Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

darwinists take the strands  ClankerS TakE ThE FormS
of life and weave them into  OF MachineS, RemakE TheM.
new forms � a new kind of  NeW ShapeS - A NeW WaY
life, a new way of living.� � TO SeE, A NeW WaY TO BE!
cute talking animals!  HugE WalkinG MachineS.
living dirigibles!  A TeslA CannoN.
all sorts of strange beasties  AlL SortS OF ContraptionS
now at our beck and call.  NoW AvailableE FoR AlL.
but are these darwinists� BuT ArE ThesE ClankerS
unholy manipulators of  WarlikE BrutalizerS OF
nature? they control � � TechnologY? TheY RulE
england, france, russia...  GermanY, AustriA-HungarY...
they wage a sort of war  TheY WagE A KinD OF WaR
in america... will they  IN AmericA... WilL TheY
control the world itself?  ControL ThE WorlD ItselF?
fortunately, if darwinist  FortunatelY, IF ClankeR
ranks include the likes of  RankS IncludE Folks LikE
� DERYN SHARP �  � PRINCE ALEK �
a brave young lady whose  A BravE YounG GenT WhosE
sharp mind and sharp eye  LoyaltY & WitS
frequently save the day  FrequentlY SavE ThE DaY
and whose need to hide her  AnD WhosE NeeD TO BE A
gender is its own sort of  ParT OF A GreateR WholE
darwinist transformation...  IS SO VerY ClankeR...
then maybe these  TheN MaybE ThesE
brilliant scientists  UbeR-CraftsmeN
aren’t so bad at all. maybe  Aren't AlL SO BaD. MaybE
they are only one side  TheY ArE OnlY OnE SidE
of the same coin.  OF ThE SamE CoiN.
  of ThE SamE CoiN!

This is a wonderful conclusion to a charming steampunk trilogy for children. I enjoyed the preceding novels but this third volume impressed me even more. It seamlessly threads together classic Young Adult tropes, various steampunk motifs, actual history and historical characters from World War I and beyond, and a breathlessly paced series of fun adventures into one rather grand story. It is more than just a joy to read � it’s also often surprising and genuinely moving. There were moments that shocked me and there were moments that struck me right in my so-called heart. Appealing characters, superb illustrations, and even a thoughtful and touching afterward. A great achievement by Westerfeld.

The cleverness of these novels also inspired my own attempts to be clever, here and in the prior two novels' reviews:

Leviathan
Behemoth