Status
Available
Call number
Call number
F Ree
Genres
Collection
Publication
HarperTeen (2004), 336 pages
Description
In the distant future, when cities move about and consume smaller towns, Tom and Hester hope that the ice city of Anchorage will reach the rumored haven of the Dead Continent--America--before the savage Hunstmen of Arkangel find them.
Subjects
Original publication date
2003-09-19
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User reviews
LibraryThing member edgeworth
Predator's Gold picks up two years where Mortal Engines left off, with Tom And Hester having "sort of inherited" Anna Fang's airship the Jenny Haniver, making a living for themselves as cargo traders. The novel opens in the flying city of Airhaven, as Tom and Hester take on the famed adventurer
Predator's Gold takes the action of Mortal Engines to the polar icefields, and Reeve continues the creative flair he showed in his first novel; the pages abound with mercenaries and pirate lairs and horrible scientific experiments and a secret city of thieves and betrayals and deceptions and daring rescues and frantic battles. As I have said before, these books are the very definition of swashbuckling; and yet so much more than that, because of their literary merit and excellent characterisation and, most of all, Reeve's sterling ability to paint a visual picture with words. It really is the best of both worlds.
Predator's Gold is slightly less epic than Mortal Engines, with less at stake and not as much globe-trotting, but the character's story arcs - and the development of the overall series plot - are much deeper. A love triangle develops with Freya, and Hester's jealous actions greatly alter the results of their lives. Reading this series for the second time (and knowing that the next book jumps a good seventeen years or so into the future) it's impressive to note just how much of what happens later is a direct consequence of earlier actions. This sounds like a self-evident observation - that is, of course, how real life works - but it's a refreshing change from so much YA fiction and hack fantasy, where the story is told through a series of coincidences and random happenings and deus ex machina. Tom and Hester's lives are irrevocably altered by only a handful of things - some of them big, some of them small, some of them their fault, some of them beyond their control. As one example, Hester and Tom's "inheritance" of the Jenny Haniver in Mortal Engines - an act which seemed to exist merely to service the climax of that novel - has significant repercussions in Predator's Gold.
The character development is also excellent. Tom mostly remains a cardboard cut-out, the everyman swept up in wild adventures, but Hester is a fine creation, an ugly gargoyle serving as the linchpin of the series. In Mortal Engines she was merely a genre-subverting ugly heroine, rugged and capable and driven by a single-minded urge. Predator's Gold develops her, believably and consistently, into a ruthless character capable of terrible violence. This begins with the chapter ominously titled "The Knife Drawer" and continues down darker paths in the next two books.
Tom touched her mouth. "I know it feels awful, those men you had to kill. I still feel guilty about killing Shrike, and Pewsey and Gench. But you had to do it. You had no choice."
"Yes," she said, and smiled at how un-alike they were, because when she thought of the deaths of [spoilers], she felt no guilt at all, just a sort of satisfaction, and a glad amazement that she had got away with it.
Here Hester kills to protect those she loves - in the future she will not have that justification. Pennyroyal also has a darker side, revealing himself in a shocking scene to be capable of worse things than simply lies and selfishness, delivered while nonetheless being cheerful and polite.
There is, in fact, quite a lot of violence in Predator's Gold, including a child being beaten and strung up to die, cold-blooded murder and limbs being cut off. I have no problem with kids reading this, in context, though it does seem rather incongruous with the fact that the one hint at sex in the book is so subtle you might miss it entirely.
Re-reading the series, I'm having my recollections confirmed: these are excellent YA adventure novels, the best of their kind, and while there are clear differences between them, I find it hard to say which one I prefer. I do recall A Darkling Plain, the final book, having some flaws - but it was three times the length of the others, and to my teenage mind that compensated for it. We'll see when we get there. Next up is Infernal Devices.
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Professor Nimrod Pennyroyal as a passenger - before being chased into the Arctic by agents of the Green Storm, a splinter group of the Anti-Traction League attempting to recover the Jenny Haniver. They escape their pursuers but are left damaged, wounded and limping, eventually finding safe haven in the small Traction City of Anchorage. Decimated by plague and desperate to survive, Anchorage has set a course for America, the Dead Continent. The city's young margravine Freya is delighted to find Pennyroyal aboard her city, as he had previously boasted about discovering fresh tracts of green land in nuclear-devastated North America in one of his best-selling books. Pennyroyal (a character who owes much to J.K. Rowling's Gilderoy Lockhart) uneasily accepts a position as the city's chief navigator, and with the Jenny undergoing extensive repairs, Tom and Hester find themselves swept up in a new adventure.Predator's Gold takes the action of Mortal Engines to the polar icefields, and Reeve continues the creative flair he showed in his first novel; the pages abound with mercenaries and pirate lairs and horrible scientific experiments and a secret city of thieves and betrayals and deceptions and daring rescues and frantic battles. As I have said before, these books are the very definition of swashbuckling; and yet so much more than that, because of their literary merit and excellent characterisation and, most of all, Reeve's sterling ability to paint a visual picture with words. It really is the best of both worlds.
Predator's Gold is slightly less epic than Mortal Engines, with less at stake and not as much globe-trotting, but the character's story arcs - and the development of the overall series plot - are much deeper. A love triangle develops with Freya, and Hester's jealous actions greatly alter the results of their lives. Reading this series for the second time (and knowing that the next book jumps a good seventeen years or so into the future) it's impressive to note just how much of what happens later is a direct consequence of earlier actions. This sounds like a self-evident observation - that is, of course, how real life works - but it's a refreshing change from so much YA fiction and hack fantasy, where the story is told through a series of coincidences and random happenings and deus ex machina. Tom and Hester's lives are irrevocably altered by only a handful of things - some of them big, some of them small, some of them their fault, some of them beyond their control. As one example, Hester and Tom's "inheritance" of the Jenny Haniver in Mortal Engines - an act which seemed to exist merely to service the climax of that novel - has significant repercussions in Predator's Gold.
The character development is also excellent. Tom mostly remains a cardboard cut-out, the everyman swept up in wild adventures, but Hester is a fine creation, an ugly gargoyle serving as the linchpin of the series. In Mortal Engines she was merely a genre-subverting ugly heroine, rugged and capable and driven by a single-minded urge. Predator's Gold develops her, believably and consistently, into a ruthless character capable of terrible violence. This begins with the chapter ominously titled "The Knife Drawer" and continues down darker paths in the next two books.
Tom touched her mouth. "I know it feels awful, those men you had to kill. I still feel guilty about killing Shrike, and Pewsey and Gench. But you had to do it. You had no choice."
"Yes," she said, and smiled at how un-alike they were, because when she thought of the deaths of [spoilers], she felt no guilt at all, just a sort of satisfaction, and a glad amazement that she had got away with it.
Here Hester kills to protect those she loves - in the future she will not have that justification. Pennyroyal also has a darker side, revealing himself in a shocking scene to be capable of worse things than simply lies and selfishness, delivered while nonetheless being cheerful and polite.
There is, in fact, quite a lot of violence in Predator's Gold, including a child being beaten and strung up to die, cold-blooded murder and limbs being cut off. I have no problem with kids reading this, in context, though it does seem rather incongruous with the fact that the one hint at sex in the book is so subtle you might miss it entirely.
Re-reading the series, I'm having my recollections confirmed: these are excellent YA adventure novels, the best of their kind, and while there are clear differences between them, I find it hard to say which one I prefer. I do recall A Darkling Plain, the final book, having some flaws - but it was three times the length of the others, and to my teenage mind that compensated for it. We'll see when we get there. Next up is Infernal Devices.
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LibraryThing member atreic
If anything, even faster paced than the first! A galloping plot which manages to fit in a city destroying plague, an underwater city, a gang of thieves, big brother surveillance, the Furthest North, a character far too much like Lockhart, Love!, Betrayal!, self discovery, the excesses people will
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go to when they don't want to lose a loved one who has died, spider machines, bird machines... OK, in many ways it is nearly a parody of Young Adult fiction, but you can't help love the brave, fierce characters and it is almost impossible to put down as you desperately wonder how they can get out of the situation they have found themselves in... Show Less
LibraryThing member MyopicBookworm
* * * Beware potential spoilers * * *
This is a well worked-out sequel to Mortal Engines, in which the author manages to cap his own inventiveness with some more fine ideas. If you fancy flying in a top-of-the-range airship over a European wilderness inhabited by predator cities and their suburban
This is a well worked-out sequel to Mortal Engines, in which the author manages to cap his own inventiveness with some more fine ideas. If you fancy flying in a top-of-the-range airship over a European wilderness inhabited by predator cities and their suburban
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prey, then this is one for you. The plot also maintains an engaging level of psychological complexity, drawing the reader into a dark world of misunderstanding, jealousy, divided loyalty, and betrayal. My only reservation was about the increased level of violence: swordfights and explosions are part of the scenery in this kind of adventure, but torturing children is a step beyond where I usually expect to go in a YA novel. I was also a little put off at the end by Reeve's (admittedly subtle) introduction of sex: call me old-fashioned, but when I was a lad, teenage characters in books just did not get pregnant! MB 14-viii-2009 Show Less
LibraryThing member euang
As good as gold!!: This book is a worthy sequel to the wonderful �Mortal Engines� � and I would recommend any young reader who has not read Mr Reeve's previous novel, to do so first; a familiarity with the characters will deepen your enjoyment of this story.
As before, the imaginary
The plot grips to the very end. A thoroughly enjoyable read! However, I miss Valentine, the evil yet charming villain from the first book. His feeble replacement lacks his charisma!
As before, the imaginary
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futuristic world created for us is incredible, impossible, yet strangely believable. However, I feel the most fascinating aspect of the book is its characters. What I really like about practically all the characters is that they are never stereotypically good or bad. Like real people, they are multi-faceted - never "picture perfect" or "beautiful people". Seemingly good guys may have shocking flaws in their character and show lapses of judgement; apparently bad individuals may surprise us with redeeming features � or perhaps when we learn their true motives or past history, we no longer view them in the same light. This insightful portrayal of characters is a valuable and thought-provoking idea for the younger reader to ponder. In real life, first impressions are frequently wrong. Good people aren�t always entirely good; bad people aren�t always thoroughly bad. The plot grips to the very end. A thoroughly enjoyable read! However, I miss Valentine, the evil yet charming villain from the first book. His feeble replacement lacks his charisma!
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LibraryThing member DLMorrese
The adventures of Hester and Tom continue...
If you enjoyed the fist book of the series (as I did), you'll want to read this one. Our heroes find themselves in Anchorage. It is a relatively small and peaceful mobile city traveling across the ice in search or refuge from predator cities that want to
That said, I will read the next one.
If you enjoyed the fist book of the series (as I did), you'll want to read this one. Our heroes find themselves in Anchorage. It is a relatively small and peaceful mobile city traveling across the ice in search or refuge from predator cities that want to
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consume it. The pacing is good. The characters are likable. The situations make sense in the setting. My one peeve is an aspect of the prose, which grated on me. Ran and ran. Up and up. Closer and closer. Over and over.... Things of that nature. The author shouldn't have done it and the editor shouldn't have permitted it. Even for a YA book, repeating a word separated by 'and' sounds juvenile. It's sloppy. One 'ran' will do. Saying 'ran and ran' adds nothing. That said, I will read the next one.
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LibraryThing member RBeffa
Predator's Gold is the follow-up novel to Mortal Engines which I read a few weeks ago. The story picks up more than two years after Mortal Engines finished. I think one really needs to have read the first book to appreciate this one. Reeve didn't really capture my interest strongly this time. We
I liked this story "OK", but not nearly as much as the first book in the series. Characters from Mortal Engines, good and bad, were mostly dead by the end of that book, as was the city of London in which significant events occurred. The characters in this book, Predator's Gold, didn't seem as interesting, nor did most of the storyline itself. Tom and Hester return from the first novel, Mortal Engines, and begin the novel now solidly in love. I felt sorry for Hester in the first book, but can't say I really liked her. I do feel a bit sorry for her again this time, but her behavior here is pretty awful. Problems arise in the story with the relationship between Tom and Hester fractured. Neither of the two behave perticularly sensibly, but Hester rather flips out with dire consequences. The strong point of this book is the future post-apocalyptic world that we learn a little more about and the adventures we participate in as reader's. Of the several new characters I just didn't care at all for the pompous Prof. Pennyroyal, but did take a strong liking to the "Lost Boy" Caul. He added an interesting viewpoint to the novel.
There are some other interesting things in this book as well. Overall I found myself somewhat disappointed in this novel. I don't think I'd call this a sophomore slump since it still is an enjoyable (although dark) story. Perhaps I was expecting too much from the follow-up to a strong debut. I'm looking forward to reading future books in the series at some point, however.
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begin within a strange setup in the mobile city of Anchorage skating across the arctic. Much of the story takes place in this city. Like Mortal Engines, Reeve continues to play with airship names - the first new airship we encounter is a small attack ship, the "Clear Air Turbulence", an homage to the pirate space raider from Iain Bank's 1987 novel Consider Phlebas. Having just read "Consider Phlebas" my eyes did widen a bit at the coincidence. Reeve pays homage to more than a few things in fact, incorporating pieces of several works of literature such as "The Lost Boys" and an Oliver-like scenario with the boys complete with a Fagin. There's more than that too. There's so much of this that it bothered me a little. I liked this story "OK", but not nearly as much as the first book in the series. Characters from Mortal Engines, good and bad, were mostly dead by the end of that book, as was the city of London in which significant events occurred. The characters in this book, Predator's Gold, didn't seem as interesting, nor did most of the storyline itself. Tom and Hester return from the first novel, Mortal Engines, and begin the novel now solidly in love. I felt sorry for Hester in the first book, but can't say I really liked her. I do feel a bit sorry for her again this time, but her behavior here is pretty awful. Problems arise in the story with the relationship between Tom and Hester fractured. Neither of the two behave perticularly sensibly, but Hester rather flips out with dire consequences. The strong point of this book is the future post-apocalyptic world that we learn a little more about and the adventures we participate in as reader's. Of the several new characters I just didn't care at all for the pompous Prof. Pennyroyal, but did take a strong liking to the "Lost Boy" Caul. He added an interesting viewpoint to the novel.
There are some other interesting things in this book as well. Overall I found myself somewhat disappointed in this novel. I don't think I'd call this a sophomore slump since it still is an enjoyable (although dark) story. Perhaps I was expecting too much from the follow-up to a strong debut. I'm looking forward to reading future books in the series at some point, however.
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LibraryThing member LemurKat
The sequel to Mortal Engines a book which didn't really need a sequel, IMO, but still Predator's Gold does not disappoint. And it is rather a nifty world.
For the unintiated, these stories are set in a post-nuclear Europe. The landscape has long been rendered uninhabitable and America all but
Anyhow, Mortal Engines begins the adventures of young Tom, historian, as he is snatched from his moderately comfortable life in the traction city of London by the horrifically scarred Hester and Predator's Gold continues their tale. After the wake of the MEDUSA disaster, they have now found themselves aboard the winter city of Anchorage, half its inhabitants dead of the plague or fled, bound on a dangerous journey to the dead continent following the findings of a bumbling historian. And danger, of course, is close on their tails, as the great predator city of Arkangel hunts it across the frozen wastelands.
I would hope this would be the last one, but now I think about it, there is definite hints at a sequel where the anti-traction league will likely face off against the traction cities with the aid of the terrible Stalkers. I just hope poor Tom and Hester get a bit of a break.
These books are something a little bit different - cyberpunk I suppose might be an appropriate term, and definitely quirky - good for someone who likes a truly original, fun but tense, read.
For the unintiated, these stories are set in a post-nuclear Europe. The landscape has long been rendered uninhabitable and America all but
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destroyed in the 60 minute war. Cities are now mobile structures (traction cities) that travel around the landscape and canabilise smaller cities, hamlets and villages. Yes, you have predator suburbs, scavengers, pirate airships and other such coolnesses. Yes, I realise now that I may have derived the term "scavengers" from here as well, but I have always listed "Mortal Engines" in my inspiration list (and what a long list it was).Anyhow, Mortal Engines begins the adventures of young Tom, historian, as he is snatched from his moderately comfortable life in the traction city of London by the horrifically scarred Hester and Predator's Gold continues their tale. After the wake of the MEDUSA disaster, they have now found themselves aboard the winter city of Anchorage, half its inhabitants dead of the plague or fled, bound on a dangerous journey to the dead continent following the findings of a bumbling historian. And danger, of course, is close on their tails, as the great predator city of Arkangel hunts it across the frozen wastelands.
I would hope this would be the last one, but now I think about it, there is definite hints at a sequel where the anti-traction league will likely face off against the traction cities with the aid of the terrible Stalkers. I just hope poor Tom and Hester get a bit of a break.
These books are something a little bit different - cyberpunk I suppose might be an appropriate term, and definitely quirky - good for someone who likes a truly original, fun but tense, read.
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LibraryThing member AHS-Wolfy
Second book from the Hungry Cities Chronicles series picks the story of our two young heroes, Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw, two years after the climactic events at the conclusion of Mortal Engines. After spending those years away they're now back in the familiar environs of the Great Hunting
The city of Anchorage has seen better days though. Most of it's citizens have either left or died of plague but those who have stayed are devoted to the young Margravine, Freya, who has found herself in charge. Freya has set a course for the Dead Continent and it seems the gods have approved by delivering Pennyroyal, author of America the Beautiful, into her lap at just the right moment. Freya has also set her sights on Tom as well and much to Hester's chagrin, Tom seems to enjoy the time he's spending with the Margravine and Hester thinks she might be travelling on alone when repairs to their ship have been completed. With the repairs barely completed, Hester spies Freya kissing Tom so she flies off in a jealous rage and comes up with a desperate plan to win Tom back. She sells the location of Anchorage to Arkangel's hunters but refuses the normal predator's gold for agreement that she will rescue Tom from the impending destruction of the city and enslavement of its people. But plans have a habit of going awry and this one's no different as Hester is kidnapped before she can set off to rescue Tom. Strange things are also happening back in Anchorage with odd items going missing and the chief engineer keeps thinking he's seeing the ghost of his dead son. Can Tom get to the bottom of the mystery or will the mystery get to him first?
This is an entertaining action/adventure story designed primarily for early teens (or just a little younger) but there is enough here to enjoy for older readers. There is enough character development and the promise of an ongoing story arc to continue through later books in the series and I will be more than happy to read the next one in the series at some time.
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Ground but there are some people who remember them and others who're willing to pay for the information that they've returned. After an encounter with a hunter for the city of Arkangel they decide it's time to leave Airhaven and as they've not secured a cargo agree to take a passenger with them as they depart. The passenger, the renowned historian/explorer Pennyroyal, also seems in a hurry to leave and so off they set. It's not too long into their journey that things start to go wrong as they are set upon by three gunships from a fanatical arm of the Anti-Traction League. Barely managing to escape and with their own craft severely damaged they just manage to find a city travelling the icy wastes where they can touch down and hopefully make repairs. The city of Anchorage has seen better days though. Most of it's citizens have either left or died of plague but those who have stayed are devoted to the young Margravine, Freya, who has found herself in charge. Freya has set a course for the Dead Continent and it seems the gods have approved by delivering Pennyroyal, author of America the Beautiful, into her lap at just the right moment. Freya has also set her sights on Tom as well and much to Hester's chagrin, Tom seems to enjoy the time he's spending with the Margravine and Hester thinks she might be travelling on alone when repairs to their ship have been completed. With the repairs barely completed, Hester spies Freya kissing Tom so she flies off in a jealous rage and comes up with a desperate plan to win Tom back. She sells the location of Anchorage to Arkangel's hunters but refuses the normal predator's gold for agreement that she will rescue Tom from the impending destruction of the city and enslavement of its people. But plans have a habit of going awry and this one's no different as Hester is kidnapped before she can set off to rescue Tom. Strange things are also happening back in Anchorage with odd items going missing and the chief engineer keeps thinking he's seeing the ghost of his dead son. Can Tom get to the bottom of the mystery or will the mystery get to him first?
This is an entertaining action/adventure story designed primarily for early teens (or just a little younger) but there is enough here to enjoy for older readers. There is enough character development and the promise of an ongoing story arc to continue through later books in the series and I will be more than happy to read the next one in the series at some time.
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LibraryThing member Stuart_Taylor
This is the second Philip Reeve story I've enjoyed. Like 'Mortal Engines', it is set in a dystopian world where people live their lives on gigantic, city-sized vehicles (referred to as cities, suburbs) which roam the world and are sometimes 'eaten' by predator 'cities'.
This world order is opposed
The characters featured in Mortal Engines appear in Predator's Gold, and Tom and Hester's troubled adventures begin when they unexpectedly agree to give passage aboard their airship, the 'Jenny Haniver', to the importunate celebrity explorer and author, "Nimrod Pennyroyal".
Once underway, the Jenny Haniver is attacked by airships of "The Green Storm", a militant splinter-group of the Anti-traction League. Now virtually unsteerable, the Jenny Haniver escapes the encounter and drifts out across the ice wastes, where luckily it happens across a small Ice City called Anchorage.
Aboard Anchorage Tom, Hester and Pennyroyal, discover the city's small population are survivors of the "Sixty Minute War", and a plague. They are taken to meet the city's Margravine, Freya Rasmussen, who is fascinated by Nimrod Pennyroyal's book: "America the Beautiful", a supposed personal account of Pennyroyal's own expedition to explore the Dead Continent of America. Inspired by Pennyroyal's description of a dead continent, which is very much alive, Freya Rasmussen orders Anchorage to set course for America... and a colourful catalogue of unforseen disasters.
Highly original with beautifully drawn characters, with feasts of graphical and fast-moving battle and fight scenes, this five star book had me riveted from start to finish. I will certainly read its sequel...
This world order is opposed
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by the Anti-traction League...The characters featured in Mortal Engines appear in Predator's Gold, and Tom and Hester's troubled adventures begin when they unexpectedly agree to give passage aboard their airship, the 'Jenny Haniver', to the importunate celebrity explorer and author, "Nimrod Pennyroyal".
Once underway, the Jenny Haniver is attacked by airships of "The Green Storm", a militant splinter-group of the Anti-traction League. Now virtually unsteerable, the Jenny Haniver escapes the encounter and drifts out across the ice wastes, where luckily it happens across a small Ice City called Anchorage.
Aboard Anchorage Tom, Hester and Pennyroyal, discover the city's small population are survivors of the "Sixty Minute War", and a plague. They are taken to meet the city's Margravine, Freya Rasmussen, who is fascinated by Nimrod Pennyroyal's book: "America the Beautiful", a supposed personal account of Pennyroyal's own expedition to explore the Dead Continent of America. Inspired by Pennyroyal's description of a dead continent, which is very much alive, Freya Rasmussen orders Anchorage to set course for America... and a colourful catalogue of unforseen disasters.
Highly original with beautifully drawn characters, with feasts of graphical and fast-moving battle and fight scenes, this five star book had me riveted from start to finish. I will certainly read its sequel...
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LibraryThing member jamesd.b1
A action packed adventure that is a sequal to the mortal engines book. There is still many adventures but things are a little different. the book is still has the main charecters. the book is action pa
LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
After nuclear war devastated the earth, the old ways of living became untenable. Now humans live in roving enclaves, preying on each other for scarce resources and the few remnants of ancient tech left over from the old world. Scrappy urchin Hester and trainee-historian Tom try to make a decent
I love the characters in this series: Hester, who is pragmatic and ruthless in a way no other character quite understands; Tom, whose kind instincts and belief in fairness both get him into danger and inspire others; and a new favorite, the margravine Freya. The setting immediately captured my imagination in the first book in the Mortal Engine series, and this book develops it further. Predatory moving cities with their suburbs and airships scouting across a blasted landscape for prey! Secret bases drilled into cliffsides! Palaces balanced atop caterpillar treads! I loved the way life feels precarious in this world, as though one wrong decision or mechanical mishap means slavery or death. The stakes feel very high, especially because I loved the main characters so much.
Action packed, but with loads of great character moments in a fascinating steampunk future. The writing has a feel of the Golden Compass series--not typical YA, but not adult, either. Definitely worth checking out if that sounds to your taste!
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living flying cargo in their stolen airship until their imaginations are excited by an adventurer's tales of finding greenery in North America. I love the characters in this series: Hester, who is pragmatic and ruthless in a way no other character quite understands; Tom, whose kind instincts and belief in fairness both get him into danger and inspire others; and a new favorite, the margravine Freya. The setting immediately captured my imagination in the first book in the Mortal Engine series, and this book develops it further. Predatory moving cities with their suburbs and airships scouting across a blasted landscape for prey! Secret bases drilled into cliffsides! Palaces balanced atop caterpillar treads! I loved the way life feels precarious in this world, as though one wrong decision or mechanical mishap means slavery or death. The stakes feel very high, especially because I loved the main characters so much.
Action packed, but with loads of great character moments in a fascinating steampunk future. The writing has a feel of the Golden Compass series--not typical YA, but not adult, either. Definitely worth checking out if that sounds to your taste!
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LibraryThing member sarcher
Excellent sequel - new environment and characters while not ignoring the world developed in the first book. Unintended consequences rear their head, drawing a clear cause and effect that unfortunately can be missing in some serial adventure novels. Only gripe is... I wish we had seen one more very
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specific death near the end to help change the primary dynamic going into book three. Show Less
LibraryThing member BrynDahlquis
I have some mixed feelings about this book.
The plot is very interesting, with lots of twists and turns that all somehow come back together. I suppose I fell a bit in love with Anchorage just like Tom, because I got very interested in the people and the city itself. By the end of the book, I was
I do like Hester, and I do like Tom. I even like Freya sometimes. But they all made me incredibly furious in this book. I just can't believe how stupid all three of them acted. They almost ruined the story for me, but somehow it all just came together at the end and it was all okay. I'm still a little dubious about Hester, though... but I suppose we shall see.
The plot is very interesting, with lots of twists and turns that all somehow come back together. I suppose I fell a bit in love with Anchorage just like Tom, because I got very interested in the people and the city itself. By the end of the book, I was
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quite, quite pleased at how they'd all turned out.I do like Hester, and I do like Tom. I even like Freya sometimes. But they all made me incredibly furious in this book. I just can't believe how stupid all three of them acted. They almost ruined the story for me, but somehow it all just came together at the end and it was all okay. I'm still a little dubious about Hester, though... but I suppose we shall see.
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LibraryThing member Jessika.C
In this installment of the Mortal Engines Series Tom and Hester find themselves in the presence of well known Professor Pennyroyal whom has written several books about his travels and discoveries. They find themselves on the ice city of Anchorage run by a last heir of their royalty, a teenage girl
This book put my emotions all over the place. It’s just a fun adventure series I really wish I knew about when I was younger. I can’t gush enough about this series and the protagonists just sound and act exactly like teenagers. I can’t wait to continue.
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that fancies Tom when he arrives. This book put my emotions all over the place. It’s just a fun adventure series I really wish I knew about when I was younger. I can’t gush enough about this series and the protagonists just sound and act exactly like teenagers. I can’t wait to continue.
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LibraryThing member Jthierer
There's a lot going on in this book, which is both a good and a bad thing. The plot definitely moves along at a rapid clip, which makes the pages fly by. But...trying to cram so much plot into a relatively short book necessarily means you miss out on character development that takes a book from a
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fun, forgettable read to something meaningful. There were several moments (like the 'resurrection' of Anna Fang or the discovery the 'ghost' was in fact an intruder) that could have had more emotional heft if they hadn't been just one more in a long list of plot points. That said, I'm intrigued to see where the series goes next. Show Less
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
Nat and Hester get involved in another adventure - and discover yet more lies in their world. I really didn't like Hester in this book - I understand her pain but I couldn't stand her betrayals. Nat as the innocent gets a little old.
LibraryThing member themulhern
The follow-up to "Mortal Engines". Action-packed and so imaginative. Love all the characters. The flaw: in order to drive the plot Reeve has his characters do unbelievably stupid things. Ah well, still good. Hester's ruthlessness is rather admirable.
LibraryThing member renbedell
The continuation of the Mortal Engines series continues a very interesting premise without interesting characters or storyline. If you enjoyed the first book, you will likely still enjoy this one though.
LibraryThing member passion4reading
Following the destruction of London, Tom and Hester travel the Bird Roads in the airship Jenny Haniver and eventually take on a passenger, Professor Nimrod Pennyroyal. Forced to flee from the military faction of the Anti-Tractionist League, the Green Storm, they make an emergency landing on the ice
Set some time after the events in Mortal Engines, the narrative in this, the second volume of the series, continues with Hester and Tom but also adds a few new faces, cities and other engines, and other memorable set pieces to the mix. Compared to the frenetic, break-neck pace of the first volume, the first few chapters could feel almost pedestrian, if it weren’t for the fact that almost from the beginning the tension is gradually increased and the reader knows that the plot is building up to a much-anticipated climax. A greater emphasis is placed on character development and the ethical boundaries between good and bad are considerably more blurred, as both Traction Cities and the Anti-Tractionist League engage in morally highly dubious acts.
As the main plot points of the first volume are occasionally referred to in a way that fits neatly into the plot, Predator’s Gold could in theory serve as the entry point to the series, or possibly even a stand-alone book, but I wouldn’t recommend it; the series definitely needs to be seen as a continuous narrative to fully appreciate the inventiveness, epic scope and character progressions.
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city of Anchorage. Following a betrayal, Anchorage must flee from the jaws of predatory Arkangel, making its way across the Ice Wastes to the Dead Continent.Set some time after the events in Mortal Engines, the narrative in this, the second volume of the series, continues with Hester and Tom but also adds a few new faces, cities and other engines, and other memorable set pieces to the mix. Compared to the frenetic, break-neck pace of the first volume, the first few chapters could feel almost pedestrian, if it weren’t for the fact that almost from the beginning the tension is gradually increased and the reader knows that the plot is building up to a much-anticipated climax. A greater emphasis is placed on character development and the ethical boundaries between good and bad are considerably more blurred, as both Traction Cities and the Anti-Tractionist League engage in morally highly dubious acts.
As the main plot points of the first volume are occasionally referred to in a way that fits neatly into the plot, Predator’s Gold could in theory serve as the entry point to the series, or possibly even a stand-alone book, but I wouldn’t recommend it; the series definitely needs to be seen as a continuous narrative to fully appreciate the inventiveness, epic scope and character progressions.
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LibraryThing member jaygheiser
Entertaining, but just a sequel to the original idea
LibraryThing member nilaffle
This continues the story of Hester Shaw and Tom Natsworthy, and shows us a bit more of the world of Mortal Engines. It also uncovers a bit more of Earth's wayward history. I was almost afraid to read this book because it seemed it would share Mortal Engines' depressing ending, but to my surprise,
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there is a ray of hope at the end. Show Less
Pages
336