With school a long forgotten memory behind us (having started week two of the holidays), it seems only natural that the Summer of an English teacher is dedicated to reading and what could be better than the dedicate the blog to the god of reading?

As I’ve said in previous blogs, my love of reading started young and it continues to this day with a fervour and a passion.

Today’s tribute at the altar is: Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve.

Having read a collaboration between Reeve and Sarah McIntyre, I was really interested to see what he’d achieved on his own. (By the way, if you’re looking for a romper stomper with some serious action and some fun with illustrations, ‘Oliver and the Seawigs’ was my favourite book of 2016.)

The basic idea behind it, towns and cities moving around and eating one another in a sort of predator/prey relationship, is absolutely original and fascinating. The world is immediately relatable and, strangely enough, believable.

Central characters, and their flatter counterparts, are flawed and feisty with questioning attitudes and strong opinions, well in line with the spirit of the age. One bit of advice: avoid getting overly attached to anyone in particular. Whilst Reeve is hilariously funny in ‘Oliver and the Seawigs’, ‘Mortal Engines’ certainly seems to have rid him of any sentimentalism.

Without giving away the plot, relationships are central here. Relationships between people and places, relationships with parents and relationships between teens.

Definitely well worth a read if you don’t mind saying goodbye to a few characters your heart is attached to.

I’m looking forward to reading more of Reeve, his imagination is clearly spectacular!