Mortal Engines
- Nestlé Children's Book Prize
- ALA Notable Books for Children
- Seiun Award for Best Translated Long Work
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Our view
“Mortal Engines” lives on its premise: cities on wheels that hunt and devour one another across a worn-out world. Some readers enjoy that steampunk setting more than the story told in it; others find the plot straightforward or the emotional moments hurried, or wish the driven Hester, not the passive Tom, were at the centre. It works best as a brisk adventure for younger readers.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Mortal Engines is a young adult science fiction novel by Philip Reeve, published by Scholastic UK in 2001. The book focuses on a futuristic, steampunk version of London, now a giant machine striving to survive on a world that is running out of resources.
Reading order · Mortal Engines Quartet
Full order & progress →- Mortal EnginesThis book
7.57.5 / 10 - Predator's Gold
7.87.8 / 10 - Infernal Devices
7.87.8 / 10 - A Darkling Plain
7.97.9 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.3 across 346 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 70% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Young adult average of 7.8. That is how 7.5 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 7.3 | 346 | 100% |
Frequently asked
What age is Mortal Engines for?
Mortal Engines sits on the Young adult shelf in the sources we use, which by convention means roughly ages 13 and up. This is a guide from the book’s category, not a publisher’s age rating.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Young adult — with scores between 7.4 and 8.0, closest to this book.
