Anchorage-in-Vineland
Encyclopedia
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 Vineland (a.k.a. the Dead Continent), what was left of the continent of North America after the Sixty Minute War
. When Anchorage was a Traction City, it was not predatory but gained its wealth by trading with other cities, due to more scrupulous leaders.
The exact location of Anchorage-in-Vineland is unknown, but also appears to be in eastern Canada
due its British style climate and the reference to Vinland
, the name given to what is now the Canadian province Newfoundland and Labrador
by the Viking explorer Leif Eriksson, but spelt Vineland. It is far inland, but near a large lake (possibly one of the Great Lakes
, although they are much further south), situated nearby a large forest and grassland surrounds the city. The lake is an important feature since it provides invaluable hydroelectric power.
with their passenger, Professor Nimrod Pennyroyal, ended upon Anchorage due to engine breakdowns, the city was little more than a ghost town because of an item of "Old Tech" creating a deadly and contagious plague that infected people all over the city, killing the then Margravine and her Consort
. However, engineered viruses such as the prior spread fast and then mutate into a harmless entity. It also killed most of the population including the cabinet or "Steering Committee" and many survivors decided that Anchorage was destined for ruin and took off in what little airships were left and immigrated to other cities. When the protagonists landed, they found that only little over fifty people were still living on board Anchorage. The most notable surviving people are as follows:
At some point during Anchorage's travels, a machine known as a limpet due to the way it hangs onto cities like its namesake hangs onto rocks, joined onto it. This craft was run by young boys and teenagers known as Lost Boys
who indulged in petty theft on Anchorage and sent in miniature cameras on spider-like legs to spy on the city's population ('Drys' as the Lost Boys called them). When Tom and Freya kissed, and Hester saw them and took the Jenny Haniver, one boy in particular, by the name of Caul, told Tom what had happened. Prior to this, when he was burgling, he was spotted several times by Søren Scabious who mistook him for his dead son's ghost. He was caught by Scabious to whom he had to explain the truth of his identity who got angry and warned the Margravine of these burglars, prompting them to leave. The Lost Boys are cared for by 'Uncle' who runs their secret underwater base named after the English settlement of Grimsby
.
The fact that Pennyroyal was a fraud was uncovered when Freya confronted Pennyroyal when he was sneaking below deck to broadcast signals trying to alert a city to his location and to rescue him as he did not know the way to America and was in a 'city of fools'. Pennyroyal was sacked on the spot. Just after this revelation, the Huntsmen of Arkangel, led by Piotr Masgard arrived to claim the city in the name of the city of Arkangel. There are two versions as to how they found Anchorage:
However, Hester returned to Anchorage to fight off the Huntsmen, killing many of them, with merciless efficiency. Pennyroyal took the Jenny Haniver and shot Tom near his heart, causing problems in later life. Nevertheless, Arkangel pursued them still and loomed ever closer. Anchorage was moving at a reduced speed of ten miles per hour since a stern wheel (probably on the right, it is not specified) was damaged and had to be taken off. The caterpillar tracks were used and Anchorage headed south to find thinner ice that would not support the massive bulk of Arkangel. Soon after Anchorage had started moving, great booms were heard. The sound all Ice Cities dread - the ice cracking beneath them. Undeterred, Arkangel made one final, mad dash towards Anchorage. However, the pressure upon the ice was too much and the great ice predator fell under the ice with on half of it valiantly trying to reverse.
The people of Anchorage had problems of their own and the ice around them broke off the main bulk and floated on the Arctic sea. After many days adrift, Caul the Lost Boy landed his limpet upon their ice floe and gave them a map, that was stolen from Uncle's library, that gave directions to the Dead Continent. Propellers were quickly erected and Anchorage soon landed in America and became the static settlement of Anchorage-in-Vineland (the mapmaker, Snøri Ulvaesson, called America that).
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
in the Mortal Engines Quartet by 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 the static and stable version of the Traction City
Traction City
In 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...
of Anchorage that had decided to stop wandering the Arctic wastes and settle in the green and unspoilt land of Vineland (a.k.a. the Dead Continent), what was left of the continent of North America after the Sixty Minute War
Sixty 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...
. When Anchorage was a Traction City, it was not predatory but gained its wealth by trading with other cities, due to more scrupulous leaders.
Location
Before the Age of Traction Cities, Anchorage was built on an island near the Alaskan coast, taking the brunt of many storms. Due to its remoteness, it survived the Sixty Minute War. During its traction city phase, it wandered the Arctic wastes and was one of the great Ice Cities.The exact location of Anchorage-in-Vineland is unknown, but also appears to be in eastern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
due its British style climate and the reference to Vinland
Vinland
Vinland was the name given to an area of North America by the Norsemen, about the year 1000 CE.There is a consensus among scholars that the Vikings reached North America approximately five centuries prior to the voyages of Christopher Columbus...
, the name given to what is now the Canadian province Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
by the Viking explorer Leif Eriksson, but spelt Vineland. It is far inland, but near a large lake (possibly one of the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
, although they are much further south), situated nearby a large forest and grassland surrounds the city. The lake is an important feature since it provides invaluable hydroelectric power.
History
The Traction city was led by Dolly Rasmussen after the Sixty Minute War, Dolly found an American submarine shortly after the Sixty Minute War, the sole survivor of which gives her a copy of the codes for ODIN, which are then made into the Tin Book, a crucial part of the storyline of Infernal Devices. The present leader (known as a Margravine), Freya Rasmussen, is a direct descendant from Dolly Rasmussen. After the start of Age of Traction Cities, Anchorage transformed into a traction city and began to roam the Arctic Wastes. Anchorage developed powerful and economical engines known as the Scabious Spheres after their creators, the Scabious family.The Plague
When the heroes of Mortal Engines, Tom Natsworthy and Hester ShawHester 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:...
with their passenger, Professor Nimrod Pennyroyal, ended upon Anchorage due to engine breakdowns, the city was little more than a ghost town because of an item of "Old Tech" creating a deadly and contagious plague that infected people all over the city, killing the then Margravine and her Consort
Princess consort
Princess consort is a title or an informal designation normally given to the wife of a sovereign prince. Since a male sovereign ruler is generally titled as a king and not a prince, the title of princess consort is not widely used. More rarely, it may be given to the spouse of a king, if the more...
. However, engineered viruses such as the prior spread fast and then mutate into a harmless entity. It also killed most of the population including the cabinet or "Steering Committee" and many survivors decided that Anchorage was destined for ruin and took off in what little airships were left and immigrated to other cities. When the protagonists landed, they found that only little over fifty people were still living on board Anchorage. The most notable surviving people are as follows:
- Freya Rasmussen (Margravine)
- Søren Scabious (Chief Engineer)
- Windolene Pye(Member of the Steering Committee and Assistant to the Chief Navigator)
- Mr. and Mrs. Aakiuq-Harbourmaster
- Smew (Chamberlain, Chauffeur, Chef)
- Mr. and Mrs. Umiak
Journey to the Dead Continent
As Tom, Hester and Pennyroyal landed, the name Pennyroyal intrigued Margravine Freya and she organized a banquet and subsequently made Pennyroyal Honorary Chief Navigator since in his books, he had advertised the 'fact' that he had travelled to the Dead Continent. Freya had decided to set a course for America, inspired by Pennyroyal's book America the Beautiful. At the time, Pennyroyal fainted because, as became apparent later on, he had never really been to America and the book was a work of fiction.At some point during Anchorage's travels, a machine known as a limpet due to the way it hangs onto cities like its namesake hangs onto rocks, joined onto it. This craft was run by young boys and teenagers known as Lost Boys
Lost Boys
Lost Boys is the first horror novel and short story by author Orson Scott Card.-Plot summary of novel:The novel, set in 1983, revolves around a game programmer and his family. His claim to fame is a fictional Atari computer game called Hacker Snack...
who indulged in petty theft on Anchorage and sent in miniature cameras on spider-like legs to spy on the city's population ('Drys' as the Lost Boys called them). When Tom and Freya kissed, and Hester saw them and took the Jenny Haniver, one boy in particular, by the name of Caul, told Tom what had happened. Prior to this, when he was burgling, he was spotted several times by Søren Scabious who mistook him for his dead son's ghost. He was caught by Scabious to whom he had to explain the truth of his identity who got angry and warned the Margravine of these burglars, prompting them to leave. The Lost Boys are cared for by 'Uncle' who runs their secret underwater base named after the English settlement of Grimsby
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
.
The fact that Pennyroyal was a fraud was uncovered when Freya confronted Pennyroyal when he was sneaking below deck to broadcast signals trying to alert a city to his location and to rescue him as he did not know the way to America and was in a 'city of fools'. Pennyroyal was sacked on the spot. Just after this revelation, the Huntsmen of Arkangel, led by Piotr Masgard arrived to claim the city in the name of the city of Arkangel. There are two versions as to how they found Anchorage:
- The most widely believed tale of events is that due to Pennyroyal's incessant radio messages, Arkangel tracked them down to their present location.
- The truth is that after learning of Tom betraying her by kissing Freya, Hester took their airship, the Jenny Haniver, to Arkangel and sold them the whereabouts of Anchorage (a fact that became apparent to Tom sixteen years later in the book Infernal Devices that causes a rift between them. It was already revealed to Freya by Masgard however), hence the title 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...
.
However, Hester returned to Anchorage to fight off the Huntsmen, killing many of them, with merciless efficiency. Pennyroyal took the Jenny Haniver and shot Tom near his heart, causing problems in later life. Nevertheless, Arkangel pursued them still and loomed ever closer. Anchorage was moving at a reduced speed of ten miles per hour since a stern wheel (probably on the right, it is not specified) was damaged and had to be taken off. The caterpillar tracks were used and Anchorage headed south to find thinner ice that would not support the massive bulk of Arkangel. Soon after Anchorage had started moving, great booms were heard. The sound all Ice Cities dread - the ice cracking beneath them. Undeterred, Arkangel made one final, mad dash towards Anchorage. However, the pressure upon the ice was too much and the great ice predator fell under the ice with on half of it valiantly trying to reverse.
The people of Anchorage had problems of their own and the ice around them broke off the main bulk and floated on the Arctic sea. After many days adrift, Caul the Lost Boy landed his limpet upon their ice floe and gave them a map, that was stolen from Uncle's library, that gave directions to the Dead Continent. Propellers were quickly erected and Anchorage soon landed in America and became the static settlement of Anchorage-in-Vineland (the mapmaker, Snøri Ulvaesson, called America that).
Aftermath
After the settlement becoming static, the people were allowed to take anything that was abandoned in the dead's houses and have their pick of the homes in Anchorage. Freya's margravinal palace was converted into a schoolhouse and library with her as librarian and teacher and Mr. Scabious married one Windolene Pye (assistant to Pennyroyal when in office). Many of the population started farming. Anchorage was not troubled until sixteen years later when the Lost Boys (with females newly recruited) came again, this time for the 'Tin Book', a blueprint for a very powerful Old Tech weapon, but written in military code and on recycled tin cans, given to Dolly Rasmussen, the first margravine. However, no-one knew what it was, just an old curio, and the Lost Boys could not locate it. After the events of Infernal Devices, Caul and Freya married and the rest of the margravinal palace that was shut was again opened, this time to house the young Lost Boys and Girls trapped in the sinking derelict of Grimsby with the now helpless Uncle.See also
- 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...
- Infernal DevicesInfernal DevicesInfernal Devices is the third of four novels in Philip Reeve's children's series, the Mortal Engines Quartet.-Anchorage:The story continues sixteen years after the events of Predator's Gold. The peaceful city of Anchorage is now a static settlement called "Anchorage-in-Vineland" on an island in the...
- List of characters in the Hungry City Chronicles
- List of notable Traction Cities
- Hungry City ChroniclesHungry City ChroniclesThe Mortal Engines Quartet is the UK and original title of a series of four novels, Mortal Engines , Predator's Gold , Infernal Devices , and A Darkling Plain , written by the British author Philip Reeve...