Infernal Devices (review)

The war between voracious traction cities and the anti-tractionist movement still rages, but Hester and Tom (from Mortal Engines, BCCB 3/04, and Predator's Gold, BCCB 11/04), now adults, have long since laid down their weapons to pursue a quiet life in Anchorage-in-Vineland and raise their daughter, Wren. Fifteen-year-old Wren is bored silly, however, and she takes the first opportunity to swipe the Tin Book coveted by a group of renegade robbers (which its many pursuers believe holds the key to old-tech weaponry that could tip the balance of power) on the condition they take her away for a life of adventure. She's immediately into more adventure than she bargained for: betrayed and abducted, she's sold into slavery to the mayor of Brighton, while her frantic parents follow in hot pursuit. Wren's personal predicament is relatively minor, though, compared with the global intrigue that roils around her, as Stalker Anna Fang prepares a major offensive and the young surgeon who tends her, Dr. Zero, plots to end Fang's existence. Several familiar characters are killed off, others prove remarkably hard to kill, and the reunited family is not going to live happily ever after, at least any time soon. Reeve's quirky sense of humor and wordplay provide a welcome release valve to the breakneck speed and tension of cascading events (watch for a reference to, of all things, Pride and Prejudice). If the test of a strong series is how breathlessly readers pant for the next installment, this entry definitely makes the grade.