A Darkling Plain - Philip Reeve

better than harry potter imho

Enough has been said by others about the brilliance of this book in particular, and the quartet as a whole. I just have to say that in my opinion it is much more original, exciting and better written than Harry Potter - I am an adult reader and I found J.K.s style very repetetive and hard going to read aloud to my children. I am not trying to 'knock' J.K. and I know she will be more popular with many younger readers; the first books are very accessible for even 7 yr olds whereas Philip Reeve's books probably won't be appreciated till about 11 or older.
He has used some wonderfully apt evocative similes.
I cry just thinking about the ending of this book, it's beautiful.

And now the end is near....

This, as you will have gathered, is the last in the Mortal Engines quartet.
Knowing that this was the last one, made me want to go slow and savour each line of Reeves's wonderful descriptions of the flying machines, the whole new Earth that he has imagined and the feelings of all the characters.

However this book is impossible to read slowly. Each chapter leads you deeper and deeper. It demands "just one more chapter and then I will sleep... maybe" until you find yourself looking at the clock, noticing that it's 3 AM, and then you just sigh and say to yourself "look, I need to know what happens to Hester/fischcakce/wren/pennyroyal/theo/Tom".

And you DO want to know what happens to all of them. Phillip Reeve has done some magical writing and it makes you want to know what happens next, and you also know how each one of the characters feel. The end is achingly sad, and hopeful at the same time.

Of course, you can't read this one first, go and buy "mortal Engines" and read the other three before this one.

one of the best books i have ever read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this book in my opinion is the best in the quartet and provides a chalenging but fun read for teens. it makes you want to read on and on and you get really attached to the characters, my favourite being shrike a kind of a terminator, buy this and the whole quartet now.

you wont be dissapointed

Very Very Good- but somewhat familiar

The problem I have with the Mortal Engines Quartet is that I read Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy first. Therefore the similarities in Reeve's style and his way of creating his mythology has the unhappy misfortune of being both similar and inferior. I felt the plot and action were a little shaky (though the books certainly improve as the quartet goes on), and I did struggle at times to feel connected to the characters. Reeve does his best to create 'flawed humans we can relate to' but it doesn't always work, especially with Hester, and there are a lot of one-dimensional people in there, not helped by the complete lack of humour they all display. Had any of the heroes been capable of laughing at themselves or others then I think they would have worked a lot better. Sure they are very noble etc. but I would never want to spend any time with them myself for fear of death by boredom. The stalker is the only one who cracks a joke and he's a killing machine!

Having said all that, I made it through the quartet and I wouldn't have read all 1500 pages had I not enjoyed them. The pace ticks over nicely to keep you engaged and I think the Tractionist / Anti-Tractionist thoeries are played out extremely well. Reeve successfully combines the familiar (place names, the examination of the 'Ancients'- i.e. us! etc.) with the sci-fi inventions to bring this world to life in technicolour. His descriptions of the world thousands of years into the future are fascinating and undoubtedly the strength of the novel, making up for the slight weaknesses in plot and characterisation.

Sadly the books didn't enstill the same thrill in me as Pullman's trilogy did, or even Harry Potter for that matter. But well worth a read.

Outstanding

This quartet is an amazing achievement. I was worried that the last volume wouldn't live up to the previous three, but it did. The ending was moving and clever without being sentimental or too tricksy.

There is nothing I can find to criticise about this novel. If anyone reading this review hasn't yet read the rest of the quartet - I envy you, you are in for a treat.