Behemoth (Leviathan #2)

Behemoth is the second book in Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan trilogy - set in an alternate history of WWI.

Dylan Sharp is a midshipman on the airship Leviathan - he is actually Deryn Sharp disguised as a boy to be able to serve in the British forces. Along with her usual middy jobs, she is to keep an eye on their prisoner, Alek - who is Austrian royalty disguised as a commoner.

Together Deryn and Alek will influence the outcome of the war in Europe. They are currently headed toward Istanbul - an neutral nation that may decide the course of the war.

In this alternate history the war is between Clankers - those who use machines - and Darwinists - those who splice DNA into new creatures used for everything from transportation to military.

Westerfeld has more imagination that can be contained in one genre. This brilliant series is a must read for fans of science fiction, history, steampunk, and adventure. Gorgeous illustrations by Keith Thompson help readers with stranger creatures that do not exist in our own time.

Westerfeld, Scott. (2010). Behemoth. New York: Simon Pulse.

Altar of Eden

Altar of Eden is the latest book by James Rollins. Rollins writes books that capture readers and take them on some wild rides. This time he explores gene manipulation for military purposes.

Dr. Lorna Polk works for ACRES - the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species - as a geneticist trying to prevent more animals from becoming extinct. Working and living in New Orleans she is aware of the black market for endangered animals who are sometimes smuggled in through the bayou from outside of the country.

Jack Menard, an agent with Border Patrol, calls Dr. Polk when a ship is washed up on one of the small islands in the bayou after a storm. But this boat of animals is unlike any other that has been smuggled into the area. These animals are not only genetically engineered, but they have traits that have died out thousands of years ago. For example, the sabre-toothed Jaguar that has escaped.

Dr. Polk, Menard, and a team of Cajun volunteers must hunt down the Jaguar before it can finds its next meal. Once that impossible task is complete, the team as ACRES will study the other animals and try to find out who created them.

Rollins is a master of suspense writing based on science - science fiction without aliens or dragons. He takes the latest research news and weaves stories that could conceivably happen as a result. His books are fast-paced thrillers that will keep readers up late to finish the story.

Rollins, James. (2010). Altar of Eden. New York: William Morrow.

Leviathan (book #1)

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, pictures by Keith Thompson, is an alternative look at history - as if Darwin discovered not only evolution but DNA.

On the eve of WWI, Germany relies on machines while the British use Darwinist fabricated animals as their weaponry. The Leviathan is their largest whaleship.

Alek is a prince in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and he is on the run from his own people. The murder of his parents set off a chain of events that will lead all of Europe into war. He has one Stormwalker and a few loyal men to get him to safety over the Swiss border.

Deryn Sharp is a Scottish lass who has disguised herself as a boy called Dlyan to join the British Air Service. Since she was a kid all she has wanted to do is fly.

Westerfeld's imagination is once again the place where magic happens. Leviathan proves that he can write great speculative fiction in any time period. The book is peppered with gorgeous illustrations by Keith Thompson that help readers grasp the strange and wonderful creations of the Clankers and the Darwinists. I can't wait for the next book!

Westerfeld, Scott. (2009). Leviathan. New York: Simon Pulse.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

In The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson, Jenna has spent the last year in a coma.

Jenna is seventeen. She is recovering from a terrible accident that she can't remember. In fact, she doesn't remember much. Her mother has been telling her everything she can think of about Jenna's life before the accident - from her name to her favorite color to childhood pets.

Jenna is not sure that everything is okay, but her father assures her that with time, more will become clear. And she does slowly begin to rememeber bits and pieces.

But why are they now living 3000 miles from where they lived before the accident? Why does her father commute to work in Boston when they live in California? Is she really the person she watches in the videos of Jenna Fox's life? And why is her grandmother acting so strangely toward her?

Through her recovery, Jenna discovers just how far her parent would go to save her...

Pearson, Mary E. (2008). The Adoration of Jenna Fox. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

Next

In Next, Michael Crichton explores the frightening possibilities of future genetic experimentation. Some turns out okay - a humanzee, or chimp-human mix - makes a good addition to a family. And a parrot with human genes added can help a child with math homework.

Then there is the bunny with bioluminescence, the pig with wings, or the giant cockroach pets. Plus the idea that is already happening today: the ability to patent a gene or protein that occurs naturally. Thereby making it expensive or even illegal for others to use it.

So what happens when a court rules that a university research facility owns the rights to use one man's genes in a cancer cure? What about the genes still inside of him? Or in his daughter or grandson?

And interesting, if sometime extreme, look at one possible future for genomics. Crichton is an easy to read author whose books are as exciting as his movies.

Crichton, Michael. (2006). Next. New York: HarperCollins Publishing.