritten. Außerdem wurde mit der "Enthüllung" des "wahren" Geschlechts der einen Hauptfigur sehr schmerzvoll und unhinterfragt klischeebeladen umgegangen. Dafür war das unvermeidliche heterosexuelle Romantik-Happy-End halbwegs ok.

[rubyscarlett-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow the end. Again - wow the end. Very good adventure story again, I got completely lost in this world. While I would have liked it to be more, I don't know, politically conscious perhaps, it hit all the right spots in so many ways. I'm very glad I read this trilogy. Deryn and Lilit are extremely nice additions to my personal pedestal of awesome female characters in fiction and that reason alone should be enough for you to put your grabby hands on a copy!

[jwarren42 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There are many who take Westerfeld to task for his portrayals of women and girls. I challenge you, though to find another male author who so consistently creates female action heroes. This is a fantastic end to a fantastic series mostly because Deryn loses none of her potency by the end of the third book. Some of her recklessness is exchanged for maturity, but she is still powerful and smart. HIGHLY recommended.

[texascheeseman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

GoliathBy Scott WesterfeldPublisher: Simon PulsePublished In: New York City, NY, USA Date: 2011Pgs: 543Summary:The biological airship, HMS Leviathan continues on her war cruise. A cruise that leads her away from the World War raging around them, a cruise that is leading them round-the-world. The machinery dominated Clanker powers facing off with the biological geneticists of the Darwinists and their beasts and monsters. The secrets abound. Deryn has her/his secrets. Alek has a paper from the Pope legitimizing his throne against the usurpers in his Austrian homeland. Add the mad scientist Tesla to the mix and strange happenings are about to overcome the equally strange completment of the good ship Leviathan as she battles her way across the Ottoman Empire, Russia, and Japan on her way to New York City.Genre:fiction, steampunk, science fiction, alternate history, science, genetics, militariaWhy this book:Part 3 of the excellent series. Leviathan, Behemoth and, now, Goliath...excellent stuff.This Story is About:duty, destiny, determination, war, loveFavorite Character:Deryn/Dylan is a great driven character. I’m hopeful that Westerfeld doesn’t allow her to shrink into her skirts as her secret is revealed.I love Prince Alek, but his treatment of Deryn/Dylan as her secrets come to light are giving me pause.Least Favorite Character: Tesla from feeding his transport airship to giant Darwinist Russian war bears to being cold blooded enough to contemplate leaving the Russian crew behind on the ice to face the bears when the Leviathan comes to rescue them.Count Volger, while fully rounded as a character, is a blackmailing jackass. He is wonderful at it. He is determined to protect the crown.Character I Most Identified With:Deryn/DylanThe Feel:This a wonderful fully formed trip through an alternate world.Favorite Scene:Hard to pick a favorite…The rescuing Tesla at Tunguska scene.The revelation scene topside of the Leviathan a huge Pacific Ocean storm sweeps across the airship.The arrival in Pancho Villa’s valley.Settings:The airship Leviathan; Tunguska, Tokyo, Mexico, Pacing:The pacing of the story is breakneck and wonderful. The pages flow across my eyes like water. I’ve got that feeling as I approach the end, that I don’t want it to end feeling.Plot Holes/Out of Character:N/ALast Page Sound:Damn. That’s cool. I’ve loved this trilogy and I wish there were more books.Author Assessment:Depending on subject matter, I’d absolutely read something else by this author. I would dearly love if we got a look at Deryn and Alek’s world in 1940 and later on as their world aged through toward ours.Editorial Assessment:Well done.Disposition of Book:Irving Public Library, Irving, TXWhy isn’t there a screenplay?I would love to see this series done by the same folks who did Sanctuary for the Syfy Channel.Casting call:Prince Aleksander could have been a young Keanu Reeves. But that ship has sailed. He’s just too old for the role. Maybe Daniel Radcliffe, if they start making movies soon. The actor needs to look between 16 and 20 to my way of thinking.I have no clue who could be cast as Deryn/Dylan. Emily Kinney...maybe.Javier Bardem could be Count Volger. He’d do what he always does, infuse the role with awesome. Bryan Cranston could as well. Bill Nighy as the bosun Mr. Rigby would be awesome. Though it is a very small part. I wouldn’t want to insult an awesome actor. Of course, in the same breath that I consider him for that role in, I realize that he could play Count Volger as well.Rachel Weisz would totally work as Dr. Barlow.Would recommend to:everyone

[lemurkat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fitting and fine conclusion to one of the most original and interesting trilogies that I have read in a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed this alternative version of World War 1, set in a world where Clankers war with Darwinists and strange beasties abound. Westerfeld has created a brilliant world, populated it with interesting characters, written a gripping and quite moving story and added in a talking loris (or two). What more could I ask for? Oh, and the dialogue is great and I have now found myself using the word "barking" in everyday conversation.

Highly recommended for ages 10 . Some complex concepts and a few dramatic, tense moments but nothing too dark or disturbing.

[tarliman.joppos · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent alternate history. Good ending, a rousing climax to a slam-bang trilogy. One fatal flaw: I couldn't buy that Dr. Barlow didn't know that Deryn was a girl. A sticky-beak clever-boots boffin who's not just a Darwinist but a Darwin, and a biologist by trade, should have been able to tell male from female. That whole scene fell flat for me. Didn't work. The rest of it? Brilliant work. Westerfeld's clever manipulation of history, and his division of the world into Clankers and Darwinists, holds up well. I like the afterwords, in which he explains what he borrowed from our own history, and what he changed, and what he made up from source material or whole cloth. I now have a few more books to read, looking into his source material. Definitely a recommended read.

[richard_due-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fine end to a great series. I'm going to miss not having Mr. Sharp's adventures to turn to in times of need.Now that I've finished the complete trilogy, I find myself not only in awe of Mr. Westerfeld's fabricated alternate history, but also to how masterfully he attached it to his narrative. Barking spiders! Well done.But now I'm on to Kirsten Miller's first Kiki Strike book: Inside the Shadow City. Can't wait!

[jmoncton_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The final installment of an excellent series. Spectacular! Although all the books were very good, my favorite of the three is Behemoth, the 2nd book, partly because of its setting in Istanbul. Goliath adds more involvement by the US and the American media which was interesting, but I didn't find it as fascinating as all of the intrigue with the Ottomans. Great series!