Philip Reeve Interview

Philip Reeve is the award winning author of the incredibly popular Mortal Engines, Predator's Gold and Infernal Devices - the latter of which is now available in hardback.

Mortal Engines was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year and was awarded the Gold Nestle Book Prize as well as being named the Blue Peter Book I Couldn't Put Down 2003.

Read on to find out more...

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1. Did you have the whole story in your head when you started writing Mortal Engines?

Absolutely not. I knew the beginning and end and had a few ideas for things that might happen in between, but there were a lot of surprises along the way. And I had no idea that there would be any further books in the series…

2. Was it easier to write Predator’s Gold?

It was actually much harder, because I didn’t want to disappoint fans of the first book, but at the same time I didn’t want to repeat myself. There were several failed attempts before I hit on the story that eventually became Predator’s Gold.

3. Did you write Mortal Engines specifically for children?

Not really. I wanted to capture something of the spirit of the books that I enjoyed reading when I was twelve or thirteen, but a lot of those were ‘adult’ science fiction stories rather than children’s books. However, I deliberately based the story around young characters and made the pace very fast in the hope of appealing to younger readers.

4. How did you come up with the idea of traction cities and Municipal Darwinism?

Very suddenly, in a flash of inspiration. It’s obviously got something to do with urban sprawl and the way our own cities are eating up the surrounding towns and countryside, but there wasn’t any logical thought process which led me to the idea of traction cities – they just popped into my head one day and demanded to be put into a story.

5. Where and when do you write?

I’ve turned one of the spare bedrooms of my house into a work-room, and I try to write from 9-5, although I often end up skiving off in the afternoon and going for a walk on the moor.

6. How long does it take to write a book?

Mortal Engines took about six years, because I didn’t know if it was publishable and had to work at it during little bits of spare time between illustration jobs. Now that I can afford to devote more time to writing I find it takes between eighteen months and two years to complete a book of that length.

7. How do you come up with your character’s names?

Some just arrive in my mind and sound right, like Hester Shaw. Most are based on ‘found’ words; Natsworthy is one of my favourite places on Dartmoor, and Chudleigh Pomeroy is a combination of Chudleigh Knighton and Berry Pomeroy, which are both close to where I live in Devon. When I’m stuck for a name I usually turn to an atlas or a reference book; I found Shrike and Smew in a guide to British birds, while Scabious and Pennyroyal are both flower names.

8. Are the characters based on people you know?

Never.

9. Do you have a favourite character in either Mortal Engines or Predator’s Gold?

I think I like all of them. Both books went through a lot of different drafts, so any characters who bored me fell by the wayside. Hester is definitely my favourite, because she’s so complicated, and I think London will always be the top town.

10. Which children’s writers do you admire?

I try to avoid reading contemporary children’s books, but I always make an exception for Geraldine McCaughrean, who writes like an angel. I also love the work of Rosemary Sutcliff, who was one of my favourite authors when I was growing up.

11. What was your favourite book as a child?

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis, The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff, The Owl Service by Alan Garner and The Lord of the Rings all topped the list at different times.

12. Which books have made a difference to your life?

All those listed above, because they made me want to write. Also the Asterix and Tintin books, which turned me into a cartoonist and a book of paintings by the illustrator Brian Froud called The Land of Froud (sadly long out of print), which I came across when I was thirteen and which cemented my ambition to be an illustrator and live on Dartmoor.

13. Will the next book, Infernal Devices, be the last we hear from Tom and Hester?

There will be a fourth book, currently called A Darkling Plain, which will complete the story. Tom and Hester will remain important characters throughout the quartet, but they are growing up and in Infernal Devices some new, younger characters will be appearing to share the limelight.

14. Would you like to see the books on stage or produced as a film – are there any plans to do this, and if so do you have anyone in mind for the lead roles?

I don’t know of any plans at present to make a film of Mortal Engines, and I can’t say I’m disappointed – film-makers who adapt books always seem to change the stories, and seldom for the better. And how could you fit a traction city on stage? So I’ve never given any thought as to whom would play the leads… although I’d like to see Bill Nighy as Pennyroyal.