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Shrike
Magnus Crome is the evil Lord Mayor of the Traction City of London. Unlike previous mayors, he is thin, suggesting that times have gotten tougher for London and that its predatory practice of eating other cities for resources can’t sustain it forever. As the head of the Guild of Engineers, Crome represents the future, and he is obsessed with keeping London moving forward at all costs (literally moving on its wheels, but also metaphorically seeking out the next big conquest). Crome shows no regard for human life, willing to kill people outside London indiscriminately with his MEDUSA superweapon and even allowing many Londoners themselves to die in the awful work conditions in the city’s Gut. But Crome’s grand ambitions aren’t sustainable, and in his rush to conquer new lands with MEDUSA, he accidentally destroys all of London when MEDUSA malfunctions. Crome embodies the dangers of ruthlessly pursuing forward momentum, showing how violence and technology can be a double-edged sword that hurts the one who wields it.
Magnus Crome Quotes in Mortal Engines
The Mortal Engines quotes below are all either spoken by Magnus Crome or refer to Magnus Crome. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 4
Quotes
“The law!” she scoffed. “Valentine is the law in London. Isn’t he the Lord Mayor’s favourite? Isn’t he the Head Historian? No, he’ll kill me unless I kill him first.”
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Chapter 5
Quotes
Magnus Crome had been ruler of London for nearly twenty years, but he still didn’t look like a Lord Mayor. The Lord Mayors in Katherine’s history books were chubby, merry, red-faced men, but Crome was as thin as an old crow, and twice as gloomy.
Chapter 7
Quotes
“Mr Shrike!” says Crome, sounding almost cheery. “How are we today? I hope you were not asleep?”
“I DO NOT SLEEP,” replies a voice from the darkness. It is a horrible voice, sharp as the squeal of rusty cogs.
Chapter 8
Quotes
“Yes, I know, and I’m terribly sorry about it, but what can I do?” said Wreyland sadly. “Times are hard, you know.”
Chapter 12
Quotes
“I WORK FOR THE LORD MAYOR OF LONDON NOW,” said Shrike. “HE HAS SENT ME TO KILL YOU.”
Tom whimpered again. Hester gave a brittle little laugh. “But ... you won’t do it, will you, Shrike? You wouldn’t kill me?”
“YES,” said Shrike flatly, still staring down at her.
Chapter 17
Quotes
“I want Tunbridge Wheels to turn into a city, a proper big city wiv me as Lord Mayor, sumfink I can ‘and down to me sprogs. And you Tommy, I want you to tell me how a city ought to be, and teach me manners. Ettyket, like. So I can hob nob wiv’ other Lord Mayors and not ‘ave them laugh at me behind my back.”
Chapter 21
Quotes
“Nor will we have to go chasing after scraps like Salthook,” Crome continued. “In another week London will be within range of Batmunkh Gompa, the Shield-Wall. For a thousand years the Anti-Traction League has cowered behind it, holding out against the tide of history. MEDUSA will destroy it at a single stroke.”
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Chapter 23
Quotes
“No!” Katherine heard herself say. “Oh, no, no, no!” She started to run across the garden, staring towards the lightning-flecked cloud which wreathed the wreckage of the conurbation. From Circle Park and all the observation platforms came the sound of wordless voices, and she thought at first that they were crying out in horror, the way she wanted to—but no; they were cheering, cheering, cheering.
Chapter 30
Quotes
He said, “You must understand, Kate, I did it for you...”
Chapter 31
Quotes
“So, Apprentice Melliphant, I gather you have something to tell us?”
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Magnus Crome Quotes in Mortal Engines
The Mortal Engines quotes below are all either spoken by Magnus Crome or refer to Magnus Crome. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 4
Quotes
“The law!” she scoffed. “Valentine is the law in London. Isn’t he the Lord Mayor’s favourite? Isn’t he the Head Historian? No, he’ll kill me unless I kill him first.”
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5
Quotes
Magnus Crome had been ruler of London for nearly twenty years, but he still didn’t look like a Lord Mayor. The Lord Mayors in Katherine’s history books were chubby, merry, red-faced men, but Crome was as thin as an old crow, and twice as gloomy.
Chapter 7
Quotes
“Mr Shrike!” says Crome, sounding almost cheery. “How are we today? I hope you were not asleep?”
“I DO NOT SLEEP,” replies a voice from the darkness. It is a horrible voice, sharp as the squeal of rusty cogs.
Chapter 8
Quotes
“Yes, I know, and I’m terribly sorry about it, but what can I do?” said Wreyland sadly. “Times are hard, you know.”
Chapter 12
Quotes
“I WORK FOR THE LORD MAYOR OF LONDON NOW,” said Shrike. “HE HAS SENT ME TO KILL YOU.”
Tom whimpered again. Hester gave a brittle little laugh. “But ... you won’t do it, will you, Shrike? You wouldn’t kill me?”
“YES,” said Shrike flatly, still staring down at her.
Chapter 17
Quotes
“I want Tunbridge Wheels to turn into a city, a proper big city wiv me as Lord Mayor, sumfink I can ‘and down to me sprogs. And you Tommy, I want you to tell me how a city ought to be, and teach me manners. Ettyket, like. So I can hob nob wiv’ other Lord Mayors and not ‘ave them laugh at me behind my back.”
Chapter 21
Quotes
“Nor will we have to go chasing after scraps like Salthook,” Crome continued. “In another week London will be within range of Batmunkh Gompa, the Shield-Wall. For a thousand years the Anti-Traction League has cowered behind it, holding out against the tide of history. MEDUSA will destroy it at a single stroke.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 23
Quotes
“No!” Katherine heard herself say. “Oh, no, no, no!” She started to run across the garden, staring towards the lightning-flecked cloud which wreathed the wreckage of the conurbation. From Circle Park and all the observation platforms came the sound of wordless voices, and she thought at first that they were crying out in horror, the way she wanted to—but no; they were cheering, cheering, cheering.
Chapter 30
Quotes
He said, “You must understand, Kate, I did it for you...”
Chapter 31
Quotes
“So, Apprentice Melliphant, I gather you have something to tell us?”
