only survivors of the incident, and make their way to the Bird Roads. Characters A few of the people in Mortal Engines are named after places in Devon, where Reeve lives, including Chudleigh, Tamerton Foliot and the River Plym. In the quartet, Miss Plym and Chudleigh Pomeroy are both in the Guild of Historians, and Tamarton Foliot is an "Alternative" historian. Both Shrike and Smew are named after birds, and Pennyroyal is named after a flower. Tom Natsworthy, a 15-year-old boy who is a Third-Class Apprentice Historian who is unwittingly brought along with Hester. Hester Shaw, a 15-year-old short-tempered assassin whose parents were murdered by Valentine and seeks vengeance. Anna Fang, a friendly but deadly aviatrix and Anti-Tractionist agent who rescues Hester and Tom from being sold into slavery. Thaddeus Valentine, the dashing and handsome famous archaeologist and Head of the Guild of Historians on London, formerly a scavenger, and father to Katherine. Katherine Valentine, Thaddeus Valentine's daughter who begins to become suspicious about her father's activities. Bevis Pod, an Apprentice Engineer who assists Katherine in her investigations. Shrike (also known in the American release of the series as Grike), an ancient Stalker who raised Hester after her parents were killed and seeks to turn her into a Stalker so she can be with him forever. Magnus Crome, the Lord Mayor of London and the Head of the Guild of Engineers, who seeks to make London the greatest traction city in the world by using a mysterious superweapon called MEDUSA. Chrysler Peavey, the ambitious pirate mayor of Tunbridge Wheels, who Hester knew before she left Shrike. Chudleigh Pomeroy, the Deputy Head of the Guild of Historians and Tom's overzealous boss, who assists Katherine. Title The title is a quotation from Act III, Scene iii of William Shakespeare's play Othello ("Othello: And O you mortal engines whose rude throats/Th'immortal Jove's dread clamors counterfeit..." – Line 352). In the novel, it refers to the fact that the society of Municipal Darwinism is not sustainable living and that the cities' engines are indeed mortal. Development Philip Reeve has stated that his plans to write a science fiction novel were laid in the late 1980s. The original drafts were intended to be an adult novel but after several rejections, Scholastic said they might be interested in Mortal Engines as a children's story. In the refactoring the story was simplified, removing several characters and much