Strangely, this week, I have been forced to relive the anxiety of school work. Let me explain. I was in an art class with my six-grader and we had the opportunity to watch a video about the artist Andy Warhol. The teacher wrote out five questions, (later it grew to seven,) on the board. The kids were to discover the answers to the questions as they watched. Oh dear, active listening! My blood pressure rose and not just for the classroom, but also for myself. I felt an obligation to do the same.
Not only this, but then afterward I felt called upon to not only regurgitate what I had watched, but further to elaborate. What did this biography of Warhol mean to me? How could I compare him to his peers? And, finally, consider what about his life speaks to me in the present time. Let’s put that Liberal Arts degree through its paces! How many big words can I use… How scholarly can I sound… JOKING! A little.
Reading Goliath, I recalled taking history classes. Memorize dates. Recite facts. What event precipitated the Great War? What were the names given to the two sides at war? Which countries belonged to which side? When did the United States of America join and why? What event brought about the end of the war? Who were the major players? Anybody? Anybody?
We did that every year until we finally achieved High School and things got a bit harder… Pick an event in history and discuss what would have happened had things played out differently. What if America had never joined the war? What if America had entered the war sooner? What if Archduke Ferdinand had a son who was legal heir to the Habsburg throne?
How tedious. How daunting.
Not anymore.
Scott Westerfeld must have aced his history finals.
I reviewed the prequels, Leviathan and Behemoth, which you can peruse to discover the scope of these novels. Goliath completes the trilogy and I was left, not only satisfied, but pleased as well. There were several cameo appearances made by notable men in history, Pancho Villa for example, that made me want to go back and find out more about the real person.
Nicola Tesla has a much greater presence as the creator of Goliath – the machine to end all wars! Tesla is an anomoly. The crew of the Leviathan does not know if he is a madman, a megalomaniac, or a mastermind. Tesla says that a demonstration of Goliath’s power will force Germany to back down. But which city will Tesla choose to destroy? Whose side is he really on if he is on one at all? Should Alex, the legal heir to the Habsburg Monarchy, assist or prevent Tesla from pulling the lever?
For kids who think they’ve outgrown the Children’s Department.
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