Infernal Devices
January 25th 2007 05:26
'Infernal Devices' is the third book is Philip Reeves' wonderfully futuristic adventure series, 'The Hungry City Chronicles' (of which 'Mortal Engines' is the first novel). 'Infernal Devices' picks up around 16 years after the events of the previous novel, 'Predator's Gold'... past characters return, the story is advanced, a new sequence has begun. The first two books in 'The Hungry City Chronicles' (the previously mentioned two highlighted in bright-blue) could be said to form a loose duo, whereas 'Infernal Devices' and the last book in the series, 'A Darkling Plain', might be said to form a second duo that acts as a sequel to the first. Does that make sense? I don't know. Either way, there's a big gap between the second and third books in the series, and as a result 'Infernal Devices' feels like it could be the start of a whole new (seperate) adventure.
The principle protagonist of 'Infernal Devices' is sixteen-year old Wren Natsworthy, the daughter of Tom and Hester. She lives in Anchorage-on-Vineland, a traction city turned static settlement in the land once known as North America, and she is bored with the peaceful and eventless life her parents have provided her with. She despises her mother, Hester - who has mellowed very little since we last saw her sixteen years ago, and the two are always at odds with one another. So when the opportunity comes for Wren to run away and join the Lost Boys, she jumps at it. But the Lost Boys want something, an ancient artefact in Anchorage-on-Vineland known as the 'Tin Book', which contains secrets better left unknown...
Reeves does it again with this latest installment of his quartet. We learn more of the sordid history that led to this post-static Earth of traction-cities and ruined lands, and we're introduced and reintroduced to a host of colourful and ambiguous characters. Most impressively, Reeves manages to realistically age his two heroes from the previous two books... Tom is fairly unchanged - easy-going, amiable, dull, and Hester continues to be every bit as twisted and bitter as her disfigured face, eaten away by guilt at her past actions and unrepetent at the same time. She resents the presence of her daughter, and she continues to surprise and engage with her every action. As I've mentioned in reviews of 'Mortal Engines' and 'Predator's Gold', Hester is the real star of these novels - she's a fantastic character and Reeves should be commended on his creation of, and commitment to, her. Likewise, the Stalker Fang fast emerges as a terrifically complex and creepy villainess and the evolution of the Anti-Tractionists into the fully-blown ammoral terrorist organisation known as Green Storm comes full circle. It's a certain kind of irony that Green Storm has come to resemble the kinds of people they originally stood against, even down to their utilisation of forgotten superweapons that would be better left buried.
I have to admit, 'Infernal Devices' kind of fell flat for me in some respects. I was caught a little offguard by the gap between this and the previous book. The ways that Reeves kept me guessing at the motivations and allegiances of characters that I thought I'd already had figured out in the previous novels didn't sit well with me either. I mean, hell, it impressed me and I like the idea of it, but I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable at not knowing where everyone stood by the third book in a four-book series. 'Infernal Devices' pretty much throws everything already established into the air and mixes it all up in preparation for the final novel, 'A Darkling Plain'. There are some great moments in this book, and some great ideas and images conjured up. I think the main source of my annoyance was in having the book end on such a cliffhanger... and then having to wait nearly a year for the next book! Well, I have the last book now and I'm going to read it soon. Here's hoping the series keeps up it's high standard right to the end!
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