The Way of the Warrior (Book One, Young Samurai Trilogy)

The year is 1611. Jack Fletcher is the son of the first mate of the Alexandria. One day, along the Japanese coast, the ship shipwrecks and the crew, along with Jack's Father, are murdered. Jack is the lone survivor. Found by the legendary swordsman, Masamoto Takeshi, Jack is taken in and adopted. When Masamoto's home is attacked by the same assailants that attacked Jack's ship, Masamoto enrolls Jack, along with his son and niece, in the Niten Ichi Ryu, Masamoto's famous school. However, this isn't any kind of school Jack has ever known. The Niten Ichi Ryu is a samurai school where young men, and women, with talent learn the Way of the Warrior. Jack must endure rigorous training with bow, sword, and mind that push him to the limit and test every fiber of his being. Does Jack have what it takes to become a Samurai, or will the lifestyle prove to be too much? When Jack fled the Alexandria, he took with him a very special package, the Rutter. A collection of maps and diagrams of the world's seas so accurate that whomever holds it in their possession can rule the ocean. Jack believes that his father was murdered for this small booklet, but can he prove his assumptions and who will come for it next?

The Way of the Warrior is a fantastic book. It describes 17th century Japanese customs and appearance in great detail. Chris Bradford also included a small glossary of Japanese to English translations which is very helpful when reading this book.

The Eye of the World (Book One, The Wheel of Time)

Rand al'Thor, the son of a farmer, lives in Emond's Field, a town in the Two Rivers region of Andor. The Two Rivers is a peaceful place, filled with people living out their lives mindful of each other, mostly, and no one really ever wants to go off adventuring. His mother died when he was very young and has been raised by his father, Tam, living an otherwise perfectly normal life. That all changes when he sees the black rider. On the evening of Bel Tine, the spring festival, Rand spots a lone black horseman following him. Afraid, Rand compels Tam to turn around to look. Nothing! The rider had disappeared into thin air. Later that night, three visitors arrive in their town. The first is a Gleeman, a traveling performer, of whom word travels fast. The other two are far more mysterious -- a beautiful woman in blue and a burly man in armor, seemingly escorting her. When Emond's Field suddenly comes under attack, the two almost singlehandedly defeat the force. The duo reveal themselves to be Moirane and Lan, an Aes Sedai (basically a mage) and her Warder (protector). Most Two Rivers folk believe that Aes Sedai are servants of the Dark One, the eternal evil, and soon distrust the newcommers. However, Moirane reveals that now is not the time for prejudice. The assailants were creatures known as Trollocs, half man half animal, servants of the Dark One. She believes that the Trollocs, for unknown reasons, were sent to capture Rand and his two friends, Mat and Perrin. She seeks to take them to the city of Tar Valon, seat of Aes Sedai Power, to discover what the Dark One could want with the three. Rand accompanies her with his friends Mat and Perrin.  They are joined by Egwene, Rand's lifelong friend, who demands to come along and the Gleeman, Thom. They set out on a journey that will change Rand's life, and the lives of all around him, forever.

I haven't been this exited about a series for months, maybe even a year. It is everything I search for in a book, action, an ultimate evil, an ancient prophesy, love, magic, and glowing eyes. The Eye of the world was made in 1990 and has been a classic ever since. There are fourteen books in the series. The author, Robert Jordan, died after 11 and Brandon Sanderson wrote the last three. The fourteenth is scheduled to be released in January, 2013.

Eona (Book Two, Eon Duet)

War has broken out. The High Lord Sethon has betrayed the Emperor, his brother, and has risen up in rebellion to claim his throne. Lord Ido has been captured by the usurper, High Lord Sethon, and is being used as a tool for Sethon's ambitions. Eona has revealed her true identity to the nation and is now in flight with two of her companions, the Lady Dela and Ryko, Dela's bodyguard. Together they hope to find Kygo, the Emperor's only remaining son, and assist him in his defeat of Sethon and the reunification of the land. First, however, they must gather more allies, allies found in the most unexpected of places. They need to enlist a former enemy to succeed. Eona, through her travels to find Kygo, has discovered a dangerous secret. She can no longer control her powers. Whenever she attempts to channel her energy, the spirits of the Dragons whose Dragoneyes were slain by Ido flow through her, pummeling her, nearly killing her with their grief. As the group moves closer to Kygo, something moves closer to them. Something so destructive that, if left unchecked and unstopped, could destroy all traces of civilization. A madman. A madman who has in his possession the black folio of the Mirror Dragon.

Eona is my favorite of the two books. It is filled with action, romance, war, peace, dragons, and Dillon. This is the book where Eona lets loose and her true powers bloom.

Eon (Book One, Eon Duet)

Eon is a sixteen-year-old who is training to become a Dragoneye, one of the twelve spiritual guardians of the realm. For four years, he has read, fought, and prayed every day to prepare himself for the Choosing Ceremony. There are two problems, however. First, Eon is a cripple, having a permanently disabled leg for as long as he can remember. The second, not to mention most important, dilemma . . . Eon is actually Eona, a woman disguised as a boy. The penalty for a woman training to become a Dragoneye is death. On the Choosing Day, the corrupt Lord Ido, leader of the Dragoneye council, Dragoneye of the Rat Dragon, and ascendent Dragoneye, decides to change the ceremonial performance to single combat. Against all odds, the smallest of the group, Dillon, is chosen to become the apprentice to the Rat Dragon. Eona's luck seems to have run out. As the group bows to the Emperor one last time, the Mirror Dragon, the Dragon of Truth that was thought to be lost for 500 years, appears and chooses Eona as it's Dragoneye. Eona thus becomes a Lord, positioned higher than all other Dragoneyes including Lord Ido. Given that there hasn't been a Mirror Dragoneye in over 500 years, she gains great wealth and power. However, when her former master, Heuris Brannon, is struck down by a mysterious illness, the stakes change. As her secret comes close to being revealed, does Eona have what it takes to save the world, her life, and the lives of those she was chosen to protect?

Alison Goodman spins a tale of deceit, lies, power-hungry war-mongering villains, dragons, sword fighting, magic (more along the lines of energy manipulation), and hope. Eon is sure to hook veteran readers and beginners alike.

Goliath (Book Three, Leviathan Trilogy)

The Ottoman Empire has fallen, the rebels, led in part by Alek and Deryn, have taken control, keeping the Clanker nation out of the war. The Leviathan and it's crew, now make their way to Darwinist Japan, for unknown reasons. As they cross Siberia, however, they notice a strange anomaly in the landscape. Trees are flattened as far as the eye can see with total desolation and destruction for miles. While in Siberia, they pick up an unusual passenger, the Clanker scientist Nikola Tesla. Tesla claims that the destruction was caused by his war machine, the Goliath, and that he can use it to stop the war once and for all. Alek is drawn to the idea of an end to the bloody conflict. However, Deryn isn't so sure that Tesla is being entirely truthful. On a mission, Alek learns of Deryn's true nature, a girl posing as a boy. The stakes change and their friendship is put on the line. However, Tesla plans to use the Goliath in a way no one could have imagined, and Alek must choose between life and death, love and desolation, an end to the war or the lives of millions. Amidst the chaos and death, will Alek, with his 'next and final decision,'* become a ray of hope for all the world or a harbinger of death?

Goliath is the final book in the Leviathan Trilogy. All loose ends are tied up and all plot holes are filled. The companion to the series, The Manual of Aeronautics, will be released on August 21st. I loved Goliath.  It was my favorite and my least favorite. Favorite, because it is the longest and is when Deryn's secret is revealed. It is my least favorite because it is the last of the series. I hope you all enjoy.

* From the Goliath book cover

Behemoth (Book Two, Leviathan Trilogy)

In the second installment of the Leviathan trilogy, the Leviathan and its crew are on their way to Istanbul. Their mission is to deliver an egg of a fabricated animal called a Perspicacious Loris, to the Turkish Sultan as an attempt to keep the Turks out of the war. However, on their way to the Ottoman Capital, the Leviathan, Britain's greatest fabricated organic airship, is attacked by two German ironclads. Alek, heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire, and Klopp, Alek's faithful engineer, are working on the Leviathan's engines that they reluctantly provided to save the ship (in book one), when they glimpse the German's new weapon, a Tesla Cannon. Against orders, they thrust the airship into reverse and save the Leviathan. However, Alek is shot with an air-pistol by the Leviathan's Chief Engineer, and Alek's men are placed under guard. Finally, after many weeks of travel, the Leviathan and it's crew finally reach Istanbul. Deryn and Dr. Barlow, the granddaughter of Darwin, are taken to the Sultan as an emissary, along with the Loris egg. When they meet the Sultan, however, his enormous Clanker automaton crushes the Loris's egg which  ends diplomatic relations. Later that night, Alek and his men attempt to escape from the Leviathan but   are discovered. Volger and Hoffman, two of Alek's men, remain behind to create a diversion, leaving Alek with Klopp and Bauer to escape into Istanbul. Amidst the chaos, a secret war is being fought, one that may decide on which side the Ottomans enter the war. This may, in fact, be the turning point of the war that encompasses the globe. The strangest part, Alek and Deryn seem to be in the center of this revolution.

Behemoth is a very intense book. Filled with battles, secrets, blackmail, and a global struggle. After the scene where Alek tries, and succeeds, to escape I was on the edge of my chair, wondering about what would happen next. Fans of the series will love Behemoth!

Leviathan (Book One, Leviathan Trilogy)

The year is 1914, the Great War, otherwise known as World War I, has begun. However, this isn't the normal war story you are used to hearing. The war is  fought by two factions: The Darwinists (The Allies) and the Clankers (The Central Powers). The Darwinists use fabricated animals to do their fighting,  while the Clankers use machines to power through opposition. The Clankers believe that the Darwinist creations are a violation against God, while the Darwinists hate the pollution the Clanker machines make. Aleksander is the son of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrio-Hungarian Empire. When his father and mother are murdered in cold blood, he must flee, with the faithful crew of a Clanker Stormwalker, to Switzerland in hopes of finding refuge. Deryn Sharp is a girl, a girl that has always dreamed of joining the British Air Service. There is, however, one not so small setback: women aren't allowed into the military. In an attempt to enter, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists. When Alek and Deryn's (now Dylan) paths collide, the fate of two empires, and the world, hang in the balance.

Leviathan is the first book in the Leviathan trilogy. The second is Behemoth and the third is Goliath. I loved Westerfield's version of alternate history and find it intriguing and sensational.