Mortal Engines

Did You Know?

• The title references Act III, Scene iii of William Shakespeare's Othello.
• A film adaptation was announced in 2009 and directed by Christian Rivers.
• Philip Reeve responded in 2020 that a television reboot seemed unlikely.

Summary

The novel takes place after the Sixty Minute War, a global conflict that caused massive geological upheaval. To escape earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, a Nomad leader named Nikola Quercus installed engines and wheels on London, creating the first Traction City. This technology evolved into Municipal Darwinism, where cities consume other settlements for resources. Scientific progress has halted, and Old Tech is highly prized. Europe, parts of Asia, North Africa, South America, Australia, and the Arctic are dominated by Traction Cities, while North America, called the dead continent, is a stronghold of the Anti-Traction League. London's society is divided into Guilds: Engineers, Historians, Navigators, and Merchants. The Lord Mayor is Magnus Crome, also head of the Engineers. London is built on tiers reflecting social classes, with St Paul's Cathedral at the top, the only building known to have survived the war.

Plot

London catches the mining town Salthook. Tom Natsworthy, an Apprentice Historian, meets Thaddeus Valentine and his daughter Katherine. Hester Shaw, a Salthook resident, tries to assassinate Valentine but is stopped by Tom. She reveals a scar on her face caused by Valentine and escapes. Valentine pushes Tom down a chute. Tom and Hester follow London's tracks and board the town Speedwell, where Orme Wreyland drugs them. They escape with help from airship pilot Anna Fang, who takes them to Airhaven. Tom and Hester steal a hot-air balloon. Hester explains that Valentine killed her parents for an Ancient machine and left her scarred. Shrike raised her but she left him to avenge her parents; Shrike was later captured by Crome.

Characters

Several characters are named after places in Devon, including Chudleigh Pomeroy and Miss Plym. Tom Natsworthy is a 15-year-old Third-Class Apprentice Historian. Hester Shaw, also 15, is a short-tempered assassin seeking vengeance for her parents. Anna Fang is a friendly but deadly aviatrix and Anti-Tractionist agent. Thaddeus Valentine is the Head of the Guild of Historians and a famous archaeologist. Katherine Valentine is his daughter who becomes suspicious of him. Bevis Pod is an Apprentice Engineer who helps Katherine. Shrike, also called Grike, is an ancient Stalker who raised Hester. Magnus Crome is the Lord Mayor and Head of the Engineers. Other characters include Chrysler Peavey, Chudleigh Pomeroy, and Tamarton Foliot.

Development

Philip Reeve planned to write a science fiction novel in the late 1980s. The original drafts were for an adult novel, but after rejections, Scholastic expressed interest as a children's story. The story was simplified, removing characters and city politics. The world was originally an alternative universe set in the early 1900s, but Reeve found this required too much explanation. He was inspired by The War of the Worlds.