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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
This has to be one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Every page is a delight. It combines the authors' excellent 'historical' account of the rise of tractionism with gorgeous illustrations, diagrams and maps from a range of illustrators.
I have loved the Mortal Engines (and Fever crumb) books ever since I read them many years ago, and reading this book brought back so many wondeful memories. The many inside jokes made me smile and even laugh out loud sometimes. I also teared up on a few occasions when reading about favourite characters or places.
As I read, I was reminded of the immense amount of work and creativity that has gone in to the world-building for these books. The history of tractionism is well planned out and thoughtfully created and this would be a great achievement on its own. However, it is made even more impressive by the way the authors have managed to link our world and the times we live in now to this far off future.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the Mortal Engines series. I think it is best to read all of the Mortal Engines and Fever Crumb books first so that you get the most from all the little details and so you aren't spoiled for anything. It is a fabulous collector's piece that I shall treasure forever.
I have loved the Mortal Engines (and Fever crumb) books ever since I read them many years ago, and reading this book brought back so many wondeful memories. The many inside jokes made me smile and even laugh out loud sometimes. I also teared up on a few occasions when reading about favourite characters or places.
As I read, I was reminded of the immense amount of work and creativity that has gone in to the world-building for these books. The history of tractionism is well planned out and thoughtfully created and this would be a great achievement on its own. However, it is made even more impressive by the way the authors have managed to link our world and the times we live in now to this far off future.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the Mortal Engines series. I think it is best to read all of the Mortal Engines and Fever Crumb books first so that you get the most from all the little details and so you aren't spoiled for anything. It is a fabulous collector's piece that I shall treasure forever.
Having loved the world created in the mortal Engines quartet I just had to have this book and I am so glad I picked it up. The narration has the same wit that is present in the books and you can see that Reeve knew exactly what he envisioned the world as being. Add in the beautiful illustrations and it’s a sure fire win - I recommend it to anyone who loved the books and would like to know more.
good world building, i think it could have gone a bit more into social structures and issues of this world but i guess you can only do so much when all 2/3 of the protagonists are young sheltered teens. the ending was...abrupt i guess and there could have been more character development and closure from the aftermath of whole ordeal for both tom and hester. but i think this is a series so hopefully that happens in the next book i guess?
A friend introduced me to this book and its opening line:
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.
I loved the concept of this book - mobile cities hunting each other like animals, trying to survive in a post one-minute war future. London is one of the greater cities, but even it will falter if it does not find better hunting grounds.
The first protagonist we meet is Tom, a friendless orphan, who soon becomes wrapped up in the espionage brought on board London by Hester Shaw - a once pretty girl, hideously scarred by Tom's hero, Valentine, against whom Hester seeks revenge. Valentine is also the father of Katherine, who in turn meets shy engineer, Pod, as she searches for the truth about her dad. The four of them are, typically,very unlikely heroes and, what I appreciated more, unlikely couples. I was pleasantly surprised by their ultimate fates and the fate of those they meet along their journeys. Not everything needs a Hollywood ending.
Unfortunately, the book fails slightly on delivery. Some things feel a bit rushed, but most notably is the change of tense that usually comes when dealing with an 'evil' character. Initially the change to present tense is bound within the respective chapters, but when everything and everyone comes together in the end, it becomes an annoyance.
This isn't enough of an issue to prevent the book from being enjoyable. It is part of a series based on an interesting concept, so I am curious to learn more about this future.
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.
I loved the concept of this book - mobile cities hunting each other like animals, trying to survive in a post one-minute war future. London is one of the greater cities, but even it will falter if it does not find better hunting grounds.
The first protagonist we meet is Tom, a friendless orphan, who soon becomes wrapped up in the espionage brought on board London by Hester Shaw - a once pretty girl, hideously scarred by Tom's hero, Valentine, against whom Hester seeks revenge. Valentine is also the father of Katherine, who in turn meets shy engineer, Pod, as she searches for the truth about her dad. The four of them are, typically,very unlikely heroes and, what I appreciated more, unlikely couples. I was pleasantly surprised by their ultimate fates and the fate of those they meet along their journeys. Not everything needs a Hollywood ending.
Unfortunately, the book fails slightly on delivery. Some things feel a bit rushed, but most notably is the change of tense that usually comes when dealing with an 'evil' character. Initially the change to present tense is bound within the respective chapters, but when everything and everyone comes together in the end, it becomes an annoyance.
This isn't enough of an issue to prevent the book from being enjoyable. It is part of a series based on an interesting concept, so I am curious to learn more about this future.
Steampunk isn't usually my bag, but this one was ok. I hope they do a good job with the film adaptation.
I was thinking about this book last night after I finished it and realised I'm a bit unhappy with the ending. It very much had an air of "rocks fall, everyone dies" about it. I wish Reeve had taken more time to explore the fallout of the destruction of London - what actually happened to it, the ramifications of that for Municipal Darwin, etc. Especially because there doesn't seem to be much discussion of it so far in Predator's Gold.
this held up much better than I expected from a story I thought was awesome as a preteen. I'm really glad tbh XD
In a post-apocalyptic future, cities have become mobile and survive in a twisted form of Municipal Darwinism, with towns eating villages and cities eating towns, ripping them apart and incorporating their human and material resources into themselves. The most ancient City of them all, London, has returned from its hiding places to the great Hunting Ground in a mad dash east. Apprentice Historian Tom Natsworthy and the murderous Hester Shaw are hurled from the city and must survive in the wilderness and discover the secret at the heart of London's Guild of Engineers.
I really enjoyed this book. It's a riveting tale with lots of strong characters and a feeling that that none of the protagonists are necessarily safe, but it still packs a punch when someone does die. The world-building is rich and the descriptions are excellent, particularly those of London, in its new mobile form (well, I say 'new', although the novel is set over a thousand years after the creation of the Traction Cities). This is the first in a quartet of novels set in the same world, but I'm not entirely sure that I'd want to read the others, since the climax of this one was so poignant.
I really enjoyed this book. It's a riveting tale with lots of strong characters and a feeling that that none of the protagonists are necessarily safe, but it still packs a punch when someone does die. The world-building is rich and the descriptions are excellent, particularly those of London, in its new mobile form (well, I say 'new', although the novel is set over a thousand years after the creation of the Traction Cities). This is the first in a quartet of novels set in the same world, but I'm not entirely sure that I'd want to read the others, since the climax of this one was so poignant.
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http://recenseernogeenkeer.wordpress.com/2013/10/27/mortal-engines/
http://recenseernogeenkeer.wordpress.com/2013/10/27/mortal-engines/
