Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Scholastic (2015), Edition: 1, 336 pages
Description
In the distant future, when cities move about and consume smaller towns, a fifteen-year-old apprentice is pushed out of London by the man he most admires and must seek answers in the perilous Out-Country, aided by one girl and the memory of another.
User reviews
LibraryThing member klarusu
This is an innovative and well-written young adult book, set in an original alternate future where there is no electronic technology and the world is based on mechanical instruments and machines. The reader is led to believe that this is our world after a cataclysmic war or event. A wonderfully
All is not tranquil and compliant in this world, however. The all-reaching tenets of Municipal Darwinism are not welcomed with open arms and the revolutionary Anti-Traction League, from their base in the static cities of the East, wage a war of underground resistance and subterfuge, fighting to destroy the evil exemplified by the traction cities. It is in front of this backdrop that the reader is taken on a great adventure, filled with action and treachery, as Tom Natsworthy, a young apprentice historian from the great traction city of London and the scarred and damaged Hester Shaw, a city-less loner on a quest for revenge, are thrown together by circumstance and necessity.
This is a great book. Reeve quickly draws the reader into a world of intrigue, of revolutionary plots and diabolical schemes, of treachery, adventure and bravery. He skilfully creates a world that is both familiar and alien, futuristic yet archaic. You will be disturbed by the eerie stalkers, the Resurrected Men. You will be inspired by the magic of Airhaven. It is an evocative novel, like Indiana Jones in another age, with archaeological finds pieces of our modern world. Reeve mixes cultures in a way that is reminiscent of Blade Runner or William Gibson. The traction cities are living characters themselves.
What sets this apart, to a degree, from other young adult books is not just this vibrant world but the fact that Hester Shaw is more of an anti-heroine. She is self-serving, without empathy, controlling to the point of treachery and utterly dishonest as long as it achieves her goal. She is a damaged child and her history makes her quite ruthless.
I would certainly recommend the whole series (this is the first of four books) for younger readers and adults who haven't lost the ability to be absorbed by the magic of an almost tangible future world, strange and beautiful, alien and exciting, a world that captures the imagination. It's the kind of book I would have loved to have had read aloud to me as a child and that would have absorbed me as a teenager.
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original civilisation has evolved where vast, mechanical traction cities prowl the land and static settlements are rare and endangered. The future's here and the future's mobile. The world is based on the priniciples of Municipal Darwinism - throughout the Hunting Grounds, larger predatory cities prowl, swallowing up unwary smaller conurbations, cheered on by their population from viewing decks as their great jaws entrap and dismantle their unfortunate prey.All is not tranquil and compliant in this world, however. The all-reaching tenets of Municipal Darwinism are not welcomed with open arms and the revolutionary Anti-Traction League, from their base in the static cities of the East, wage a war of underground resistance and subterfuge, fighting to destroy the evil exemplified by the traction cities. It is in front of this backdrop that the reader is taken on a great adventure, filled with action and treachery, as Tom Natsworthy, a young apprentice historian from the great traction city of London and the scarred and damaged Hester Shaw, a city-less loner on a quest for revenge, are thrown together by circumstance and necessity.
This is a great book. Reeve quickly draws the reader into a world of intrigue, of revolutionary plots and diabolical schemes, of treachery, adventure and bravery. He skilfully creates a world that is both familiar and alien, futuristic yet archaic. You will be disturbed by the eerie stalkers, the Resurrected Men. You will be inspired by the magic of Airhaven. It is an evocative novel, like Indiana Jones in another age, with archaeological finds pieces of our modern world. Reeve mixes cultures in a way that is reminiscent of Blade Runner or William Gibson. The traction cities are living characters themselves.
What sets this apart, to a degree, from other young adult books is not just this vibrant world but the fact that Hester Shaw is more of an anti-heroine. She is self-serving, without empathy, controlling to the point of treachery and utterly dishonest as long as it achieves her goal. She is a damaged child and her history makes her quite ruthless.
I would certainly recommend the whole series (this is the first of four books) for younger readers and adults who haven't lost the ability to be absorbed by the magic of an almost tangible future world, strange and beautiful, alien and exciting, a world that captures the imagination. It's the kind of book I would have loved to have had read aloud to me as a child and that would have absorbed me as a teenager.
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LibraryThing member Cynara
I added this to the TBR list after it was mentioned in a review by LTer Edgeworth; the review was on Court of the Air, a busy and disappointing book. Mortal Engines was mentioned as an example of a vastly more successful attempt at similar material, and lo, he was right.
I was worrying that I had
Hunt uses them, but incorporates them into his own post-apocalyptic setting smoothly. The central technological conceit (mobile cities) is preposterous, but wonderfully dramatic and fertile ground for the questions of industrialism, nationalism, pollution, and inequality that steampunk provokes. The rolling cities are totally unsustainable; they prey upon each other like creatures of the deep.
He gives us enough time to get to know his characters; some of them are more textured than others (tell me you didn't fall in love with Anna Fang the first moment you met her), but they're all convincing and individualised.
I think my favourite thing about the book is that Hunt, though sentimental at times, is unafraid of ugliness. The horrible and pitiful Shrike is an inspiration, and brings more depth to the story than a platoon of the h-dropping orphans and eeevil industrialists so common in lesser works. There are real losses and real emotions here; Hester might be the real hero here, though the story is told from Tom's perspective. I like stories where people have to make sacrifices for their successes, and where flawed people skip the angst and get on with things.
I was worrying that I had
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gotten tired of steampunk tropes (Orphans, airships, clockwork men, etc.)without ever having seen them used well in a conventional novel.Hunt uses them, but incorporates them into his own post-apocalyptic setting smoothly. The central technological conceit (mobile cities) is preposterous, but wonderfully dramatic and fertile ground for the questions of industrialism, nationalism, pollution, and inequality that steampunk provokes. The rolling cities are totally unsustainable; they prey upon each other like creatures of the deep.
He gives us enough time to get to know his characters; some of them are more textured than others (tell me you didn't fall in love with Anna Fang the first moment you met her), but they're all convincing and individualised.
I think my favourite thing about the book is that Hunt, though sentimental at times, is unafraid of ugliness. The horrible and pitiful Shrike is an inspiration, and brings more depth to the story than a platoon of the h-dropping orphans and eeevil industrialists so common in lesser works. There are real losses and real emotions here; Hester might be the real hero here, though the story is told from Tom's perspective. I like stories where people have to make sacrifices for their successes, and where flawed people skip the angst and get on with things.
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LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: It's been eons since the Ancients destroyed themselves in the Sixty Minutes' War, and centuries since the first invention of mobile cities. Now London roams the landscape, looking for smaller cities to capture and consume in accordance with the principles of Municipal Darwinism. Tom
Review: Most steampunk that I've read thus far has been alternate history, so it was really neat to see a steampunk take on post-apocalyptic dystopia. The worldbuilding is absolutely the best part of Mortal Engines - it's original, imaginative, and full of clever details and subtle in-jokes. It was also surprisingly dark; the very idea of the Sixty Minutes' War wiping out civilization as we know it is horrifying in its plausibility, and Reeve does not shy away from real costs of heroics, nor does he stint on the body count just because it's a kids' book.
My main problem with this book was that it skewed a little bit young for my tastes. Tom is fifteen, but the writing level is substantially younger, geared more towards the 11-12 year old set. The story moves quickly from adventure to adventure, with lots of big exciting action set pieces, but not a whole lot of character development. (The exception was Katherine; her disillusionment with her father felt a lot more real and meaningful than Tom's disillusionment with his hero.) The prose style - in addition to having the mid-grade novel's pitfall of every character's internal monologue being overly punctuated with exclamation points - was also a little weird. Specifically, the sections from the good guys' p.o.v. was in standard past tense, but the bad guys' p.o.v.s were in present tense, which in addition to being a bizarre stylistic choice, gave the distracting impression that the alternating sections weren't happening at the same time.
I initially got interested in this book because of the idea of "Municipal Darwinism". Social Darwinism (i.e. the society that can kill the other societies is the best) is scientifically flawed and a misapplication of Darwin's ideas, and it sets my teeth on edge whenever it gets used as a justification (i.e. for colonialism and empire-building). That said, I liked the idea of turning cities into independent actors, and actually letting them go through natural selection. As it turns out, Reeve isn't a big fan of social Darwinism either, but he goes after it on moral grounds, rather than scientific ones, which is what I was hoping to see. Nevertheless, this was a quick read, with an interesting world and plenty of action. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: A little young for me, but folks who enjoy more mid-grade fantasy/sci-fi than I do should have no problems with it. Mortal Engines would make an interesting counterpoint to all of the "one person vs. the establishment" dystopias (a la The Hunger Games) that have come out recently, especially since the establishment is an actual moving city. Recommended for dystopia and action-adventure fans in the 11-15ish age bracket of both sexes.
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Natsworthy is an ordinary Third Class Apprentice Historian, but he dreams of adventure. So when he saves the life of his hero, the explorer Thaddeus Valentine, from an assassin, he's more than a little surprised to find himself rewarded by being ejected from the city into the barren wastes of the Outland. Now he's forced to work with the would-be assassin, Hester Shaw, in order to survive, and he has to come to grips with the fact that life in London is not as rosy as he's always believed it to be. Inside the city, a similar realization is being reached by Katherine, Valentine's daughter, as she discovers the a secret her father's been keeping, a secret that could change the fate of London - and the world - forever... unless Tom, Hester, and Katherine can stop it.Review: Most steampunk that I've read thus far has been alternate history, so it was really neat to see a steampunk take on post-apocalyptic dystopia. The worldbuilding is absolutely the best part of Mortal Engines - it's original, imaginative, and full of clever details and subtle in-jokes. It was also surprisingly dark; the very idea of the Sixty Minutes' War wiping out civilization as we know it is horrifying in its plausibility, and Reeve does not shy away from real costs of heroics, nor does he stint on the body count just because it's a kids' book.
My main problem with this book was that it skewed a little bit young for my tastes. Tom is fifteen, but the writing level is substantially younger, geared more towards the 11-12 year old set. The story moves quickly from adventure to adventure, with lots of big exciting action set pieces, but not a whole lot of character development. (The exception was Katherine; her disillusionment with her father felt a lot more real and meaningful than Tom's disillusionment with his hero.) The prose style - in addition to having the mid-grade novel's pitfall of every character's internal monologue being overly punctuated with exclamation points - was also a little weird. Specifically, the sections from the good guys' p.o.v. was in standard past tense, but the bad guys' p.o.v.s were in present tense, which in addition to being a bizarre stylistic choice, gave the distracting impression that the alternating sections weren't happening at the same time.
I initially got interested in this book because of the idea of "Municipal Darwinism". Social Darwinism (i.e. the society that can kill the other societies is the best) is scientifically flawed and a misapplication of Darwin's ideas, and it sets my teeth on edge whenever it gets used as a justification (i.e. for colonialism and empire-building). That said, I liked the idea of turning cities into independent actors, and actually letting them go through natural selection. As it turns out, Reeve isn't a big fan of social Darwinism either, but he goes after it on moral grounds, rather than scientific ones, which is what I was hoping to see. Nevertheless, this was a quick read, with an interesting world and plenty of action. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: A little young for me, but folks who enjoy more mid-grade fantasy/sci-fi than I do should have no problems with it. Mortal Engines would make an interesting counterpoint to all of the "one person vs. the establishment" dystopias (a la The Hunger Games) that have come out recently, especially since the establishment is an actual moving city. Recommended for dystopia and action-adventure fans in the 11-15ish age bracket of both sexes.
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LibraryThing member TadAD
I don't intend this first paragraph as a criticism, but I must rebut the "utterly original" comments that seem to follow this book. If you took Sheri Tepper's Plague of Angels and targeted a younger audience, you'd end up somewhere very near here. Roughly the same setting—post-apocalyptic Earth.
I will concede that having the cities and towns, from London to a small hamlet, rebuilt on moving platforms so that they could "forage" for raw materials (including other towns) was rather unique and interesting. (How did small hamlets pay for that, I wonder?)
On the more positive side, the plot hangs together well and the action flows along swiftly. There was quite a bit of world-building but Reeves never kills the momentum by stopping to explain it to you. He just lets you see it for yourself as the characters careen along one step ahead of disaster.
You find yourself engaging with the characters and feeling a moment's sadness when...in this surprisingly bloody book, given the audience...one of them doesn't make it through a situation.
I enjoyed this enough that I'll read the next in the series at some point, though I don't feel compelled to push everything else down the list right now. I'd recommend this for young adults, perhaps suggest it for adults.
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Roughly the same themes—environmentalism, misplaced social mores, someone's megalomaniacal desire to subdue the planet. Roughly the same plot hook—rediscovery of some old tech that will let one political being dominate. Roughly the same cyborg-ish hunter-killers. They even have a very similar writing style, target age aside.I will concede that having the cities and towns, from London to a small hamlet, rebuilt on moving platforms so that they could "forage" for raw materials (including other towns) was rather unique and interesting. (How did small hamlets pay for that, I wonder?)
On the more positive side, the plot hangs together well and the action flows along swiftly. There was quite a bit of world-building but Reeves never kills the momentum by stopping to explain it to you. He just lets you see it for yourself as the characters careen along one step ahead of disaster.
You find yourself engaging with the characters and feeling a moment's sadness when...in this surprisingly bloody book, given the audience...one of them doesn't make it through a situation.
I enjoyed this enough that I'll read the next in the series at some point, though I don't feel compelled to push everything else down the list right now. I'd recommend this for young adults, perhaps suggest it for adults.
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LibraryThing member HeikeM
I loved this book - it might have been written for kids but it's quite brilliant even if you're an adult. I love the concept of the hungry, roaming cities, greedy for smaller pry, intent of clearing the earth of anything stationary. The story itself is an adventure tale, boy and girl, thrown
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together by circumstance, have to save the world as they know and love it from evil and dangerous minds. The world is dystopian, a waste land void of any life - one of my favourite scenarios. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kiwimrsmac
I started reading this after the news broke that Peter Jackson is going to make a movie based on this book. I can only imagine how he's going to represent this very different world. Think Hunger Games, but the cities are in a city eat city fight, and have been for hundreds of years. Mix in a bit of
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The Maze, and a smidge of The Passage, and whip it all together, and you have a compelling story with some great young protagonists - strong girls, and strong boys. Evil mayors (aren't they all?), and other people whose loyalty will be tested. I really enjoyed the premise, and the tension which went up and down like a seesaw. I can recommend this book for lovers of dystopian fiction, and YA fiction. Show Less
LibraryThing member euang
Too good to restrict to kids!: This is an awesome story of almost unsurpassed imagination!
From the first page, the first line, this book was wittier and more imaginitive, more simple fun than almost any book i have ever read. It deserves to stand alongside contepory great Fantasy like "His Dark
I found myself reading bits out aloud to my flatmates and after a bit there was a queue to get the book next. However you can skip ahead and not wait. You owe it to yourself! I promise you will like it.
From the first page, the first line, this book was wittier and more imaginitive, more simple fun than almost any book i have ever read. It deserves to stand alongside contepory great Fantasy like "His Dark
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Materials" by Philip Pullman, Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series and "Diskworld" by Terry Pratchett. I found myself reading bits out aloud to my flatmates and after a bit there was a queue to get the book next. However you can skip ahead and not wait. You owe it to yourself! I promise you will like it.
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LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
What a wonderful book! It has this steampunk feel set in the future. The reason the cities move is document, the characters smart. Theres a few cliched and shallow type characters, mainly the mayor and in Valentine, but its a kids book. If the characters were any more complex, It wouldn't appeal to
It also has an interesting message that is not heavy handed or taken lightly. It also creates a character who does heroic things, but is not a hero. I also like that there were other non-western nations involved, or at least mentioned.
Its a well written story that reminds me a bit of Howl's Moving Castle.
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the age group. It also has an interesting message that is not heavy handed or taken lightly. It also creates a character who does heroic things, but is not a hero. I also like that there were other non-western nations involved, or at least mentioned.
Its a well written story that reminds me a bit of Howl's Moving Castle.
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LibraryThing member papersister
This was a great adventure book with interesting characters and an amazing ending. Some of the turning points in the book happened a little fast but overall it was a fun adventure. Tom and Hester make for a great pair, and I look forward to reading more of their adventures in the future. I could
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say the same for all the characters except that most of them didn't make it to the end of the book. This is definitely a universe that I would love to read more about. Show Less
LibraryThing member Ayling
I noticed this book eight years ago but I never thought of really looking into it. I don't know if I even gazed at the first page, not seriously any way. For eight years I always knew the name Philip Reeve and for eight years I always noticed this book. My eyes would stop over this title but
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nothing more would happen.So almost by fate (of a pretty cover) I picked it up recently and looked at it and thought that perhaps after all these years I might as well just read it.Well, I started it and I thought this is okay, this is interesting. I thought it was well written with an interesting world system. I didn't think it was anything really exceptional, I didn't think at first the characters were that memorable. Although for some reason I just didn't want to put it down. I put it down to the fact it is an easy read that flows neatly from chapter to chapter as they were quite short and succinct. I thought it was a little too neat, a little too tidy. I did not think I'd be rushing out wanting to by the next one. I was initially thinking a generous three stars.Anyway, by about 130 pages I was suddenly HOOKED. Not in a rip-roaring sort of way, but in a sort of down hill slide sort of way in that I just couldn't help but keep reading on as it built up speed and interest. I think that as the first book it really kinda sets the tone for the rest of the series. It is a strong beginning and by the end you just know it isn't going to trundle along idly. Reeve is not afraid of blowing things up that is all I will say.It's a shame I waited 8 years to read this but in a way I am glad I did because eight years ago I wouldn't have had GR to read it with. This is a fantastic series and I want to read more of Reeve now I have discovered him. Show Less
LibraryThing member Helenliz
This was this month's book club selection. I'd never have picked it up without that as an impetus. And I'm not sure I'll pick something similar up again either. This is set in a possible future, where cities have developed to a stage such that they are mobile, and predatory. ON the ravaged earth,
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there is an area that has stopped being mobile and settled down into static settlement, the so called anti tractionists. They are protected by a large wall, only London has a plan to break the wall down. The story follows three teenagers (I assume), Tom, Katherine & Hester, while the point that brings them together is Valentine, Katherine's father and head of the Historians. I'm not a teen, I'm not into fantasy (I assume it's fantasy, there's certainly very little of what appears to be science to support this hypothetical future) and I found it just a bit unconvincing. At time the writing was in the past tense, at other in the present, but there seemed little logic behind the use of tense. The characters were also not consistent. Tom & Katherine both sort of followed through, but Hester & Valentine had sudden about faces that left me thinking "where did that come from?!". I can't say I enjoyed it, but it wasn't awful, just not for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member chinquapin
In this strange, brilliant world, London is a traction city living by the rules of Municipal Darwinism, meaning that the whole city has been placed on traction wheels and moves around the Great Hunting Ground, devouring smaller towns and cities, and hiding or fleeing from larger ones. Set in the
Tom is a young apprentice historian on London, and when he gets to meet his hero, the great archaeologist and adventurer Valentine, he is so excited. Then a stranger walks up to Valentine and tries to assassinate him. Tom immediately gives chase and when he catches up with the would-be-killer he discovers it is a girl with a horribly scarred face and she tells him that her name is Hester Shaw before she jumps off of London. Tom soon follows her as he is also pushed off the great, moving city. Thus begin their amazing adventures.
It was a great and fascinating story. Besides the descriptive and awe-inspiring world building, there is action, adventure, unique plot twists, and even pirates. There are many elements of steampunk present, such as airships...there is even a great airship city in the sky called Airhaven, but being post-apocalyptic and the technology being stuff from the ancients that they find, I am not sure if it really fits the definition. The characters of this novel are strong and well-drawn. I especially liked Katharine, the "High London lady" daugher of Valentine, who is transformed by her knowledge of the human cost of running London and by what she learns about her father.
I found Mortal Engines to be a gripping story of a bizarre distant future that was one of those books that you just can't put down until you finish it. Highly recommended.
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far distant, post-apocalyptic world, cities took to traction because of earthquakes, volcanos, and advancing glaciers. Then the city-eat-city world of Municipal Darwinism took over, and now the great traction cities consider the static ones and their people dangerous radicals. Tom is a young apprentice historian on London, and when he gets to meet his hero, the great archaeologist and adventurer Valentine, he is so excited. Then a stranger walks up to Valentine and tries to assassinate him. Tom immediately gives chase and when he catches up with the would-be-killer he discovers it is a girl with a horribly scarred face and she tells him that her name is Hester Shaw before she jumps off of London. Tom soon follows her as he is also pushed off the great, moving city. Thus begin their amazing adventures.
It was a great and fascinating story. Besides the descriptive and awe-inspiring world building, there is action, adventure, unique plot twists, and even pirates. There are many elements of steampunk present, such as airships...there is even a great airship city in the sky called Airhaven, but being post-apocalyptic and the technology being stuff from the ancients that they find, I am not sure if it really fits the definition. The characters of this novel are strong and well-drawn. I especially liked Katharine, the "High London lady" daugher of Valentine, who is transformed by her knowledge of the human cost of running London and by what she learns about her father.
I found Mortal Engines to be a gripping story of a bizarre distant future that was one of those books that you just can't put down until you finish it. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member atreic
Fast paced post-apocalyptic dystopia which deserves to stand with His Dark Materials (although it feels a little derivative) and The Hunger Games. The characters and plots are larger than life in a way that is endearing rather than caricatured. Had me on the brink of tears at the end, and the moral
However, a huge amount of bloodshed, of both minor and major characters, in a way that left me at practically-30 quite shell shocked...
Really looking forward to the rest of the series!
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message that life is not about consuming all in our way and growing whatever the cost could be far more heavy handed than it actually is. However, a huge amount of bloodshed, of both minor and major characters, in a way that left me at practically-30 quite shell shocked...
Really looking forward to the rest of the series!
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LibraryThing member RBeffa
Mortal Engines, first published in 2001, feels very fresh. There is a lot to like about this inventive novel. Interesting characters, vivid descriptions and excellent world-building of a far distant future when cities are mobile and hunt down other cities to replenish their resources. I was pulled
The author clearly likes to play with his airship names (there are quite a few airships in here). Older readers will pick up on his use of band and song names from earlier generations, and other oddities and I'm sure I missed a fair number of them. Good for chuckles. A few of the ship names are "13th Floor Elevator", "My Shirona", "Idiot Wind", "Jenny Haniver" and perhaps best of all "Mokele Mbembe" (google it).
Mortal Engines was Philip Reeve's first published book, and it's quite a romp. This was an exciting adventure from start to finish.
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into the story right away and I'm certainly going to read further stories in this series. I had in fact started browsing "Fever Crumb" by this same author and got sucked right in. I stopped when I realized it was a later published prequel to "Mortal Engines" and I decided I should read these books in publication order, assuming I liked them. The author clearly likes to play with his airship names (there are quite a few airships in here). Older readers will pick up on his use of band and song names from earlier generations, and other oddities and I'm sure I missed a fair number of them. Good for chuckles. A few of the ship names are "13th Floor Elevator", "My Shirona", "Idiot Wind", "Jenny Haniver" and perhaps best of all "Mokele Mbembe" (google it).
Mortal Engines was Philip Reeve's first published book, and it's quite a romp. This was an exciting adventure from start to finish.
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LibraryThing member sarcher
No longer than it needs to be. The environment is complex and the characters/motivations simple, with great results.
LibraryThing member hailelib
When I first started this it didn't really do anything for me so I put it aside for a while. Then, giving Reeve another chance, I picked it back up and this time I got into Mortal Engines enough to finish it quickly. The traveling cities that cannibalized the smaller ones was an interesting idea
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and the story would hold the attention of most teens in the 12 to 15 age bracket but I may not follow up with the second book in the series for a while if at all. Show Less
LibraryThing member passion4reading
In the far distant future after a catastrophic war, towns and cities have become mobile due to a lack of resources, roaming the Earth in search of prey, i.e. smaller or slower settlements. In London, Historian Apprentice Tom Natsworthy prevents an assassination attempt on Head Historian Thaddeus
Another reviewer commented that the principal idea of human settlements on tracks or wheels appeared too absurd and prevented them from truly enjoying the book; to me this is exactly the kind of adult closed-mindedness which stops grown-ups from reading (and enjoying) intelligent and thought-provoking children's and YA fiction, and to me the basic concepts seems no more absurd than, for instance, a vampire romance. I thought it owed a lot to Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, where humans are accompanied by dæmons, and once you get over the unexpected underlying premise you just need to run with it, and everything else falls into place.
This is children's fiction of the highest order: engaging, compelling, compulsive, epic in scope, with complex characterisations, and able to generate discussions between the generations; after the breathtaking finale I was feeling quite exhausted. Philip Reeve's vivid prose draws you in and won't let go, and I think this owes a lot to his frequent use of similes, which create images in your mind's eye you won't forget in a hurry. The plot is wildly imaginative and therefore unpredictable, but stays realistic within the narrative frame (even when this means sacrificing a sympathetic character or two), with lots of surprises and plot twists thrown in to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. It addresses such monumental topics as war and the struggle for peace, greed, the lust for power, empathy (and the lack of), love, friendship and common humanity, but the story never becomes sermonic or overbearing. Needless to say I can't recommend this book highly enough, to both children/teenagers and their parents, and I've already started the second volume in the series, Predator's Gold.
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Valentine but ends up in the Out-Country along with the would-be assassin. Meanwhile Valentine's daughter Katherine enlists the help of Engineer Apprentice Bevis Pod to find out why anyone would want her beloved father dead.Another reviewer commented that the principal idea of human settlements on tracks or wheels appeared too absurd and prevented them from truly enjoying the book; to me this is exactly the kind of adult closed-mindedness which stops grown-ups from reading (and enjoying) intelligent and thought-provoking children's and YA fiction, and to me the basic concepts seems no more absurd than, for instance, a vampire romance. I thought it owed a lot to Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, where humans are accompanied by dæmons, and once you get over the unexpected underlying premise you just need to run with it, and everything else falls into place.
This is children's fiction of the highest order: engaging, compelling, compulsive, epic in scope, with complex characterisations, and able to generate discussions between the generations; after the breathtaking finale I was feeling quite exhausted. Philip Reeve's vivid prose draws you in and won't let go, and I think this owes a lot to his frequent use of similes, which create images in your mind's eye you won't forget in a hurry. The plot is wildly imaginative and therefore unpredictable, but stays realistic within the narrative frame (even when this means sacrificing a sympathetic character or two), with lots of surprises and plot twists thrown in to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. It addresses such monumental topics as war and the struggle for peace, greed, the lust for power, empathy (and the lack of), love, friendship and common humanity, but the story never becomes sermonic or overbearing. Needless to say I can't recommend this book highly enough, to both children/teenagers and their parents, and I've already started the second volume in the series, Predator's Gold.
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LibraryThing member MyBookishWays
I wavered between a 4.5 and a 5 on this because it was just wonderful! This is the kind of book that makes me anxious for my 5 year old son to hurry up and read, all ready! This book has it all: adventure, sacrifice, love, AIR PIRATES, cities on tracks that EAT other cities...did I mention AIR
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PIRATES?'nuf said :-D Show Less
LibraryThing member jaygheiser
Gripping kid's novel that takes place in a future in which cities have gone mobile, hunting each other down and scavenging their resources.
LibraryThing member Gary10
Science fiction story of a future in which cities are mobile and gobbel each other up like carnivorous animals. Veyr original story and a real page-turner to boot. Marvelous read.
LibraryThing member DF1A_ChristieR
The great Traction City lumbers after a small town, eager to strip its prey of all assets and move on. Resources on the Great Hunting Ground that once was Europe are so limited that mobile cities must consume one another to survive, a practice known as Municipal Darwinism.
Tom, an apprentice in the
Tom, an apprentice in the
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Guild of Historians, saves his hero, Head Historian Thaddeus Valentine, from a murder attempt by the mysterious Hester Shaw -- only to find himself thrown from the city and stranded with Hester in the Out Country. As they struggle to follow the tracks of the city, the sinister plans of London's leaders begin to unfold. It is weird that "Tom" was a name that was in a book about flying machines. Show Less
LibraryThing member MyopicBookworm
The setting of this book is a wonderful effort of the imagination: the cities of the future have taken to trundling about on giant rollers, hunting each other for booty and scrap metal. London is a somewhat regimented society with a stratified culture and a technical elite. The more-than-slight
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hint of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials is perhaps almost an inevitable result of the similarity in genre: young-adult writers must find it hard to avoid having two adolescent protagonists, male and female, and the airship is a staple of steampunk fiction. The presence of a morally ambiguous, globe-trotting adult hero-figure is perhaps a more direct resemblance. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, both for the setting and the racy adventure plot. MB 14-viii-2009 Show Less
LibraryThing member mmillet
In the future, municipal Darwinism is King. After massive world-wide destruction, cities and towns have become mobile structures lumbering across continents 'eating' each other in a race to acquire more materials, fuel, and even slaves. Young Tom Natsworthy was born and bred in the traction city of
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London and even if he is only a third class apprentice in the Guild of Historians and an orphan, he's content to be a part of that great city - a pinnacle of progress. While on assignment, Tom can't believe his luck when he finally meets his hero, Mr. Valentine, the brave archeologist and darling of London - and his beautiful daughter Katherine. But after witnessing something he shouldn't have, he finds himself lost in the rugged Out-Country, desperate to find a way back to London and joined by the scarred Hester Shaw, a young girl bent on revenge and delightfully flawed. As Tom and Hester race across the desolate landscape after the mobile London, they face death at every turn as they stumble across pirates, slavers, and even the resistance movement, the Anti-Tractionist League.Every so often I stumble across a little-known book that really hits a high note. I should have known Mortal Engines would have been a Sure Thing knowing it was 1. a dystopian book and 2. chock full of compelling characters, but be warned: this book will pull you in faster than you can say "anti-Tractionist League." Truly engrossing, the non-stop action of Tom and Hester's journey left me stunned. The whole idea that after massive world destruction, technology has evolved to allow entire civilizations to become mobile is fascinating. Throw in a very active resistance movement and the fact that Philip Reeve presents compelling arguments for each side without ever forcing an opinion on his readers and you've got yourself some compelling reading.Staggering world building aside, characters are what make this book a stand-out. And I don't just mean the main characters; Mortal Engines boasts a superb supporting cast. The red-clad pilot Anna Fang: charming and kind but who would like nothing better than to see the end of mobile cities. The power hungry pirate Chrystler Peavey who only keeps Tom alive in hopes of turning his crew into 'proper gentlemen.' Not to mention Hester Shaw - whose scarred face and thirst for revenge has her wary of any overture of friendship. Be warned, as meticulous Philip Reeve is with crafting his characters, he doesn't think twice about killing them off. Several times, I would re-read passages thinking "did he really just do it again??! NOOO!!" But that's okay, I'm planning on returning to The Hungry City Chronicles just to find out what unique individual he's planning on introducing me to next. Show Less
LibraryThing member twonickels
This was a re-read, because I recently realized that I hadn't ever read the rest of the series. Planning to change that - I absolutely love this book.
LibraryThing member owen1218
I love the background of this novel: set thousands of years in the future, cities are mobile beings who seek and consume mobile towns, as these towns seek out villages, and so on. This process is hilariously referred to as municipal darwinism. Set against this model of civilization is the
Unfortunately the book falls mostly flat beyond this setting. It feels as if someone took this great idea to a bad Hollywood screenwriter, who decided to rework it into a cliched young adult novel with cardboard characters and a recycled plot. Although I found the second part significantly better than the first, in the end it just feels like any other young adult novel. I found myself constantly infuriated with the characters, in particular the protagonist Tom, but even at times by the most likeable, Katherine. I doubt that I will feel so inclined as to read the sequel.
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Anti-Tractionist League, whose stationary cities are heavily protected against the threat of the mobile cities.Unfortunately the book falls mostly flat beyond this setting. It feels as if someone took this great idea to a bad Hollywood screenwriter, who decided to rework it into a cliched young adult novel with cardboard characters and a recycled plot. Although I found the second part significantly better than the first, in the end it just feels like any other young adult novel. I found myself constantly infuriated with the characters, in particular the protagonist Tom, but even at times by the most likeable, Katherine. I doubt that I will feel so inclined as to read the sequel.
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Subjects
Awards
Costa Book Awards (Shortlist — Children's Book — 2002)
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (2004)
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — Teen — 2007)
Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (2002)
Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Award (Nominee — 2006)
Blue Peter Book Award (Winner — 2003)
Seiun Award (Nominee — 2007)
Angus Book Award (Shortlist — 2004)
Branford Boase Award (Shortlist — 2002)
The White Ravens (2003)
Isinglass Teen Read Award (Nominee — 2008)
Hampshire Book Awards (Shortlist — Hampshire Book Award — 2003)
Rhode Island Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2006)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2004)
CCBC Choices (2004)
Notable Children's Book (2004)
OYAN Book Rave (2005)
Texas Lone Star Reading List (2006)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2001-11-16
Physical description
336 p.; 5.47 inches
ISBN
9781407152134
UPC
787721926429
Other editions
Mortal Engines (Mortal Engines Quartet) by Philip Reeve (Paperback)