Rating: 
Summary: I'll never see a book like this again
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Reeve lifted story base idea?
Review: 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 Amazon.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, anyway.
Rating: 
Summary: winner for children and adults of all ages
Review: 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
Rating:
Summary: A love song for underdogs
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, if I'd had this back in fourth grade....
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: London the conqueror
Review: 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.
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