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Thunder City


This September Scholastic will be publishing my new novel set in the world of Mortal Engines. Here’s the cover, created (like all the others in the series) by Ian McQue.

The rule I set for myself when I was writing this one was that it shouldn’t feature any of the people or places from previous Mortal Engines books. So Thunder City takes place just over a century before the original book, when the town-eat-town world of Traction Cities is slightly less ruthless than it will become later, and none of the characters from the original quartet has even been born yet. (I suppose Mr Shrike must be bimbling about somewhere, but he’s still just yer basic implacable killing machine at this point so there’s not much point in paying him a visit). So hopefully this new take will be accessible to people who’ve never read Mortal Engines, and hopefully people who have read it will enjoy an adventure set in the same world.

My pen and ink drawing of the Traction City of Thorbury,  after a painting by Giotto Trubshawe. It is pictured shortly before the  dramatic events of 882 TE. The fortifications on the Base Tier are a relic of the Wheeled War and mostly used for storage by this period. The small triketown (lower right) has probably approached in the hope of being eaten by this peaceful and prosperous city. 

Thunder City will be published in September by Scholastic in both the UK and USA. Meanwhile, please have a look at my short film Gwenevere (free to view on YouTube), and a read of the Utterly Dark trilogy - they may seem very different from Thunder City, but I was working on them all at the same time and I think they have quite a bit in common.
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Comments

Simon said…
This is excellent news and that's another cracking McQue cover to go with the rest. I discovered your work via Utterly and have since picked up the Mortal Engines books - which I really ought to have known about and loved when they were first published, but it's been great to dive into that world recently, and now to discover there will be yet more of it by the time I've turned the last pages of Scrivener's Moon.

I watched and very much enjoyed Gwenevere earlier this week too, well done to all involved!
21 February 2024 at 21:21
Leo said…
This is really exciting . Thanks
23 February 2024 at 13:29
philip reeve said…
Thank you! And Simon, thanks for reading Utterly and watching Gwenevere, I’m glad you enjoyed them!
24 February 2024 at 13:04
Steve R. said…
Definitely looking forward to another book in this world!
26 February 2024 at 22:37
JiminyQuippet said…
Second only to my Mortal Engines and Goblins loving son's 15th birthday, this is the best thing to happen in February for a long time! Excited and already pestering booksellers to be sure to have it and the whole Reeve library in stock for publication day. You cheeky blighter Philip, I knew/hoped you had more of these up your sleeve! Thank you!
9 March 2024 at 20:21
Maximilian Schneider-Ludorff said…
As a German reader who discovered the series with 32, I am now 35. I read every material I could get my hands on (including all short stories). I am utterly excited about this - it makes my year! Thank you so much for your dedication and the pictures you create in our heads and in front of our eyes. All the best to you.
12 March 2024 at 22:09
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