Wren Natsworthy
Encyclopedia
Wren Natsworthy is a character from Philip Reeve
's Mortal Engines Quartet, appearing in the last two books.
and by the end of A Darkling Plain
, she has become engaged to Theo Ngoni
. Her best friend is Tildy Smew, a girl who she grew up with in Anchorage-in-Vineland
. She also makes friends with Angie Peabody, a girl living in New London.
to think she is standing on a slope in a photo. She does have her father's naivety at times but she is also intelligent and kind. She also has her mother's determination and can be quite willful at times. Her resemblance to Katherine Valentine in bravery and appearance is often noted in the series.
turn up looking for the Tin Book of Anchorage and she agrees to help them find it if they take her with them back to the outside world. However, the Lost Boys trick and steal the Tin Book off her. Wren is take aboard captive; Hester tries to save her, and starts shooting the Lost Boys. However one survives, a boy named Fishcake, who takes her back to Grimsby, the Lost Boys base with the Tin Book.
However, before Wren and Fishcake get to Grimsby, they come across Brighton, a Traction City of which Nimrod Pennyroyal
is mayor. Brighton captures their limpet (submarine) and Wren is sold as a slave to Pennyroyal by Nabisco Skhin, a slave dealer and head of the Skhin Corporation. Wren spends the next few weeks of her captivity plotting to escape. She approaches a fellow slave, Theo Ngoni
, an aviator who used to fly Green Storm
tumblers. However he refuses, so Wren tries to steal Pennyroyal's air-yacht and fly back to Anchorage. Her plan goes wrong and she is caught, but helped out by the Mayoress and escapes punishment. Meanwhile, her father, Tom, is captured by the Skhin Corporation and Wren is forced to steal back the Tin Book from Pennyroyal, who kept it after Wren was caught, for Skhin.
Wren asks Theo Ngoni for help and he agrees. Together they steal the Tin Book from Pennyroyal's safe. However, the Green Storm and the Stalker Fang are also looking for the Tin Book and attack Brighton the same night Wren steals it. Wren and Theo are captured by the Green Storm who take the Tin Book from them. While the Stalker Fang is reading the Book, Oenone Zero
, the Stalker Fang's surgeon-mechanic, lets them escape. They flee from the Storm and come across Pennyroyal who is injured. The three of them hide until Tom and Hester find them from the Jenny Haniver
, their old airship which Pennyroyal took in Predator's Gold
. However, Wren has learned from Pennyroyal about how Hester betrayed Anchorage to the Huntsmen of Arkangel, a secret Tom does not know about. Hester is about to kill Pennyroyal until Wren blurts out her secret. Tom confronts Hester, who flees into the desert, in despair. Tom suffers a heart attack but Wren and Theo help him and Pennyroyal onto the Jenny Haniver and fly off.
, from whom Tom once heard the name, to Murnau, a city part of the Traktionstadtsgesellschaft
. They don't get anything useful out of Pennyroyal, but they do meet Wolf Kobold, the son of the Kreigmarshal of Murnau. Wolf, like Tom, also thinks that there may be survivors of MEDUSA living in the wreck of London, having had a mysterious experience there when he went to the city a few years earlier. The trio agree to investigate and begin preparations.
Tom and Wren move the Jenny Haniver to Wolf's suburb, Harrowbarrow, and begin traveling towards London. At the Green Storm's front line, Harrowbarrow is used to create a diversion and the three of them go forward in the Jenny unnoticed. They reach the wreck of London and soon after they land, they are captured by a group of young Londoners. Their leader, a man called Garamond, leads them to Crouch End, a place in London serving as their headquarters. There they meet Cruwys Morchard
, who is actually Clytie Potts, and Chudleigh Pomeroy, the former head of Tom's Guild, who is now the Lord Mayor of London. Though the Londoners welcome them seemingly wholeheartedly, they are forbidden to leave, making Wren suspicious. After some snooping around, Wren and Wolf stumble on to New London, a town which the Londoners are building, powered by magnetic levitation
. They are caught spying by the paranoid, head of security, Garamond. The Lord Mayor, however, thinks them trustworthy and introduces all of them to New London. Wolf soon escapes though, and plans to return to London with Harrowbarrow to devour their new city.
A few weeks later, Wren is on a patrol with some of the other young Londoners. The spot an intruder, pursue him and realise it is actually Theo Ngoni
. They take him back to Crouch End but at the same time, a flock of Green Storm
Raptors (resurrected birds) attack them. Theo grabs a lightning gun and manages to shoot down several of the birds. The other Londoners are puzzled by the newcomer but welcome him into the community. However, Garamond, the head of security, is very suspicious of Theo, as he is an Anti-Tractionist from Zagwa. Later Wren shows New London to Theo, who is doubtful about it. However, ODIN, controlled by the Stalker Fang, strikes several cities of the Traktionstadtsgesellschaft, lighting up the whole Hunting Ground. The devastation is seen from London and that night, Tom leaves for Batmunkh Gompa in the Jenny Haniver, in an attempt to persuade General Naga (who Tom believes controls ODIN) to not use it on New London. Theo and Wren are left alone in London. However, the night Tom leaves, Chudleigh Pomeroy, the Lord Mayor, dies in his sleep. The paranoid Garamond is appointed as the new Lord Mayor and has Wren and Theo arrested. He then proposes that Theo be killed, believing that he is an agent of the Green Storm. Theo and Wren are locked up but Lavinia Childermass, the leading scientist working on New London, thinks they are innocent and sets them free. They escape through the debris fields.
Leaving the debris fields of London, Wren and Theo encounter Harrowbarrow approaching. Theo runs back to warn the Londoners, as Wren boards Harrowbarrow and tries to and convinces Wolf to lead Harrowbarow down 'Electric Lane' a clearing where anything metal is struck 'sprites', powerful blasts of lightning left over from MEDUSA. At the same time though, Naga and a Green Storm fleet arrive in London, as they believe that ODIN is being controlled from there. The Londoners demonstrate New London's levitation ability to Naga who decides to help them defend it from being eaten Harrowbarrow. Wren's plan succeeds and Harrowbarrow is struck by a sprite. However, it is not enough to destroy the suburb completely and it is soon moving again. Wren, knowing that Wolf Kobold realises she has betrayed him, narrowly escapes from the suburb. While escaping she comes across Theo who has been looking for her. They are looking for a way off Harrowbarrow when Wolf confronts them in a duel. Theo fights bravely against him but he is easily outclassed. However, a rocket from a Green Storm airship hits the suburb: Wolf falls and dies;Wren and Theo are rescued by Naga. Harrowbarrow still chases New London, who has started moving out the debris fields, but Naga sacrifices himself in a kamikaze attack, finally stopping Harrowbarrow. New London escapes.
The last that is heard of Wren is when she is writing a letter to her friend Angie in New London from Theo's house in Zagwa. It mentions their engagement and that they have bought an airship called the Jenny Haniver 2 and plan to set up as air traders of magnetic levitation furniture. Theo also got a letter back from Oenone Zero
, now Widow Naga, explaining what happened after Theo left: Hester and Shrike (called Grike in the US edition) rescued Tom the night they landed in Batmunkh Gompa and flew to Erdene Tezh. They are believed to be dead though, as the burnt out wreck of the Jenny Haniver was found in the valley of Erdene Tezh.
Philip Reeve
Philip Reeve is a British author and illustrator. He presently lives on Dartmoor with his wife Sarah and their son Samuel.-Biography:...
's Mortal Engines Quartet, appearing in the last two books.
Family and friends
Her father is Tom Natsworthy and her mother is Hester ShawHester 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 by the end of 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:...
, she has become engaged to Theo Ngoni
Theo Ngoni
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" failed to detonate when it was dropped on...
. Her best friend is Tildy Smew, a girl who she grew up with in Anchorage-in-Vineland
Anchorage-in-Vineland
Anchorage-in-Vineland is a fictional city based on the city of Anchorage, Alaska in the Mortal Engines Quartet by Philip Reeve.It is the static and stable version of the Traction City of Anchorage that had decided to stop wandering the Arctic wastes and settle in the green and unspoilt land of...
. She also makes friends with Angie Peabody, a girl living in New London.
Personality and Appearance
She is described as having coppery hair, grey 'mariner' eyes and a long "beaky" nose. Prior to the start of A Darkling Plain she has her hair cut into a lopsided bob that causes Theo NgoniTheo Ngoni
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" failed to detonate when it was dropped on...
to think she is standing on a slope in a photo. She does have her father's naivety at times but she is also intelligent and kind. She also has her mother's determination and can be quite willful at times. Her resemblance to Katherine Valentine in bravery and appearance is often noted in the series.
Infernal Devices
Wren first appears in Infernal Devices, the third book in the series. She is fifteen and eager for excitement away from sleepy Anchorage-in-Vineland. Then the Lost BoysLost Boys (Mortal Engines)
The Lost Boys are a shadowy, fictional organisation which appears in the Mortal Engines Quartet written by Philip Reeve.-Beginnings of the Lost Boys:...
turn up looking for the Tin Book of Anchorage and she agrees to help them find it if they take her with them back to the outside world. However, the Lost Boys trick and steal the Tin Book off her. Wren is take aboard captive; Hester tries to save her, and starts shooting the Lost Boys. However one survives, a boy named Fishcake, who takes her back to Grimsby, the Lost Boys base with the Tin Book.
However, before Wren and Fishcake get to Grimsby, they come across Brighton, a Traction City of which Nimrod 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....
is mayor. Brighton captures their limpet (submarine) and Wren is sold as a slave to Pennyroyal by Nabisco Skhin, a slave dealer and head of the Skhin Corporation. Wren spends the next few weeks of her captivity plotting to escape. She approaches a fellow slave, Theo Ngoni
Theo Ngoni
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" failed to detonate when it was dropped on...
, an aviator who used to fly 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...
tumblers. However he refuses, so Wren tries to steal Pennyroyal's air-yacht and fly back to Anchorage. Her plan goes wrong and she is caught, but helped out by the Mayoress and escapes punishment. Meanwhile, her father, Tom, is captured by the Skhin Corporation and Wren is forced to steal back the Tin Book from Pennyroyal, who kept it after Wren was caught, for Skhin.
Wren asks Theo Ngoni for help and he agrees. Together they steal the Tin Book from Pennyroyal's safe. However, the Green Storm and the Stalker Fang are also looking for the Tin Book and attack Brighton the same night Wren steals it. Wren and Theo are captured by the Green Storm who take the Tin Book from them. While the Stalker Fang is reading the Book, Oenone Zero
Oenone Zero
Oenone Zero is a character in the Mortal Engines Quartet, introduced in Infernal Devices.Doctor Zero was born on the Aleutian Islands about two years before Mortal Engines started, making her approximately nineteen or twenty when she is introduced, four years older than Wren Natsworthy, who wasn't...
, the Stalker Fang's surgeon-mechanic, lets them escape. They flee from the Storm and come across Pennyroyal who is injured. The three of them hide until Tom and Hester find them from 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....
, their old airship which Pennyroyal took in Predator's Gold
Predator's Gold
Predator's Gold is the second of four novels in Philip Reeve's series for young adults, the Mortal Engines Quartet.-Setting:Predator's Gold is set two years after Mortal Engines...
. However, Wren has learned from Pennyroyal about how Hester betrayed Anchorage to the Huntsmen of Arkangel, a secret Tom does not know about. Hester is about to kill Pennyroyal until Wren blurts out her secret. Tom confronts Hester, who flees into the desert, in despair. Tom suffers a heart attack but Wren and Theo help him and Pennyroyal onto the Jenny Haniver and fly off.
A Darkling Plain
Wren and her father have been traveling and trading in their airship the Jenny Haniver for around six months. They are on the Traction City of Peripatetiapolis when Tom spots a woman who he believes is his old Guildmate from London, Clytie Potts. The woman ,however, gives her name as Cruwys Morchard and denies knowing Tom. Tom is unsatisfied and Wren suggests that they try and find out more about her. They track Nimrod PennyroyalNimrod 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....
, from whom Tom once heard the name, to Murnau, a city part of the Traktionstadtsgesellschaft
Traktionstadtsgesellschaft
The Traktionstadtsgesellschaft is an organization of German cities in the novel A Darkling Plain by Philip Reeve....
. They don't get anything useful out of Pennyroyal, but they do meet Wolf Kobold, the son of the Kreigmarshal of Murnau. Wolf, like Tom, also thinks that there may be survivors of MEDUSA living in the wreck of London, having had a mysterious experience there when he went to the city a few years earlier. The trio agree to investigate and begin preparations.
Tom and Wren move the Jenny Haniver to Wolf's suburb, Harrowbarrow, and begin traveling towards London. At the Green Storm's front line, Harrowbarrow is used to create a diversion and the three of them go forward in the Jenny unnoticed. They reach the wreck of London and soon after they land, they are captured by a group of young Londoners. Their leader, a man called Garamond, leads them to Crouch End, a place in London serving as their headquarters. There they meet Cruwys Morchard
Cruwys Morchard
Cruwys Morchard is an ecclesiastical and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of the county of Devon in England. It is located about four to five miles west of Tiverton along the road to Witheridge. The parish covers about of land, and comprises a number of scattered houses and farms, and three...
, who is actually Clytie Potts, and Chudleigh Pomeroy, the former head of Tom's Guild, who is now the Lord Mayor of London. Though the Londoners welcome them seemingly wholeheartedly, they are forbidden to leave, making Wren suspicious. After some snooping around, Wren and Wolf stumble on to New London, a town which the Londoners are building, powered by 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...
. They are caught spying by the paranoid, head of security, Garamond. The Lord Mayor, however, thinks them trustworthy and introduces all of them to New London. Wolf soon escapes though, and plans to return to London with Harrowbarrow to devour their new city.
A few weeks later, Wren is on a patrol with some of the other young Londoners. The spot an intruder, pursue him and realise it is actually Theo Ngoni
Theo Ngoni
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" failed to detonate when it was dropped on...
. They take him back to Crouch End but at the same time, a flock of 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...
Raptors (resurrected birds) attack them. Theo grabs a lightning gun and manages to shoot down several of the birds. The other Londoners are puzzled by the newcomer but welcome him into the community. However, Garamond, the head of security, is very suspicious of Theo, as he is an Anti-Tractionist from Zagwa. Later Wren shows New London to Theo, who is doubtful about it. However, ODIN, controlled by the Stalker Fang, strikes several cities of the Traktionstadtsgesellschaft, lighting up the whole Hunting Ground. The devastation is seen from London and that night, Tom leaves for Batmunkh Gompa in the Jenny Haniver, in an attempt to persuade General Naga (who Tom believes controls ODIN) to not use it on New London. Theo and Wren are left alone in London. However, the night Tom leaves, Chudleigh Pomeroy, the Lord Mayor, dies in his sleep. The paranoid Garamond is appointed as the new Lord Mayor and has Wren and Theo arrested. He then proposes that Theo be killed, believing that he is an agent of the Green Storm. Theo and Wren are locked up but Lavinia Childermass, the leading scientist working on New London, thinks they are innocent and sets them free. They escape through the debris fields.
Leaving the debris fields of London, Wren and Theo encounter Harrowbarrow approaching. Theo runs back to warn the Londoners, as Wren boards Harrowbarrow and tries to and convinces Wolf to lead Harrowbarow down 'Electric Lane' a clearing where anything metal is struck 'sprites', powerful blasts of lightning left over from MEDUSA. At the same time though, Naga and a Green Storm fleet arrive in London, as they believe that ODIN is being controlled from there. The Londoners demonstrate New London's levitation ability to Naga who decides to help them defend it from being eaten Harrowbarrow. Wren's plan succeeds and Harrowbarrow is struck by a sprite. However, it is not enough to destroy the suburb completely and it is soon moving again. Wren, knowing that Wolf Kobold realises she has betrayed him, narrowly escapes from the suburb. While escaping she comes across Theo who has been looking for her. They are looking for a way off Harrowbarrow when Wolf confronts them in a duel. Theo fights bravely against him but he is easily outclassed. However, a rocket from a Green Storm airship hits the suburb: Wolf falls and dies;Wren and Theo are rescued by Naga. Harrowbarrow still chases New London, who has started moving out the debris fields, but Naga sacrifices himself in a kamikaze attack, finally stopping Harrowbarrow. New London escapes.
The last that is heard of Wren is when she is writing a letter to her friend Angie in New London from Theo's house in Zagwa. It mentions their engagement and that they have bought an airship called the Jenny Haniver 2 and plan to set up as air traders of magnetic levitation furniture. Theo also got a letter back from Oenone Zero
Oenone Zero
Oenone Zero is a character in the Mortal Engines Quartet, introduced in Infernal Devices.Doctor Zero was born on the Aleutian Islands about two years before Mortal Engines started, making her approximately nineteen or twenty when she is introduced, four years older than Wren Natsworthy, who wasn't...
, now Widow Naga, explaining what happened after Theo left: Hester and Shrike (called Grike in the US edition) rescued Tom the night they landed in Batmunkh Gompa and flew to Erdene Tezh. They are believed to be dead though, as the burnt out wreck of the Jenny Haniver was found in the valley of Erdene Tezh.