Philip Reeve - Celebrating 25 Years of Mortal Engines

About

The Bookery is delighted to welcome award winning author Philip Reeve for a high energy celebration of his brand new adventure in the world of Mortal Engines, Bridge of Storms. Perfect for readers aged 8+, this Easter holiday event will be an hour of imagination, action, and big ideas, chaired by Patrick Garrett, Teacher of English at Chulmleigh College.

In Bridge of Storms , brave fighter Tamzin Pook and her oddball gang of mercenaries are caught up in the squall of another adventure across the Hunting Grounds. When they visit the city of Museion, they find themselves unexpectedly chased by a gang of bloodthirsty raiders intent on their capture. Their epic attempt to escape leads to a showdown on a majestic bridge during a ferocious ice storm - can Tamzin and her friends lead Museion out of danger? Expect pulse racing jeopardy, inventive machines, and tantalising echoes that link Tamzins story to the wider Mortal Engines timeline all brought to life with Philip Reeves trademark humour, pace and worldbuilding. This year also marks the 25th anniversary of Mortal Engines Philip Reeves astonishingly imaginative steampunk epic, a modern classic that launched the Traction Era and has captivated generations of readers.
During the event Philip Reeve will talk about returning to the Traction Era, the craft of adventure writing, and the ideas powering Bridge of Storms. Therell be plenty of time for audience Q&A, and Philip will sign books afterwards.

Big, brave, brilliant. The Guardian
Reeve has managed to marry the hugeness of his imagination with an utterly compelling and child friendly storyline. Anthony Horowitz.

Philip Reeve is one of the UKs most celebrated writers for young people. His novels have won the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Childrens Fiction Prize, the Blue Peter Book of the Year, and more, with over half a million copies of the Mortal Engines series sold in the UK and a major film adaptation produced by Peter Jackson introducing the Traction Era to an even wider audience
Patrick Garrett is a Secondary English teacher and freelance writer. He has been a fan of Mortal Engines ever since the first novel came out and, over twenty years later, has now had the pleasure of reading them to his own miniature once-borns. His own post-apocalyptic game book series, The Eighth Continent, is free on GooglePlay. Patricks hopes for the future: that Revenants can become a reality whatever the future holds, there will be need of immortal English teachers.

This event is part of The Bookerys programme supporting the National Year of Reading 2026, celebrating creativity, literacy, and the joy of stories across our community.