Mortal Engines (Mortal Engines, Book 1)

Written by Philip Reeve

Narrated by Barnaby Edwards

The epic city-eat-city adventure is now a major motion picture produced by Peter Jackson!

"A breathtaking work of imagination, Hester Shaw is a heroine for the ages. The moment we finished reading this book we knew we wanted to make it into a movie." -- Producer Peter Jackson* "Reeve's [Mortal Engines] remains a landmark of visionary imagination." -- School Library Journal, starred review​​​Now a major motion picture produced by Peter Jackson!London is hunting again. Emerging from its hiding place in the hills, the great Traction City is chasing a terrified little town across the wastelands. Soon London will feed.In the attack, Tom Natsworthy is flung from the speeding city with a murderous scar-faced girl. They must run for their lives through the wreckage -- and face a terrifying new weapon that threatens the future of the world.Beloved storyteller Philip Reeve creates a brilliant new world in the Mortal Engines series, called "phenomenal... violent and romantic, action-packed and contemplative, funny and frightening" by the Sunday Times.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scholastic Audio Books
• Release date: Oct 31, 2017
• ISBN: 9781338214321

Philip Reeve

Philip Reeve (1966), Brighton, Reino Unido. Reeve empezó su carrera profesional como librero, además de director, escritor y productor de obras de teatro. Reeve se pasó al mundo de la ilustración infantil y su trabajo ilustró más de cuarenta obras. Con Máquinas mortales (2001), comenzó su tetralogía de Ciudades depredadoras.

Reviews for Mortal Engines (Mortal Engines, Book 1)

[Sarah Chalmers · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After having seen the movie first, I wasn't prepared for how much more I would like the characters and how tragic it was in parts. The narration was clear and didn't get in the way of the story at all. Throughly enjoyed

[Laura Santana · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Writing was very engaging. Author's really built out this world. Narrator was awesome for this title and really helped get you transported into this world.

[David Alexander · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good listen read fever crumb first it comes first

[Terri Keehan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very thrilling read. The narrator Barnaby Edwards made the characters come to life! I can’t wait to read the 2nd book.

[Daniel Griffin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best book I’ve read in a while! It was easy to connect to each main character and get caught up in the vividly realized world of mortal engines. Written with some light wit, deep underlying meaning and descriptions that painted an exact picture in your mind of the scene you were in. I loved it.

[Steven · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very unique setting. This is the first time I've ever heard the term, "municipal Darwinism." Clever comments from characters on modern technology. Characters are well developed and relatable. Great story!

[JasmineWilder · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I actually read the “Fever” series first. Which was interesting because I had a backward approach to learning about this post-apocalyptic world but I am reading in the correct historic timeline. This is good young adult fiction. It’s got an interesting premise, good pacing, solid characters, and most importantly the writing isn’t juvenile. I am happy to report that I’ll likely read every book in these series rather than lose interest halfway through. This one tugged at my emotional heartstrings. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

[Marcelle Combrinck · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's a good production of a remarkably well written book. Right at the beginning, Phillip Reeve places the theme that things aren't what you think they ought to be and carries it through to the end. Ignoring the theme, the world of Mortal Engines has been so deftly crafted that you can get completely lost. Such a delight of a book!

[Jake Selby · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Revisiting it all these years later and it's still fantastic!

[Sonja Clement · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good narrative, a bit cliche. It gets quite predictable at the end.

[KotrynaStarkute · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An amazing production! Great voices! Inspiring story about our future history...

[Suzanne Monks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable ride. Author has developed an original world & I’m anxious to continue listening to this series. Good narration with interesting characters. Not sure if I would characterize this novel as Steampunk but similar storyline. Would recommend to fans who enjoy fantasy, steampunk & dystopian novels.

[Karl Duncombe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an amazing narrator his voices were amazing and made the story jump out

[Michael Yanega · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story moved along with many vivid scenes, but the simplistic motivations of the characters weakened the book

[Zvi Lotker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great book.
I like the complex characters.

[Scott · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I watched the movie first. And I think, tho very close to the same telling in most places, both does something very different. Things change very much the further out they get. I thought Shrike's story was much more compelling in the movie. But the end of the book is far more bloody. Hits different. And no political faction is a savior.

Either story is an interesting look at it's unique concepts. Great world building.

[Todd A. Rinker · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Probably the most formulaic story I've heard in quite awhile, which was disappointing since the concept was unique.

[Ishmael22 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very creative. You can not wait to hear what happens next.

[Inocan Andrei · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fun, easy read. I can't wait to start the next book in the series.

[Andrew Grau · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic take on the post-apocalyptic world! Can't wait to see the movie

[Dash Cooray · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Third time reading this book which was one of my childhood favourites. I love listening to the audiobook it was a whole other experience.

[Mya Ngo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very well written. The story was engaging and I couldn’t stop listening.

[Andy Kropf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty entertaining for YA. Always silly to me that in dystopian books 1,000 years can go by and people still use things like swords and hot air balloons. Oh well, it's fantasy.

[Nikolas Lawrence · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Almost made me cry. Good to read this book again.

[NoemiCL · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Something happened to me with this book, I was very excited to read this story, but to a certain point it became very tedious for me to follow... I couldn't connect with any character, which made the development feel very simple to me.

I'll give it some time to give the saga another chance because I want to keep exploring the world that has been developed in the story. (Translated from Spanish)

[Becabooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting. I had seen this book in purchase recommendations and I can only say it's a gem of a book.

I felt convinced to read it when I saw the movie commercial on television, and it looked beautiful.

It's a book I would recommend a lot for people who are starting to read science fiction or for those who really enjoy dystopias. It also includes social critiques and action scenes, along with a rebellion.

There are many things I liked, one of them being the concept of this dystopia; it’s something different that I haven’t seen and not something usual that I’ve read. The traction cities fascinated me, thinking about how they are made and how they function, practically being everything, almost like a religion and law. Likewise, the concept of social classes reminded me a bit of Brave New World just because of the levels; I would say what’s interesting is how the world has decayed.

Regarding the protagonists, I had quite a bit of difficulty understanding them, mainly Hester. I must admit she is a strong character with many doubts. Tom, on the other hand, was the one I connected with the most, even though he gave me a headache, and I admit that I liked his development.

What I didn't like was the lack of information about the sixty-minute war (which I hope can be explored more in the other books). Overall events, there were certain parts that I found difficult to read because it was more of an adventure. Regarding the romance, I liked it, I won't deny it, but I felt it needed a bit more for me to truly feel it was meant to happen.

In general, a good start to the saga. Yes, I intend to continue with the other books because there are still loose ends.

I recommend this book if you like science fiction, dystopias, and adventures. (Translated from Spanish)

[Hannaly Higuera · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am amazed by Hester Shaw, everything she is and being a survivor not only of a crime but also of a short that disfigured her face, the face that is our calling card to society. Every time I read about her, I couldn't help but admire how strong she is at fifteen years old.
The story has spectacular elements; I loved the stalkers, feeling pity for them, and there's no doubt about the filthy Section 60, just like Katherine, it took me several chapters to recover from the feeling that shook me while reading it.
I like Katherine and Bevis much more than Tom in several aspects, their evolution and what they were discovering, although undoubtedly, Katherine wouldn't have gotten far as a character without Bevis and Valentine, the discovery of her father made her grow.
I liked Anna Fang to a certain extent, just like Tom.
I really liked some cities, although I think the story, being told quickly, has some flaws, like if they know the hunt is ending, launching projectiles at a couple of slaves seems unbelievable to me; all the other hustle and bustle, yes, but not when you're short on weaponry for such a situation. -This when they meet Anna Fang and get on the Jenny Haniver.
In my perception, the steampunk world is not valued enough for having certain incredible traits; one of the things I didn't like was that many traction cities had technical names instead of names of actual cities like London—the only other mention I detected was Bayreuth, a German city that was also a fusion with another city—of course, this only in the first book.
There were other details I didn't like either, but with that ending, ufff I loved the book. I recommend it. (Translated from Spanish)

[ximoalbanchez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very original and fun to read novel. Recommended. (Translated from Spanish)

[Michicalectura · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Spin-off of the tetralogy, Predator Cities. A magical book about one of the most important characters in the books, Anna Fang. Filled with adrenaline and adventurous passion, with Philip's unique style intact. (Translated from Spanish)

[David2416 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very good dystopia, I liked the way it is narrated. It not only focuses on a particular character, but each character has their own appeal and function, which makes you empathize with more than one character, and I loved that. (Translated from Spanish)