Mortal Engines: Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis

Above Tier One is an even higher tier of London called Top Tier. Top Tier consists of just three buildings: Guildhall, where all the Guilds meet once a month; the Engineerium, a big back building for the Guild of Engineers where the city’s real power resides; and St. Paul’s, an ancient Christian temple that Quirke elevated when he converted London into a Traction City but which currently needs scaffolds to stand. Crome heads into the Engineerium and asks to see Doctor Evadne Twix.

A monorail inside the Engineerium takes Crome to the heart of the building. He is satisfied to see his Engineers at work on new experiments. Crome reflects how, back in his apprentice days, people thought Traction Cities like London would run out of prey, but Crome advanced his career by promoting strong recycling and anti-waste laws to help London survive. But he has yet to unveil his real plan to keep London functioning.

Crome arrives at the lab of Dr Twix. She and her team of Engineers have spent years studying Stalkers, a type of Resurrected Men (cyborgs from a prior era) who sometimes appear in the earth outside London. Crome asks if Dr Twix has finished her research on Shrike, one of the Stalkers. She says yes, and leads Crome to Shrike.

Shrike speaks in a harsh, metallic voice, asking if Crome has encountered Hester. Crome explains everything, then says Shrike must go out and either kill Hester and Tom or retrieve their already-dead bodies. In exchange, Crome will grant Shrike’s greatest wish.

Meanwhile, London continues to move quickly across the Hunting Grounds, despite the lack of nearby towns to devour. At her home, Katherine complains to Valentine about how he has to leave on an airship reconnaissance mission, but Valentine promises he won’t be gone more than a month.

Katherine and Valentine head toward the airship hangar. It’s been millennia since a catastrophe known as the Sixty Minute War, and though the war destroyed old technology, some of the new technology has far surpassed the old. Katherine tries to get Valentine to take her with him, but he wants her to stay behind and become a proper lady.

Valentine isn’t supposed to tell anyone where he’s headed, but Katherine convinces him to reveal he’s going to Shan Guo. Shan Guo is the leader of the Anti-Traction League, which controls land in what used to be China and India, outside of the Hunting Ground. Katherine fears what would happen to London if it heads toward Shan Guo, but Valentine assures her he’s only going on a recon mission. Katherine can tell he’s hiding something. The two of them watch as an airship leaves the Engineerium.