Mortal Engines (Penguin Modern Classics)

I read this in expectation of the film based on the book/series. Good idea for a plot however as the protagonists are adolescents, the book only goes so far. Most definitely a YA title and will not make it into canon of great literature.

Wow! The is the first book in what has turned into a 9 volume series.
In 2018, this is coming out as a Peter Jackson movie.
There’s so much promise in this story that I think I will continue with volume two...

I bought this for my son. I'm trying to get him interested in fiction along with his love for science and math books. I'm the one that ended up reading this. I'll be getting the sequel. Hopefully I can get my boy interested, but if not, I'm hooked.

Felt like i was reading a book about the world i actually live in. I was so immersed i was convinced i was in the universe. Would recommend to anyone looking for an adventurous story. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

Grandson read this all day saturday and sunday and he's reading at night so if i can keep him this interested in reading I take it that means the story is a good one. nice price and excellent shape fast delivery too

Written in accessible English, suited for teens or people improving their English it is nevertheless entertaining for adults who like SC-FI. Broadly categorised in the post-apocalyptic/steampunk genre the world painted by the author is fascinating in its originality and plausible.

I had enjoyed it greatly, but do not look for deep plot or emotional rollercoaster.

Think of it as a hollywood blockbuster, entertaining ride but fairly shallow.
On the upside, there are two sequels to look forward to, which I am buying as well :)

Good reading for any child, especially boys, in middle school. My grandson really enjoyed reading it and several other books I purchased through the store for a much more reasonable price than at the bookstores.

I found out about this book from an interview on BBC 4 Extra. There was an author--not the writer of this book--who was saying how much she loved this book and she read the first chapter. I was hooked! I had to know what happened next and I am so glad I did. It was wonderful. The creativity is amazing but not overwhelming. The characters are engaging and start out naive but grow in a believeable way.I plan to start the next book soon.

Two things inspired me to read this. The first was the concept of world where mechanized cities hunt one another over the wasteland of a ruined earth. The second was hearing that Philip Reeve was rather harsh, realistic and unforgiving with his characters, in that they were not guaranteed a free pass to immortality just because they played a major role in the story.

Two things showed me that this novel was simply not for me. The first was the simplistic writing style. I understand this is a Young Adult novel, but does that mean the vocabulary and sentence structure has to be so simple? For a book with the promise of a harsh post apocalyptic type world, it seems unbalanced that the writing style was so limited. The second was the simplicity of the characters themselves. Every character in this book is frustratingly one dimensional and predictable. Reeve works in some internal struggles that could be compelling, but he ultimately skirts around the more difficult, interesting and complex elements that could have made the characters seem more than just dumbed down cookie cutter archetypes.

It feels like if you're a young enough reader to not be bored by the simplicity of this work, you're probably not ready for the harsh and violent realities presented in certain sections of this book. But if you're reading this book because of the potential harsh complexities that could be explored in such a promising and interesting world, you'll ultimately be left disappointed by this work's lack of depth. So I'm not quite sure who the target demographic is...

It started off ok with an interesting premise of movable cities which have the ability to travel overland and fight other cities for slaves and bounty. The lead characters, 2 boys and 2 girls were relatable and likable. The problem is with the plot in which the leaders of London want to destroy the opposition using a weapon no one has defenses against. The kids do their best to foil their plans, but the author goes on a killing spree unnecessarily murdering not only populated cities, but characters the reader has come to care about as well as a beloved pet. The ending is a chaotic mess and I see no reason to continue with this depressing series.

I read this series, not because I wanted to read steampunk - the overused term of this decade - some steampunk qualified books actually are steampunk and the others are fantasy with gears - this is actually steampunk and dieselpunk elements in a fantasy - but, having said that, this was not a good read for me - I do like the concept of the cities trying to survive in the wasteland, and the characters were actually okay, but I think that the whole thing about cities always moving and "eating" other cities for their resources and people was just not good - Yes, this is fantasy but oh boy is this not good fantasy in my book - and I finished because I was going through one of those times when I wanted to finish everything I started no matter how bad - this is the last book that I did that with - 100 pages and I quit if it is not a good book from Mortal Engines forward.

I read and enjoy steampunk, but sometimes I'm not in the mood, (and expect a young reader might not be in the mood), for lovingly detailed descriptions and world building. You can get page after page of description of some clockwork contraption, or a whole chapter devoted to a tour of a steam powered engine room. That's not what you get here.

Reeve is great at broad stroke world building. He creates the London traction city in a chapter or two. He shows us all of the levels, how it works, how people fit into it, and the larger world within which it operates, and he frames all of the major characters within the first 50 pages. After that we are off to the races on a high energy, twisty and marvelously colorful adventure.

And this is a marvelous adventure. Our hero is a bit timid but finds the swashbuckler within. Our heroine is tough, smart, resourceful, and on a mission. This is a fine team. Around and through them we meet a memorable cast of colorful and compelling allies and villains. This is ripping stuff. Lots of running, hiding, lurking, escaping, fighting, and derring do. I was a bit surprised by the level of violence, and not cartoon violence, in the story, but that's treated as a serious consequence of dangerous times and this is still, after all, a dystopian world tale.

So, I enjoyed this immensely and appreciated the high level of imagination and creative energy that went into building and then convincingly portraying this fascinating world.

I'll be the voice of dissent. I was intrigued by the premise but struggled to get through this novel. I do not plan to continue this series.

The eh: The characters are predictable and one dimensional. Plot points felt abrupt. Things happened without build up. These characters are flat and their motivation without depth. I didn't care much about any of them by the end, not even when the author decided to become randomly violent and shed blood willy nilly. I disliked simple dialogue as it was a poor fit with the large descriptive language used elsewhere. It only served to highlight how awkward the writing was.

The worst: The part that continuously threw me though was the shifting tense. Though the novel was largely written in past tense, there would be paragraphs, passages, or pages of present tense before going back to past tense. I couldn't stand it. All events were happening concurrently, please explain the need to write of some of them in the present tense and the rest in past? I didn't understand it; it seemed to show no stylistic reasoning or logic.

All in all, just too many things had me rolling my eyes in frustration.

This is the first book in the Hungry City Chronicles, there are four books in this series. I was really excited to read this book; I thought it was something I was going to absolutely love. It ended up being okay but wasn't as engaging as I had hoped.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was well done. Edwards does a great job with having distinct voices for each character and with portraying emotion. It’s a book I would recommend listening to if you like audiobooks.

Part of my issue with this book was all the jumping around between characters; this made it so I never really engaged with any of the characters that well. When I finally really started getting into the story it jumped somewhere else.

The idea of cities that eat each other for resources is incredibly creative but I had some trouble suspending my disbelief about how this all worked. This was just a concept that was hard for me to process and really envision.

The characters were all so-so for me. They were kind of interesting but not all that engaging.

Overall this was an okay read but I don't plan on continuing the series. I just wasn’t that engaged in the story or the characters. The idea behind this alternate world is interesting but hard to find believable. I’ll be seeking out other steampunk series to read in the future.

I never heard of this book. In fact, the only way I discovered it was when I went to go see the latest Jurassic Park movie. There I saw the trailer for the movie and thought it was something I knew I would really enjoy. When I read it was a delight to find out my curiosity was worth it. Did I mention I enjoy a post-apocalyptic steampunk book?

The concept of the book was fresh and unique. DIfferent from what is out there. From the idea of cities that can move and travel. Cities with the need to survive and must feed off of other cities in order to live were cool. I also like the element of the survival of the fittest as them in the book. Alongside that, I also enjoyed the fast past action and the steampunk elements that was in the story. You got your mixture of crazy engineers, Victorian styled London, and airship pirates. What’s not to love. Add in a murderous assassin seeking revenge which adds the cherry on top of the cake.

There was also a mixture of lively characters that held the story well. I liked the main character, Tom. When the story started he was a wuss and that need the adventure to help him grow up and face his fears. He also had to struggle with the fact that the world he once knew was way different from the outside. As well as trying to put his life in the hands of a dangerous girl who tried to kill the man he admired.

As for the female character Hester. I totally adored her character and thought she was a badass. She is strong, tough and not afraid of most things. Not willing to let anyone stop her from reaching her end goal. I also like the fact that the book also gave her a soft side which I appreciated.

Overall, the book was really fun and I am really excited to read more from the series and see how characters develop as it goes on. As well as seeing more of the post-apocalyptic steampunk world.

Through this entire book, I kept thinking "this feels like Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets." It's a completely different setting, and a different plot, but it had the same atmosphere. Rollicking action, fantastical premise, crazy setting, huge machines with entire worlds within them. I loved Valerian - it may not have been a critically great movie, and I don't think the leads had much chemistry, but the movie was just FUN. And that's how Mortal Engines is, too.

It's a crazy world, where cities have become mobile - think Howl's Moving Castle - and they chase each other across a barren world, devouring each other for resources in a social order they call Municipal Darwinism. Some cities, like London, are huge, with six main levels, not really counting the Gut, or the center of the machinery. Other towns are small, one or two levels crawling along trying to avoid the notice of the larger, faster cities. The peoples of the Traction Cities think people who live in statics (stationary cities, or, horror of horrors, right on the ground!) or people who are part of the Anti-Traction League, are crazy barbarians. And then there are the airship captains and crews, based out of the one floating city.

It is a crazy steampunk world, and Tom Natsworthy stumbles into a conspiracy plot by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But as he travels with Hester across the wasteland, trying to survive their pursuers and avert catastrophe, he learns more about her, and more about how the world actually works.

I absolutely adore the last two sentences of the book, and I'm going to post those here because they aren't terribly spoilery. And they're fantastic.

"You aren't a hero, and I'm not beautiful, and we probably won't live happily ever after," she said. "But we're alive, and together, and we're going to be all right."

This book is the first of a quartet, and Reeve also wrote a prequel trilogy, so there's actually three books before AND after this book. I'll probably check my library for them, because I REALLY enjoyed this book.

Mortal Engines is also set to come out as a movie this December - I can't tell from the teaser how closely it's going to stick to the plot of the book, but the Traction Cities are well done!

A few things before you read this review. If you love Harry Potter and this was recommended to you based on that? Be careful. This is NOT Harry Potter. More on that later. Also this review is not for steampunk fans. You will love this book regardless. This review is for people who either don't really know much steampunk, or like me, they HATE steampunk.

I had never read these books prior to hearing about Peter Jacksons involvement in the film. I love what he did with Tolkien's books which I loved so much so I thought I'd give these a try. And that is saying a lot. I HATE steampunk. I have never seen it handled well. Its such a striking visual world that it has so much potential and room for great stories, but the stories are always huge on the world building but zero on character and story. And are honestly just super silly and whimsical. So I had Peter Jackson on one side of me telling me to read this, but my hatred for the entire genre on the other side telling me not to.

And it wasn't until, not even joking, the final paragraph that I realised I love this book. I found it really hard to absorb the story, world, characters. That is on me. Because the final paragraph, not giving any spoilers as it isn't story based, but just finally clicked in my head what the tone of this series is and who these characters are. The story is very straightforward and easy to follow but I was struggling to fall in love with the world and characters. My issue was I had just come off reading the Harry Potter series (for the first time. I know. Shame on me) and just became so enveloped in it. Then this series kept popping up in the old "If you loved that, you'll love this!". So I went in expecting Steampunk Potter.

What surprised me was how adult this series is. And it was a combination of that magical final paragraph (which is easily one of my favourite literary moments of all time now) and reading the backstory of the authors outline for this series that made me understand it: It wasn't meant to be a YA book. He'd planned it as a normal grown up adventure series. And it wasn't until later on people told him "with a few changes, this could be the next Harry Potter!" and so it became a Scholastic book. But you would never know he'd toned down the adult-ness of it. This book is not fun, magical or happy. It's action packed. Its adventurous and exciting. But it is also dark, the characters and unlikeable and more like real people than anything I've read. They aren't immortal, heroic chosen ones who are smiling and saving the day left and right. They're kind of crappy people. I love it so much!

The stakes are huge. The ending is genuinely surprising.

I got through 99% of this book ready to give up and find another book to read. That final paragraph made all the dominoes fall into place. I went into the second book excited and I was totally sold into every single page. I have now finished the whole series and can easily say its one of the favourite series' of all time.

That final paragraph. Man. I don't want to hype it up, Because it isn't something to be hyped up for. But it really just hammers home Tom and Hester, the main characters, and their personalities. I love Tom and Hester so much.

Buy this book. If you enjoy it from start to finish great. But if you're like me and struggle through most of it, PLEASE keep going. It's worth it.

Once again we dive into the world after the end of the world, into a book that is probably one of the most unique series of this subgenre.

The Summary:

It is the future. After a devastating conflict called the Sixty Minute War, much of Earth has been reduced to a geologically unstable wasteland. In order to survive the upheaval, humanity has placed its houses, towns, and cities onto massive engines and wheels and tracks and thus became the mobile traction cities. These independent nomadic settlements ruthlessly prey on smaller settlements, dragging them inside and strip to the bone for supplies, raw materials, and fuel in a practice called Municipal Darwinism.

The Setting

Already the reader can see where this book truly shines…its setting. While it is a tale of the End Times, there are also elements of Steampunk as well; it’s a dirty world of gears, smokestacks and airships. Seasoned readers may see familiar tropes within the story and the main characters (which Bookworm will get to in a second) the setting is so imaginative that it really becomes a character all its own. The city of London feels like a living organism. In a lot of ways it is: It moves around, it eats prey, it digests it and distributes nutrients throughout its body, in the food and fuel, and the humans the live among it are like the bacteria and microorganisms that live in all creatures. The setting or an inanimate object becoming a character in of itself, is fairly common in fiction, such as the city of Rapture in Bioshock or the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars and can add depth to the story if done correctly and it is done correctly in the Mortal Engines.

While there are many fantastical elements in this story, it is written in such away, that the world feels extremely authentic. One of the main themes of this book as well as the series is in this technological advanced world, there is also a regression to a more basic style of living, hunter and prey. While it is continually reinforced that this way of life is unsustainable, it is also portrayed as an ecosystem, it has rules and it is explained in a very realistic way. The atmosphere breathes with detail.

The Characters:

As previously mentioned there are some familiar threads when dealing with the web between Tom, Hester and Catherine. The character is part of a dystopic regime and thinks is in love with other character and then a rebellious outsider shows character error of ways fall, in love, blah, blah, blah. However, the superb setting and action packed storyline really gets you invested in the characters in spite of the familiarity of the story. Also due to the fact that the naïve insider is Tom, a boy and the outsider is Hester Shaw a girl, for reverse seems to be the norm these days.

What also makes it unique is how Hester Shaw is portrayed in ways that a normal heroine is not, she is ugly and she is rather ruthless in her goals. This makes her very much a anti-hero but she written in a compelling way.

The character of Tom is written very realistically. There is an innocence about him that is very appealing and they way it is gradually stripped away as the shortcomings of life are revealed and he takes steps to rebel against his home.

Something that is somewhat glanced over in stories about rebellion is the sense of loss. The character has lived in this world his whole life. It’s all they know and even after they recognize that their world is evil and they fight against it, losing a home cannot be an easy process and that comes with the guilt of actually playing a part in destroying your childhood. This is not glanced over in the Mortal Engines and Tom genuinely experiences it but at the same time it is not dwelled on a lot. A part of growing up is learning when to move on.

The Flaws:

No book is perfect and this one is no exception.

For all the Hard Science geeks, and probably anyone else, with a basic knowledge of science, it is probably not hard to guess that Traction Cities are extremely science-fictional. A smaller structure would probably work but a city like London would probably buckle under its own weight and if it could move it would be at a snails pace. Then again it is Science Fiction.

And also for all their strengths the characters can come off as bit one dimensional. It may be reserved for later volumes but they do progress and change.

Finally, aside from his name…the villain and his motivations are really predictable.

Final Verdict:

Five out Five Stars

Can’t wait to read the next one!

A Final Thought:

This is a very fantastic story but if one looks closer there are some parallels to our world. While cities of our world don’t move for the time being, you can see parallels of our world and the world of the traction cities. Larger countries using military or economic force, almost prey on smaller and strip their resources bare before moving on regardless of the consequence to the populace. And perhaps it is look into what our future could be like…if we keep squandering the resources of our world.

4.5 stars!

Tom is a history apprentice in a London that is nothing like the London we know. Cities travel from place to place on huge tracks, devouring smaller, less-strong cities in this post apocalyptic Steampunk/Dieselpunk world. When a hideous-looking girl attacks Tom's idol, it kicks off a series of events that twists Tom's entire reality, and challenges his belief system. As the true depth of his world unfolds, Tom finds himself thrust ito the role of hero, and the world itself is at stake.

Gripping, rich world building, fantastic characters, and non-stop pacing make this a strong Steampunk title for teens and adults alike. Mr. Reeve doesn't shy away from the positives and negatives of his world, and main characters Tom and Hester are very realistically drawn. I really appreciated that Hester was not physically perfect and it helped me to form a bond with her, appreciating her good and bad qualities.

Mr. Reeve doesn't shy away from the grim realities of his world. Be prepared for some violence and a body count that may include characters you've grown to like and enjoy. For this reason, I wouldn't recommend this book for younger readers. Having said this, Mortal Engines is a gripping talen for those waiting for more from Suzanne Collins or the Divergent series.

"It was a dark, blustery afternoon in spring, and the city of London was chasing a small mining town across the dried-out bed of the old North Sea.'

With these opening words, master storyteller Philip Reeve transports the reader to a dusty, oily world in the distant future. Here, crimson-coloured airships circle the large, many-tiered cities which tear across a ravaged landscape to eat up smaller cities, cannibalise them for parts and take their residents as slaves to work the cities giant engines. If you've ever been to the wilds of Dartmoor in England, where Reeve lives, you'll recognise place names that pop up in the stories, such as the surname of the main character, Tom Natsworthy. And the fierce Hester Shaw is unforgettable, with her ravaged face, mangled and scarred from being sliced nearly in half from an attack in her childhood for which she seeks vengeance.

I envy you if you've never read these, you have an amazing four books ahead of you: Mortal Engines, Predator's Gold, Infernal Devices, and A Darkling Plain. (Reeve packs a powerful punch in that fourth book.) But then there are three prequels which are also unmissable: Fever Crumb, A Web of Air, and Scrivener's Moon. I was amazed how he made me care so much for his Stalker character, a reanimated robot-like corpse who appears throughout the seven books, who raises the strange Hester child and who has memories which occasionally resurface from his human life. Get started with either Mortal Engines or Fever Crumb right away: once you get stuck into the strange and wonderful world of Reeve, you'll never want to leave.

A pleasant surprise by the end. After learning that this was a YA novel (I received it as a gift) I was worried I wouldn't be able to enjoy the story or characters due to its simplicity or lack of depth, but thanks to the action, surprising violence, and generally neat, but bleak future, this book was enjoyable and a breeze to finish. The characters are a little predictable, but their one dimensional personalities serve the story just fine, and I was admittedly surprised and even a little refreshed by the two main characters relationship.

Maybe it's because I haven't read a lightweight novel in a while, or maybe it's my soft spot for dystopian settings, but I give Mortal Engines a thumbs up.

This book is a great and standout in a genre of post Apocalyptic novels. It starts during a chase of a small town from a larger city known as London. While most novels focus on the United States this novel features England and Europe and only tangentaly mentions the U.S.

With the Harry Potter craze currently in full swing, a lot of people are constantly looking for the "next" Harry Potter series. There are lots of contenders for the title; from the definite rip-off Charlie Bone series to the sly slightly evil Artemis Fowl. Personally, I've read a great deal of these and none really hit me as having the same moral core or elaborate well-constructed world that the Potter books conjure up. Until now, that is. With "Mortal Engines", the first in author Philip Reeve's "Hungry City Chronicles" we have the privilege of finally reading about a world that is just as creative, enjoyable, and exciting as anything J.K. Rowling could ever have imagined.
It is the future, and the world is not as it was. After humanity almost destroyed itself entirely in what became known as the Sixty-Minute War, civilizations have taken it upon themselves to become mobile. Cities, townships, and even suburbs now move across the land, eating anything smaller than themselves. This system is referred to as Municipal Darwinism with the strong eating the weak. The city of London is a particularly vicious devourer of smaller villages and it is here that we meet Tom. A young Historian, Tom idolizes the famed Historian and explorer Thaddeus Valentine and his lovely daughter Katherine. When Tom narrowly keeps a severely deformed girl from assassinating Valentine, he finds himself wound up in a series of betrayals and adventures that may well lead to the end of civilization once more.
The book is filled to the brim with interesting characters. There Grike, the last survivor of the old world who is more machine than man. Or Anna Fang, the red clad aviatrix that fights against the moving cities as an Anti-Tractionist. Or the pirate Chrystler Peavey that commands a posh pirate suburb and dreams of becoming a proper gentleman someday. You care for these characters, which makes it all the more painful when Reeve decides to kill them off. I've never read an author so ready to end the lives of his heroes with as much aplomb as Mr. Reeve, though I should've caught on when he killed off my favorite character almost exactly halfway through. Much like fellow British author Philip Pullman, Reeve has a knack for juggling multiple points of view and storylines without loosing his narrative thread. And like Pullman his story involves airships and a boy and girl on a quest to (in effect) save the world. Unlike Pullman, Reeve less interested in the how the characters' actions will affect the universe, and instead will affect their world.
I was especially taken with the theme of obsession in this book. The evil Mayor Chrome, leader of London, is obsessed with making his town reign supreme over the rest of the world. Hester Shawn, deformed by the blade of Thaddeus Valentine, is obsessed with killing the man who murdered her parents. And Grike, the man machine that was one of the millions of walking dead soldiers participating in the Sixty-Minute War, is obsessed with a kind of love for Hester Shaw (though he spends much of his time in this book hunting her down to be killed). It might have been nice to spend a little more time getting to know what the characters' lives were like before this book ever took place. I ended up wanting to know a lot more about Tom and Hester's families and the lives they lead, but there didn't seem to be enough time to linger over such details.
One objection to the American cover of "Mortal Engines". For the most part, the cover is very impressive, showing airships blowing up in front of the structure that is London. In the corner however are, who I can only assume is supposed to be, Tom and Hester. Tom is clutching a book, an odd choice since there is no point in the story where a book is important to his character. Hester, however, is completely wrong. The book describes her as have a huge gash down her face with a scar splitting her in two. Her nose is mashed in and she only has one eye. Now look at the cover. Apparently the cover artist decided that putting a deformed female would hurt "Mortal Engines"'s sales. So instead we've this cute little waif. Half her face is in shadow, yes, and there is the slightest hint of a scar on her forehead. But her nose is completely intact and she's smiling cheekily at the camera. Forgive me, but this is not the death obsessed horribly disfigured often crazed and violent Hester I came to love so much. Mr. Cover Artist, for shame.
The book itself, however, is a delight. I can't recommend it enough. Go out, buy it, read it, and tell me that you didn't think it was the greatest addition to the teen literary futuristic canon to come down the pike since "The Giver". When people review books they often rely on that old phrase, "I didn't want it to end". Well I actually didn't. Amazing. It's a great book and a fantastic story.

The Sixty Minute War ended western civilization leading to a new world order. The great cities do not reside in one place, but instead are mobile like Roman legions assaulting smaller locations. London has been reduced to one of these prowling giants, but recently concern has surfaced that with a lessening of prey among the midgets, other mega-metropolises will try to devour the big city.
As London chases after Salthook, fifteen years old apprentice historian Tom toils at what all rookies do. He cleans in his case the exhibits of the London Museum of Natural History. However, Tom's world changes when he rescues his hero, scavenger turned renowned archeologist Thaddeus Valentine from an assassination attempt. Tom's reward is apropos for an apprentice as he and the avenging assassin Hester Shaw are tossed out of the city into the vast wilderness. He learns from her why as she explains her connection to Valentine and the mayor. They team up to survive as Hester and Tom begin a series of adventures to stay alive.
Though classified as a children's fantasy, this complex tale can be enjoyed as a straightforward tale that young readers will appreciate or as a satire that adults will treasure. The characters are complex as Philip Reeve paints a picture that what is acceptable under certain conditions seems cruel under others as values are not quite as universal as we westerners would like to believe. MORTAL ENGINES is a winner for children and adults of all ages.
Harriet Klausner

I read a lot of YA fiction and a fair amount of sci-fi, so I appreciate truly new ideas. This is one: cities of the distant future give up on taking their sustenance from the land, and instead become mobile predators (or prey), chasing and devouring weaker cities while running from stronger ones. There are some fairly obvious parallels with (and allusions to) the wasteful, short-sighted, and self-destructive behaviors of our current era, but fortunately the author does not beat you over the head with them.
The plot is fast-moving and satisfyingly focused, and the characters are (mostly) three-dimensional and engaging. I was disappointed that (as another reviewer said) the body count was fairly high, partly because I'm a softie and partly because I would have loved to see some of those characters return in future books.
I don't quite see the comparison with Philip Pullman -- this book is not nearly as rich and complex as His Dark Materials. But it still has a lot to offer readers of dark, futuristic sci-fi -- plus an ending worthy of a Schwarzenegger movie.

In the years beyond the 30th century, after life as we know it is destroyed in the Sixty Minutes War, the world is divided into three: the Static communities, who live in farms and buildings firmly stationed on the earth, the aviators, who travel the Bird Roads in the sky, and the Traction Cities, the giant cities on engineered wheels who live by the Municipal Darwinism - the big cities devour the little cities for their resources. And the biggest Traction City of them all is London, on the move for larger hunting grounds and more resources.
Living in London are two very different young people - Tom, a Third Class Apprentice in the History Guild, and Katherine, an upper class noble daughter of the famed archeologist Thaddeus Valentine, whom both of them adore for his bravery and exciting exploits. Yet after London destroys the small town of Salthook whilst the three of them are touring the Gut (the engineering belly of London), one of the refugees attacks Mr Valentine in a furious rage, and is only just stopped by Tom's intervention. Chasing her up the levels of the Gut, Tom corners her before a chute that leads to the desolate Out-Country, and is horrified beyond comprehension when Mr Valentine pushes the both of them down it. Now stranded in the Out-Country with the young lady named Hester Shaw, with the hideously disfigured face, Tom is pushed into a series of adventures including aviators, pirates, slave-traders and Static towns, during which he begins to realise: things do not exist as he has understood them. And all the while, they are being hunted by a tragic and fatal being known as Shrike...
Meanwhile, back in London, Katherine is doing some investigating of her own concerning the disappearence of Tom and the assassin. Once her father leaves on a mission which purpose he conceals even from her, she begins to find pieces of the puzzle concerning an Ancient piece of Old-Tech that is somehow wrapped up in Hester Shaw and her father's unspoken past. Together with a witness to Tom's fall, a lowly worker named Bevis Pod, Katherine learns the truth about her father, and the catastrophic plans the Mayor of London has in store for the device known as the MEDUSA.
The real enjoyment of this book comes from Philip Reeve's wonderful creation of an interesting and detailed (but without becoming too encyclopedic) world, set in a post-apocalyptic world where collosal cities trundle desolate plains, filled with relics of the Old World - the world as we know it today. Usually descriptions of machinery or other technicalities bore and confuse me, but Reeve writes with such clarity, that the city of London and its layered Tiers is brought to complete and convincing life. Likewise, the cultures found outside the cities are unique and interesting, and once Tom and Hester start out on their journey, its very likely one will be unable to resist exploring with them.
Storywise, the plot is simple, but with just enough twists to keep one interested. All the characters, even villians that at first glance appear one-dimensional have hidden motives to their actions, and the conflict between them and the cultures that they represent is believable, and morally complex. Only the ending disappointed me somewhat - Reeve seemed determined to kill off as many of his characters as possible, leaving me a little immune to the tragedy of death, and the conclusion ends more on a note of despair than hope for the future, given the sheer amount of death and destruction that the survivors leave in their wake.
Of all the major protagonists, the females end up being more interesting than the males, though in fact Tom is given the most attention. This is unfortunate, as I found myself disliking Tom for much of the story - he is a character like Lloyd Alexander's Taran in the Chronicles of Prydain, in that he dreams of glory, thinks highly of the wrong people, and holds tight to beliefs that the reader can see are false from the very beginning of the book. Unlike Taran however, it takes a long time for Tom to find self-realisation, and as such the reader feels on-going frustration for his ignorance and on-going commitment to make the wrong choices. However, he *does* eventually grow (albeit in a rather patchy manner), and through him Reeve addresses the important questions of life. Reeve's other hero, Bevin Pod is endearingly shy and uncertain of himself, showing immense bravery when he is aware of the horrors he would face in the Deep Gut should he be caught, and dotingly loyal to Katherine.
It is the girls that I found more likeable - Hester Shaw, an imbittered, independant young woman whose hideous face is an ongoing pain for one who loves and appreciates beauty, and lives only to bring death to the one who inflicted this upon her. Katherine at first glance appears as a "poor little rich girl", but is intelligent, resourceful, and has a clear idea in her mind of the differences between right and wrong.
"Mortal Engines" is ultimately a well-crafted book, along the lines of Phillip Pullman's "Northern Lights" and Garth Nix's "Sabriel/Lirael/Abhorsen" trilogy. If you liked the atmosphere and flavour of those two books, I strongly suggest "Mortal Engines" a go, and keep your eyes open for the sequel.

I picked this up, I'll admit, because Director Peter Jackson, of The Lord of the Rings fame, has optioned this to be his next set of movies. I had to order it from three separate sellers, three different times before I could actually get it in the mail. (The Book Depository got it right on the second try.)

Writing this from the perspective of halfway through the third book, this book has a great deal to recommend it: sweeping in scope, it creates a unique true alternate universe in a tween book. That is where the similarity to Harry Potter ends, though.

There is a tradition in British children's fiction of introducing themes that are above grade level for children: the heroine in this has really bad facial scarring from a sword cleaving her face in two; the hero is part of a truly nasty Oliver-Twist-style London cast system; there are slaves who figure heavily in the plot of the first book.

That's probably why you've not heard of this particular series before; in other books of this sort, like Harry Potter and Eoin Colfer, there is a also a sense of home and place, a security of sorts--not here--these characters are out in the world as if they were adults. It takes a bit of getting past the, "You're eleven, but you're actually Indiana Jones," to really get into these books.

Having said all of that, this will make an amazing film: it has steampunk flying machines, Terminator/Frankenstein hybrid robots, and a lot of action. Unsurprisingly, that also makes it a well-worth-the-time-spent book.

If you are an American, this one is a little different--it's also a really big, really entertaining story. Highly recommended.

I really love how the author builds a rich world and develops multiple three-dimensional characters without letting up on the action. There is no pause in the relentless advance of the plot, which carries the characters and the reader along to successive waypoints in a journey the destination of which has yet to be revealed.

_Mortal Engines_ is a post-apocalyptic steampunk fantasy about a time when most of the world's major cities have adopted Municipal Darwinism. They have set themselves upon wheels and tracks and set out across the landscape. These "traction cities" chase and devour smaller cities, absorbing their populations (often as slaves), stealing their technology, and using the cities' remains' as food and resources for their own use.

Tom is an orphan, being trained in London to be a historian. He looks up to Valentine, the most famous and swashbuckling of the historians, and has a crush on Valentine's daughter. The appearance of Hester, whom Valentine believed dead, puts that secret at risk. When Tom witnesses the confrontation between Hester and Valentine, he finds himself unceremoniously thrown off the city. Valentine's daughter, Katherine, discovers a secret that Valentine has been guarding, which undermines her faith in her father and what her city stands for.

Tom is rescued by Hester, who is experienced in fending for herself outside of a traction city. Tom eventually learns not only about Valentine's past misdeeds, but about how he plans to help London's mayor do a dastardly deed. Tom and Hester locate the Anti-Traction League and fight against the evil plot. Simultaneously, Katherine tries to stop the plan from inside London.

The book starts very strong and engages you up front, but drags a little in the middle before the exciting conclusion.

The problem I have with this book is that the characters' psychologies reflect a young tween's understanding of people, and the dialog is very simple. For example, there were a lot of characters that fell flat, and I think a teen would expect more psychological complexity. Also, the words that come out of the adults' mouths just don't sound adult. However, the rest of the book seems more appropriate for an older, teen audience. There's a lot of violence, including the death of a main character, and there is mention of an affair between two married characters, which seems unessential to the plot (I'm revising this post later on to tell you that it does become important later in the series, but I still questions whether it's appropriate).

On the other hand, the ingenious world creation achieved here by Phillip Reeve is a spectacular achievement, and the book addresses many interesting philosophical issues (can one town prey on another? is it okay to subjugate a class of workers for the benefit of others?). There is also an interesting subplot where Tom learns the difference between a crush (based on externals) and love (based on character). It's nicely done, but again, more appropriate for teens than middle-graders. There's enough here to make me want to read the sequels, but I can't recommend the books for tweens. I would recommend this book for readers 14 and up.

Once again we dive into the world after the end of the world, into a book that is probably one of the most unique series of this subgenre.

The Summary:

It is the future. After a devastating conflict called the Sixty Minute War, much of Earth has been reduced to a geologically unstable wasteland. In order to survive the upheaval, humanity has placed its houses, towns, and cities onto massive engines and wheels and tracks and thus became the mobile traction cities. These independent nomadic settlements ruthlessly prey on smaller settlements, dragging them inside and strip to the bone for supplies, raw materials, and fuel in a practice called Municipal Darwinism.

The Setting

Already the reader can see where this book truly shines…its setting. While it is a tale of the End Times, there are also elements of Steampunk as well; it’s a dirty world of gears, smokestacks and airships. Seasoned readers may see familiar tropes within the story and the main characters (which Bookworm will get to in a second) the setting is so imaginative that it really becomes a character all its own. The city of London feels like a living organism. In a lot of ways it is: It moves around, it eats prey, it digests it and distributes nutrients throughout its body, in the food and fuel, and the humans the live among it are like the bacteria and microorganisms that live in all creatures. The setting or an inanimate object becoming a character in of itself, is fairly common in fiction, such as the city of Rapture in Bioshock or the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars and can add depth to the story if done correctly and it is done correctly in the Mortal Engines.

While there are many fantastical elements in this story, it is written in such away, that the world feels extremely authentic. One of the main themes of this book as well as the series is in this technological advanced world, there is also a regression to a more basic style of living, hunter and prey. While it is continually reinforced that this way of life is unsustainable, it is also portrayed as an ecosystem, it has rules and it is explained in a very realistic way. The atmosphere breathes with detail.

The Characters:

As previously mentioned there are some familiar threads when dealing with the web between Tom, Hester and Catherine. The character is part of a dystopic regime and thinks is in love with other character and then a rebellious outsider shows character error of ways fall, in love, blah, blah, blah. However, the superb setting and action packed storyline really gets you invested in the characters in spite of the familiarity of the story. Also due to the fact that the naïve insider is Tom, a boy and the outsider is Hester Shaw a girl, for reverse seems to be the norm these days.

What also makes it unique is how Hester Shaw is portrayed in ways that a normal heroine is not, she is ugly and she is rather ruthless in her goals. This makes her very much a anti-hero but she written in a compelling way.

The character of Tom is written very realistically. There is an innocence about him that is very appealing and they way it is gradually stripped away as the shortcomings of life are revealed and he takes steps to rebel against his home.

Something that is somewhat glanced over in stories about rebellion is the sense of loss. The character has lived in this world his whole life. It’s all they know and even after they recognize that their world is evil and they fight against it, losing a home cannot be an easy process and that comes with the guilt of actually playing a part in destroying your childhood. This is not glanced over in the Mortal Engines and Tom genuinely experiences it but at the same time it is not dwelled on a lot. A part of growing up is learning when to move on.

The Flaws:

No book is perfect and this one is no exception.

For all the Hard Science geeks, and probably anyone else, with a basic knowledge of science, it is probably not hard to guess that Traction Cities are extremely science-fictional. A smaller structure would probably work but a city like London would probably buckle under its own weight and if it could move it would be at a snails pace. Then again it is Science Fiction.

And also for all their strengths the characters can come off as bit one dimensional. It may be reserved for later volumes but they do progress and change.

Finally, aside from his name…the villain and his motivations are really predictable.

Final Verdict:

Five out Five Stars

Can’t wait to read the next one!

A Final Thought:

This is a very fantastic story but if one looks closer there are some parallels to our world. While cities of our world don’t move for the time being, you can see parallels of our world and the world of the traction cities. Larger countries using military or economic force, almost prey on smaller and strip their resources bare before moving on regardless of the consequence to the populace. And perhaps it is look into what our future could be like…if we keep squandering the resources of our world.

This story is set in a vibrantly written world with fascinating technology
that literally defines "steam punk". The pace of the adventure
ebbs & flows with an impressiveness that isn't often found in
an author's first work.
It's a fast paced adventure with plenty of swashbuckling & marvels of
engineering. Fully fleshed out characters, who seem to know how to
pilot just about any vehicle, race back & forth between sky & earth.
In this book the merciless, blood thirsty & even violent
protector are subject to the old adage: "those that live by the sword,
die by the sword".
Which is hugely disappointing in some cases, but justified when you
consider that those traits do not a good role model make as their deeds
cannot be wiped away to bring them back into beloved character status.
The abundance of physical harm that takes place seems a bit
excessive, but in this dystopian Mad Max (& the
Thunder-dome) type world, that's what it takes to survive.
This world that Reeve has created is so tough that every other
person you meet is an orphan.
Weapons & blood abound.Safe, stable lives are shattered.
Loyalties are forged, tested & many are broken.
All privileges are relative to wealth, caste & how much of
your soul you're willing to sell. So you see,
this is not a 'nice",gentle read, nor are there perfect heroes.
Be warned,by the end of the book many characters that you
were starting to get attached to will die.
Violence is described graphically but the author does not
cross the boundaries of too much information when it comes to
the attraction between couples, though there is a
mention of just how much the author hasn't shared at the end
of book #2 which reminds you that this is secular fiction.
I will place a spoiler at the end of this review for those wanting
to know what might be offensive and be forewarned.
Great read could have been more fun if it had not been for the
rather adult themes:
******************spoiler alert*****************

parents horrifically, violent self defense,teens killing
for survival.
The main characters are about 16/17 years old but one of the
unwed characters from book 1 becomes pregnant at the end
of book 2 (still unwed) In book #2 you also see a person from
book #1 embrace their "dark side"...and all innocence and
any pretense of innocence is lost in Book # 2, which is sad
because you really want your heroes to be untainted by such
ugly traits as hate, revenge & bloodthirstiness.

This is ostensibly a work for the young'uns, and probably best for mature elementary school kids. That said, I'm an adult willing to admit that I was looking for something to fill in the void left between Harry Potter installments. I'm not about to read the shameless rip-off Charlie Bone series, and the Artemis Fowl books just don't appeal. I gave this a shot instead, and it was a genuinely satisfying discovery.

The tone of the book is dark, and the setting close to the unfortunately-named 'steam punk' genre. It might be better to refer to this as a Steam Age adventure. The sort of technologies and societies one would expect from Jules Verne, with a modern sense of noir and maturity. Some kids will undoubtedly find it disturbing, with its occasionally graphic descriptions of violence and death. I'm of the opinion, however, that it's just the thing for people of all ages who resent books that talk down to readers-- you won't find any comedic sidekicks, fart jokes, bumbling villains, or irritating song 'n dance numbers here.

Instead, Reeve has spun a believable tale of growth, courage and love amid trying times, albeit in a far-fetched world. My complaints are minimal: there are a few oh-so-clever jokes that will obviously appeal only to those over 25 or so (e.g. the airship named 'My Shirona'), and the plot developments are sometimes a bit too convenient and underdeveloped. Which is to say that if anything, this book should have been longer in the telling.

Still, this is a book for young readers that I'm critiquing as an adult, so I'm more than happy to overlook such shortcomings. After all, I was so engrossed that I finished the book in two sittings, finding it difficult to set aside. I'll be expecting a lot from upcoming installments (happily, there's no immediately obvious setup for a sequel), and it's great to see that the latest trend in children's book publishing is fiction that doesn't treat them like nincompoops. Dynamic protagonists, conflicted villains, a fully-realized world, and a steadfast determination to avoid taking the easy way out all contribute to a book that really makes the grade for youngsters and adults alike.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what year it was supposed to be. Somewhere around the Year 5000. Way back in the 21st or 22nd Century, we had pretty much annihilated ourselves in the 60 Second War. Some centuries later, the technologically challenged offspring survivors have managed to mobilize their cities, thank Quirke (humankind's savior).

There's an orphan boy who idolizes the swashbuckling Valentine, there's an orphan girl disfigured by said Valentine, and there's a lot of big mobile cities gobbling up smaller mobile cities for their resources (Municiple Darwinism).

The books are a bit dark, kind of like Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. I'd recommend them for anyone 12 and up. There's a bit too much violence for the younger set.

It was an exhilarating ride! :) I can almost say I enjoyed it as much as The Hunting of Alaizabel Cray. The twist of a far away time in the future, when Ancient civilization (us) has destroyed themselves by warfares and ultimate mortal engines, really made the story hard to put down. The stage was created complete with the new religions, new ways of life and new societies. All was well but I can not help if I feel something missing by the end. Perhaps it was the easiness of the author in killing many of the key characters, but I think it was necessary to picture the power of destruction of the resurrected engines or it just the quiet ending after the great climax. In short, I like the unexpected elements and am looking forward for the next book.

I agree with others about the somewhat simplistic writing style - but then the CS Lewis's Narnia books are pretty simplistic too and they are another series I've re-read repeatedly since I was a kid.
The thing that really engages me is Reeve's incredible imagination - his vision of the predator cities and the re-use of old tech is really amazing. His writing is skilled and enjoyable to read, and as I end up in tears each time in the last scene, I figure it must be pretty effective.
While this series has a few flaws, as others have pointed out, I think it's an exceptional read and is certainly a classic in my book.

Fantastic! I heard such great feedback from people who have given me the best recommendations, so I had to try this. When I asked what it was about, however, they started sputtering about Municipal Darwinism and at that point I started tuning them out. I hope I can explain it better. This takes place far in the future, but there's an Industrial Revolution/Victorian feel about the time period. The cities have become mobile. They roll around in search of smaller towns they can "eat" for parts, supplies, labor, and trade. There's an evil plot put in motion by certain Londoners and it's a race to see if anyone can stop them.

There's definitely a Steampunk feel to this book, but it's not for the sake of being Steampunk. Did that make sense? There are certain books that have been written to appeal specifically to the Steampunk crowd, and you can tell. This, however, feels like Steampunk but without being blatantly targeted for it. I appreciate that.

I liked that action and excitement throughout the book. While Tom and Hester are our main characters, there are quite a few subplots going on throughout the book and they definitely added to the emotional impact of the story. The world building is also really well thought out and intriguing. The descriptions of the Traction Cities and the Stationary Cities were great, and there were some really neat descriptions of the mechanics of the Traction cities. I also enjoyed the various throwbacks to the ancient past, which is actually now. While there was much to enjoy about this book, there were also many sad and depressing parts. I only mention this because sometimes this is promoted as a kid's book, but really I think this is more of a YA (mid to upper teen) novel. Not necessarily for the subject matter itself, but for the way it's discussed between the characters in the book.

This has become one of my favorite series, and not just for a YA series. This is one of those "Jeez, I wish they had this when I was growing up" books.

For The Sci-fi Lovers!!!
If you like sci-fi theres a 60% chance that you will love Mortal Engines.
The plot will suck you into reading the book. The concept and the plot is fantastic but as always there is a catch.

Mortal Engines is a slow book but has some thrilling cliff hangers, like a mans finger nails are scraping into the rocks on the very edge of the cliff, just waiting to be greeted by death.
Hester Shaw and Tom want to get to London, now a traction city that is roaming the earth at 200 mph and are being hunted by a deadly Stalker who Hester seems to know.
A very overpowered old piece of tech has been discovered and it has the power to take down the largest cities!

This book would be nice if it wasn’t as slow as it is.
When reading Mortal Engines you want the characters to live but you don’t get stuck in another world. I am rating this book 2 stars or 5/10.
Read this book if you like sci-fi and if you are not into sci-fi don’t bother reading this book.

I've read hundreds of books and a majority of them really good. Even though I don't have a favorite book I have three top favorite books and - This one's one of them. This book is great. Its in the far future but its not super hightech. What I really liked about this book is that it's set in the future but the technology in this time is all of its own. Its a comination of old levers and gears and robots-humans called Stalkers. Its great. The book takes place many years after the 60 minute war (how great is that!? A 60 MINUTE WAR). However there's one thing that makes these books better than any others. All the cities and towns and villages are on wheels. THey're called traction cities and the drive around barren Europe in search of prey - other cities to destroy and take their parts and sell the citizens as slaves for labor in other traction cities.
If the atmosphere of this book isn't what gets you to love it, it's the characters that will. The characters are so believabple, so in depth, so colorful, so deep - they're just amazing. And the author adds in so many secrets and hidden past about the characters - you'll love it. I highly recomend this book to anyone.

This was an incredibly original idea that I've never really read anywhere else. The only thing that it even remotely reminds me of is Hayao Miyazaki's work, mostly because of all the fantastical machines and world-building that he has in his movies.

After Earth was basically destroyed by a sixty-minute nuclear war thousands of years ago, cities in the present-day world are great mobile behemoths that move around on giant tracks and wheels, chasing down and devouring smaller cities and towns for resources in an accepted system called Municipal Darwinism. People who live on these Traction Cities find the idea of living in on the ground in one stationary spot incredibly unnerving and unnatural. The problem is that almost all of the "prey" (aka smaller towns and villages) in Europe has been hunted to extinction, and there are no natural resources left in the nuclear wasteland-what is a gigantic mobile city such as London to do?

The writing is aimed at a middle-school/young adult audience, but Reeve keeps the plot very interesting and fast-moving, it never feels like he's patronizing or dumbing down things for his readers, which some YA authors tend to do.

Since this is the first in a quartet of books, I will definitely be checking out the sequels.

It was an exhilarating ride! :) I can almost say I enjoyed it as much as The Hunting of Alaizabel Cray. The twist of a far away time in the future, when Ancient civilization (us) has destroyed themselves by warfares and ultimate mortal engines, really made the story hard to put down. The stage was created complete with the new religions, new ways of life and new societies. All was well but I can not help if I feel something missing by the end. Perhaps it was the easiness of the author in killing many of the key characters, but I think it was necessary to picture the power of destruction of the resurrected engines or it just the quiet ending after the great climax. In short, I like the unexpected elements and am looking forward for the next book.

I agree with others about the somewhat simplistic writing style - but then the CS Lewis's Narnia books are pretty simplistic too and they are another series I've re-read repeatedly since I was a kid.
The thing that really engages me is Reeve's incredible imagination - his vision of the predator cities and the re-use of old tech is really amazing. His writing is skilled and enjoyable to read, and as I end up in tears each time in the last scene, I figure it must be pretty effective.
While this series has a few flaws, as others have pointed out, I think it's an exceptional read and is certainly a classic in my book.

Fantastic! I heard such great feedback from people who have given me the best recommendations, so I had to try this. When I asked what it was about, however, they started sputtering about Municipal Darwinism and at that point I started tuning them out. I hope I can explain it better. This takes place far in the future, but there's an Industrial Revolution/Victorian feel about the time period. The cities have become mobile. They roll around in search of smaller towns they can "eat" for parts, supplies, labor, and trade. There's an evil plot put in motion by certain Londoners and it's a race to see if anyone can stop them.

There's definitely a Steampunk feel to this book, but it's not for the sake of being Steampunk. Did that make sense? There are certain books that have been written to appeal specifically to the Steampunk crowd, and you can tell. This, however, feels like Steampunk but without being blatantly targeted for it. I appreciate that.

I liked that action and excitement throughout the book. While Tom and Hester are our main characters, there are quite a few subplots going on throughout the book and they definitely added to the emotional impact of the story. The world building is also really well thought out and intriguing. The descriptions of the Traction Cities and the Stationary Cities were great, and there were some really neat descriptions of the mechanics of the Traction cities. I also enjoyed the various throwbacks to the ancient past, which is actually now. While there was much to enjoy about this book, there were also many sad and depressing parts. I only mention this because sometimes this is promoted as a kid's book, but really I think this is more of a YA (mid to upper teen) novel. Not necessarily for the subject matter itself, but for the way it's discussed between the characters in the book.

This has become one of my favorite series, and not just for a YA series. This is one of those "Jeez, I wish they had this when I was growing up" books.

For The Sci-fi Lovers!!!
If you like sci-fi theres a 60% chance that you will love Mortal Engines.
The plot will suck you into reading the book. The concept and the plot is fantastic but as always there is a catch.

Mortal Engines is a slow book but has some thrilling cliff hangers, like a mans finger nails are scraping into the rocks on the very edge of the cliff, just waiting to be greeted by death.
Hester Shaw and Tom want to get to London, now a traction city that is roaming the earth at 200 mph and are being hunted by a deadly Stalker who Hester seems to know.
A very overpowered old piece of tech has been discovered and it has the power to take down the largest cities!

This book would be nice if it wasn’t as slow as it is.
When reading Mortal Engines you want the characters to live but you don’t get stuck in another world. I am rating this book 2 stars or 5/10.
Read this book if you like sci-fi and if you are not into sci-fi don’t bother reading this book.

I've read hundreds of books and a majority of them really good. Even though I don't have a favorite book I have three top favorite books and - This one's one of them. This book is great. Its in the far future but its not super hightech. What I really liked about this book is that it's set in the future but the technology in this time is all of its own. Its a comination of old levers and gears and robots-humans called Stalkers. Its great. The book takes place many years after the 60 minute war (how great is that!? A 60 MINUTE WAR). However there's one thing that makes these books better than any others. All the cities and towns and villages are on wheels. THey're called traction cities and the drive around barren Europe in search of prey - other cities to destroy and take their parts and sell the citizens as slaves for labor in other traction cities.
If the atmosphere of this book isn't what gets you to love it, it's the characters that will. The characters are so believabple, so in depth, so colorful, so deep - they're just amazing. And the author adds in so many secrets and hidden past about the characters - you'll love it. I highly recomend this book to anyone.

This was an incredibly original idea that I've never really read anywhere else. The only thing that it even remotely reminds me of is Hayao Miyazaki's work, mostly because of all the fantastical machines and world-building that he has in his movies.

After Earth was basically destroyed by a sixty-minute nuclear war thousands of years ago, cities in the present-day world are great mobile behemoths that move around on giant tracks and wheels, chasing down and devouring smaller cities and towns for resources in an accepted system called Municipal Darwinism. People who live on these Traction Cities find the idea of living in on the ground in one stationary spot incredibly unnerving and unnatural. The problem is that almost all of the "prey" (aka smaller towns and villages) in Europe has been hunted to extinction, and there are no natural resources left in the nuclear wasteland-what is a gigantic mobile city such as London to do?

The writing is aimed at a middle-school/young adult audience, but Reeve keeps the plot very interesting and fast-moving, it never feels like he's patronizing or dumbing down things for his readers, which some YA authors tend to do.

Since this is the first in a quartet of books, I will definitely be checking out the sequels.

First of all ignore the fact that this book is generally found in the Children's section of most bookstores. Ignore any reservations you may have and enjoy it for what it is - a fantastical sci-fi adventure that once you start reading you can't put down. I read it in one sitting.

I won't go over the plot as it's been well documented by other reviewers. It's an interesting premise that freely borrows from literary fantasists like Jules Verne, Jack Vance, Phillip Pullman, and a bit of Rogue Trooper from 2000AD, but brings something new to the genre. Movies like Metropolis, Terminator, City of Lost Children and perhaps a bit of Waterworld and Mad Max are all referenced as well as bit of American rock.

The characters are believable and they have flaws. He's not brave, she's not beautiful and they probably won't live happily ever after - but you care about them. They deal with real issues like love, death, betrayal, retribution and courage. As has been said before bad things happen to nice people but that's life.

It's a shame that US reader can't enjoy the wonderful example of retro Boy's Own adventure art of the UK edition..but that's a minor grouse.

If I have a criticism it's that it's over too quickly. I've had a glimpse into this world and I want to know what happens to Tom and Hester - so I'm off to buy the sequel.

A fabulous concept and a beautiful neo-steampunk setting quickly raises this book above the pack. The characters start out as less than three-dimensional, but fortunately grow in strength as the story continues - particularly in the final quarter. I was surprised by the grittiness displayed in the decisions of the climax, especially in light of the generally light tone of the preceding chapters. This is no deep exploration of character and theme, but overall its blithe originality makes it a winner.

I read this book several years ago, and I must say it is still one of my favourite series.
Thomas Natsworthy, an orphaned, dreamy, naive teenage boy, works as an apprentice Historian on the second tier of the traction city London. Since a war lasting 60 minutes occurred, the human race turned their static cities into huge, mobile, tiered cities. After London devours a small town, Tom finds himself thrown off the city by London's hero, left in the Great hunting Ground with a murderous, disfigured girl bent on revenge, named Hester Shaw. Stalked by a dead, robotic killer called Shrike (Grike in American editions), they must return to London, Tom to get home, Hester to avenge her family's murders.
Meanwhile, Katherine Valentine, daughter of the murderer of Hester's parents, finds some things out about her father, and her city, that don't add up. As she uncovers the truth about her city, and Tom and Hester attempt to escape Shrike, they find that London is no longer playing fair to Municipal Darwinism (survival of the fittest) and must stop the super-weapon MEDUSA from being used on a populated city.

The description might sound lame, but it is a really amazing book that's appropriate for 11-adults.

The futuristic/dystopian/steampunk premise of this novel hooked me, and reading it was a pleasure from start to (almost) finish. My 8 year old son, a bit of a reader, has finished this and the second Hungry Cities books. He wants more! Now!

In addition to making a fascinating and implausible world come to life through rich detail, Reeve creates characters worth following through terrible failures, extreme danger, and a few instances of mushy writing.

Overall, I agree with my son. More! Now!

I became familiar with this book via 'Unshelved's Saturday book club and decided that it was just so absurd that I had to read it. It is, in fact, great in that it's a world incredibly fertile with imagination. You have to suspend disbelief quite a bit though, it seems to me that 'Municipal Darwinism' probably couldn't even last a single generation. This novel belongs, in my mind, more rightfully to the realm of fantasy than science fiction, despite it's technological base and future setting. The technology is fantastic in both senses of the word. But it's fantastic (in the sense of 'nice') to imagine.

The story is a familiar narrative, at it's base, it's a story mostly about it's three main characters growing up. Losing innocence. Learning about good and evil. Stuff like that. Their back-stories seem sort of shallow and kind of generic to me. I won't say more for the sake of not including plot spoilers, but the characters are sympathetic none-the-less.

And the last sentence of this book is a great ending. I loved it.

All in all, a good book. A good book to read on a free weekend. Not so much to dwell on in a deep way.

I read the British copy of Mortal Engines when my aunt bought me a copy for Christmas, and read it in one night. It's that good. Reeve sucessfully introduces a brilliant world never seen in any type of novel before. This new type of sci-fi was an immediate attraction.
The book begins with a narrative on the great and powerful traction city (a city that has been put on wheels and is layered in tiers) London, chasing a smaller traction town. In a future day in age, the motto "it's a city eat city world" is a statement widely followed.
It is here in London, on the second tier that we meet the protagonist, Tom. Tom is a jubilant teenager, who was orphaned when his parents were killed in the "big tilt". An apprentice historian, Tom idolizes the famous "Valentine", London's hero and pretty coverboy. However, when he meets the assasine Hester Shaw, a character whose intriguing history and hate of traction cities is more than interesting, Tom's once dull life is hurled into a rapid cycle of betrayal, disbelief, and survival.
Pushed off of London, Tom is forced to trek across "the waste" with Hester, whose hard shell and clever wit helps them survive in numerous places. Forced on a journey together, with opposite purposes, Hester and Tom make their way, while things in London take an ugly turn. Their story is alternated with that of Katherine, Valentine's daughter, who still resides in London.
What i found msot intriguing about the ever twisting plotline was the mystery of what has happened to the world. Computer disks are regarded as "artifacts", and there are brief mentions of a possible world war. Statements come up in random places, like "I heard the Americans went quite insane in the end". And the ultimate power weapon, which blood has been spilt for, is a reconstructed nuclear weapon used by the "ancients". What is assumed to be Europe is a vast wasteland of mud and bare rock.
Over all, the amazing novelty of a world like this, where cities compete to keep on moving, immediately pulls the reader in. People who enjoy the book may be noted that the British version of Reeve's second installment in the series, Predator's Gold, can be ordered on the store UK.

*Note: for a short, concise review of the book without extra deliberation and insight, simply read the last paragraph.*

Mortal Engines follows the format of a post-apocalyptic future, but from that typical beginning it spreads into varied and fantastic directions. It begins within the city of London, which is chasing down a small salt-mining town. Its purpose? To eat it. Almost all of the great cities of the world have been put on wheels, calling themselves "Traction cities." They roam around, mainly in the Hunting Grounds (what was formerly Europe) digesting those smaller than them - hunting for parts, fuel and food.

London has just returned to the Hunting Grounds, and there we meet our hero - young Thomas Natsworthy. He flees from his duties as a Third Class Apprentice in the London Museum to watch London chase down the small town of Salthook, but instead manages to get in a fight with an older boy. He is thus briefly dropped down to duty in the bowels of the city - fittingly called "the Gut."

With what might seem a stroke of enormous luck, he there manages to save a man he greatly admires from assassination, but his hopes of glory are promptly squeashed when that same "hero" flings him from the wheeled city, onto the open ground of the "Out-Country" below. Teaming up with the scarred would-be assassin, Hester Shaw, he begins to follow after the city - and a tale of heroism, betrayel and love begins.

Mortal Engines is partly about coming of age, yet it does not show any of the main characters as anything close to a stereotypical "child". This is aided by the fact that the ages of the characters are never precisely revealed. Like a great Traction city itself, the book rolls along at a vivacious pace - while not leaving out the complexities of the workings of that city. The characters are realistic and well-created, the plot nothing short of brilliant.

Mortal Engines is darker than some books of a similar genre, not veiling or glossing over death and sorrow, yet it is neither overly sentimental nor brutal. It brings up matters of right and wrong many times, how one mans' terrorist is anothers' hero. I would recommend it strongly to anyone in need of a good adventure story, who are not overly distasteful of its touchs of romance and drama. Mortal Engines is for young adults mainly, but other groups can certainly find meaning in its many levels and messages - or simply enjoy the finely crafted story.

An exciting read, with chracters who make you care, fantastic settings and machines, and a dark yet satisfying conclusion - leaving you wishing for more. And wishing for more is a good thing, as it is merely the first of the Hungry City Chronicles.

One of the best SciFi novels I have read in a while.
Great environment for the steampunk atmosphere, and amazingly well-crafted characters.
The story arc doesn't slow down and has a great drive to it all the way through the series.
Well worth the money.

Well written, creative and fun with a cute friendship/first love story. In a post apocalyptic future traction cities scour the hunting grounds looking for prey. It`s a town eat town world after all and I just couldn't get enough. I'm really looking forward to my second helping of the Predator Cities Series.

This has come up in many searches on Google for the type of book that I like, and I was excited to finally get a copy - and was let down - it seems when a great many people think that a book is great, I end up finding it lacking, and when people hate a book, I most likely end up hating it too, and when people are on the fence about a book, that is when I fall in love with it - I don't mean to be that way, but it is the luck of the draw I guess - there are some very good concepts in this story, and some characters are flat, so it is a struggle to identify with any one aspect of this book - the concept in interesting, though I have to say that I feel like this world would die rather fast in the way that these people live, and that some of this is just to far out there for my liking - also, I do not like when authors try to do the surprise that is not a surprise, and the surprise that really doesn't make a huge difference - I like for things to be believable enough that I can suspend my disbelief and enjoy the ride - that did not happen here - this is not horrible and not great - in a series of books I will stop the ride after the first novel.

I have read plenty of books about post-apocalyptic futures, but none have been as good as this one. The plot is dark, but beautiful in its own way. If you're a kid reading this review, let me just say, this isn't one of those books that acts like you're some kind of toddler. If you've read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, you might know what I mean. In this book, you won't find sentences like, "And they drank a very disgusting grown up drink," or, "they didn't do boring grown up stuff," or even, "things people your age shouldn't trouble yourself with." Those are actually quotes that I have read in books. If you are tired of reading happy, sugar coated books where no main characters die, kill, drink, sleep or have sex with anyone, then this is the book for you. If you like it, I would seriously recommend reading the second one, Predator's Gold. I apologize if you like the types of books described above. And lastly, this book is not for people who like realistic fiction!

A fantastic start to the series. The world-building and the complexity of the characters is Reeve's two biggest strengths here.
The world, depicting our own Earth years after a nuclear war, is both original and incredibly detailed. Although this is the first book in the series, it can certainly be read as a stand-alone with a self-contained plot.

I'd urge anyone to give this book a try.

Derring-do, dirigibles, guildsmen (and women) with forehead tattoos. What more could you want? But there's plenty more in this post-post apocalyptic adventure than can fit on a single seedy! So sit back and enjoy the ride.

In contrast to some modern reviewers I have read this book, not just the back cover. In addition I have read most of the recent works in this genre - recent being published in the last 50 years.

It is possible to draw parallels between Philip Reeve's masterpiece and earlier works by other authors. The girl heroine is not unlike Lyra in the Dark Materials trilogy is one example. A work of fiction is certain to abound in apparent derivative, individual characteristics if taken within the context of all world literature. The skill of the writer is in selection from his memory banks and the moulding of the same into a work of original construction. In this Philip Reeve succeeds brilliantly.

Fom the first sentence the reader is gripped. An alien but understandable scenario develops in which well drawn characters find themselves under threat and pursue a thrilling course of derring do. As the story unfolds so do new facets of the brave new world that followed the nuclear war. The principal characters mature and expand under the pressure of constant dangers and hairsbreadth escapes. The book ends with the trials of the present dealt with, but with plenty of scope for a sequel.

This is fantasy of the first water that is impossible to put down.

"...the city of London was chasing a small mining town across the dried bed of the old North Sea."" This is up there on my list of favorite book beginnings. You jump right into the idea that cities are now on tractor wheels and have to migrate to find resources to stay alive. Or another way of putting it is that cities chase small towns and eat them. How cool is that? The basic idea is really fun - one con is that there are quite a few characters, sometimes hard to keep track of who is doing what. Still, I was sorry when the story finished and quite grateful for the sequel.

This Book was wonderfully written. The aspect of the book that mainly cought my eye was the character development, in which I must say was cou absolutely oustanding. The detail of the story was well done for the most part, which is fine by me, due to the fact that the author gave just enough detail to leave me some room to use my imagination. This made the trials of the characters( which I also have to comment about, I like how it's not entirly sugar coated, the characters run into some trying times) and the world itself more impressive. The story just seems to flow passionately from page to page never ceasing for a dull moment. I would find myself up to 2 in the morning untill I make myself put the book down. needless to say, it was a quick and immensely enjoyable read.

One of the finest series for young people written in the last 20 years. This book begins a dark, disturbing, exciting, funny, honest and - ultimately - wonderful journey. It is what far too much fiction for young people is NOT. It's intelligent, complex and brave, while never retreating into cynicism. I'm 46 and I love these books. My teenagers have devoured them all. If your world revolves around stories that enliven and reveal then read these or buy them for your kids.

Mortal Engines is one of those books that creates a world that is so fantastical that you can't beleive it but somehow it feels at if it is real. I love the way the several story lines weave together and you see diferent characters from totally diferent points of view. I also enjoy how there is a sort of 16 century flare to a book set far into the future. I would highly recomend this to any who wants likes adventures and sometimes thinks about what the world would be like if we had to start over again after a huge war with futuristic weapons.

A wonderful book for adventurous folks of all ages. Hester and Tom are the best characters and Reeve has an unsual imagination. Sort of light compared to a lot of sci fi and fantasy but so what? I love all the books in the series.

This is one of those great YA series that even I, too lazy to review, have to put in a 5 star vote for.

Read the whole series (Mortal Engines, Predator's Gold, Infernal Devices, A Darkling Plain) and you will laugh, cry and be totally engrossed.

Mortal engines
Philip Reeves
What if the fate of millions lay on the shoulders on a 15yr old boy?
Welcome to the world of mortal engines. Traction citys rule the world, the anti traction league is trying to fight. With marvelous weapons and exiting surprises mortal engines is a modern day masterpiece. Philipe Reeves new novel dishes up a plate full of delight and surprises. a must read for grade 7 and up.

Although Mortal Engines has a good premise and the story is gripping, I was left feeling that Philip Reeve had only one solution to any difficulty in characterization or plotting: violent death. I would not recommend this book for kids who identify with characters, nor for kids who expect any sense of justice or fair play. The plot fits better with a comic book series than with a novel.

Only 2 major characters (and maybe one minor one) survive the book. Everyone else (including bit players) dies, generally without advancing the plot much.

I was also offended that the 2-dimensional comic-book villians were called "Engineers".

My son LOVED this book! He said it's his favorite book of all time. He's only 10 years old but he is a strong and avid reader and has read a fair number of books already. He loves all of Phillip Reeve's work.

Interesting story. This book moves at a quick pace, and is tough to set down, similar to an anvil. The whole "into the future" theme is way overplayed, and I plan to have a nice chat over tea and scones with Phillip Reeve about it. Even so, the plot was fun, and you learn to love the characters. I was disappointed by the book's apparent lack of a good sex scene... whatever. I guess all the little kids wouldn't be to thrilled with one, but really, it is just part of life (and makes a book much interesting!!!) I would have given this book four stars, but I read "The House of the Scorpion" one day later. If you were wondering, that book is awesome, and twice as good as "Mortal Engines." I plan to read the sequal to Mortal Engines... eventually. Listen to the song "One in a Million" by Guns N' Roses. It is one of my favorite tunes these days. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

This is not a 'review' of this book; only a recommendation for another book because the description of this book, which I have NOT read, seems to match a book I read in the mid-1970's. "The Inverted World" by Christopher Priest. This is an exceptional story; I recommend it very highly. It is out of print but is reviewed and old copies are available by the store.com. Please check out this older book and see for yourself. The basic premise of moving cities occurs in both. Of course, there are also the "Okie" flying cities, using 'spin-dizzies', anyone remember them, from another very well-known author? I'll try out "Mortal Engines", myself, to see what kind of read it is, sometime.

This book is the epitome of young adult fiction albeit with a bit more killing off of characters than one may expect for the genre, but regardless, a very entertaining, fast-paced read based on premise alone! The entire concept of a dystopian future in which the world's cities exist as mobile communities in a constant state of motion, hunting to maintain their existences, is extremely intriguing to begin with; however, the author presenting that concept on par with animals in the wild in a National Geographic video is at the true core of its appeal! You quickly begin to imagine the various cities in the book as different predators and prey as part of a primitive food chain, likening London to a lion, more defenseless cities to antelopes, random scavenger cities to vultures, and so on. The inhabitants supporting/celebrating the hunts almost stand separately from the animalistic machines they actually live in.

For the plot line itself, the book quickly jumps right into the action, which has its own bit of excitement, but with that - a theme seen throughout the course of the book - there is a bit of a struggle with character development within the novel. The story is light enough for that to be ignored for the sake of appreciating the world that has been created here, but it does make you invest a bit less in many of the characters and leaves you asking why certain characters or moments were ever even inserted as they become more noise than contribution. That is not to say there are not plenty of interesting characters to appreciate, but you would just like to see those individuals developed a bit more.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable book, enough so that I picked up the sequel as quickly as I finished this!

UPDATE: Finished reading the sequel, Predator's Gold, which entertains but loses much of the novelty that carried the first one and continues to suffer from some of the same weaknesses. I will not be continuing the series after the second book.

Purchased for my father who loves to read science fiction books like this. Overall he said it was clever, however since it is written for a younger audience he had trouble really getting into it. Purchased this so he would be ready for the movie coming out.

"It was a dark, blustery afternoon in spring, and the city of London was chasing a small mining town across the dried-out bed of the old North Sea.'

With these opening words, master storyteller Philip Reeve transports the reader to a dusty, oily world in the distant future. Here, crimson-coloured airships circle the large, many-tiered cities which tear across a ravaged landscape to eat up smaller cities, cannibalise them for parts and take their residents as slaves to work the cities giant engines. If you've ever been to the wilds of Dartmoor in England, where Reeve lives, you'll recognise place names that pop up in the stories, such as the surname of the main character, Tom Natsworthy. And the fierce Hester Shaw is unforgettable, with her ravaged face, mangled and scarred from being sliced nearly in half from an attack in her childhood for which she seeks vengeance.

I envy you if you've never read these, you have an amazing four books ahead of you: Mortal Engines, Predator's Gold, Infernal Devices, and A Darkling Plain. (Reeve packs a powerful punch in that fourth book.) But then there are three prequels which are also unmissable: Fever Crumb, A Web of Air, and Scrivener's Moon. I was amazed how he made me care so much for his Stalker character, a reanimated robot-like corpse who appears throughout the seven books, who raises the strange Hester child and who has memories which occasionally resurface from his human life. Get started with either Mortal Engines or Fever Crumb right away: once you get stuck into the strange and wonderful world of Reeve, you'll never want to leave.