Mr Philip Reeve creates an effective character called shrike he does this by giving shrike a good introduction this is when shrike got captured by Magnus Crome the Lord mayor he gives the reader a slight shock because of the way Reeve described his voice like “someone  scratching on a blackboard” from that point the reader wants to know more about this mysterious character and who he came to be this resurrected man who has turned into a cyborg so Reeve is giving us something about this strange character but not to much so we can carrying on reading so he’s leaving us on a cliff hanger and people might wonder what is to come of this character shrike!

There are many different sides of shrike at different times of the story at one point he could be this evil heartless man who thinks of nothing but himself such as the time when he arrived at air heaven he arrived with a big entrance and probably killed everything in his path it says here that “over by the doorway a sudden cloud of vapour bloomed, and out of it stepped a stalker” Now this quote is also giving shrike a very interesting entrance and the reader might think that who’s coming and is giving the story more suspense.

Now there is another side to shrike that you might have not noticed he could be at times very kind and thought full like the time when they where on airheven and tom and Hester managed to escape so they were on a air balloon floating away from shrike until he caught up to them and Hester let all the gas out and once they jumped out the balloon shot up and shrike knew that tom and Hester weren’t inside but he still went after the balloon and let them live that bit longer. Also the only reason he wanted to kill Hester is because he wants here to be a cyborg like him and marry her and that’s kind of him a bit evil but in a kind sort of way.

Once shrike reached London Magnus crome had taken him to the engineerium ,as he had expected, he spent 18 months there waiting for her to arrive ,the workers took him apart and put him back again a dozen times or so but it was worth it well for him at least he made a deal with Magnus crome, if he kill Hester and tom he will get his heart desire which I’ve already said before is to make Hester in to a cyborg and marry her, here its showing who he never gives up for Hester however it does show that shrike is a bit of a traitor to Hester but the things he’s actually done for Hester he sold he’s prize possessions all for her he took all that time to find her and let crome take him apart many times without doing anything to them or hurt them.

Reeve makes shrike a very mysterious and peculiar type of character such as once Hester had left where she had stayed with shrike to kill valentine (in London ) so even though shrike told Hester not to because it wouldn’t be safe, he said it wouldn’t be safe because if he went with her to London Magnus crome the lord mayor would take him apart and do experiments on him so he couldn’t be there to save her from any problems that she would face now this is also very kind of shrike, so then once Hester left  of course he went after her however he didn’t go with her he decided to let her cross the hunting ground alone and he told her ” it was a test” and Hester replied “did I pass ” and he kept silent and never told her the answer and this shows the mysteries side of shrike that he want to stay silent about it so there is something beyond that pale mechanical face there is a kind soft normal human being.

                                                                            by the one and only ANISS KADRI

                                                                                            The END bye bye .