Book review: MORTAL ENGINES

Author: Philip Reeve

Year published: 2001.

Publisher: Mozaik knjiga, Zagreb

Year published: 2006.

Croatian translation: Lidija Vinković

Cover design: David Frankland

Paperback, 300 pages

I have put this book on my ~to read~ list in 2019., but my impatience was stronger than me. I brought back the books I have read to library and asked for this one. It was available and I was so excited. While I'm waiting for the movie (next week!), I didn't wanted to serve myself the spoilers, so I started reading. And I prefer to read the book first.

It is year 3000. and something. The whole world has drastically changed after "Sixty Minute War" (1 hour!) which caused apocalypse with huge geological changes as a consequence. There are not much resources left on Earth so humanity has to find the other ways of survival.

The City of London is just like any other city left on Earth - full of levels and floors on the top and wheels on the ground as known as Traction city. This type of cities are mobile and in order to survive, they must eat smaller cities like predators. Organization and the whole society of the city is divided in Guilds: the Engineers, the Navigators, the Merchants and the Historians. Two main guilds are the Engineers and the Historians, while the whole city is leaded by Mayor Magnus Chrome, the head master of the Historians Guild. Engineers are in charge to keep technology on the level in order to maintain the mobility of the city, while Historians are in charge to search for items from past centuries and preserve them as important artifacts. The one compact disc, spark plugs and even ramen noodles are something worth for Historians to study what they meant to humanity. Other cities, which rejected the idea of mobility and predatory are enemies, hiding behind the wall.

Tom Natsworthy is an orphan, working as an apprentice in Historians Guild. His idol is Thaddeus Valentine, head master of Historians Guild, Mayor Chrome's best man. It seemed that his dream - to meet Mr. Valentine, will come true on the day when the city of London has found and destroyed small town Salthook. That day Tom was sent to "Gut" for punishment of not doing his chore. Accidentally, he met Mr. Valentine and his daughter Katherine. They asked him to join them on festivity in Upper London and they saved him from working in "Gut". Suddenly, the mysterious girl with face hidden with scarf tried to stab Thaddeus Valentine with an arrow, but Tom stopped her. She started to run and Tom pursued her to the big black hole where she jumped. In the next moment, Tom found himself falling down the same hole, pushed by the man whose life he saved. They fell down in the dirt and in the desert, while City of London is moving far away from them. Tom doesn't like the girl named Hesther Shaw, just like she doesn't like him. But they have to stick together, they have the same goal - to come back to London. Tom wants to be back home, and she wants something bigger - the revenge.

Who is that girl? Where is she from? I she Londoner or an intruder? Why was Tom pushed down? Why did the city fathers rejected and expelled him? What is the link between the girl and Thaddeus Valentine? What are the other secrets that he is keeping?

London rejected both Tom and Hesther, continued to move on on the road full of destruction, without them. The way back to London and Valentine's daughter's heart is possible, but is anything but starry road...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This book is 1st of four books from "The hungry city chronicles". Due to the post - apocalyptic thematic, description of dystopian society is the dominant element trough the whole story.

Because of the century where the story is situated, and it's distant future, technology is not much developed than the one we know in this day and age, but has very important role so Reeve has perfectly fitted steampunk iconography.

It may seem that the main target audience are teenagers, that the main category is youth adult, but every fan of science fiction can find here something for himself.

One thing that is prevalent here is - one negative character, the "bad guy" is the cause of the all the problems. He is pulling the strings which are bearing capacity of the whole story. It may seem like cliche, which makes it impossible for other characters for becoming deeper, so reader perceive them as "the good ones" and "the bad ones", black/white.

Personally, science fiction is not quite my go-to genre, but I'm not limiting myself and am opened to anything. So I gave it a try. Somewhat melancholic atmosphere and uncertainty drew me during the reading, it took me one afternoon and part of the evening to complete it. As the action is located in the future, what made me sad is the fact that humanity has not changed and evolved at all. Wars are waged, people are killed for higher goals, human life is not appreciated. Science is using the life for it's dirty experiments. Society is still divided into upper and lower classes. Everything is so mechanic (or - is that the point of steampunk after all?!?!)

I haven't read the other books from series, yet. Nonetheless, it seems to me that the book can be read separately and that most of the answers have been obtained. It is not necessary to look for them in the sequels.

I found this story very interesting and full of imagination. As an adult I have witnessed some things, so for my generation it can be perceived as something already seen. But I would highly recommend it for youth, to see how the whole world can change when only a bunch of people eager of power want to rule and your destiny is in their control. Which is, sadly,

the world in which we live today.

Next week the movie is finally out in cinemas! Directed by Christian Rivers, produced by Peter Jackson (Lord of the rings and the Hobbit fans, big hooray!!!). I am so excited! If you are feeling excited too - check out the trailer!!!

My book rating: 9/10

Kisses!!!