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mark monday's Reviews > Behemoth
Behemoth (Leviathan, #2)
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review buffet
✥
A Review in the Classic Style
Behemoth is the second book in Westerfeld's steampunk adventure series for the little ones. It continues at breakneck pace, following its plucky young protagonists as they hurtle through misadventure, politics, and just the teensiest bit of lovelorn longing, all taking place in an alternate World War I-era Ottoman Empire (vividly and vibrantly depicted as a near-ideal salad bowl of cultures). All of the tropes of steampunk remain firmly in place. Overall this is an endearing book full of enjoyable characters, strange mechanical contraptions, and amusing beasties. Westerfeld writes with an expertly light touch and manages to hit (gently) upon such topics as duty vs loyalty, respect for living beings, and the importance of diversity. This reviewer could have used less of the words "barking" (as in 'that's barking ridiculous') and, most unfortunately, "bum-rag".
✥
I AM A MODERNIST REVIEW,
and all the angst that implies, all the feelings that I could be reading more challenging fiction, writing deeper thoughts, experiencing a richer life between pages; I read a review by Steve or Ceridwen or Sven or Elizabeth and sometimes I just feel Oh! mark! You shallow person! You write in such a shallow way! You like shallow things! Shallow things in this shallow genre Steampunk and its shallow use of now-tired tropes and its breathless pace and its sweetly clueless characters and all of that, and I don't care, because yes I liked this one, I did, is this flight into childhood? Regression into simple and easy things? Are the daring adventures of X and Y a way for me to peel back the layers of complexity that life can be, could be, should be? Do I read these rather thrilling adventures because I lack a certain substance? Behemoth lacked a certain substance itself and I do not hold it against it, although I do hold its overuse of the phrases "barking" and "bum-rag" against it because that's just steampunk-brit for "fucking" and "ass-wipe" and my shallow mind just objects to little kids running around calling people fucking ass-wipes all the time,
✥
it.is.post.modern.review.
the characters go to Istanbul. they call it Constantinople. they are corrected. i appreciate that. they might be giants. Constantinople was once Byzantium; that is not mentioned. i went to Istanbul, i went to Turkey; i loved it. modern day Istanbul is diverse. Behemoth: a dream-version of Istanbul. dream? dream of the past. the author admits it; his idealized version of a diverse society, he says. steampunk = "diverse society" as well. 1) mechanized society 2) use of animals [Darwin moved forward and then back into steampunk] 3) gender roles/essentialism [challenged] 4) overuse of quaint words like
(adj. quaint·er, quaint·est
1. Charmingly odd, especially in an old-fashioned way (steampunk is quaint)... quaint. quaint. quaint? say a word too many times and it loses its meaning. quaint. an overuse of quaint words like "barking" and "bum-rag" and it's quaint its quaint it quaint and quaint and quaint and quaint and quaint
and
✥
A Review in the Classic Style
Behemoth is the second book in Westerfeld's steampunk adventure series for the little ones. It continues at breakneck pace, following its plucky young protagonists as they hurtle through misadventure, politics, and just the teensiest bit of lovelorn longing, all taking place in an alternate World War I-era Ottoman Empire (vividly and vibrantly depicted as a near-ideal salad bowl of cultures). All of the tropes of steampunk remain firmly in place. Overall this is an endearing book full of enjoyable characters, strange mechanical contraptions, and amusing beasties. Westerfeld writes with an expertly light touch and manages to hit (gently) upon such topics as duty vs loyalty, respect for living beings, and the importance of diversity. This reviewer could have used less of the words "barking" (as in 'that's barking ridiculous') and, most unfortunately, "bum-rag".
✥
I AM A MODERNIST REVIEW,
and all the angst that implies, all the feelings that I could be reading more challenging fiction, writing deeper thoughts, experiencing a richer life between pages; I read a review by Steve or Ceridwen or Sven or Elizabeth and sometimes I just feel Oh! mark! You shallow person! You write in such a shallow way! You like shallow things! Shallow things in this shallow genre Steampunk and its shallow use of now-tired tropes and its breathless pace and its sweetly clueless characters and all of that, and I don't care, because yes I liked this one, I did, is this flight into childhood? Regression into simple and easy things? Are the daring adventures of X and Y a way for me to peel back the layers of complexity that life can be, could be, should be? Do I read these rather thrilling adventures because I lack a certain substance? Behemoth lacked a certain substance itself and I do not hold it against it, although I do hold its overuse of the phrases "barking" and "bum-rag" against it because that's just steampunk-brit for "fucking" and "ass-wipe" and my shallow mind just objects to little kids running around calling people fucking ass-wipes all the time,
✥
it.is.post.modern.review.
the characters go to Istanbul. they call it Constantinople. they are corrected. i appreciate that. they might be giants. Constantinople was once Byzantium; that is not mentioned. i went to Istanbul, i went to Turkey; i loved it. modern day Istanbul is diverse. Behemoth: a dream-version of Istanbul. dream? dream of the past. the author admits it; his idealized version of a diverse society, he says. steampunk = "diverse society" as well. 1) mechanized society 2) use of animals [Darwin moved forward and then back into steampunk] 3) gender roles/essentialism [challenged] 4) overuse of quaint words like
(adj. quaint·er, quaint·est
1. Charmingly odd, especially in an old-fashioned way (steampunk is quaint)... quaint. quaint. quaint? say a word too many times and it loses its meaning. quaint. an overuse of quaint words like "barking" and "bum-rag" and it's quaint its quaint it quaint and quaint and quaint and quaint and quaint
and
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Reading Progress
January 6, 2013
–
Started Reading
January 6, 2013
– Shelved
January 6, 2013
– Shelved as:
fog-and-gears
January 8, 2013
–
Finished Reading
January 8, 2014
– Shelved as:
rain-man-reviews
January 12, 2019
– Shelved as:
inbetweenworld
Comments Showing 1-24 of 24 (24 new)
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by
Terry
(new)
Jan 10, 2013 05:38AM
This review is not a barking bum-rag.
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thank you! just realized i forgot a key element... the title! must edit.
I love this review! I think I may be a modernist review.
i thought i was too. and then i realized that i was capitalizing all use of I... which made me realize i was a postmodern review. sigh.
Well played, Mark. Love this. Made me laugh at myself for some of my reviews and for some of my fiction. This is great stuff. I think I may refer to this as the "ironic, post-academic, anti-hipster book review". Or maybe "something for everyone to love, something for everyone to hate".
That's a real picture. That is an effing real picture of an effing real product.Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night
Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in Istanbul
Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way
So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks
Istanbul (Istanbul)
Istanbul (Istanbul)
Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way
Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks
So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks
Istanbul
Kelly - Maybedog wrote: "That's a real picture. That is an effing real picture of an effing real product.Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Tu..."
It's funny, I just heard that song on the radio here a couple of days ago. It was on the student radio station that's tied to the University. I can't think of many commercial stations who will play They Might be Giants.
Kelly - Maybedog wrote: "That's a real picture. That is an effing real picture of an effing real product.Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Tu..."
right on both counts! real picture (and real disturbing) and a reference to one of my old favorite bands, college era mark.
Forrest wrote: "Well played, Mark. Love this. Made me laugh at myself for some of my reviews and for some of my fiction. This is great stuff. I think I may refer to this as the "ironic, post-academic, anti-hipster..."thanks! anti-hipster... perish the thought! some of my best friends, love that preceding phrase, such a classic, some of my best friends are hipsters, a certain kind of hipster, but they'd deny but don't all hipsters deny it. oh, Graham. oh, Dave. oh, Eric S. oh, Eric Z. fortunately you guys never read my reviews so you'll never see this post and i will never have to face any consequences, social or emotional or, most worryingly, physical, for calling you all hipsters. whew! close call! oh yeah, Rachel, maybe not one of my best friends, but an awesome lady, you're a hipster too, but i'm not teasing you like i am Graham or Eric or Eric because you are indeed an awesome lady and a hip one. with a truly smashing sense of style. the creme de la creme of La Hipster! hopefully you won't read this either. if so, i'm joking Rachel, just a joke! a silly joke! you're not a hipster, i swear. or are you?? ***
*** all of the above is a goad to see if one of my real-life GR friends can be compelled to respond on one of my review threads. i will bet cold hard cash that none of them do. they haven't read this. they never will! sad sigh?
If they're true hipsters, it would be uncool of them to answer your challenge! This is what my daughter, a hipster-watcher, tells me. I don't know these things of myself. Definitely not cool enough to know stuff like that myself.
i have no doubt your assessment is correct! i once had such an assessment, a couple years back, in a car with Dave & Eric S & Eric Z, after handing over my mixed cd to be played on the longish trip, and noticed the significant intra-hipster look exchanged between Dave & Eric S, the unspoken oh mark and his so-called music tastes, the things we put up with, and i thought to myself, damn hipsters! listen to my music and love it! and then later Eric Z said "this isn't so bad, can i have this cd" and i thought to myself, well that's generous, Eric Z you are my favorite and to this day Dave will still reference the un-hipness of my mixed cd, sad sigh.******more pointless goading that won't be read by the parties concerned. ah well. i cast this post into the ether! i suppose i should get back to work. but i don't wanna! i prefer rambling!
I'm home sick from work. I've got all day to ramble. That is, after I wake up from the nap I'm about to take. The fever is creeping up again and teh wrdso ear tgting lal mumjblde.
I read a review by Steve or Ceridwen or Sven or Elizabeth and sometimes I just feel You, too, huh?
Forrest, hope you feel better!Miriam, you feel the same way too! that makes me feel happy. damn their depth!*
*not really, because i love them. but still.**
**i should have noted Mariel as well, but i feel like i reference Mariel enough and decided to give her a break. but not in the comments thread!
Sven is a nickname (or real name? i dunno) for the very digable s.penkevich. just look at that profile pic. he looks sensitive, smart, and hip all at once! i read his reviews and often sigh at the deepness.**that probably sounded like snarky irony, but it wasn't. i really do. the good kind of sigh!**
**he was the first to like this review and i doubt he caught my reference to him. sigh (the regular kind).
I'll second Mark's assessment of Sven's reviews. He's done some beauts!
Okay, I know spenky, I just hadn't heard him called Sven before. Thanks, though.For extra sensitivity, check out the photos and reviews with his tiny daughter.
~ love ~i dinna think a person could get dreamier... but a da and his wee babe!
so..what's the point of posting that picture?
it.is.post.modern.review.or at least the part with the picture is.
ahh..as long as the picture just exemplifies an example of postmodernism and does not mock or ridicule :)
*attempts to procreate with this review; fails; makes secondary attempt for fun*
