Fever Crumb (review)

In this prequel to the Mortal Engines quartet, the events leading up to London's becoming the first Traction City are explored, even as the plot is primarily focused on Fever, a young girl who was raised by the Order of Engineers and is now embarking on her first real adventure outside of her home. Fever has been trained her whole life to repress emotion, pursue science above all else, and, as an orphan, to limit her expectations. The flood of emotions, memories that aren't hers, and disruption that comes with being assigned to someone seeking covert knowledge about the Scriven, a power-hungry race of altered humans who were hunted down and killed years before, all upend her life. The memories turn out to have been implanted by her grandfather, who was himself Scriven, and Fever finds herself learning about her family and the complications therein, running for her life as she is hunted for her differences and, along with all of the city, trying to avoid riots, outside attacks, and a descent into utter chaos as everyone struggles in this posttechnology world. Reeve adeptly balances wry humor, political commentary, and careful fantasy plotting, even while keeping Fever central. It is her losses that will resonate with readers, even as they acknowledge the city falling apart around her. Fans of the other novels will be eager to uncover some roots (and they will relish the author's impeccable pace and character development), and newcomers will get the chance to start from the very beginning.