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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Significant violence throughout; deaths of named characters and the destruction of communities are part of the world's mechanics
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
None
No sexual content
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Some
The moral weight of a civilization built on consumption — and the cost of dismantling a system you were raised to love — gives the novel unexpected depth
What this book is about
Philip Reeve's steampunk masterpiece is set in a future Earth where 'Municipal Darwinism' rules: vast Traction Cities on wheels pursue and consume smaller towns for resources. Tom Natsworthy, a low-ranking historian's apprentice in London, is thrown from his city when he witnesses something he shouldn't, and must survive the wilderness with the scarred, brilliant Hester Shaw. A dark, inventive, and emotionally resonant adventure with real deaths and moral complexity.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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