Leviathan (Scott Westerfeld novel)

Clanker

Leviathan

Leviathan is a 2009 dystopian novel written by Scott Westerfeld and illustrated by Keith Thompson. First of a trilogy set in alternative version of World War I, it has Central Powers (known in-universe as "Clankers") using mechanized war machines opposed by Entente Powers (as "Darwinists") who fabricate living creatures genetically. The central protagonists are Aleksander, son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand; and Deryn, a Scottish girl with dreams of joining the British Air Service with her brother. The sequels are Behemoth and Goliath.

Warfare technology used

Clanker machines

Clankers made machines mostly large in order to have great effect

• Cyklops Storm-walker: a two-legged machine designed for combat. Alek and his men use one to escape to Switzerland.
• Zeppelin: a dirigible designed for air travel, transport and combat. The Germans use several to try and destroy the Leviathan.
• Dreadnought: an enormous land ship with side-mounted cannons. Essentially designed for combat, with a lower deck for its scouts, it can be used for travel thanks to its six legs.
• Aeroplane: a plane designed for air combat, used to attempt to take down the Leviathan.

Darwinist creations

Dawrwinists created animal-weapons in order to do greater damage, have better agility.

• Leviathan: the name of a large, fabricated airwhale that Deryn and Alek travel on. It is a living ecosystem, using the whale cilia for flight, bacteria to make hydrogen, bees to make honey, and strafing hawks and fléchette bats for battle (see below).
• Minotaur: the name of an airship similar to the Leviathan where Deryn's brother Jaspert serves.
• "Huxleys": giant jellyfish-like creatures fabricated from the life threads of the medusa jellyfish. These creatures breathe hydrogen and are similar in function to hot-air balloons. Usually these are used to scout overhead. They are named after Thomas Henry Huxley, a renowned biologist known as Darwin's Bulldog for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
• Message lizards: fabricated lizards used aboard the Leviathan and other Darwinist creations and buildings. They only repeat what they hear.
• Strafing hawks: the Leviathan's main defence. When armed with acidic spider webs on their wings, they are capable of slicing through metal.
• Fléchette bats: bats fabricated with moth and mosquito threads. These bats are able to ingest and release metal spikes in "the usual manner".
• Hydrogen sniffers: dog-like creatures bred to sniff for hydrogen leaks on an airship.
• Kraken: a sea creature designed for ocean battles.
• Behemoth: a sea creature like a Kraken that is bigger and stronger.
• Elephantine: a large elephant like creature.

The Iron Grip Universe

Official Name: Ironclad Tank Hunter
Commonly Called: Ironclad Tank Hunter
Description: A modification of the regular Ironclad Walker, the Ironclad Tank Hunter has a single longer barrel fitted, which fires heavy AP rounds to destroy enemy vehicles.

Iron Grip: Marauders Wiki

ISOTX is the video game developer behind the award-winning Iron Grip Series. The Iron Grip Universe provides the setting for our commercial war games:

Iron Grip: Marauders, Iron Grip: Lords of War, Iron Grip: Warlord and Iron Grip; The Oppression

The Iron Grip Universe offers players an alternative world, reminiscent of pre-war Europe, inhabited by an exuberant mix of characters armed to the teeth, with a formidable arsenal. Weaponry such as the ‘dreadnaught airship’ and the daunting Battle Mechs swarm the battlefields of the Iron grip universe, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.  

At ISOTX, we strive to deliver strategy games that we ourselves love to play.

Please Note they are no longer in business.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise, that the company was founded by a small group of devotee gamers that wanted to add new units and gameplay to C&C Generals. The resulting total conversion mod became known as Mid East Crisis 1.0. Despite the initial lack of funding, the collaboration continued, leading to the founding of a commercial studio and the development of a number of strategy war game titles.

Iron Grip: Marauders is the latest addition to the Iron Grip series. The game takes place several years after Iron Grip: Lords of War. In the land of Kathos, an aristocratic country caught up in internal conflict, the strain and turmoil has finally reached a boiling point. The troops of the Rahmos Protectorate States have moved to the southern border in expectation of a pending war with the neighboring Confederation of Nallum; leaving entire regions unprotected.

This situation has attracted the attention of marauders: mercenary pirates whose ranks range from highly trained ex-military men to common thieves. Many of these marauders came from Atelia, where they used to work as soldiers of fortune for the Atelian tribal leaders. As captain of a horde of air pirates, players roam the vast regions of Kathos in search of settlements to loot. Captured settlements are easily turned into pirate strongholds which provide additional building and advancement options in the game. From their headquarters, gamers can strategically plan their army’s size and composition. By researching new technologies, stronger units can be trained and new structures created.

Keith Thompson Artwork for Iron Grip