Anchorage has become a static settlement on the shores of the Dead Continent, and its inhabitants have been living peacefully for sixteen years. Bu...
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Dec 26, 2009
Sean
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This "sixteen-years-later"-quel suffers from the main problem of letting your characters grow up off screen: when you get back to them they are no longer the people you grew to love or hate or (at least) know. Hester, the grumpy-but-lovable urchin from the previous books, has become a hardened, hateful and hate-filled grown-up with next to no good qualities. She has also who has somehow turned into a warrior extraordinaire in the years she spent in the sleepy backwater of Anchorage-in-
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Dec 26, 2009
Brooke
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More Hungry City Chronicles! More towns on wheels! More oddly obsessive descriptions of the characters' clothing! More action, more traction!
This book leaps forward 16 years from Predator's Gold. Young Wren Natsworthy is kidnapped after her plans to run away go awry, and her parents, Tom and Hester (the heroes of the previous two books) chase after her and the three of them are swiftly embroiled in political intrigue, danger, entanglements with evil cyborgs, Falling in Like With More...
This book leaps forward 16 years from Predator's Gold. Young Wren Natsworthy is kidnapped after her plans to run away go awry, and her parents, Tom and Hester (the heroes of the previous two books) chase after her and the three of them are swiftly embroiled in political intrigue, danger, entanglements with evil cyborgs, Falling in Like With More...
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Dec 26, 2009
Megan
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I don't know how it's possible but this series is really growing on me, and the books keep improving as the series goes on. Usually I find books about the children of main characters insufferably annoying, but this one surprised me. And true to the form of the past books, so did the characters. I don't want to spoil anyone's read but I have to say that my favorite thing about this author and this series is that the characters often do things I don't expect, but more than that, neither do they do
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Dec 26, 2009
Philip
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I liked this book, but I think it's the weakest yet in the series. For one, letting your main characters grow up between books rarely works, because they inevitably don't turn out to really be the same characters any more. Which I think is often why authors do it...they're tired of the character as is and really want to work with something new. Totally understandable...in my attempts at fiction I'm frequently either sick of or annoyed at my characters 100 pages into it, but readers haven't spent
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Jan 26, 2012
C.S.
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dear reader,
the only reason I give this one one star less is because I didn't connect with Wren. Most of the times, I felt she was on the way. And fifteen years is a HUGE jump and I felt I no longer knew the characters. WAY TOO FAST MR. REEVE.
I liked the book; however, I feel it is the weakest one of the series. I think what killed my initial interest is the fact that the third book flash forwards more than a decade (sixteen years to be exact) into the future, not allowin More...
the only reason I give this one one star less is because I didn't connect with Wren. Most of the times, I felt she was on the way. And fifteen years is a HUGE jump and I felt I no longer knew the characters. WAY TOO FAST MR. REEVE.
I liked the book; however, I feel it is the weakest one of the series. I think what killed my initial interest is the fact that the third book flash forwards more than a decade (sixteen years to be exact) into the future, not allowin More...
Jun 25, 2010
Lady
rated it: 
This one is probably my least favorite in the series. Having said that, though, it is easily better than most teen books out there. Comment must be made however that, this book is much, much harsher than the previous two. This is the one that makes libraries sometimes put the series in the adult section instead of the YA. Still amazing though!
15 years have passed since "Predator's Gold" and Tom and Hester have settled in to Anchorage-in-Vineland. They are now in their thirt More...
15 years have passed since "Predator's Gold" and Tom and Hester have settled in to Anchorage-in-Vineland. They are now in their thirt More...
Apr 17, 2010
Heather
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If you really liked the two prior books in this series, than Infernal Devices may be a bit of a tough sell for you. Reeve takes the risk of skipping 16 years in the storyline to start this one -- so Tom and Hester are older, and less appealing -- and added their daughter Wren to the mix, and unfortunately she's too naive to be terribly interesting herself.
But, there are happy trade offs. An infamous character returns, with flair and panache, I might add, and the uncomfortable dynamic More...
But, there are happy trade offs. An infamous character returns, with flair and panache, I might add, and the uncomfortable dynamic More...
Aug 21, 2011
Andrew
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The third of Reeve's Hungry City books jumps forward a decade or so and hands the bulk of the action over to a new main character, but it's business as usual and much of the same. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as it's another enjoyable entry to a great series, though I found Tom thoroughly disappointing this time round, his blandness seemingly amplified by age (perhaps that was intentional, but for me it was just unsatisfying).
The real intrigue here comes from the original set of More...
The real intrigue here comes from the original set of More...
Nov 02, 2010
Cialina (Muggle-Born)
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It is always interesting to read when we meet a new character in WoME. At first, I have to admit I was not a huge fan of Wren, but the more I read, the more she matured as a character and the more I came to like her. It's still a bit hard to believe that so much time has passed between books two and three of this series. Many of the characters I had come to love in the previous books are all grown up!
Speaking of characters, Hester really bothered me in this book. I can see that she is More...
Speaking of characters, Hester really bothered me in this book. I can see that she is More...
Dec 26, 2009
Linnae
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This is book three in Reeve's Hungry City Chronicles. I don't read very much science fiction, but this series has intrigued me. Big cities on the move that "eat" smaller cities, an opposing force called the Green Storm, and well-rounded characters, all make it a worthwhile read. You'll definitely want to start at the beginning of the series, though. That would be Mortal Engines.
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Apr 26, 2010
Katrina
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So...I'm sorry to say that I didn't like this book as well as the first two. I really didn't like Hester in this book. She as always been angry, but after 16 years of living with Tom, and having a child, I thought she would have softend up, but she seems as ruthless as ever. I'm interested to see where her character goes in A Darkling Plain.
I did like Wren, though Reeve has created a true 15 year old (i.e. thinks she know better than her parents). Wren is a true mix of her father More...
I did like Wren, though Reeve has created a true 15 year old (i.e. thinks she know better than her parents). Wren is a true mix of her father More...
Dec 10, 2010
Tommy
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This is the third book in the Mortal Engines series. For a third effort -- its not bad. The characters of Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw (now Natsworthy) are further developed through the storyline's plot. Adding to this particular set of front-line characters are Wren Natsworthy (their daughter), Theo Ngoni, Doctor Zero and Fishcake - one of the Lost Boys. The plot moves along at a very good pace -- providing lots of storylines that appear to fade into an ending -- only to be resurrected at the
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Dec 11, 2010
Michael
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Pretty good third instalment in the Mortal Engines series. Everybody has grown up between books, which is a bit of a shock at first but it is well handled and typical of the style of the series to show that not everybody can be satisfied with a 'happily ever after'. Hester is even more mixed up than she was as a teenager and seems to have spent most of the intervening years falling out with her daughter Wren and honing her aim by hunting all the nearby wildlife. We still love her though. There's
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Sep 05, 2010
Lindi
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Considering that I cried audibly at the ending of this book, I have to give it 5 stars. It was amazing! Okay, it's still a silly premise, but the character development is excellent, and Reeve keeps you reading with his plot twists and turns. My heart was constantly in my throat worrying about this or that character!
This is such a great series! The character development goes so far beyond the usual in speculative fiction, the writing is good, and the story arc has me on the edge of my More...
This is such a great series! The character development goes so far beyond the usual in speculative fiction, the writing is good, and the story arc has me on the edge of my More...
Dec 26, 2009
Duncan
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1)Read this series
2)Read the Twilight series (I actually haven't read it).
3)Answer the question: Who would win in a fight, Grike (Yeah!) or Edward Cullen (Booo!)?
4) (The answer is Grike.)
2)Read the Twilight series (I actually haven't read it).
3)Answer the question: Who would win in a fight, Grike (Yeah!) or Edward Cullen (Booo!)?
4) (The answer is Grike.)
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Dec 26, 2009
Louai
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Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve is a story that talks about Wren Natsworthy, who is the daughter of Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw, and who feels so bored with her life in the sleepy static of Anchorage-in-Vineland, and goes to join the lost boys, who have turned up on the island in search of a mysterious Rasmussen family artifact named the "Tin Book", which is a copy of a document from the Sixty Minute War, found by the original founders of the New Anchorage on an old American nuclea
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Oct 09, 2010
Robert
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YA fiction continues to appeal to me. There is a lightness and sense of humor and wonder that I don't get enough of reading my grownup books. And YA reads blazing fast. I'm reading this series out of order so I did feel occasionally left out of the history, but Reeve drops in mild exposition to help out readers like me. One trade off I deal with in YA fiction is characters who are caricatures or not really there, other than to move the plot. It's a Steampunk world of the future they live in and
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Feb 02, 2012
pdarnold
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This book of the series was sad. There was a lot of adventure, thriller, steampunkish drama going on. But it isn't my favorite, not even close. My eyes were riveted to the pages, my fingers flipping the pages as quickly as I could read...but it was sooooo sad! I couldn't believe the ending - GRRRRR! I usually try to pace myself with a series I like (to make them last as long as possible) but I might have to read the next book in line very soon! I am hoping all comes around to the good in the end
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Feb 06, 2011
Sally
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Jan 22, 2011
Suna
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Philip Reeve truly doesn't take any prisoners in his books, does he?
The body count in this one is very high. Relevant, though.
This brilliant book kept me up late, but it was a very hard read indeed.
I think I partly had to read it through to the bitter end - and bitter it is - because some part of me was hoping for some kind of redemption. Didn't happen.
The way the past comes back to haunt Tom and Hester and ultimately drives them apart was painful. More...
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May 23, 2011
AH
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2.5 stars
Philip Reeve’s Hungry City Chronicles is one of the more original and imaginative young adult series out there. Infernal Devices is the third book in the series and it is set 18 years after Predator’s Gold.
Tom and Hester are all grown up with a teenage daughter. Tom is a loving husband and a doting father to Wren. Hester – I’ll get to her later. They live in the static city of Anchorage and their lives are dull and uneventful in contrast to the adventures of the prev More...
Philip Reeve’s Hungry City Chronicles is one of the more original and imaginative young adult series out there. Infernal Devices is the third book in the series and it is set 18 years after Predator’s Gold.
Tom and Hester are all grown up with a teenage daughter. Tom is a loving husband and a doting father to Wren. Hester – I’ll get to her later. They live in the static city of Anchorage and their lives are dull and uneventful in contrast to the adventures of the prev More...
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Dec 26, 2009
Alex
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Another Hungry City Story with more ravenous cities, more zombie robot warriors, more young boys who use high tech submarines to steal little trinkets luckily for us all there is still more to come!
Sixteen years have gone by. The baby in Hesters belly at the end of Predator's Gold has grown up to be Wren. All is calm and cosy in Anchorage. That is, to say,until the Lost Boys (and girls) rock up. This time they want the Tin Book, a mysterious reminent of the Sixty Minute War. However More...
Sixteen years have gone by. The baby in Hesters belly at the end of Predator's Gold has grown up to be Wren. All is calm and cosy in Anchorage. That is, to say,until the Lost Boys (and girls) rock up. This time they want the Tin Book, a mysterious reminent of the Sixty Minute War. However More...
Dec 26, 2009
Becky
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Infernal Devices is the third novel in the Hungry City Chronicles. (I reviewed Mortal Engines and Predator's Gold last week.) The novel begins roughly sixteen years after the close of Predator's Gold and eighteen years after the close of Mortal Engines. Our main character, Wren, is the daughter of Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw. This once-adventurous pair has been settled in Anchorage--a city who roams no more--for sixteen years. And Wren--though she's heard differently, of course--believes that
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Dec 26, 2009
Marco
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Dec 26, 2009
melydia
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This is the third installment in a science fiction series (The Hungry City Chronicles) of which I have read no other books. It felt very sequelish: the heroes of the previous books have settled down and had a daughter who grows up with tales of their adventures back in the day. Said daughter then runs away and revisits old villains from said adventures. Despite the rather cliche set-up, it's a reasonably fast-paced book with fairly interesting characters. If I sound a little tepid, there's a rea
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Mar 17, 2011
Ben
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Infernal Devices is the thrid installment of the Mortal Engines Quartet, where we follow the adventures of Hester and Tom back into the Hunting Ground, looking for their daughter. When I first purchased the book I was quite excited by it - my opinions of the first two in the series were quite high as I enjoyed them quite a lot. However I felt that Infernal Devices was had a fairly good storyline, but in quite a few parts it was quite predictable. but overall quiye a good read.
Oct 04, 2011
Jonathan
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Infernal Devices begins as any solid next book in a series should. It continues on from where the last book left off. Several years after Predator's Gold Tom and Hester have a daughter. And she naturally grows bored with the placid nature of life in the hidden wilderness of America. As a result she ends up plunging Tom and Hester into another whirlwind adventure that continues their adventures with old adversaries and some new ones. In short this really is a brilliant continuation of a creative
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Dec 05, 2011
Geneva
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Jan 15, 2010
Caleb
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This was a very good sequel to Predators Gold. Set sixteen years after the events of the second book(SPOILERS ALERT), and Anchorage has become a static settlement. Tom and Hester are married, and have a sixteen year old daughter named Wren. Wren, being young and stupid, wants to leave the now sleepy city of Anchorage. Her attempt to leave sets in motion a chain of events that will change their lives forever.
Aug 01, 2011
Neill
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In the third book in the hungry City Chronicles, Tom and Hester's quiet life in Anchorage is disrupted when the Lost Boys come back in search of a book from the Anchorage library that we tell them how to enable another of the ancients' mass weapons. The kidnapping of Tom and Hester's daughter leads to a trip to the Lost Boys' headquarters and a further meeting with the android, Mr. Grike.
