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Mortal Engines Quartet
Bridge of Storms
An edge-of-your seat adventure set in the iconic world of Mortal Engines!Can they get out of the Frying Pan without getting into the fire?Tamzin Pook and her group of unlikely fighters-turned-friends have managed to make it out of Thorbury alive. Now with a massive, terrifying, armored, and un-dead Revenant (and its pet kitten) as one of their gang.For their next mission, Tamzin and her friends head to the city of Museion to help save it from the ferocious predator suburbs that surround it and keep it trapped in the mountain valley known as the Frying Pan.Here, Tamzin, Max Angmering, Oddington Doom, and Hilly Torpenhow are in for the toughest fight of their lives. But as they battle for the fate of Museion against the terrible predators that surround them, people on board Museion start to die one by one from a traitor within.They’ve got to figure out an escape, but every direction looks like a trap.Don’t miss this epic companion to Thunder City, set in the world of the Mortal Engines quartet.
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About the author
Philip Reeve
146 books2,750 followersPhilip Reeve was born and raised in Brighton, where he worked in a bookshop for a number of years while also co-writing, producing and directing a number of no-budget theatre projects.
Philip then began illustrating and has since provided cartoons for around forty children's books, including the best-selling Horrible Histories, Murderous Maths and Dead Famous series.
Railhead, published by Oxford University Press, will be published in the UK in October 2015
Pugs of the Frozen North, written with Sarah McIntyre, is out now.
Philip then began illustrating and has since provided cartoons for around forty children's books, including the best-selling Horrible Histories, Murderous Maths and Dead Famous series.
Railhead, published by Oxford University Press, will be published in the UK in October 2015
Pugs of the Frozen North, written with Sarah McIntyre, is out now.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 26, 2026
Well straight off the bat let me just say that I’m a HUGE fan of the original series so my excitement to dive once more into the world of mortal engines meant that this book could have been a 1 star rag and I still would have absolutely loved it.
However, I’m delighted to report that this is probably better than its prequel (thunder city); it’s just got more of the feel of the original books and is a thoroughly enjoyable swashbuckling adventure.
It was a difficult decision, but it did lose a star in the end and let me tell you why. It’s really difficult to put my finger on it, but the original series just had more depth to the characters. I don’t know how to explain it, but I felt with Tom, Hester, Shrike, Anna Fang and Valentine etc there was just a bit more darkness, the characters were a bit more raw - do you know what I mean?
Having said that, let me stress that I loved it and was not disappointed - fully recommend all of Reeves subsequent books based in the mortal engines universe. I suppose it’s that elephant in the room where I can’t help but compare to the fantastic original quartet.
However, I’m delighted to report that this is probably better than its prequel (thunder city); it’s just got more of the feel of the original books and is a thoroughly enjoyable swashbuckling adventure.
It was a difficult decision, but it did lose a star in the end and let me tell you why. It’s really difficult to put my finger on it, but the original series just had more depth to the characters. I don’t know how to explain it, but I felt with Tom, Hester, Shrike, Anna Fang and Valentine etc there was just a bit more darkness, the characters were a bit more raw - do you know what I mean?
Having said that, let me stress that I loved it and was not disappointed - fully recommend all of Reeves subsequent books based in the mortal engines universe. I suppose it’s that elephant in the room where I can’t help but compare to the fantastic original quartet.
April 11, 2026
5. I am loving this series and am thankful we still get to explore the traction world. Got a little teary-eyed at the last bits, though.
Barnaby Edwards still does a good job narrating.
Barnaby Edwards still does a good job narrating.
June 3, 2026
This is what I like to see from Mortal Engines. I have no idea how many more books we'll get in this world, but hey, I'll keep reading them. Philip Reeve stated in his blog that the next book after Bridge of Storms is already finished, and it will likely release next year. I know because I searched whether the series would continue, hoping the answer would be yes. The answer is yes.
Bridge of Storms is generally more structured and complex than Thunder City. I like how the internal struggles within Museion add to the external chaos around it. I like how well Pook and Doom work as a team. I like how Philip Reeve briefly focuses on rust during that one chapter which I believe was titled "Rust." I like how Barnaby Edwards has been so consistently good with his narration, since I've been listening to these books in audio format.
There are elements of murder mystery in this one, reminiscent of the story "Traction City Blues" from Night Flights. I have one criticism which applies to both of these murder mysteries: the truth is revealed all at once. After it's solved, you probably won't think more of it, because you'll know all there is to know. Then the story moves on.
The ending is similar to another book within the world of Mortal Engines (but I won't say which one). As I approached the climactic peak of the story, I felt I knew how it would turn out, and I was close to correct, with some of the details wrong. Despite this, it was a surprisingly intense and exciting moment, and I was happy with all the things I didn't expect.
This is the earliest I've been with Mortal Engines, and I'm certainly not early. I'll try to read the next book as soon as it comes out.
Bridge of Storms is generally more structured and complex than Thunder City. I like how the internal struggles within Museion add to the external chaos around it. I like how well Pook and Doom work as a team. I like how Philip Reeve briefly focuses on rust during that one chapter which I believe was titled "Rust." I like how Barnaby Edwards has been so consistently good with his narration, since I've been listening to these books in audio format.
There are elements of murder mystery in this one, reminiscent of the story "Traction City Blues" from Night Flights. I have one criticism which applies to both of these murder mysteries: the truth is revealed all at once. After it's solved, you probably won't think more of it, because you'll know all there is to know. Then the story moves on.
The ending is similar to another book within the world of Mortal Engines (but I won't say which one). As I approached the climactic peak of the story, I felt I knew how it would turn out, and I was close to correct, with some of the details wrong. Despite this, it was a surprisingly intense and exciting moment, and I was happy with all the things I didn't expect.
This is the earliest I've been with Mortal Engines, and I'm certainly not early. I'll try to read the next book as soon as it comes out.
February 19, 2026
I was hoping for a bit more than Thunder City delivered, and I got it.
Not just a return to the Traction Era, but a welcome widening of the world in a way more fundamental than new terrains and new cities: Bridge of Storms has nomads* (presumably the ancestors of the Snowmads of the Ice Wastes from the original Mortal Engines quartet), nightwights, and a new use for Revenant technology. The world is knitting together too, with references to Cluny Morvish, Fever Crumb, and Arlo Thursday (from Fever Crumb and its follow-up prequels), and some hints at where Magnus Crome got the info on Medusa and London's longstanding interest in Stalker-tech. The characters get better too, and Vespertine is fast becoming my second favourite Stalker. I hope Altan stays: we need more on the ATL angle. There will be another book, and finally we might get to see some Nuevo Mayan ziggurats in action.
*So Viking Jam had a point about Mad Max in the review they posted, though how they posted it months before publication and what the reference to 'soon to be a movie' actually means I don't understand: it still looks a bit suss. As for the Mad Max parallel: when the Mortal Engines movie came out, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian likened it to Star Wars (that's A New Hope, for anyone born after 1995). I'd never made that connection myself before, but it's there in the super weapon which must be stopped. Fair point, but one trope does not define a work, and for critics any novelty eventually becomes chaotic static around the trendlines (super weapons, underdog hero, revenge best served cold, etc. etc.) - which is why it's important to look beyond the obvious. There are Fury Road style antagonists here, but there is more to the book than that.
Not just a return to the Traction Era, but a welcome widening of the world in a way more fundamental than new terrains and new cities: Bridge of Storms has nomads* (presumably the ancestors of the Snowmads of the Ice Wastes from the original Mortal Engines quartet), nightwights, and a new use for Revenant technology. The world is knitting together too, with references to Cluny Morvish, Fever Crumb, and Arlo Thursday (from Fever Crumb and its follow-up prequels), and some hints at where Magnus Crome got the info on Medusa and London's longstanding interest in Stalker-tech. The characters get better too, and Vespertine is fast becoming my second favourite Stalker. I hope Altan stays: we need more on the ATL angle. There will be another book, and finally we might get to see some Nuevo Mayan ziggurats in action.
*So Viking Jam had a point about Mad Max in the review they posted, though how they posted it months before publication and what the reference to 'soon to be a movie' actually means I don't understand: it still looks a bit suss. As for the Mad Max parallel: when the Mortal Engines movie came out, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian likened it to Star Wars (that's A New Hope, for anyone born after 1995). I'd never made that connection myself before, but it's there in the super weapon which must be stopped. Fair point, but one trope does not define a work, and for critics any novelty eventually becomes chaotic static around the trendlines (super weapons, underdog hero, revenge best served cold, etc. etc.) - which is why it's important to look beyond the obvious. There are Fury Road style antagonists here, but there is more to the book than that.
October 6, 2025
Review: Soon to be a movie hmm? You know they may be right. This novel translates better as pure movement. I like the story line foundation and the idea of airships set against this Mad Maxian landscape. There is even a humongous type character with the ancillary frenetic worshipers that display their crazy as normative. Insert Toecutter, Rictus
Where this fails is character development. Everyone is an event, with no buildup or mystery. The entrenched crew of the Airships are of a patterned mien. Shy but deadly (Tamzin), insecure but vain (Max) and motherly / inquisitive (Hilly). If you are old enough, think back to the Ghost (Captain Oddington) and Mrs. Muir. There is even a revenant made from the remains of a pit fighter brain mixed with robot. Combined, they are a lovable retard that melts your heart as it chases its cherished kitty around. Can you say "Mary Shelly"? Of course anyone that sees Franken......er they are unable to move while pissing their boots.
The residents of Museion are all professorial with a vampiric engineer driving the city. Seems like there was a fair amount of hastely contrived personalities inserted into an equally derivative story line. Tamsin Pook is a supposed badass revenant killer yet gets tossed around like a bag of rice at a Chinese cookout. Even a singular Witch takes her down with little effort. Yet when her skills are needed to drive the story line, boy is she of a sudden, a consumate untouchable killer/fighter.
I liked the movement but never really got into this novel as it surely tugs from the past without shame.
I received this ARC for an honest review.
2.2/5
Where this fails is character development. Everyone is an event, with no buildup or mystery. The entrenched crew of the Airships are of a patterned mien. Shy but deadly (Tamzin), insecure but vain (Max) and motherly / inquisitive (Hilly). If you are old enough, think back to the Ghost (Captain Oddington) and Mrs. Muir. There is even a revenant made from the remains of a pit fighter brain mixed with robot. Combined, they are a lovable retard that melts your heart as it chases its cherished kitty around. Can you say "Mary Shelly"? Of course anyone that sees Franken......er they are unable to move while pissing their boots.
The residents of Museion are all professorial with a vampiric engineer driving the city. Seems like there was a fair amount of hastely contrived personalities inserted into an equally derivative story line. Tamsin Pook is a supposed badass revenant killer yet gets tossed around like a bag of rice at a Chinese cookout. Even a singular Witch takes her down with little effort. Yet when her skills are needed to drive the story line, boy is she of a sudden, a consumate untouchable killer/fighter.
I liked the movement but never really got into this novel as it surely tugs from the past without shame.
I received this ARC for an honest review.
2.2/5
April 15, 2026
Whereas Thunder City felt like a safe and comfortable reintroduction to the universe, Bridge of Storms is a bit more ambitious and proves that Philip Reeve has not run out of ideas for new things to do with this world. At first I felt like the bumbling professors of Museion and the shaved-headed cult who inhabit the pursuing suburb of Crawley were just a retreading of the historians and engineers guilds of London from the very first book, but then something is revealed about the nature of Crawley which feels inspired and somehow at the same time seems like an obvious thing to do given the established tech in this universe and I'm almost surprised a similar idea hadn't been explored earlier!
The professors being like the historians and Crawley's citizens being like the engineers does make perfect sense as Museion later gets amalgamated into London and Crawley was founded by a London engineer, so on reflection it feels more like drawing a neat line of continuity than a case of tired repetition. There's actually quite a few references to both the prequels and the original quartet which tie the whole universe together nicely and will please long time fans I'm sure. Also the final dramatic showdown takes place on a crumbling, disused steel bridge (from which the book gets its title) which is awesome and reminded me of the 1970s disaster movie The Cassandra Crossing, no idea if that was a conscious inspiration or not.
The professors being like the historians and Crawley's citizens being like the engineers does make perfect sense as Museion later gets amalgamated into London and Crawley was founded by a London engineer, so on reflection it feels more like drawing a neat line of continuity than a case of tired repetition. There's actually quite a few references to both the prequels and the original quartet which tie the whole universe together nicely and will please long time fans I'm sure. Also the final dramatic showdown takes place on a crumbling, disused steel bridge (from which the book gets its title) which is awesome and reminded me of the 1970s disaster movie The Cassandra Crossing, no idea if that was a conscious inspiration or not.
June 26, 2026
I greatly admire that Philip Reeve isn’t just able to still write fun and engaging (and emotionally touching) stories set in the Mortal Engines world after twenty-five years and eight books, but also that he’s able to still be creative with them; I won’t spoil it, but there’s a great moment in this book which is a logical development of one of the fictional technologies featured in all the others. He also retains his brilliantly evocative prose style, whether he’s describing the natural world or the rusty, grimy, industrial world of his cities - either it’s a holdover from his career as an illustrator or he just has a natural talent for conjuring up a strong image with a sentence or two.
This one had more of a Predator’s Gold feeling to it than Thunder City, with the action largely taking place aboard a single small city on the run. It also clearly draws a lot of inspiration from Mad Max: Fury Road. I enjoyed it as always; Reeve could write another fifty of these books and I’d keep reading them.
This one had more of a Predator’s Gold feeling to it than Thunder City, with the action largely taking place aboard a single small city on the run. It also clearly draws a lot of inspiration from Mad Max: Fury Road. I enjoyed it as always; Reeve could write another fifty of these books and I’d keep reading them.
June 30, 2026
This novel has the same band of characters from Thunder City.
The troupe is helping out a Traction City to get their historical artifacts to the City of London so their history libraries and catalogs can be combine.
Along the way Tamazen, Doon and Vespertine get taken prisoner on another city and Hilly, Max and Twan are trying to save them.
Little pieces from the Fever Crumb series do come into play with this book which I do like.
The title of the book comes into play when the city needs to cross a bridge to get to the rendezvous point to meet London and Hilly needs to help steer the ship with a flag that she is waving at the head of the ship.
London is late to the meeting but do they get there in time or even at all before the historical artifacts get burned and destroyed?
After all of this adventure, our troupe still wants to venture out into the world searching for a new one!
The troupe is helping out a Traction City to get their historical artifacts to the City of London so their history libraries and catalogs can be combine.
Along the way Tamazen, Doon and Vespertine get taken prisoner on another city and Hilly, Max and Twan are trying to save them.
Little pieces from the Fever Crumb series do come into play with this book which I do like.
The title of the book comes into play when the city needs to cross a bridge to get to the rendezvous point to meet London and Hilly needs to help steer the ship with a flag that she is waving at the head of the ship.
London is late to the meeting but do they get there in time or even at all before the historical artifacts get burned and destroyed?
After all of this adventure, our troupe still wants to venture out into the world searching for a new one!
March 28, 2026
As a child I took these books extremely seriously, feeling them to be heights of originality, drama, and innovation. But now as an adult I understand they're a rich weave of references to other sci fi properties, the central thesis is completely impossible, and I also understand the references much better. here Reeve really lets loose in the last few pages and has some serious fun with it.
May 7, 2026
I'm such a huge fan of this world and I can positively read anything set within it because it's so fantastic. This sequel to thunder city completely ups the steaks and tension immensely in comparison. The main 'villain' is absolutely terrifying in Many different ways too without giving too much away.
June 8, 2026
Hugely fun, and I snatched up every brief reference to the other books in different parts of the series (the Medusa diagram! Oh my god). Now consider me going right back to the start to reread Mortal Engines…
What a treat.
What a treat.
April 15, 2026
Yeah, f- it. Five stars! That book was so much fun to read. So happy that Reeve is back in this setting and it’s better than ever!
May 2, 2026
“A showdown on a majestic bridge during a ferocious storm” - this is a lie, Scholastic would you like to employ someone who can write accurate blurbs?
May 17, 2026
Another enjoyable tale set in the world of Mortal Engines.
May 18, 2026
The adventures continue!
Another great story of life in the traction world. I can’t wait to see where the adventures travel to next!
Another great story of life in the traction world. I can’t wait to see where the adventures travel to next!
May 26, 2026
3.5 stars
April 8, 2026
Absolutely love the world of Mortal Engines! This is a cracking, pacy, inventive read with great characters and more than a sprinkling of wit
February 28, 2026
This book has taken me 2 weeks to read purely because I wanted to savour every word. Philip Reeve is my all time favourite author and Bridge of Storms is a triumph. If you’ve read Mortal Engines you’ll adore this one in particular. The parallels between the journey of Hester, Tom and Shrike and Tamzin, Max and Vespertine are a joy. Needless to say a few tears were shed today when I finished this masterpiece. Bravo Phillip.
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February 20, 2026These are so good!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews