Book Review: ‘Thunder City’ by Philip Reeve

Mortal Engines is my favourite book series of all time thanks to Philip Reeve’s expansive world building and memorable characters. Twenty three years since the first book was published and six years since Reeve last returned to this world in the short story collection Night Flights we now have a new novel: Thunder City.

In terms of how it fits in with the wider series, Thunder City is set between the Fever Crumb prequel novels and the original Mortal Engines quartet.

In this world of motorised cities, Tamzin Pook is a slave fighter in Margate’s Amusement Arcade where she and her fellow fighters are forced to destroy revenants – reanimated animals stuffed with technology and fitted with armour for skin – all for the pleasure of the Arcade’s gambling-loving patrons. Far away the peaceful trading town of Thorbury is brutally taken over mercenaries. Only middle-aged teacher Miss Torpenhow manages to escape. She vows to return with Max (the mayor’s son) and save the town. Only Max is stuck in a Parisian jail…and to free him she’ll need someone who can fight revenants.

As a pairing, Tamzin (a fighter only focused on survival) and Miss Torpenhew (a bookworm initially out of her depth in the wider world) do have echoes of protagonists Tom and Hester from Mortal Engines. The oddness of this pairing is why it works. Tamzin and Miss Torpenhow have vastly different upbringings and, although they don’t necessarily argue, their opposing personalities and outlooks do cause frustrations at times. Over the course of the novel we see the characters grow, with both women learning from each other to evolve into a stronger version of themselves.

Through its characters the novel incorporates a common theme of reluctant and unlikely heroes. This is coupled with the idea of making a conscious choice to do the right thing even if it makes you scared or uncomfortable. For example, Tamzin has no personal stake in saving Thorbury however the bond she develops with her new friends gradually persuades her otherwise. Miss Torpenhow is neither a natural fighter nor is she looking for a leadership position but, after realising she is one of the few people who can help, she steps into the role. Max, who has led a privileged and easy life, secretly doubts his ability to save his people but learns to have confidence and self-belief. The trio, together with the friends they meet on their journey, must all overcome their fears and uncertainties before they can work together to save Thorbury.

One of the things I have always loved about this extended series is its unique world building and Reeve’s creativity. In a world full of roaming cities that eat each other in order to obtain supplies and resources, every book expands upon the previous instalments. Thunder City is no exception with plenty of new locations – such as the floating Amusement Arcade, the roving monolith-sized Paris, and the airborne city of Bath. Together Reeve’s novels create a mosaic as the full pattern of this complex post-apocalypse world is gradually constructed.

Even though I loved the characterisation and the new locations, if I had to give the novel one criticism it would be that some of the plot elements did feel familiar from previous novels. From sneaking aboard the city in order to free it from a tyrant, to the characters falling into the out-country only to come across a tiny pirate suburb, to the heroine being captured and subsequently rescued in daring fashion – while the story was filled with plenty of great moments, at times I wished Reeve had pushed the plot even further to give us more great unexpected moments.

Despite this, Thunder City is still a solid new entry into the Mortal Engines universe and I loved the little easter eggs references to the previous books. The novel works as a stand-alone story but the ending also allows Reeve to continue creating adventures for this fun mix of characters if he wishes.

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