The revealed picture for Goliath was "A Careful Extraction," and I have to say, it's got more to it than I imagined it would. Woo!
I seriously should be working on my English project right now.
DISCLAIMER: Why must you torture us with these spoilers? Scott Westerfeld, you are an evil, evil genius…
Deryn silently cursed sneaky-boots boffins, squeaky wheels, Charles Darwin, Nikola Tesla—anyone or anything that had contributed to her being in this scenario.
Dr. Barlow had said it would be simple; nothing would go wrong like last time. Besides, she'd reminded her, hadn't it all turned out well in the end last time?
But no, something always had to go wrong, didn't it? Her mother would blame it on her dressing up as a boy, but Deryn didn't think so.
She and Alek raised their arms as a dozen guns were pointed at them. Even Bovril threw its arms into the air, chattering in fear.
They'd almost made it, Deryn recalled. But almost meant nothing now. She remembered the sudden lurch of the zeppelin, the two of them fighting to keep the contraption still as the ship shuddered and creaked in the turbulent air.
The three of them were marched down a narrow corridor, the ship's loud Clanker engines rumbling beneath their feet. Bovril rode upon Alek's shoulders, its tiny arms still comically raised. As they entered the bridge, Deryn peeked out the window. The ground was far beneath them, the landscape flashing by as the ship gained speed.
The captain was looking out the window, effectively ignoring the crewmen and their hostages. They stood there in an awkward silence until one of the crewmen coughed politely, but impatiently. The captain sighed, and turned around. "Who are you," he asked, "and what were you doing with the Goliath?"
On the Westerforum Meetup #2, Scott Westerfeld mentioned that the Goliath isn't a beastie. He explained that "There's this thing called Goliath that scares the crap out of everyone, but Alek and Deryn make it okay." He also gave a very enlightening piece of advice: "Inspiration is dessert. It must be earned with the steamed broccoli of EFFORT." ^.^
Answer: Leviathan/Behemoth/Goliath is my favorite, but I also really liked the Last Days (a book that involves a band that summons up giant worms which are then hacked to pieces by angels/vampires is definitely classified as awesome by me.)
Question: Prompts, anyone? I'd love some inspiration…