Leviathan Questions

Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.

  1. Why does the author alternate between Alek's and Deryn's points of view? How does it affect the way we see each character?
  2. How do their respective families influence who Alek and Deryn are trying to be—or not be? In what ways are they fulfilling their families' expectations or rebelling against them?
  3. There's a lot of action in Leviathan, but there's also a lot of dialogue—these people love to talk. How does the mix of action scenes with chatty scenes affect our reading of the book?
  4. How can reading an alternate history like Leviathan enhance our understanding of real historic events? Or can it?
  5. What if their roles were reversed and Deryn was a princess and Alek was a guy who had to disguise himself as a girl? What would that look like?
  6. If you had to pick one society to live in for the rest of your life, would you rather live as a Darwinist or a Clanker? Why?