Infernal Devices (Mortal Engines, Book 3)

By: Philip Reeve

The third thrilling book in the stunning Predator Cities series!

The mighty engines of Anchorage have been rusted and dead for years. The derelict city no longer roams the Ice Wastes, but has settled on the edge of the land that was once America. Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw are happy in the safety of a static settlement, but their daughter, Wren, is desperate for adventure. When a dangerously charming submarine pirate offers her a chance to escape, Wren doesn't think twice about leaving her home and her parents behind. But the pirate wants something in return - Wren must steal the mysterious Tin Book. To do so will ignite a conflict that could tear the whole world apart.

©2005 Philip Reeve (P)2018 Scholastic Inc.

Great Series

So much better than the movie, this series follows the story of 3-5 people, all related in a way, to paint the picture of a futuristic regressed world, torn apart by municipal darwinism. It does a great job painting greed and power on both sides of pro-technology and pro-earth and makes the reader stop to think about how much we take for granted.

Rescue quest with twists

A quest which skips over how the landscape is traversed and focuses on the confused minds of all concerned. Audience must fill in a lot of details, too many for my liking. The third female protagonist is added, but her flip from rebellion to repentant prodigal seems hackneyed, whereas her mom's flip seems pathological. There are some gratuitous toss-ins, such as the silly book titles, Jane Austen quote, bikini jingle - none of which really embellish the story, There is room to ponder who is really programed, the robots or Hester, but while the plot has potential, the literary flourish of the narrative leaves me unimpressed. Book 2 was better. More positively, this middle book was not as boring as often happens in series.

Another one bites the dust

A good listen. Solid character development too. Cannot wait to finish the series and prequel!

Barnaby Edwards shines

I honestly feel that if it wasn't for Barnaby Edwards performance of this book I would have given it a lower rating. I still have one more book to go but this one just made me feel at multiple points that they should have ended the series with book 2. Barnaby really carried this story with his excellent performance

Page Turner.

just as good as the first two books. new characters in towns are brilliant. Loved it.