04-18-2009, 09:40 AM
Let me start by saying that the first book, Mortal Engines, is much different than the rest.
I will follow with my ratings -
Mortal Engines : 4/5
Series in general : 2.5/5
Mortal Engines and its series was written by Philip Reeve, a renowned author in Britain (So he claims). It is a very good alteration of history and evidently takes place in the future. Reeve masterfully makes up history between now and then. North America is (arguably) completely dead due to a '60 Minute War.' The rest of the world is also very dead, and large cities move around and 'eat' other cities.
Mortal Engines centers around London. There is a conspiracy going on when a leader pushes a meager apprentice,Tom, off the city after he disabled an assassin, Hester Shaw. The city nearly kills him and leaves him behind in the dust. Hester and Tom grudgingly team up to find out more about London and (save?) it. Meanwhile, the daughter of the person who pushed Tom off of London, Katherine Valentine, also finds out about some sort of conspiracy. She tries to put a stop to it.
SPOILER ALERT - If you actually want to read this book then do NOT continue reading this thread.
Eventually, it turns out that London retrieved some sort of bomb (or nuke) from the 'Dead Continent' (America). Katherine finds out, tells the Guild of Historians, who are then attacked by London's GUild of Engineers, who were behind the whole thing. A civil war erupts in London as they reach the stronghold of the 'Anti-Traction League', an alliance that are against moving cities. London is about to (bomb or nuke) it when Tom and Hester and Katherine and her friend attack Sir Valentine (Katherine's father) to stop the bomb. Sir Valentine unwittingly stabs his daughter and mourns over it. The code, due to Katherine, was typed in incorrectly and the missile launch was cancelled. But, there was a huge buildup of energy that could not be stopped, and it was suddenly released and London blew up.
The rest of the series is just plain stupid.
I will follow with my ratings -
Mortal Engines : 4/5
Series in general : 2.5/5
Mortal Engines and its series was written by Philip Reeve, a renowned author in Britain (So he claims). It is a very good alteration of history and evidently takes place in the future. Reeve masterfully makes up history between now and then. North America is (arguably) completely dead due to a '60 Minute War.' The rest of the world is also very dead, and large cities move around and 'eat' other cities.
Mortal Engines centers around London. There is a conspiracy going on when a leader pushes a meager apprentice,Tom, off the city after he disabled an assassin, Hester Shaw. The city nearly kills him and leaves him behind in the dust. Hester and Tom grudgingly team up to find out more about London and (save?) it. Meanwhile, the daughter of the person who pushed Tom off of London, Katherine Valentine, also finds out about some sort of conspiracy. She tries to put a stop to it.
SPOILER ALERT - If you actually want to read this book then do NOT continue reading this thread.
Eventually, it turns out that London retrieved some sort of bomb (or nuke) from the 'Dead Continent' (America). Katherine finds out, tells the Guild of Historians, who are then attacked by London's GUild of Engineers, who were behind the whole thing. A civil war erupts in London as they reach the stronghold of the 'Anti-Traction League', an alliance that are against moving cities. London is about to (bomb or nuke) it when Tom and Hester and Katherine and her friend attack Sir Valentine (Katherine's father) to stop the bomb. Sir Valentine unwittingly stabs his daughter and mourns over it. The code, due to Katherine, was typed in incorrectly and the missile launch was cancelled. But, there was a huge buildup of energy that could not be stopped, and it was suddenly released and London blew up.
The rest of the series is just plain stupid.