Boys Rule Boys Read!: A Nook and a Behemoth!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

A Nook and a Behemoth!

Happy second week of holiday vacation to all you reader guys! Hope you had a good Christmas. I certainly did, spending time with family and friends, but I also got one of the coolest gifts I've ever received--a brand new NOOK!!! Yes, indeed, the Iron Guy meets 21st-century technology! These Nooks and Kindles and other e-readers could be the wave of the future. A lot of grownups are even wondering if they will replace regular books someday. (I don't think so--I bet there will be a mix of e-books and regular books in the future) What do you guys think? And do any of you have a Nook? A Kindle? Any type of e-reader? Do you like it? Or not? Write in and tell us.

And now for a review of a truly rockin' book--Behemoth by the amazing Scott Westerfeld. I was

a huge fan of Leviathan, the first book in this

trilogy, and I would have been happy if this second one had been just as good. Well, guess what--this one's even better!!

The story takes place in Istanbul (or Constantinople), Turkey in 1914. World War I has just broken out--except, in this story, the world is a little different from the real world of WWI. This is an "alternate history" story; the Germans and Austrians (called "Clankers") use walking war machines, while the British and their allies (called "Darwinists") use fabricated animals. The two main characters, Prince Alek of Austria and Dylan Sharp (who's really Deryn--I'll get to that in a minute) have flown to Istanbul. Prince Alek is a prisoner of the British. Dylan is with Dr. Barlow, the granddaughter of Charles Darwin, who is on a mission to deliver a secret cargo to the Sultan. Things do not go as planned, however. The mission fails spectacularly, Prince Alek escapes, hides in Istanbul and joins a revolutionary movement to overthrow the Sultan. In the meantime, Dylan performs acts of heroism, gets sent on an underwater mission and discovers a deadly Clanker weapon. And speaking of secrets, important people start to discover Dylan's secret--which is that Dylan is really Deryn, a girl who disguised herself as a boy to join the Royal Air Service!

If you liked all the adventure, excitement, humor of Leviathan, then get ready, because this book has all that plus some!! You've got Clanker machines attacked on the streets of Istanbul, strange Darwinist animals, daring nighttime escapes and an unbelievable battle at the end. And the illustrations!!! In most books, the pictures are just--well, they're just sort of there and don't really add anything. In Behemoth, the illustrations really take you into the story and bring everything vividly to life. I enjoyed this one and I'm sure you will, too. I can't wait until next year when Goliath, the third book, comes out!!
PS--if you want to see my review of Leviathan, click here. If you haven't read it already, you could go right to Behemoth, but I'd advise you to read Leviathan first so you get a better sense of what's going on.

13 comments:

Trina said...: This is my time visiting your blog and I'm glad I did. I'm not a boy/guy, but the mother of two awesome little boys and the owner of a Kindle. I love it. Is that the color Nook. How do you like it thus far? Happy New Year.; January 10, 2011 at 1:08 PM
Iron Guy Carl said...: I haven't tried out the Nook yet but hope to spend some time figuring it out tomorrow. (We also got a new puppy for New Year's and so I've been busy!); January 10, 2011 at 9:28 PM
Ms. Yingling said...: I'm holding out for a dual book, although the Nook is better than the Kindle for borrowing e books. And of course, puppies are better than either!; January 11, 2011 at 6:50 AM
Iron Guy Carl said...: What's a dual book?; January 11, 2011 at 4:41 PM
Madigan Mirza said...: I have a Kindle, and am borrowing a nook right now. It's a neat little device, and a tremendous space saver! I'll probably post a review on my blog, comparing the two.

The one tiny drawback that I've found so far. I've plowed through quite a number of books this week, and I don't have a satisfyingly large pile to return to the library, since they were all on the nook, and take up no space at all!; January 12, 2011 at 1:06 PM
Madigan Mirza said...: Check out this video, which explains how to get library books on your nook! http://vimeo.com/15959459; January 12, 2011 at 3:23 PM
Beth G. said...: Oooh, that looks like a NookColor! I got the black-and-white nook for Christmas, and I love it. I just finished reading an e-ARC from NetGalley on it. There's definitely a learning curve, but not too bad.; January 12, 2011 at 3:32 PM
Iron Guy Carl said...: Yes, I have a color Nook. My wife is VERY good to me!; January 12, 2011 at 5:17 PM
D.A. Tyo said...: Santa brought me a Color Nook for Christmas as well. I love it! I have borrowed ebooks from the library and have downloaded several egalleys to read. My Nook will never take the place of a 'real' book, though.

My eleven-year-old daughter received a Nook as well. She likes taking it to school. She gets a lot of other kids interested in the book she is reading just because it is on the Nook. But she agrees with me that it will never take the place of a 'real' book.; January 13, 2011 at 11:44 AM
Anonymous said...: Hope you are continuing to enjoy your nook (I imagine you are!) Love my Kindle I must say (although perhaps a little to easy to shop? nah...)

I run a book club for kids (9-12). Looking forward to following along with you and passing on your recommends to all the kids, including the five boys.

Cheers,

Deb; January 16, 2011 at 5:49 PM
Iron Guy Carl said...: Thanks for your comments, everyone. I'm still learning this Nook thing. I've downloaded a few old for free and like them but have had trouble reading a couple. Have access to Pandora radio on it too.; January 17, 2011 at 4:13 PM
teacherninja said...: Love my Kindle but am forcing myself to read an actual book from my TBR pile between each e-book. To lessen the guilt, I guess.; January 21, 2011 at 8:59 AM
Iron Guy Carl said...: No need to fell guilty, Jim. I'm enjoying the Nook AND still have a big pile of actual books in my own TBR pile. I think there be a lot of both for a while. Especially as long as there are libraries. These e-readers are expensive and you still have to pay anything current. Just like you would for a "real" book. A library card could get you a real book for free. (OK--you CAN get older books for free on a Nook. I did that and have some to read but still have two that won't open); January 21, 2011 at 4:37 PM

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