Hey guys

So, I've been hearing some rumors about how Peter Jackson is going to be adapting these books someday, so I wanted to know if anyone else has ever read this series:

Mortal Engines, by Philip Reeve
It's the first in a series of four, with two prequels set a few hundred years before it.

For those who haven't heard about it, the main quartet is set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, a few thousand years into the future. In this future, Earth has been ravaged by a nuclear holocaust, which causes the construction of "Traction Cities", which are pretty much giant cities on wheels. The books center around the conflict between the Tractionists, and the Anti-Traction League.

I know my description isn't all that great, but this is an amazing series. The Author manages to create and describe this amazing world, similar to what J.K. Rowling has done with Harry Potter.

The only problem I had with these books was the main character, Tom. He's kinda wimpy through most of the books, but this is balanced out by the presence of some terrific supporting characters.

I guess that's all I can say about this series, so here's the amazon link. You'll probably get a better grasp of the book there. There are even a few reviews which tout it as the "next Harry Potter". Not sure if I agree, but it gets pretty damn close.

http://www.amazon.com/Mortal-Engines-Hungry-City-Chronicles/dp/0060082097/

 

Eh, I read the first one and couldn't stand it. In my opinion, the world simply does not invite the wonder or desire to explore that a Harry Potter evokes. The writing seemed uninspired, and filled (particularly at the beginning) with what's become the typical reclaiming the glory of the British Empire motif.

I've never understood why people bother making this type of post-apocalypse book (See: Hunger Games), where the characters and societies have almost no relation to anything at all in our time or our history, and things like broken CDs are considered valuable artifacts. It's a cheap cop out that forces a mental connection between two objects (London on wheels and real London) that have little to no similarities.

The book was thoroughly 'meh.'