Night Flights: A Mortal Engines Collection

by Philip Reeve, Ian McQue (Illustrator)

Overview

A new collection of short stories set in the steampunk world of Mortal Engines, featuring the rebellious aviatrix Anna Fang—illustrated by Ian McQue.

Philip Reeve’s acclaimed novel Mortal Engines is “a landmark of visual imagination” where gigantic, motorized cities attack and devour each other. The film adaption produced by Peter Jackson brought Reeve’s thrilling tale to countless new fans. Now, in Night Flights, Reeve returns to the Mortal Engines world, revealing the fascinating past of one of its key characters, Anna Fang.

London is on the hunt where no other predator city dares to tread. But Anna Fang—pilot, adventurer, spy—isn’t afraid. These three stories explore thrilling moments in Anna’s life: her childhood as a slave aboard the moving city Arkangel, a showdown against a robotic Stalker that is terrifyingly out of control, and her free life as an intelligence agent for the Anti-Traction league . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338307467
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/17/2022
Series:	Mortal Engines Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	288,448
File size:	40 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Philip Reeve is the bestselling author of the Mortal Engines quartet, which is now a major motion picture, and the award-winning Fever Crumb series. His other books include the highly acclaimed Here Lies Arthur and No Such Thing As Dragons. He lives in England with his wife and son. Visit him online at philip-reeve.com.

Read an Excerpt

Return to the world of Mortal Engines in this new book of short stories about the rebellious young aviatrix, Anna Fang, illustrated by Ian McQue. A key character in the Mortal Engines book and upcoming film produced by Peter Jackson (December 2018), this is your chance to learn more of Anna's thrilling past. Night Flights includes Traction City, Philip Reeve's 2011 World Book Day Book.In a dangerous future world where gigantic, motorized cities attack and devour each other, London hunts where no other predator dares. But Anna Fang — pilot, adventurer, spy — isn't afraid.The three stories show gripping, moving, exciting moments in Anna Fang's life: her childhood as a slave aboard the moving city Arkangel, a showdown against a robotic Stalker that is terrifyingly out of control, and her free life as an intelligence agent for the Anti-Traction league ...

Editorial Reviews

Barnaby Edwards gives an exhilarating narration of three stories set before the events of Reeve’s MORTAL ENGINES. In a future world where cities and towns are mobile, giant predator cities like London roam across the landscape, hunting and consuming smaller ones. In these stories, we learn about the origins of mysterious aviatrix Anna Fang. As Anna travels, Edwards gives the people she encounters a variety of accents, and listeners get to hear subtle but important points, like the difference between how Anna pronounces her family name and the way that strangers pronounce it—and why she decides she might adopt their pronunciation. Listeners will be swept up in Anna’s exciting and dangerous adventures, and those eager for more will be glad to know that Edwards narrates Reeve’s whole series. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2018 - AudioFile

Barnaby Edwards gives an exhilarating narration of three stories set before the events of Reeve’s MORTAL ENGINES. In a future world where cities and towns are mobile, giant predator cities like London roam across the landscape, hunting and consuming smaller ones. In these stories, we learn about the origins of mysterious aviatrix Anna Fang. As Anna travels, Edwards gives the people she encounters a variety of accents, and listeners get to hear subtle but important points, like the difference between how Anna pronounces her family name and the way that strangers pronounce it—and why she decides she might adopt their pronunciation. Listeners will be swept up in Anna’s exciting and dangerous adventures, and those eager for more will be glad to know that Edwards narrates Reeve’s whole series. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2018 - AudioFile

2018-06-24
Finally, some illumination into the backstory of fan-favorite Anna Fang from the Hungry City Chronicles series.Reeve (Black Light Express, 2017, etc.) offers up three vignettes into the history of the mysterious Anna Fang. "Frozen Heart" fleshes out her origins: A captured Anna mentally hardens herself in order to survive being a thrall, or slave, in Arkangel, a traction city. While scavenging, she spots two Jeunet-Carot engine-pods and plans her escape. In "Traction City Blues," an adolescent Anna finds herself at odds with the Anti-Traction League and swears to strike out on her own, landing in London, where the local police may thwart her chances of obtaining a powerful weapon. Finally, in "Teeth of the Sea," Anna learns the valuable lesson of not trusting anyone during a mission in Pulau Pinang. All three episodes showcase Anna's quick thinking and resourcefulness, artfully taking advantage of situations rather than physically fighting out of them. Long devotees of the series may expect a bit more grittiness. Readers new to this world may want to pick up Mortal Engines (2003) before taking on this venture. Anna is Asian, there is diversity in the segment set in Malaysia, and characters in the other sections are not described in enough detail to determine ethnicity. Final artwork not seen.Solid storytelling with engrossing adventures; fans will be grateful for a firsthand account from the elusive character herself. (Steampunk. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews