Book Review: 'Mortal Engines: Book 4 - A Darkling Plain' by Philip Reeve

cover art by Ian McQue

And so the 'Mortal Engines Quartet' by Philip Reeve comes to a close with 'A Darkling Plain', and what an ending it has. There is a lot going on here! Plenty of thrills, spills and suspense to keep you gripped in the story.

It is a time of peace, with the Green Storm and Municipal Darwinists of the cities having brokered a tentative truce. But with the codes from the tin book memorized, the Stalker Fang is intent on using them to reawaken ODIN, a super weapon still in orbit from the days of the 60 Minute War with the means to destroy humanity. But Hester, Stalker Shrike and the rest are all in pursuit in an effort to stop the fanatical reanimated Anna Fang from destroying all life.

Considering how much is going on, most of the main characters, the Natsworthy's - Tom, Hester and their daughter Wren, Theo Ngoni, Dr Zero - now Lady Naga, Wolf Kobold, Nimrod Pennyroyal, Fishcake, Stalkers Fang and Shrike, still get plenty of 'screen time', carrying the story along at a good pace without feeling too cluttered or as feeling like there was too much filler. All memorable and complex characters, each with their distinct personalities coming through, which added a sense of depth to the narrative.

The world building, as it has been throughout the series, is excellent once more. We get to visit brand new locations and old ones again too, all the while getting a sense of the tensions between the different factions and their fragile truce.

The story, and series, also comes full circle, kind of literally, and without giving too much away, concludes in an emotional and bittersweet but ultimately satisfying way. Not quite the 'happy ever after' you might expect for a conclusion to a series, but it worked well, and I finished the book with a smile on my face.

Once again, I listened to the audiobook edition. Narrated by the once again superb Barnaby Edwards, his performance seems to tease out the personalities of each character, adding an extra dimension to the storytelling and world of Mortal Engines. Never once throughout the series, did the narration become confusing or a chore to listen through, just an absolute delight. It is one of the best acted / narrated series I've had the pleasure to listen to, and heartily recommend the audiobook option.

'A Darkling Plain' is an excellent end to an excellent series and is definitely recommended, especially the wonderful audiobook editions, and especially if the recent movie makes you want to find out more about the world of 'Mortal Engines'. And if you do want more, luckily there is more. 'Night Flights', a prequel collection of short stories about Anna Fang, and the three book 'Fever Crumb' series set around the time of the creation of the first traction cities, all of which will be added to my TBR list as I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the steampunk / dystopian world of 'Mortal Engines'.

Available from Amazon, Waterstones, Audible Audiobooks and all good bookstores.

Book Review: 'Mortal Engines: Book 3 - Infernal Devices' by Philip Reeve

cover art by Ian McQue

'Infernal Devices', book 3 in the 'Mortal Engines' quartet by Philip Reeve, begins with an even bigger time jump than the last book. This time it's 16 years later, Tom and Hester have settled on the traction city of Anchorage, now a static city on the edge of what used to be North America, and live their daughter Wren. The family dynamic between the three is not exactly homely. Wren gets on very well with her father, but the relationship between mother and daughter is frosty, to say the least! So after yet another argument between mother and daughter, Wren storms off, and by chance, meets a charming submarine pirate who offers her the chance of escape and a taste of the adventure she yearns for, if only she would do him a small favour and steal the Tin Book, a forgotten and mysterious book made out of metal. Doing so does indeed open up a new world of adventure for Wren, but just not in the way she had imagined.

Despite the big time jump, 'Infernal Devices' seems to be more linked in to the previous book, than book 2 was to the first. The lore and the world building are once again expanded upon, which again, is one of my favourite aspects of this series. Whereas the series all began with mostly just London and the Anti-Traction League, each book has added and built upon the world, with new locations, factions as well as the machinations of how the overall world looks. We also have the reintroduction of familiar characters again, Freya, Caul, Gargle, Uncle, Pennyroyal, Stalker Fang and Shrike as well as new characters that add a good mix to the narrative.

Things pick up the pace when Wren and Fishcake get captured by Brighton, a raft-city pleasure resort with a certain Nimrod Pennyroyal as mayor and with a burgeoning slave trade, and are immediately indentured into service. But when Tom and Hester finally catch up with their runaway daughter, all chaos breaks loose. It's here where we see the cold and merciless Hester Shaw doing what she has to do to rescue her daughter. I can see her point of view at times, but unfortunately the callousness of her character as she literally blasts her way through Brighton, goes dark very quickly and makes her very unlikeable despite her being one of the main protagonists of the series, a trend that has gotten stronger as the series has progressed.

Overall though it's still a very enjoyable read. The new characters add a fresh breath to the familiar characters that have grown up and changed 'off screen', and it was great to visit the various locations. Now looking forward to seeing how the quartet gets all wrapped up in the final book.

Once again, I took the audiobook option, and Barnaby Edwards once again kills it with the narration. Superbly done, bringing the world of Mortal Engines to life! Well worth the option.

Available from Amazon, Waterstones, Audible Audiobooks and all good bookstores.

Book Review: 'Mortal Engines: Book 2 - Predator's Gold' by Philip Reeve

Cover art by Ian McQue

Set just over 2 years after the events of the first 'Mortal Engines' book. Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw have been travelling around the world on the Jenny Haniver, Anna Fang's old airship, but after picking up a passenger, Nimrod Pennyroyal - an author of adventure books, they're pursued by the gunships of the Green Storm, who are fanatical about Anna Fang and blame them for her death and 'stealing' the Jenny Haniver, they seek sanctuary on the traction city of Anchorage. A once thriving city that has been devastated by plague, leaving only a handful of people left. But when jealousy gets the better of Hester when she sees Tom spending more time with Freya Ragmussen, the young Margravine (queen) of the city, she does something drastic with repercussions that will haunt her for years.

Another exciting read in Philip Reeve's 'Mortal Engines' series. It expands on the lore and world building of the first book, which I liked, and adding more characters to the mix as well. As protagonists go, the main couple of Tom and Hester are total opposites; one comes across as empathetic, believing that life should be fair, and appearing a bit naive at times, whilst the other is very insecure, and full of hate and anger that boils to the surface on more than one occasion, unfortunately making them a bit unlikeable to me. The surrounding characters of Freya, Nimrod Pennyroyal, Piotr Masgard, and of Uncle and the Lost Boys of the sunken city of Grimsby, on the other hand do add a bit of variety and depth to the story.

As with the first book, I listened to the audiobook narrated by Barnaby Edwards. And once again it's a superb performance, full of great characterisations each with their own personalities, bringing the book to life. Definitely a recommended option!

It's a good addition to the quartet of stories in this series, and due to the time jump in between and the amount of well placed references to what has gone on before, one that could easily be read as a standalone, but it's better if you've read the first in the series.

Available from Amazon, Waterstones, Audible Audiobooks and all good bookstores.

Book Review: 'Mortal Engines: Book 1 - Mortal Engines' by Philip Reeve

Cover art by Ian McQue

Inspired to add to my reading list by the movie, which I enjoyed, and the rave reviews of the book series, 'Mortal Engines', book one of the 'Mortal Engines Quartet' of books by Philip Reeve, is set in a dystopian far future, where cities, now mobile, roam the 'hunting grounds' - vast open wastelands left decimated by a devastating 'Sixty Minute War', searching and devouring other cities and small towns for parts and workers to fuel and keep the huge traction cities running. London, where the majority of the story is set, is one of these huge traction cities. A city that is also divided into classes, with its poorer residents and workers at the bottom and the richer more powerful at the top of the tiered city.

And it's in London where we're introduced to the main cast of characters. Tom Natsworthy, a young and idealistic apprentice at the Guild of Historians, who remains loyal to the city. Hester Shaw, a teenage girl with an horrific scar over half her face, in London with a vow to kill Thaddeus Valentine, an historian at the city of London, who murdered her parents and inflicted the scar down her face. Katherine Valentine, adopted daughter of Thaddeus Valentine, who with the help of Bevis Pod, an engineer she befriends, seeks out the truth of her father's activities, uncovering details of a recovered machine called MEDUSA, found by Hester's mother and part of a computer from a super weapon that was used in the Sixty Minute War, and now part of Lord Mayor of London, Magnus Crome's plan to rebuild the superweapon to use against the Anti Traction League and destroy the shield wall of Batmunkh Gompa, that protects the League.

It's a very entertaining and engaging read. There's plenty of action and adventure; Tom and Hester are both thrown off the London and get mixed up with slave traders, pirates, the enigmatic Anna Fang and the Anti Traction League and more, and there's also lots of intrigue too as Katherine and Bevis investigate Thaddeus Valentine and the MEDUSA weapon. The characters are compelling too, finding myself getting drawn into their narratives as the story progresses.

I listened to the audiobook option, narrated by Barnaby Edwards, and if you can, definitely check that out. Barnaby's performance is really good. The different vocalisations and accents brought the characters to life, adding a sense of vivid realism and a different dimension to the story.

It's a thoroughly enjoyable story with a good cast of YA main characters that trundles along at a brisk pace with plenty going on, but not too much, to keep you invested. As I read the book after watching the movie, there are differences in storyline and in the fates of the characters, but it didn't detract from enjoying either of them, and would recommend both the book and the movie. Looking forward to the next instalment in the series, 'Predator's Gold'.

Available from Amazon, Waterstones, Audible Audiobooks and all good bookstores.