A Darkling Plain

By Philip Reeve

Rating: 4 1/4 stars

Reviewed by Noelle

Reeve finishes his stupendous Hungry City Chronicles with a bang. While Naga's wife, Oenone, tries to achieve peace between the traction cities and the Green Storm, others seek to keep the war going. After learning the horrible things Hester had done, Tom Natsworthy and his daughter Wren are traveling the bird roads again as traders without her. Whe Tom sees a woman he remembers from the long doomed London, he and Wren discover that there are survivors in the wreck who have built a new town with new technology. But tractionist Wolf Kobold also finds out and is determined to take the new technology for himself. Hester and her tame stalker, Mr. Grike, meanwhile, rescue Theo and Oenone and try to reunite her with the Green Storm and her husband. Poor little lost boy Fishcake resurrects the Stalker Fang, who has her own plans for ending the war. All the characters are driven to accomplish either ending or continuing the war, but for different reasons. There are reunions, betrayals, acts of bravery, acts of greed, lives saved and lives lost. But there is always hope, friendship and love as well. Readers of this series will be immediately swept back into the story and will eagerly thumb their way through the adventures of our heroes to the bitter (and not-so-bitter) endings they face. Thumbs up for an absorbing scifi series!