Alek Hapsburg

Leviathan Europe (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/Leviathan)

The archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand and Princess Sophie have just been assassinated. They were poisoned in the city of Sarajevo. The Germans have murdered him in an attempt to create war between the Clanker and Darwinist civilizations: Britain, France, Germany, and Italy are Darwinist civilizations. They use animals that they have genetically engineered to keep their civilizations moving forward. Clankers use machines based off of animal designs. Clankers use machines from daily life to war machines on legs. The Darwinist powers, Britain, France, and Russia, are about to fight against the Clanker powers, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire.

Clanker Machine (http://scottwesterfeld.com/books/leviathan/)

Alek Hapsburg is son of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary. He was heir to the throne as emperor. However, left as an orphan when his parents are killed he flees his country in a Cyklop Stormwalker. There are many traits that make him a hero though.

Alek has courage and the heart of a lion.

He has proved his courage many times during his escape. He is willing to go towards a battle to attempt to save a friend who is trapped.

He willing pilots the Cyklop Stormwalker towards a group of German army commandos that are aiming an anti-walker gun towards the walker. Alek's unerring skill as a pilot allows him to dodge the shell and defeat the Army commandos.

Alek has caring and treats wounded enemies as though they were his allies.

When the Leviathan airship crashes on a glacier in Switzerland, Alek watches from his castle, "his prison". When all of his comrades/ friends have fallen asleep Alek sneaks out of the castle carrying a medical kit. With the medical kit, he helps to heal a wounded boy called Dylan (who is actually a girl named Deryn).

Alek has daring because he is willing to put himself in danger in order to help his friends.

He goes on top of a moving Cyklop Stormwalker to help to throw a flare off of the exhaust pipe while scout troopers fire upon him.

Works Cited:

Thompson, Keith. "The Great War 1914". Drawing. "Leviathan". tvtropes. 15 May 2011.Creative Commons Attribution. 17 May 2011.

Thompson Keith. "Stealing Away". Drawing. "Leviathan Series". Scott Westerfeld. 2001. Wordpress. 17 May 2011