Reading order
Mortal Engines Quartet reading order
1
2
3
4- 4 volumes
- Volumes
- 2001–2006
- Published
- about 25 h
- Reading time
- Completed
- Status
- Children’s books#18
- Genre
Quick answer
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Publication order
4 volumes2001–2006Completed
- In a far future, whole cities roll across the land on wheels and eat smaller towns.
- Mortal Engines is the lowest-rated and each sequel rates higher, up to A Darkling Plain, which won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.
- Read in order; the Fever Crumb books are prequels.
A plan for the whole series
4 volumes, 1,489 pages, about 25 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 5 weeks.
Share of volume 1’s readers who reach the last volume. Chance of reaching the last volume: low
- From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 3, “Infernal Devices” (by 35%). Plan your break after volume 2, before the series plans it for you.
Stages
2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 14, 2026, 9 days later than in one go.
- Stage 111 h15 daysby November 13, 2026
- BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.0
- Stage 216 habout 3 weeksby December 14, 2026
- The end of the series
We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.
Does the series hold up
Shape of the series: it gets better. Readers scored the opening (7.5) below the ending (7.9). After the first volume you do not yet know how good this series is.
Best volume: A Darkling Plain (7.9, 78 ratings). Weakest: Mortal Engines (7.5). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 2 and 3: 35%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (7.9) scores close to the series average or above it.
How this plan is calculated
The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →
Every volume in order
Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026
Mortal Engines Quartet books ranked, best to worst
- 1.A Darkling PlainBook 4 · 20067.9
- 2.Infernal DevicesBook 3 · 20057.8
- 2.Predator's GoldBook 2 · 20037.8
- 4.Mortal EnginesBook 1 · 20017.5
Extras, short stories and spin-offs
Not needed to follow the main story — read them after the series or skip them.
- Traction City2011
- Night Flights2018
Frequently asked questions
Which Mortal Engines Quartet book is the best?
By reader score, A Darkling Plain (7.9/10). The lowest-rated is Mortal Engines (7.5/10).
Which Mortal Engines Quartet book is the longest?
“A Darkling Plain” is the longest at 544 pages; the shortest is “Mortal Engines” with 293 pages.
What should I read after Mortal Engines Quartet?
After the main series: Traction City, Night Flights.