Theo Ngoni
Encyclopedia
Theo Ngoni is a fictional character in Phillip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet.
He is first introduced in Infernal Devices
as a fellow slave of Wren Natsworthy
on Cloud Nine. Originally he was a Green Storm
suicide bomber, but was captured when his "Tumbler" (a type of piloted bomb) failed to detonate when it was dropped on a city. He was saved by the people of the city, but sold into slavery. Theo is ashamed that he did not go down fighting, but later realises that he was not willing to give his life for the Green Storm; he did not really believe in their cause, but had been brainwashed by propaganda
.
Through a variety of mistakes Boo Boo Pennyroyal, mayoress of Brighton and wife of the former Professor Pennyroyal
, comes to believe that Theo and Wren are romantically involved. This ultimately leads the two to become friends and help each other escape Cloud Nine. Ironically, this is probably when their actual romance did begin.
After the destruction of Cloud Nine, their subsequent capture and escape from the Green Storm
, and the witnessing of the duel between the Stalker Fang
and Shrike
, Wren and Theo escape with Tom Natsworthy on the Jenny Haniver
.
In A Darkling Plain
, Tom and Wren become air traders, while Theo returns to his home in Zagwa. He foils an attack on Lady Naga by Green Storm traitors, and is recruited to escort her back to the safety of Tienjing. He fails at this - their airship is attacked over the Sahara desert, and Theo is captured by a Traction City
and sold into slavery.
A chance encounter with Hester Shaw
and Shrike
frees him, and he convinces them to help him rescue Lady Naga. They save her from slave-dealers on Airhaven, and escape over the front line into Green Storm lands, but Theo is separated from the others when the airbase they are attacked.
He trudges across the plains with a number of defeated soldiers, and comes across the ruins of London. Wren had told him in a letter that she was heading there with Tom, and he decides to investigate it. He discovers her alive and well with the surviving Londoners, and they express their love for each other.
Theo later helps defend New London against Harrowbarrow, and becomes engaged to Wren. The two of them become traders in magnetic levitation
furniture, in an airship they call the "Jenny Haniver II."
He is first introduced in Infernal Devices
Infernal Devices
Infernal Devices is the third of four novels in Philip Reeve's children's series, the Mortal Engines Quartet.-Anchorage:The story continues sixteen years after the events of Predator's Gold. The peaceful city of Anchorage is now a static settlement called "Anchorage-in-Vineland" on an island in the...
as a fellow slave of Wren Natsworthy
Wren Natsworthy
Wren Natsworthy is a character from Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet, appearing in the last two books.-Family and friends:Her father is Tom Natsworthy and her mother is Hester Shaw and by the end of A Darkling Plain, she has become engaged to Theo Ngoni. Her best friend is Tildy Smew, a girl...
on Cloud Nine. Originally he was a Green Storm
Green Storm
In Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet, the Green Storm is a fanatical splinter group of the Anti-Traction League, which ends up in control of the League...
suicide bomber, but was captured when his "Tumbler" (a type of piloted bomb) failed to detonate when it was dropped on a city. He was saved by the people of the city, but sold into slavery. Theo is ashamed that he did not go down fighting, but later realises that he was not willing to give his life for the Green Storm; he did not really believe in their cause, but had been brainwashed by propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
.
Through a variety of mistakes Boo Boo Pennyroyal, mayoress of Brighton and wife of the former Professor Pennyroyal
Nimrod Pennyroyal
Nimrod Pennyroyal is a recurring character in the Mortal Engines Quartet, written by Philip Reeve. He is first introduced in Predator's Gold and remains a major character for the rest of the series....
, comes to believe that Theo and Wren are romantically involved. This ultimately leads the two to become friends and help each other escape Cloud Nine. Ironically, this is probably when their actual romance did begin.
After the destruction of Cloud Nine, their subsequent capture and escape from the Green Storm
Green Storm
In Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet, the Green Storm is a fanatical splinter group of the Anti-Traction League, which ends up in control of the League...
, and the witnessing of the duel between the Stalker Fang
Anna Fang
Anna Fang is a character in Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet. Her name may be derived from the German "anfang" meaning beginning.-Mortal Engines:Anna is introduced as a friendly Asian aviator who helps Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw escape slavery...
and Shrike
Shrike
Shrikes are passerine birds of the family Laniidae. The family is composed of thirty-one species in three genera. The family name, and that of the largest genus, Lanius, is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes were also known as "butcher birds" because of their feeding habits...
, Wren and Theo escape with Tom Natsworthy on the Jenny Haniver
Jenny Haniver (airship)
The Jenny Haniver is the name of an airship featured heavily in Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet. She is a small cargo airship with a crimson envelope....
.
In A Darkling Plain
A Darkling Plain
A Darkling Plain is the fourth and final novel in the Mortal Engines Quartet series written by author Philip Reeve.The novel won the 2006 Guardian Award and the 2007 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Fiction.-Setting:...
, Tom and Wren become air traders, while Theo returns to his home in Zagwa. He foils an attack on Lady Naga by Green Storm traitors, and is recruited to escort her back to the safety of Tienjing. He fails at this - their airship is attacked over the Sahara desert, and Theo is captured by a Traction City
Traction City
In Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet, Traction Cities are vast metropolises built on tiers that are capable of moving on gigantic wheels and caterpillar tracks. These cities hunt smaller cities which in turn hunt towns which in turn hunt villages and static settlements...
and sold into slavery.
A chance encounter with Hester Shaw
Hester Shaw
Hester Shaw is a fictional character from Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet who has terrible facial scarring, due to an attack from Thaddeus Valentine when Hester was a child.-Personality:...
and Shrike
Shrike (Philip Reeve)
Shrike is a recurring character in Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet and Fever Crumb Series. He appears in all the books except Predator's Gold and A Web of Air....
frees him, and he convinces them to help him rescue Lady Naga. They save her from slave-dealers on Airhaven, and escape over the front line into Green Storm lands, but Theo is separated from the others when the airbase they are attacked.
He trudges across the plains with a number of defeated soldiers, and comes across the ruins of London. Wren had told him in a letter that she was heading there with Tom, and he decides to investigate it. He discovers her alive and well with the surviving Londoners, and they express their love for each other.
Theo later helps defend New London against Harrowbarrow, and becomes engaged to Wren. The two of them become traders in magnetic levitation
Magnetic levitation
Magnetic levitation, maglev, or magnetic suspension is a method by which an object is suspended with no support other than magnetic fields...
furniture, in an airship they call the "Jenny Haniver II."