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Carnivorous Cities

By Steven Lloyd Wilson | Posted Under Trade News | Comments (18)

mortalengines.jpeg

Word has leaked that Peter Jackson has acquired the rights for and begun planning the development of a series of movies based on Philip Reeve’s “Mortal Engines” series of science fiction novels (know as “The Hungry Cities Cycle” in American because we don’t get Shakespeare references) intended for young adults.

Set a thousand years in the future after a nuclear war, the world of Mortal Engines features motile cities, wandering the desolate wastelands and literally eating other cities whole for their resources. That “literally” is actually meant literally in this case and not figuratively. The cities have enormous jaws and everything.

I’ve never heard of these books, what with being banned from the young adult section of the library, but just about everyone seems to think very highly of the series. And Peter Jackson certainly has a slight predilection for doing bang up adaptions of novels.

(source: SciFi Wire)









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Comments

I smell explosions, ridiculously high budgets, blockbusters and big box office hits.

Posted by: barf at December 23, 2009 9:05 AM

I see another series for me to check out. Sounds good.

Posted by: Chugga at December 23, 2009 9:07 AM

looks like a cross between the world devastators from Dark Empire and the Technodrome from the original TMNT.

Posted by: Utah Dynamo at December 23, 2009 9:11 AM

carniverous? or carnivorous? Sorry...

Huh, thanks Jackie C, got that fixed. Side note: I just learned that Firefox's in-browser spell checker only functions in multiline text boxes, not the one liners (like that title was typed into) -SLW

Posted by: Jackie C at December 23, 2009 9:32 AM

I smell Halo..

But then again, that gave birth to District 9.

Posted by: Magiel at December 23, 2009 9:52 AM

NOM NOM NOM!

This sounds ridiculously awesome.

Posted by: spideychris at December 23, 2009 9:55 AM

I feel my boobies growing already.

Posted by: Cindy at December 23, 2009 10:26 AM


You know, I likes me some Peter Jackson, but required reading before he does this one - the moving city stories in Moorcock's Elric cycle. (And what the hell, the whole Elric and Eternal Champion collections.)

Nobody does overwrought, forboding & dystopian like Moorcock. (Yes, I know. Snerk.) But the melodrama and creeptasticness could be a check on Jackson's tendency to go a bit over the top on the action / awesome thing. I'm all for combative, noming cities, but combative, noming cities that creep you out with a sense of inevitable doom and evil - better!

And a happy christmas to all.

Posted by: BierceAmbrose at December 23, 2009 10:39 AM

Wait, the books were banned from the young adult section of the library, or you were?

If that's the case, you owe us a story.

Posted by: Snath at December 23, 2009 10:55 AM

The books were pretty awesome actually. There is about 3 or 4 in the series. Read them, if you live in a place that doesn't burn books that is.

Posted by: grinder at December 23, 2009 12:47 PM

Cindy, that could be your imagination. You could be hallucinating.

I humbly volunteer to lend you a second pair of hands, so that we may verify this peculiar (yet spectacular) physical phenomenom.

In the name of science. Of course. *achem*

I bet the movie has ridiculously close close-ups, shot with a hi-def camera.

Posted by: superasente at December 23, 2009 1:00 PM

You were banned from the young adult section of the library? Tough luck - that's the best place to pick up chicks!

Posted by: Yay! It's Cap'n SausageFingers! at December 23, 2009 2:49 PM

Ooo, er. Reeve's is an amazing series, weird and over-the-top and gritty - I would have thought it would be spectacularly difficult to film, even by Peter Jackson with the hideous power of Weta at his command. I shall watch its progress with interest.

I hang around in the young adult section of the bookshops all the time, Cap'n SausageFingers!, and no-one ever picks me up. Memo to self, try pigtails.

Posted by: extemporanea at December 24, 2009 1:17 AM

What's that? A premise that doesn't make me want to vomit? It's an adaption, but still... i never even heard about this. A wasteland with cities eating other cities? Wow!

Posted by: Arthur Dent at December 25, 2009 8:31 PM

Keen! I read these a few years back--VERY dark, very beautiful series with an amazing premise. Check out the first line: "It was a dark, blustery afternoon, and the city of London was chasing a small mining town across the dried-out bed of the old North Sea."

Posted by: Girlnone at December 28, 2009 8:06 AM

Searched Google and ended up here - its good so I posted the site on my Facebook account !

Posted by: Emma at December 11, 2010 9:13 AM

Agreed, very well written and can't wait for the second half.

Posted by: Myra at December 11, 2010 9:50 PM

Agreed, very well written and can't wait for the second half.

Posted by: Marcia at December 12, 2010 2:06 AM