Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines is an award winning book by Philip Reeve. The book has won a Nestle Smarties Gold Award and was shortlisted for the Whitebread Award.

Setting of Mortal Engines

The book is set in a postapocalyptic world, ravaged by a nuclear war known as the Sixty-Minute War. Afterwards, the great inventor Nicholas Quirke designed a system known as Munincipal Darwinism, where entire cities essentially become immense vehicles, and must consume one another in order to maintain themselves in a world deprived of most natural resources. Much technological and scientific knowledge was lost, and what remains of "Old Tech", advanced artifacts left by what seems to be our future society, are dug up and pored over by the History and Engineering Guilds. The Traction Cities are apparently ruled by a quasi-feudal numerical caste system, members of the cast living on the "Tier" (level) of the city that pertains to their number, ranging from one downwards. The city is largely dominated by large Guilds, chief of which is the Engineering Guild, whose responsibility it is to maintain the functioning of the machines necessary for the survival of the cities. The city is, however, officially ruled over by the chosen Mayor of the city.

Plot

The story revolves around the adventures of young Tom Natsworthy, an apprentice historian (third class), who idolises a famous archaeologist named Thaddeus Valentine. He meets a horrifically disfigured, yet striking young woman named Hester Shaw, who tries to assassinate Valentine. Pushed off of London through a chute by Thaddeus with Hester, Tom slowly uncovers a conspiracy in London led by the top leaders of London, involving a powerful weapon dubbed MEDUSA that can destroy other cities, with a plan for complete domination in place. The only question is if Tom and Hester can stop MEDUSA in time...

Sequels

  • "Predator's Gold" is the only sequel yet released. Both books are part of a series dubbed "The Hungry City Chronicles". The third book in the series, titled "Infernal Devices", is slated for release in 2005.

External Links

 

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