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Mortal Engines – Book

Mortal Engines

Well, my eyes were truly opened today! I had been advised of an absolutely wonderful looking book (I will make a seperate post about it, but my mail program is down right now so I cannot give credit yet) and went down to my local WH Smith (stationers and bookshop) to see if I might aquire a copy of it. But lo! What I found astonished me – in the ‘young adult’ and ‘kids’ book section was a veritable avelaunche of Steampunk books for the younger, more adventure driven reader!

While I didn’t find the book in question (I will continue to look) I did find the book above and several others – but this is the one I purchased today. Mortal Engines, by Philip Reeve is a multiple prize winning book, and the first in a series like it – this one occupies a strange Post-Apocalyptic Steampunk genre where the world was ravaged by war and in the aftermath, whole cities became mobile engines roving across a damaged landscape, hunting smaller settlements like architectural carnivores. The book starts in London, a hulking yet tired mechanical contraption that scours the land for prey. The engineers try to keep the cogs turning and the navigators show the way. We start in the Museum, where skeletons of long extinct creatures hang like mobiles from the ceiling, swaying with the rhythmic motion of the city.

And this is just one of many books! A silent revolution has been right under my nose. Expect more information on these Steampunk young person books – hopefully filled with adventure in the skies!

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 28th, 2006 at 9:53 pm by Tinkergirl and is filed under Books.

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As for the 'dark and demonic North of England' - I've lived further north than that, and further south - and from one end of Britain to the other, it just reeks of Steampunk and Victorian history. We're very lucky over here.

Matthew

I've read all the books in the series and I must say they are easily the best books I've ever read! I love the world, the story and the people. I discovered steampunk by Googling things that I thought might be in the world of this book.

Luther

i have read all but the last of the hungry city chronicles, and agree that they are all amazing, and well worth anyones time to read

Amber

I cannot reccomend these books enough, nor the edge chronicals. they are amazing.

tom

the hungry city chronicals is a brilliant series of books soon to be made into movies

Tinkergirl

Mr Reeve, I'm honoured that you're here! I do hope that the æther-chat causes you no problems, you may find future methods of communication either in comments such as this one, via electrostatic mail (please see the 'to whom it may concern, page), or even through the forum.

May I say I've read two of the Hungry City Chronicles books now, and I have enjoyed them greatly (though I find the endings a little upsetting). Thank you for writing them.

Philip Reeve

This is sweetly kind, but I find myself baffled by your advanced technology? How does one sign up to partake in your agreeable aether-chat?

Sincerely

Philip Reeve

Stefan Hayden

The Hungry City chronicles is my single favorite book series. I can't recommend it enough.

Doktor A

Indeed there are many Steampunk or Steampunk type books hiding in the Children's section of book stores right now. On a recent trip I spied at least three books with various degrees of steampunkishness. There was a series called "Edgeworld" with flying mechanical galleons and whatnot in it. And I have to say all of these books boast splendid black and white pen and ink illustration. Its about time that genre of illustrative work shone again..

Beaty

Yep - spot on TG - I mean, until I read the Wikipedia definition I didn't know I like Steampunk! LOL

...And I am getting on a bit (mid-40s) so I was brought up with what was termed as simply 'Science fiction' or 'fantasy', like 'Journey to the Center of the Earth', 'The Time Machine', and all those dodgy Doug McClure movies! ;)

I wonder what H.G. Wells would have thought of the term?

(BTW - just watched 'Steamboy' last night, was a bit disappointed - fantastic animation, bit of a thin plot line. Sorry - OT I know.)

Andy_w

Oh THAT!! Yes I love THAT! That’s Steampunk???? It’s almost a matter of just introducing people to the word - and as such, it’s a very quickly growing genre.

I think that comes from folks being drawn to the asthetic with out knowing any context, except that it looks kinda cool and that is enough to draw them in.

Andy_w

Oh that looks fun. I will have to take a looksy once I am in Blighty again.

kevin

Also the title of a book of short stories by the recently deceased Stanislaw Lem. Nice one.

Tinkergirl

I've found that a LOT of people 'know' Steampunk, without knowing there was a word for it. Many people have been stumped by the word and gone straight to Wikipedia, eventually returning with "Oh THAT!! Yes I love THAT! That's Steampunk?" It's almost a matter of just introducing people to the word - and as such, it's a very quickly growing genre. And if these young person books are anything to go by, it's not a genre that's going to go away!

As for the 'dark and demonic North of England' - I've lived further north than that, and further south - and from one end of Britain to the other, it just reeks of Steampunk and Victorian history. We're very lucky over here.

Beaty

A silent revolution?

Certainly has been for me. While I've always been a big H.G. Wells and Jule Verne fan, Steampunk as a specific genre is something new to me...And I still suspect many others.

Certainly, at least here in the dark and demonic North of England, most people are far more aware of the sub-cultures of Goth and Cyber-puink than they are of Steampunk.

I live in Scarborough, and it's the Great Goth Weekend is in full swing in the next-door town of Witby...So there's a hoard of Goths in Victorian clothing wandering about at the moment!

To be honest - I seem to be seeing a divergence of sub-cultures between the mainstream Goth and Steampunk. Victorian style is all the rage.

...I'm off to Waterstones in the morning to see if I can spy Mortal Engines!

:)