Hungry City Chronicles
Encyclopedia
The Mortal Engines Quartet is the UK
and original title of a series of four novels, Mortal Engines
(2001), Predator's Gold
(2003), Infernal Devices (2005), and A Darkling Plain
(2006), written by the British
author Philip Reeve
. It is known in the US
as the Hungry City Chronicles.
. Nations no longer exist, except in the lands of the Anti-Traction League; Traction Cities - entire cities mounted on caterpillar tracks for mobility - are fiercely independent city-states, using giant jaws to devour one another for resources. Trade is mostly accomplished by airship
, though sometimes cities of roughly equal size (unable to devour each other) will stop to trade. Old-Tech (technology from before the Traction Era, some of which is from the 21st century) is the most sought-after commodity.
and a major feature of the third and fourth books in the series, Infernal Devices and A Darkling Plain
.
It was built as part of the arms race
between the American Empire and Greater China
. It and MEDUSA are the only superweapons known to have survived until the events of the series, although there are several references to other orbital superweapons (Diamond Bat, Jinju 14, and the Nine Sisters for example). ODIN is more powerful than MEDUSA and is able to hit almost any target on the surface of the earth - MEDUSA was a ground-based energy weapon while ODIN is based on a satellite
. ODIN is supposedly an American satellite as the code for controlling the satellite came off an American submarine
. The other orbital weapons are hinted to have broken up over time and fallen from the sky.
ODIN is an energy weapon which apparently converts the energy of a small nuclear weapon into a directed beam of incinerating energy. This has the power to exterminate cities (both traction and static) and provoke volcanic eruptions
. Its beam can be seen for very long distances and seems to interfere with the mechanical minds of Stalkers
. Only Shrike
's Old-Tech Stalker brain has the mettle to withstand this, although he goes into a fit-like state and it is hinted he is saved by Dr Oenone Zero
. Anna Fang
, whether because of her connection to ODIN or her particular mix of Old-Tech and modern Stalker brain, is unaffected. Other Stalkers just lose all power.
The Tin Book, copied from a US Military document recovered by the refugees of the original Anchorage
from a submarine, is a codebook for controlling ODIN. It is stolen by the Lost Boys (Mortal Engines)
and, later, Brighton
. It then falls into the hands of the Stalker Fang, who memorises its contents and then leaves it to be destroyed on Cloud 9 when she is attacked by Shrike. It is then destroyed in a fire; however, when Fang is rebuilt by Fishcake, her Stalker alter-ego travels towards Batmunkh Gompa to firstly steal parts for a transmitter with the power to reach ODIN and then onto Anna Fang's living residence, where there is enough Old-Tech to finish the transmitter. The journey is delayed by Anna Fang's confused and caring personality coming to the fore. But at Batmunkh Gompa the Stalker takes control until the final scene (apart from a brief period of a few seconds as Dr. Popjoy examines her mechanical brain).
When ODIN is fired, confusion ensues as both the Green Storm
and Traction Cities are targeted. Both sides try to find the transmitter, leading to the Storm's assault of London, but it is Tom, Hester
, Shrike
and Pennyroyal
who find Fang. As Fang prepares to target all the volcanoes on the earth and so destroy humanity, a final confrontation from Tom brings Anna to the fore once more and she orders ODIN to turn its beam weapon upon itself, destroying it completely.
As well as its immensely powerful weaponry, ODIN appears to show signs of intelligence
. When it is awakened, it queries its new position and briefly searches for its old masters, it also notes the vast difference in geography since its last awakening. It can also zoom in to an individual's face on the Earth
and, although the picture is grainy, it is still impressive. It can change its orbit when directed to target all over the globe. This, as well as the Stalker minds found among old-tech (and Shrike) seems to prove that what we loosely call robot
s had, by the time of the Sixty Minute War, achieved sentience
.
, where Reeve lives. Both Shrike and Smew are named after birds, and Pennyroyal is named after a flower. Miss Plym and Chudleigh Pomeroy are both in the Guild of Historians, and Tamarton Foliot is an "Alternative" historian
.
Many of the characters are named after ancient (in the context of the books) brands: Windolene Pye, Daz
Gravy, Nutella
Eisberg, Napster
Varley, and Nabisco
Shkin for example.
Friends of Phillip Reeve are also occasionally mentioned in the books; for instance 'Poskitt' is included as a god, clearly referring to Kjartan Poskitt
, a friend and the author of books that Reeve has illustrated in the past.
' Culture novels
.
, director of the Lord of the Rings
trilogy, expressed interest in directing the film adaptations. As it is early in production, not much is known of it. Currently WETA
is said to be working on the designs for the first book. It is rumored that they've been sitting on the rights for some time. There have been previous attempts to adapt Mortal Engines, but Philip Reeve declined the offers, as he was afraid that they would change the book too much.
In April 2010, it was confirmed that WETA is working on the adaption. Peter Jackson is to be both director and producer, and the film will be shot in stereoscopic 3D.
According to IMDB, the movie may be coming out in 2012.
and mentioned that a younger Anna Fang
would be an interesting character to focus on. However, it is unknown whether it will be finished or not.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and original title of a series of four novels, Mortal Engines
Mortal Engines
Mortal Engines is the first of four novels in Philip Reeve's quartet of the same name, which is also known as the Hungry City Chronicles in the United States...
(2001), Predator's Gold
Predator's Gold
Predator's Gold is the second of four novels in Philip Reeve's series for young adults, the Mortal Engines Quartet.-Setting:Predator's Gold is set two years after Mortal Engines...
(2003), Infernal Devices (2005), and A Darkling Plain
A Darkling Plain
A Darkling Plain is the fourth and final novel in the Mortal Engines Quartet series written by author Philip Reeve.The novel won the 2006 Guardian Award and the 2007 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Fiction.-Setting:...
(2006), written by the British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
author Philip Reeve
Philip Reeve
Philip Reeve is a British author and illustrator. He presently lives on Dartmoor with his wife Sarah and their son Samuel.-Biography:...
. It is known in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as the Hungry City Chronicles.
Locations
The Mortal Engines Quartet is set in the distant future, in an age known as the Traction Era. Earth has been reduced to wasteland by a devastating conflict, known as the Sixty Minute WarSixty Minute War
The Sixty Minute War is a fictional event in Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet. It is a cataclysmic conflict which is deliberately left vague, but was evidently fought between the American Empire and Greater China. It is likely that the Middle East was involved, as this region has been reduced...
. Nations no longer exist, except in the lands of the Anti-Traction League; Traction Cities - entire cities mounted on caterpillar tracks for mobility - are fiercely independent city-states, using giant jaws to devour one another for resources. Trade is mostly accomplished by airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
, though sometimes cities of roughly equal size (unable to devour each other) will stop to trade. Old-Tech (technology from before the Traction Era, some of which is from the 21st century) is the most sought-after commodity.
- The Great Hunting Ground - Consists of EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Northern Asia, and is the domain of the Traction CitiesTraction CityIn Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet, Traction Cities are vast metropolises built on tiers that are capable of moving on gigantic wheels and caterpillar tracks. These cities hunt smaller cities which in turn hunt towns which in turn hunt villages and static settlements...
. It is a muddy wasteland, as the constant movement of the cities has destroyed all vegetation. The land is referred to by city-dwellers as the "Out-Country."As it is called the Great Hunting Ground it is likely to be the biggest in the world, with the most traction cities. - The Ice Wastes - New name for the ArcticArcticThe Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
, which is also home to Traction Cities which use iron runners to skate across the ice. In some places the ice is thin and a danger to traction cities as they risk falling in the ocean. - Africa - AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
is split between the Sahara Desert, which is a land of Traction Cities, and the southern regions, run by Anti-Tractionists. Areas of the southern continent include the static cities of Zagwa and Tibetsi, and the highland area known as the Mountains of the Moon. - The Dead Continent - North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, reduced to an irradiated wasteland by the Sixty Minute WarSixty Minute WarThe Sixty Minute War is a fictional event in Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet. It is a cataclysmic conflict which is deliberately left vague, but was evidently fought between the American Empire and Greater China. It is likely that the Middle East was involved, as this region has been reduced...
. Rumours abound as to whether it is completely dead or not, which provide much of the focus of Predator's GoldPredator's GoldPredator's Gold is the second of four novels in Philip Reeve's series for young adults, the Mortal Engines Quartet.-Setting:Predator's Gold is set two years after Mortal Engines...
. It is proven not to be completely dead; in the north there are forests with some animals which have managed to survive the Sixty Minute War. - Asia - The stronghold of the Anti-Traction League. Eastern China is evidently irradiated from the War, and the HimalayasHimalayasThe Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
are now the center of civilization (the mountainous terrain making it impossible for cities to approach). - Nuevo Maya - New name for South AmericaSouth AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, which was severed from North America when "slow bombs" destroyed Central AmericaCentral AmericaCentral America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
during the War. Like AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and EurasiaEurasiaEurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
, South America is split: static settlements rule the AndesAndesThe Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, but the lowlands are filled with zigguratZigguratZiggurats were massive structures built in the ancient Mesopotamian valley and western Iranian plateau, having the form of a terraced step pyramid of successively receding stories or levels.Notable ziggurats include the Great Ziggurat of Ur near Nasiriyah, Iraq; the Ziggurat of Aqar Quf near...
Traction Cities. Tom and Hester visit Nuevo Maya in the gap between the first two books, but it is never visited in the series itself. Philip Reeve has said that he will explore Nuevo Mayo in more detail some time in the future. - Antarctica - Mentioned only once, and is evidently the domain of oil-drilling Traction Cities. Tom and Hester visit Antarctica in the gap between the first two books, but, again, it is never visited in the series itself.
- Australia Though not mentioned in the original series or Fever CrumbFever CrumbFever Crumb is the prequel to the Mortal Engines Quartet by Philip Reeve, released in 2009. A sequel called A Web of Air was released in April 2010.-Plot synopsis:...
, Philip Reeve says that he will explore places like Australia and Nuevo Maya in the future, as he never had a chance to do so in the original quartet.
ODIN
The Orbital Defence Initiative (abbreviated ODIN) is an orbital satellite weapon; a very powerful remnant of the Sixty Minute WarSixty Minute War
The Sixty Minute War is a fictional event in Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet. It is a cataclysmic conflict which is deliberately left vague, but was evidently fought between the American Empire and Greater China. It is likely that the Middle East was involved, as this region has been reduced...
and a major feature of the third and fourth books in the series, Infernal Devices and A Darkling Plain
A Darkling Plain
A Darkling Plain is the fourth and final novel in the Mortal Engines Quartet series written by author Philip Reeve.The novel won the 2006 Guardian Award and the 2007 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Fiction.-Setting:...
.
It was built as part of the arms race
Arms race
The term arms race, in its original usage, describes a competition between two or more parties for the best armed forces. Each party competes to produce larger numbers of weapons, greater armies, or superior military technology in a technological escalation...
between the American Empire and Greater China
Greater China
Greater China is a term used to refer to mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. As a "phrase of the moment", the precise meaning is not entirely clear, and people may use it for only the commercial ties, only the cultural actions, or even as a euphemism for the Two Chinas, while others may...
. It and MEDUSA are the only superweapons known to have survived until the events of the series, although there are several references to other orbital superweapons (Diamond Bat, Jinju 14, and the Nine Sisters for example). ODIN is more powerful than MEDUSA and is able to hit almost any target on the surface of the earth - MEDUSA was a ground-based energy weapon while ODIN is based on a satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
. ODIN is supposedly an American satellite as the code for controlling the satellite came off an American submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
. The other orbital weapons are hinted to have broken up over time and fallen from the sky.
ODIN is an energy weapon which apparently converts the energy of a small nuclear weapon into a directed beam of incinerating energy. This has the power to exterminate cities (both traction and static) and provoke volcanic eruptions
Volcanic Eruptions
Volcanic Eruptions is a company owned by Crispin Glover. The company produces and issues Glover's work: It has released two films to date, What Is It? and its sequel, It is Fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE . Its current plans include releasing the final film in the trilogy titled It Is Mine...
. Its beam can be seen for very long distances and seems to interfere with the mechanical minds of Stalkers
Stalker (Philip Reeve)
The Stalkers are a type of combatants mentioned in Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines, Predator's Gold, Infernal Devices and A Darkling Plain. They are also known as the Resurrected Men. The Stalkers were built by the Nomadic Empires that battled each other across the volcano maze of what was once...
. Only Shrike
Shrike (Philip Reeve)
Shrike is a recurring character in Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet and Fever Crumb Series. He appears in all the books except Predator's Gold and A Web of Air....
's Old-Tech Stalker brain has the mettle to withstand this, although he goes into a fit-like state and it is hinted he is saved by Dr Oenone Zero
Oenone Zero
Oenone Zero is a character in the Mortal Engines Quartet, introduced in Infernal Devices.Doctor Zero was born on the Aleutian Islands about two years before Mortal Engines started, making her approximately nineteen or twenty when she is introduced, four years older than Wren Natsworthy, who wasn't...
. Anna Fang
Anna Fang
Anna Fang is a character in Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet. Her name may be derived from the German "anfang" meaning beginning.-Mortal Engines:Anna is introduced as a friendly Asian aviator who helps Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw escape slavery...
, whether because of her connection to ODIN or her particular mix of Old-Tech and modern Stalker brain, is unaffected. Other Stalkers just lose all power.
The Tin Book, copied from a US Military document recovered by the refugees of the original Anchorage
Anchorage-in-Vineland
Anchorage-in-Vineland is a fictional city based on the city of Anchorage, Alaska in the Mortal Engines Quartet by Philip Reeve.It is the static and stable version of the Traction City of Anchorage that had decided to stop wandering the Arctic wastes and settle in the green and unspoilt land of...
from a submarine, is a codebook for controlling ODIN. It is stolen by the Lost Boys (Mortal Engines)
Lost Boys (Mortal Engines)
The Lost Boys are a shadowy, fictional organisation which appears in the Mortal Engines Quartet written by Philip Reeve.-Beginnings of the Lost Boys:...
and, later, Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. It then falls into the hands of the Stalker Fang, who memorises its contents and then leaves it to be destroyed on Cloud 9 when she is attacked by Shrike. It is then destroyed in a fire; however, when Fang is rebuilt by Fishcake, her Stalker alter-ego travels towards Batmunkh Gompa to firstly steal parts for a transmitter with the power to reach ODIN and then onto Anna Fang's living residence, where there is enough Old-Tech to finish the transmitter. The journey is delayed by Anna Fang's confused and caring personality coming to the fore. But at Batmunkh Gompa the Stalker takes control until the final scene (apart from a brief period of a few seconds as Dr. Popjoy examines her mechanical brain).
When ODIN is fired, confusion ensues as both the Green Storm
Green Storm
In Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet, the Green Storm is a fanatical splinter group of the Anti-Traction League, which ends up in control of the League...
and Traction Cities are targeted. Both sides try to find the transmitter, leading to the Storm's assault of London, but it is Tom, Hester
Hester Shaw
Hester Shaw is a fictional character from Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet who has terrible facial scarring, due to an attack from Thaddeus Valentine when Hester was a child.-Personality:...
, Shrike
Shrike (Philip Reeve)
Shrike is a recurring character in Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet and Fever Crumb Series. He appears in all the books except Predator's Gold and A Web of Air....
and Pennyroyal
Nimrod Pennyroyal
Nimrod Pennyroyal is a recurring character in the Mortal Engines Quartet, written by Philip Reeve. He is first introduced in Predator's Gold and remains a major character for the rest of the series....
who find Fang. As Fang prepares to target all the volcanoes on the earth and so destroy humanity, a final confrontation from Tom brings Anna to the fore once more and she orders ODIN to turn its beam weapon upon itself, destroying it completely.
As well as its immensely powerful weaponry, ODIN appears to show signs of intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
. When it is awakened, it queries its new position and briefly searches for its old masters, it also notes the vast difference in geography since its last awakening. It can also zoom in to an individual's face on the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and, although the picture is grainy, it is still impressive. It can change its orbit when directed to target all over the globe. This, as well as the Stalker minds found among old-tech (and Shrike) seems to prove that what we loosely call robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s had, by the time of the Sixty Minute War, achieved sentience
Sentience
Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive or be conscious, or to have subjective experiences. Eighteenth century philosophers used the concept to distinguish the ability to think from the ability to feel . In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences...
.
Names
A few of the people in the books are named after places in DevonDevon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, where Reeve lives. Both Shrike and Smew are named after birds, and Pennyroyal is named after a flower. Miss Plym and Chudleigh Pomeroy are both in the Guild of Historians, and Tamarton Foliot is an "Alternative" historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
.
Many of the characters are named after ancient (in the context of the books) brands: Windolene Pye, Daz
Daz (detergent)
Daz is the name of a popular laundry detergent on the market in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble and is lower priced than P&G's main brand, Ariel...
Gravy, Nutella
Nutella
Nutella is the brand name of a chocolate spread. Nutella, manufactured by the Italian company Ferrero, was introduced on the market in 1963. The recipe was developed from an earlier Ferrero spread released in 1944. Nutella is now sold in over 75 countries....
Eisberg, Napster
Napster
Napster is an online music store and a Best Buy company. It was originally founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service that emphasized sharing audio files that were typically digitally encoded music as MP3 format files...
Varley, and Nabisco
Nabisco
Nabisco is an American brand of cookies and snacks. Headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey, the company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Kraft Foods. Nabisco's plant in Chicago, a production facility at 7300 S...
Shkin for example.
Friends of Phillip Reeve are also occasionally mentioned in the books; for instance 'Poskitt' is included as a god, clearly referring to Kjartan Poskitt
Kjartan Poskitt
Kjartan Poskitt is an author and TV presenter who is best known for writing the Murderous Maths children's series of books.- Background :Poskitt was educated at Collingwood College, Durham.- Writing :...
, a friend and the author of books that Reeve has illustrated in the past.
Airship Names
Airships in the quartet carry unusual or quirky names sometimes reminiscent of the style of the names of ships in Iain BanksIain Banks
Iain Banks is a Scottish writer. He writes mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks, and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, including the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies...
' Culture novels
The Culture
The Culture is a fictional interstellar anarchist, socialist, and utopian society created by the Scottish writer Iain M. Banks which features in a number of science fiction novels and works of short fiction by him, collectively called the Culture series....
.
- Jenny HaniverJenny HaniverA Jenny Haniver is the carcass of a ray or a skate which has been modified and subsequently dried, resulting in a grotesque preserved specimen.One suggestion for the origin of the term was the French phrase jeune d'Anvers...
- a dried-out skate or ray resembling a demon (this ship is later renamed the Arctic RollArctic rollAn Arctic roll is a British dessert made of vanilla ice cream wrapped in a thin layer of sponge cake to form a roll, with a layer of raspberry flavoured sauce between the sponge and the ice cream. The dessert was invented in the 1950s by a Czech lawyer, Ernest Velden, who had emigrated to England...
) - 13th Floor Elevator - from the band of similar name13th Floor ElevatorsThe 13th Floor Elevators were an American rock band from Austin, Texas formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland, which existed from 1965 to 1969...
- Invisible Worm - a reference to William BlakeWilliam BlakeWilliam Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
's poem, The Sick RoseThe Sick Rose"The Sick Rose" is a poem by William Blake. The first publication was in 1794, when it was included in his collection titled Songs of Experience as the 39th plate. The incipit of the poem is O Rose thou art sick. Blake composed the page sometime after 1789, and presents it with the illuminated... - Aerymouse - archaic name for a batBatBats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
- Idiot WindIdiot Wind"Idiot Wind" is a song by Bob Dylan. It appeared on his album Blood on the Tracks.The song was likely to have been written in the summer of 1974, after his comeback tour with The Band that year. Working on a suggestion from his brother, Dylan re-recorded half the songs on Blood on the Tracks,...
- a Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
song on the album Blood on the TracksBlood on the TracksBlood on the Tracks is Bob Dylan's 15th studio album, released by Columbia Records in January 1975. The album marked Dylan's return to Columbia after a two-album stint with Asylum Records.... - My ShironaMy Sharona"My Sharona" is the debut single by The Knack, released in 1979 from their album Get the Knack. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart where it remained for six weeks and was #1 on Billboards Top Pop Singles of 1979 year-end chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry...
- from the hit single by The KnackThe KnackThe Knack was an American New Wave rock quartet based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with their first single, "My Sharona", an international number one hit in 1979.-Founding :... - Mokele Mbembe - a cryptozoological creature of the Congo Basin
- Garden Aeroplane Trap - a surrealist painting by Max ErnstMax ErnstMax Ernst was a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was one of the primary pioneers of the Dada movement and Surrealism.-Early life:...
- ZainabZaynab (name)Zaynab is an Arabic female given name meaning "desert flower" or "ornamented tree"...
- several women in Islamic history - Group Captain Mandrake - One of the main characters in the film Dr. Strangelove
- Clear Air TurbulenceClear-Air TurbulenceClear air turbulence is the turbulent movement of air masses in the absence of any visual cues such as clouds, and is caused when bodies of air moving at widely different speeds meet....
- Temporary Blip
- Plum Blossom Spring
- Die Leiden des Jungen WertherThe Sorrows of Young WertherThe Sorrows of Young Werther is an epistolary and loosely autobiographical novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, first published in 1774; a revised edition of the novel was published in 1787...
- Shadow AspectShadow (psychology)In Jungian psychology, the shadow or "shadow aspect" is a part of the unconscious mind consisting of repressed weaknesses, shortcomings, and instincts. It is one of the three most recognizable archetypes, the others being the anima and animus and the persona...
- Protecting Veil
- Hungry GhostHungry ghostHungry ghost is a Western translation of Chinese , a concept in Chinese Buddhism and Chinese traditional religion representing beings who are driven by intense emotional needs in an animalistic way....
- The Combat Wombat
Films
In 2009, Peter JacksonPeter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
, director of the Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
trilogy, expressed interest in directing the film adaptations. As it is early in production, not much is known of it. Currently WETA
Weta Workshop
Weta Workshop is a special effects and prop company based in Miramar, New Zealand, producing effects for television and film.Founded in 1987 by Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger as RT Effects, Weta Workshop has produced creatures and makeup effects for the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
is said to be working on the designs for the first book. It is rumored that they've been sitting on the rights for some time. There have been previous attempts to adapt Mortal Engines, but Philip Reeve declined the offers, as he was afraid that they would change the book too much.
In April 2010, it was confirmed that WETA is working on the adaption. Peter Jackson is to be both director and producer, and the film will be shot in stereoscopic 3D.
According to IMDB, the movie may be coming out in 2012.
Comic
Philip Reeve has also mentioned the possibility of a comic set in the world of Mortal Engines. He said that he has been discussing it with David WyattDavid Wyatt
Davit Wyatt is an English commercial artist. Born in Northampton, he was adopted and raised in West Sussex. As a child, he learnt to play the piano; however, his interest in reading and drawing combined into a love of comics....
and mentioned that a younger Anna Fang
Anna Fang
Anna Fang is a character in Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet. Her name may be derived from the German "anfang" meaning beginning.-Mortal Engines:Anna is introduced as a friendly Asian aviator who helps Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw escape slavery...
would be an interesting character to focus on. However, it is unknown whether it will be finished or not.
External links
- Official Website
- Urbivore - a short story written by Reeve in the 1990s, which became the basis for the Quartet
- Artwork by Julia Zhuravleva