Landslide!

Posted on by scott

Well, as those of you who’ve looked at the comments of my previous post know, it wasn’t a fair contest between our three piece of Goliath art. But I am a firm believer that all votes must be counted, more or less accurately, so I did.

Here are the results:

Chapter 1 . . . 27 votes!

Chapter 2 . . . 165 votes!

Chapter 3 . . . 47 votes!

So, yeah. We have a winner. Thanks to everyone who participated. Remember, it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how amusing your comments are.

So here is the uncensored image from Chapter 2.
ch02_small

Click here for a larger and totally zoomable version of this image, which may reward careful scrutiny!

Hope none of you are disappointed by your choice. As I read your comments, I was, like, “Uh-oh, most of the secrets in that scene are things Alek and Deryn are saying, so they kind of don’t show up in the image.” Heh, heh.

Anyway, I should have a cover to show you within the month. And of course I will reveal another piece of art on or around April 1.

102 thoughts on “Landslide!”

  1. I was not expecting that much. My jaw has officially dropped. Yay, Scott! Now I must go scrutinize.

  5. Yay, Chapter Two!

    Off to zoom and scrutinize.

    Seeing Bovril is enough of a reward. Heh. 😛

  6. Second post, wow! *pauses to do a happy dance and eat some chocolate*

    This appears to be aboard the Leviathan, but I wasn’t aware they had a rookery. Hmm. Anyway, that is one intensely cool bird Deryn’s got. I want one. Are they available at pet stores conveniently located near my home?

  7. That’s awesome! I am not disappointed with my vote 🙂 now I just wish I could hear what they were saying…

  11. Btw, Alek is looking sharp in his getup! He reminds me of a mix between Arthur from Inception and Neo.

  12. Slightly ashamed that this is my third post in five minutes, but I just realized… THAT BIRD HAS TWO HEADS!!! :O This picture just went to a WHOLE new level of awesome!!!

  14. Look at wee little Bovril!!!!

    STRAFING HAWKS!!!!!!!!

    *completely obsessing*

    Must. Print. And. Scrutinize.

  16. “the secrets are what they say”………evil, mischievous, conniving, ingenious, brilliant scott…..anyway, is it the same bird from the “two-headed messenger”? iF it is, thats a plus for me……..& i love love LOVE the picture!!!!!!!!!!! was not dissappointed at ALL! I was afraid it might have just been old Klopp trudging around, but was I wrong! Yay! only 196 days til Goliath!

  17. SQUEE!

    You know guys, I was thinking: it would be AMAZING if Hayao Miyazaki made movies of these books. Yes or yes?

  20. Interesting, interesting, interesting. The first thing I noticed is that Deryn is wearing her heavy flight suit, instead of the more normal suit. Her normal suit is seen when she is working on the Leviathan in regular conditions (during the practice battle where we first saw the bats, as the middies ate lunch, her meeting with the captain, when the duo were goofing off with fencing on the spine, etc).

    The heavier suit is usually seen when there is more action, or when it’s particularly cold (the glacier). The only time it appeared in Behemoth was in the Keelhaul drop (and her subsequent escape onto the train). It was seen during most of the second half of Leviathan, when they were on the glacier, and there was an important line right before the battle in the Alps that grounded the Leviathan: “The middies’ battle station was topside with the bats, so she’d need a flight suit to keep from freezing. … she [looked] for a suit with a pair of gloves stuffed in the pockets. There wasn’t time to find goggles.” (Lev ch:20 p:198).

    It was in no way cold in Istanbul, but Deryn wore something similar during the mission (before she went undercover to meet up with Alek). However, it was mostly in the cold scenes. Combined with fact that the creature in the chapter three pic is almost certainly one of the Russian Fighting Bears, I would guess that they are either in Russia or getting close, and Deryn came from the topside recently. I would assume that Alek was not up there with her, because his jacket is unbuttoned, and in the scenes where Alek is outside in the cold, he usually has a hood and scarf.

    Also of interest, it looks sort of like there is something strapped to Deryn’s left shoe. Perhaps it is a knife stuck partway in her boot mixed with the straps on the boot? It seems like it is something, but I’m not sure what.

    As always, I may be reading too much into this, and I may be dead wrong, but this picture is definitely going to keep me occupied for a while.

  21. Is it weird that I’m totally attracted to both main characters in this series? Not that I’m straight or anything, but I wanted a second opinion.

  23. How very wicked of you, Scott-la. I’m sure you knew this would happen. I have been scrutinising this picture thoroughly and I don’t know quite what I’m meant to be looking for. :C

    Nevertheless, this brings me great joy! INTRIGUE, SECRETS, TWO HEADED BIRDS, IT’S ALL TOO MUCH.

  24. :O
    I’m gonna stare at this for days!!!
    Deryn looks like she’s burping or something and Alek has a hunchback.
    …. i wish i knew what was being said….
    I wonder if Alek knows about Deryn yet, probably not since its only chapter two.

  25. I love how Deryn’s hair is getting too long! She can’t hide forever…
    And of course the bird has two heads! one of the other art pieces was called “two-headed messenger”

  26. HURRAH! HURRAH! tap-tap-tappity-tap (repeated three times; happy dance gone wild)! I’m so glad I voted for Ch. 2; what a genius image!

  27. HURRAH! HURRAH! tap-tap-tappity-tap (repeated three times; happy dance gone wild)! I’m so glad I voted for Ch. 2 “Secrets in the Rookery” what a genius image!

  28. x3 Hoho, it’s better than I had expected! This way wr got to see the two-headed messenger too! 8D My, I want this book so badly! @-@

  31. Excellent … is that a knife strapped to her boot?

    This is probably my most looked forward to book this year! I’ve been telling everyone to read it. I can’t wait!

  33. It makes me excited to see them together and alone, while the picture has the word “Secrets” in its title (:
    This is so epic!
    😀 thanks Scott-La

  35. That’s why I voted for Chapter 3!
    I knew that the “secrets” would not be revealed by the picture but on the dialogue!
    Oh well, It’s still super cool to get to see the first piece of art for the book.
    I’m so excited for its release!

  36. @Polly-wa Also the reason I voted for chapter three, but I’m really satisfied with this picture….ALEK’S FACE IS HOT. Jus’ sayin’ 🙂 And what about Deryn? She looks like she’s burping or nauseous or something…and I love that knife thing in her boot 🙂 coolio Also, love the clothes 😉

  37. Thats awesome!! I’m like, staring at every ten seconds and grinning 🙂
    Alek looks cool, but like he has a black eye (has Deryn socked him?) and Deryn looks great but like she’s about to barf. I suppose the book explains this..

  38. Deryn looks all cute and innocent and girly in this, I’m sorry for posting twice but…yeah :3 it’s all cute cause she’s a tomboy….d’aww 🙂

  40. oh! or, she could be blowing her whistle… yeah, she does look a lot like a girl (more than usual) in this one, and Alek is looking at her very curiously…

  41. *scrutinizes and dies* Uggghhh Thanks a lot Scott D8 Now I want to read that book more than I wanted to before, and I didn’t even think that was possible you evil person ;w; My imagination is churning F< I totally need to get Leviathan to my best friend before Goliath comes out. We need to read it together!

  42. I am just blown away! The details, the secrets, the time it must have taken to put in all of the tiny details! Man, i wish this book would come out sooner than Septmeber. Leviathan would make an awesome movie too!!! eeek! so cool…

  43. Alek is staring as if that bird (too) had started saying really strange things about Miss-ter Sharp, and Deryn as if the foot (or claw) in her mouth were very uncomfortable…
    Wishful thinking?
    In any case – thanks!

  46. *falls over*
    Wasn’t exspecting that!!
    That bird is a bit scary looking, I’d hate to wake up with that sitting on my window. But if that was the bird from ‘two headed messenger’ that’s almost like two give-aways in one!

  47. I think Deryn is just using nervous body language. Alek looks curious and confused. She’s telling him a secret that she doesn’t want to tell, at the beginning of the book.. I guess they just went to see Dr Barlow (who has the bird in chapter one). That’s not her flight suit, though. (That has a tunic, boots, and the calves are wrapped in fabric.) She has never been described with a knife in her boot. I would guess a splint?

  48. Love the facial expressions. Alek is all curious-looking and Deryn looks kind of shy or embarrassed. Maybe the bird talks. If these were movies, Tim Burton should direct it. I actually wrote a story about that for a class!

  50. This is amazing! I wonder if the messenger lizards on the ground will overhear what is said… Possibilities. Thanks to this, now I want Goliath even more than I did before!

  52. Dear Scott,
    Did you really have to mention Secrets in the caption? You can’t hear secrets in a picture – sigh, I was voting for number 3…
    But I’m still completely overjoyed at this one – It was so much more than I was expecting!
    The Bird is amazing!! (especially with his little headdress thing)
    And Alec and Deryn both look like their wearing clothing, or coats at least that are a little too big for them, but like they had to be somewhere cold – so I too would assume Russia, and at first I thought that thing on Deryn’s leg was a knife but now that someone mentions it – it does look like a brace/splint.
    Anyway – Still very excited!!

  54. Well, of course she’s got a knife! Nobody works around a lot of lines and doesn’t have a knife to cut things loose in an emergency, that’s just silly. It looks awesome, though.

    I’m more surprised that nobody has commented on the fact that the Darwinists have apparently fabricated a living version of the Hapsburg crest, complete with its own little pickelhaubes. And Deryn is looking after it, instead of Alek himself.

    What does it /mean/? Is this some kind of diplomatic gesture, like the attempt to send lorises to the Ottomans? Is it a symbol of a Hapsburg defection to the Darwinist side? Will we be seeing double birds all the way across the sky? So intense!

  55. Neo: Your anaylsis is epic.

    Tobu: A double headed eagle is also on the Russian coat of arms.

    But I also want to add…
    Alek is in commoner’s cloths, or at least a bit more common than some of his other outfits. Also he’s not covered in engine grease or sludge like most of the time he is on the leviathan. So in my opinion, either he has just been outside in some city or they are planning to use him for some undercover oporation in Russia.

  56. Yay! My puppeh dog eyes must’ve helped!
    As for scrutiny, I noticed Deryn and Alek’s faces, and…well…let’s just say that my math homework is now filled with little doodles of Alek+Deryn Forever in little hearts.
    Bovril! I hunger for more sarcastic Mr. Sharp’s.
    Kudos to Erin for making me picture Aurthur (Inception) as Alek, or vice versa.
    Thank you Scott Westerfeld so much! I can’t wait for Goliath to come out, and tell Keith Thompson that if he lived in the times when cameras came out, I would never replace him!

  58. @Erin- crazy! I was trying to scrutinize, but didn’t even notice the second head! I love Alek’s expression, “argh, more godless creations!” Love his coat, too, and the knife in Deryn’s boot.

  59. WAAAAAHHHHHH I CAN’T WAIT FOR GOLIATH!! Time, thou art cruel.
    Amazing picture…. I like Alek’s face. 😛

  60. I know… AMAZING picture.. I’m like, dreaming about Leviathan.. mainly Alek+Deryn.. and Bovril looks happy because his ‘parents’ are together…

  61. Maybe it’s just me . . . but when I see Deryn with her hand like that, I think Alek had just asked/said something that made her think. She turns away from him and he’s leaning over to see her face/reaction. And the hand . . . she’s rubbing her chin, thinking.

    I swear, I ‘clicked here’ and stared at the enlarged image for ten minutes straight.

  62. I swear I just about died from the awsomeness of the picture… Pretty much I just sat there salivating at the sight of the picture trying to take everything in it… (And I can see that Alek must’ve said something secretive about Deryn! ;)… I can’t wait to read Goliath to find out what!!!) AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! I CAN’T TAKE IT ANY MORE THAT SEPTEMBER IS STILL 6 MONTHS AWAY!!!*Bangs head on wall* oh September why are you so evil for not arriving quick enuff???

  63. THIS PICTURE IS SOO COOL. Is it bad that i freak out every time there’s a new post? i am far too excited for this book, its killing me inside. And oh the picture is so awesome i could cry, but i won’t because thats kinda pathetic but I love it so much. I’ve literally lost track of how many times i’ve read Behemoth. 😀

  64. regarding #17’s comment:
    DUDE!!!! Hayao Miyazaki is EPICNESS!!! If there is a movie, I want an anime version by Hayao Miyazaki or a live action…but Mr. Miyazaki probably won’t be doing a movie for this, although I think the plot would suit his usual work quite well…

    anyway! I love this art and Keith Thompson has done it again! I’m eagerly awaiting Goliath and I know it’ll be awesome!!!!! More art leaks please? Not most of them, obviously…maybe one each month? and a couple quotes here and there?

  65. I think
    that’s the same bird which could be partially seen in the Chapter One picture. A reoccurring Beastie!! I bet it has a name and everything!!

  66. Also,
    there’s a bunch of other birds in cages around them. which, i guess, makes sense, because google says that a rookery is a breeding grounds for birds.
    But then why would they have one of those on a ship? (and it’s definitely the ship cuz theres message lizards and message lizard pipe thingys.)

    The room looks Darwinist, because of the rounded ceilings/railings/ cage bars, but there is a definite Clanker-looking control panel thingy and a big ugly crate thing. wonder why that is.
    Also, there are some sack-like things (feed bags?) above the light.

    Maybe they’re putting the two-headed bird with the other birds. Why do the bird(s) have helmets on?

  67. It looks like Deryn is blowing her comand whistle. And she’s wearing the same clothes as in chapter three were there’s a Russian bear on the picture so that means that they are in Russia. But then why is Alek wearing the clothes he are wearing. Hmmm… And are they still on the Leviathan because they haven’t mentioned this room in the first two books. But a whale is big so they could still be on it. And what’s the secret they are talking about? AAAAAHHHH the suspicion is killing me! I can’t wait six month. Great picture, Keith is very talented

  69. Ooohs, are those birds in big cages in the backdrop? Like, are they giant beasties? I’d say that the cages were big glass cylinders and the beastie on Deryn’s arm was refelected on them, but those big birds 1. aren’t wearing headdresses, 2. have only one head and 3. are BARKING HUGE. I don’t know if I’m right or not, but it looks like that.
    And you may be right about the long hair thing. If you look at Alek’s line of vision, he could be staring at the back of Deryn’s head. Kinda. Makes me think that maybe he’s noticing her hair growing longer.
    Ugh, I don’t want to wait! I need to read this book! Especially if there are giant bird-beasties!

  70. Curious, curious, curious. If that was indeed a Russian fighting bear in the Chapter 3 image as Neo presumed, I’d guess Deryn tried to tell Alek, and was interrupted (again) because she is needed to ‘hook the package’.

  71. I’m late, always am, but I was so… RAGE QUIT about Behemoth ending the way it did. I figured that I would have the third book when it was done, but NO! It hasn’t even come out out so now I have to fume, and read everything related because I’ve become obsessed with something other than Primeval and writing fanfiction. Thank you for breaking my habit. I just need to get a time machine now… The future sounds so great, even if it is a couple months away…. SEPTEMBER!!!!!!

  72. After reading Bogus to Bubbly (Awesome by the way), I started to wonder if it would be possible to do something like that for the Leviathan Trilogy.
    Do you think that is possible? I think that it would be more awesome than a walker that had a gyroscopic balancer!

  73. Oh…ha ha….well I wasn’t on the computer pretty much this entire week on account of racquetball nationals…so I couldn’t vote…

    Oh well. I probably wouldn’t have even voted because any one of them would have been a treat to see!

    Waiting semi-patiently for Goliath to come out! (and this is actually the first time in my life that I wish summer would hurry up and get here then end so September could come)

  74. I CANNOT TAKE THIS ANYMORE MR. SCOTT WESTERFELD ! HAHAHA :)))
    Wake me up when it’s September ! i’m gonna stare at this for a long tiiiiiiiiiiiime. nyahahah !

    I just hope Mr. Tim Burton would read your book and make it in to a movie ! I WOULD BE LIKE SCREAMING THE WHOLE TIME ! (but sadly that would disturb the audience , hahaha 🙂 ]

    God Bless You , Mr. Westerfeld

  75. Hmm… Alek appears to be examining the beastie on Deryn’s arm, while she’s pondering something. I get the sense that the secret in question is actually the giant bird, and they’re trying to think of what to do with it.

    HOWEVER, it could be that Deryn’s considering revealing her secret to Alek, and he’s waiting expectantly to hear what she’s about to say.

    Nnnnrgh, I can’t wait for this book!

  76. Sorry for the second post, but I just had to say this. I found out today that someone is buying my house(so I’m moving.) I was all sad an stuff, then I turned on my iPod and see my lock screen(this picture of alek and deryn) and was happy. I thought to myself,’Hey they will have Scott-La’s books there!’. Now I am happily waiting to move so that in September I will be able to enjoy Goliath. That will definitely brighten up the move.

  77. @Snoworb Yes yes yes!!! Scott-la, do you have anything like that planned? A guide to the Leviathan world would be amazing, and I’m sure we would all love an inside look at all the amazing ideas you probably couldn’t fit into the books!!!

  78. I think Alek is staring at that creepy weird bird. But the romantic part of me hopes that he’s looking at deryna nd wondering why ‘Dylan’s’ hair is getting long and why that makes him look pretty…

  79. EEEEEEKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SOOO EXCITED!! XD I CANNOT WAIT TILL GOLIATH COMES OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3 DERYN AND ALEK FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU SCOTT!!!!

  80. EEEEEEKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SOOO EXCITED!! XD I CANNOT WAIT TILL GOLIATH COMES OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3 DERYN AND ALEK FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU SCOTT!!!! I LOVE YOUR BOOKS!!!!!!!!!

  81. can sum one PLZ clarify for me before I loose my mind(again) does Goli come out 9.13 or 9.20???

  83. I think that the bird has bought some interesting news, and that in discussing the news, dear Deryn has said something she shouldn’t have, or at the very least gotten a little too upset over something- thus the cause for Alek’s concerned expression.

    Either that or she’s muttering under her hand and Alek is struggling to hear her, since his expression is also quite neutral. She could also be taking too long to consider something. .

    It’s all very interesting~ I’m looking forward to it, but I’m glad I have a trip to distract me until it’s release! This is such a tease!

  88. OMG!! I love this picture so much! I can’t wait until this book comes out, and I am waiting for the next art leak 🙂
    and this may just be my imagination, but does anyone else think that Alek looks taller than Deryn in this picture?

  89. Is the bird that Deryn’s holding the “two headed messenger” alluded to in the chapter one art? if so then i am a GOOD gesser XD

  90. Is Deryn smiling? I can’t wait for Goliath!!!!! Seriously, though, what is Deryn smiling at?

  91. to me, deryn’s eyes look like they are really scared, you know, with like lightish irises…my theory is that he was about to say something give-awayish, but she’s covering her mouth…alek looks sooooo hot!! And he’s wayyyy taller now, he used to be like a foot shorter than deryn XD
    I voted for #3, but Im still glad that if not a plot insight, a look at later-alek is revealed!!

  92. OMG April 1st?! Could there be some trickery in this? I really do hope that showing us more art isn’t an april fools day joke Scott! 🙂
    Anyways…
    Really excited for Goliath!! XDDDDD

  93. AHH!!!! I’m so excited! I wonder what they are saying? I never got a chance to vote 🙁 ’cause I hadn’t began the series until this whole shazam was done. 🙁 Now, I am like, a mega fan and AM SO FREAKING EXCITED!!!! AHHHH!!! What happened to Deryn’s other glove? The last time we saw her with only one (I think) was after she almost socked Alek. In this pic he has a black eye. Coincidence?

  94. Deryn has most likely accidentally given away information regarding her own feminism, this is for 3 reasons.

    #1, Her face shows as if she is nervous or let something slip, while Alek looks curious or wondering about something that Deryn just said purposely or accidentally because she mabye have mumbled it to herself and was caught by a somehow more observant Alek…

    (Hint: you can see it in her/his eyes and if the quality of the drawing was meant to be good, than it is supposed to be that way)

    #2, Their location is in a secluded area witha smiling Bovril, nervous Deryn, and a curious Alek, perfect for a secret to slip.

    (Hint: BOVRIL is SMILING at a NERVOUS-LOOKING DERYN)

    #3, Other actions are impossible because the command whistle is hanging around Deryn’s right arm at about her elbow(Hint: it looks like one of Alek’s coat buttons) she is nervous as stated by #1, and their location is secluded and it looks like Deryn just told/mumbled something important *cough*female*cough**cough* to herself wishing Alek could hear her and he did, or just in Alek mention something did Deryn resond with something about herself that she was hoping she didn’t say, intending to tell him at a later time (don’t deny it scott-la you know you would have made her do it… mabye not that to what i am not intending but to what i AM intending and you probably have a picture of it already being drawn by that awesome artist of yours…

  95. @Neo (#20) WOW you are certainly very observant. If they’re in Russia…it’s cold…but Alek doesn’t have warm clothes…but deryn does…C: hehe *dreams up romantic possibilities*

  96. Woohoo, amazing picture! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT.
    I’m am DYING to read Goliath.
    So excited, but I’ve been thinking about it lately and I’m getting nervous!
    It’s the end of the trilogy! We all know what happened at the end of Uglies and Midnighters.
    Ahh, nervous!

  97. wait! i just realised something! wasn’t a two headed eagle a tsarist symbol of Russia? does that have anything to do with anything? a message from the tsar? i don’t know but suddenly i am WAY more excited!!

  98. It probubly is Russia, because of the double headed eagle, and the warm clothing- but that would mean that
    1) they are in europe again (and I have no idea how that would happen, but that’s always been the center of russia- mostly because that’s a part of russia where you can actually grow things)
    2)they’re in siberia (which is closer to Japan, but why on earth would they go there? Siberia has had little in it of significance except tsarist- and later solviet- labor camps, because it’s so barking cold.)

    or I’m just wrong.

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