Anti-Traction League
Encyclopedia
In Philip Reeve
's book-series Mortal Engines Quartet, the Anti-Traction League is an organization opposed to the prevalence of Traction Cities and Municipal Darwinism
. Its symbol is that of a broken wheel.
and Eastern Asia, including northern India
, Southeast Asia
, China
, Japan
and the Himalayas
. These lands are protected from the Traction Cities of Europe by a massive mountain range, which includes the Himalayas
. The only pass through these mountains is protected by the "Shield Wall", a massive fortress of steel and rock several kilometres high, protected by missile batteries and a fleet of military airships. The interior of the Shield Wall houses the garrison city of Batmunkh Gompa; the two names are often used interchangeably.
The League is made up of many nations and kingdoms, whose people live in towns that do not have a motor (known as statics), ranging from tiny villages and farms to massive tower cities. The principal nation is Shan Guo (山国, literally 'Mountain Nation' in Mandarin), located in Central Asia
. It was founded by Chinese refugees of the Sixty Minute War
. Shan Guo also houses Tienjing (天京, literally 'Heaven's Capital'), the League's capital. Tienjing is the location of the Jade Pagoda, where the ruling High Council resides.
. As Traction Cities became increasingly common and began to consume static settlements for fuel, Batmunkh realised that the static settlements scattered across Asia would not survive long unless they united. This resulted in the formation of the League. For most of the Traction Era, the League continually held the upper hand against the Traction cities, preventing their spread into Asia
.
In Mortal Engines
, Thaddeus Valentine (an agent from the Traction City of London
) destroys the League's Northern Air-Fleet in Batmunkh Gompa and kills Anna Fang
, a hero of the League, in preparation for London's planned breach of the Shield Wall. Fortunately for the Anti-Traction League, London was then destroyed during when an attempt to use a superweapon called MEDUSA (a remnant of the Sixty Minute War
) to destroy the Shield Wall backfired, as the weapon overloaded and destroyed London.
by the Traction City Arkangel. As a result, a fanatical splinter group was formed: the Green Storm
. It was created by young members of the League who were angry at the League failures which led to the death of Anna Fang
and the destruction of the Northern Air-Fleet.
Unlike the League however, the Green Storm was prepared to use more radical means to end Municipal Darwinism
(such as terrorism
) and constructed Stalkers and combat airships so that it could wage open war on the Traction Cities. Two years after the Green Storm's formation, it overthrew the League's ruling body in a military coup, and began to implement its own militant ideology
(Mainly involving the neglect of the citizens in favor of better feeding the Green Storm's troops and military assets). This included waging a massive war against Traction Cities across the globe, which took place in the final two books of the series, Infernal Devices
and A Darkling Plain
.
At the end of the series, with the war over and the rulership of the Green Storm destroyed, the Asian nations return to the name "Anti-Traction League" and their old, peaceful ways.
Philip Reeve
Philip Reeve is a British author and illustrator. He presently lives on Dartmoor with his wife Sarah and their son Samuel.-Biography:...
's book-series Mortal Engines Quartet, the Anti-Traction League is an organization opposed to the prevalence of Traction Cities and Municipal Darwinism
Municipal Darwinism
Municipal Darwinism is a fictional concept featured in Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet. It refers to the practice in the post apocalyptic world described in the series, in which large mobile metropolitan areas, known as Traction Cities, consume one another by gathering other, smaller cities...
. Its symbol is that of a broken wheel.
Geography
The League controls most of Central AsiaCentral Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
and Eastern Asia, including northern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the Himalayas
Himalayas
The 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...
. These lands are protected from the Traction Cities of Europe by a massive mountain range, which includes the Himalayas
Himalayas
The 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...
. The only pass through these mountains is protected by the "Shield Wall", a massive fortress of steel and rock several kilometres high, protected by missile batteries and a fleet of military airships. The interior of the Shield Wall houses the garrison city of Batmunkh Gompa; the two names are often used interchangeably.
The League is made up of many nations and kingdoms, whose people live in towns that do not have a motor (known as statics), ranging from tiny villages and farms to massive tower cities. The principal nation is Shan Guo (山国, literally 'Mountain Nation' in Mandarin), located in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. It was founded by Chinese refugees of 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...
. Shan Guo also houses Tienjing (天京, literally 'Heaven's Capital'), the League's capital. Tienjing is the location of the Jade Pagoda, where the ruling High Council resides.
History
The League was founded by a man named Lama Batmunkh in the aftermath of the Black Centuries which followed 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...
. As Traction Cities became increasingly common and began to consume static settlements for fuel, Batmunkh realised that the static settlements scattered across Asia would not survive long unless they united. This resulted in the formation of the League. For most of the Traction Era, the League continually held the upper hand against the Traction cities, preventing their spread into Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
In 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...
, Thaddeus Valentine (an agent from the Traction City of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) destroys the League's Northern Air-Fleet in Batmunkh Gompa and kills 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...
, a hero of the League, in preparation for London's planned breach of the Shield Wall. Fortunately for the Anti-Traction League, London was then destroyed during when an attempt to use a superweapon called MEDUSA (a remnant of 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...
) to destroy the Shield Wall backfired, as the weapon overloaded and destroyed London.
The rise of the Green Storm
Although the Shield Wall remained intact, the Anti Tractionists suffered heavy losses over the following years for other reasons - including the destruction of the "Spitzbergen Static", an enormous static metropolis in the ArcticArctic
The 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...
by the Traction City Arkangel. As a result, a fanatical splinter group was formed: 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...
. It was created by young members of the League who were angry at the League failures which led to the death of 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...
and the destruction of the Northern Air-Fleet.
Unlike the League however, the Green Storm was prepared to use more radical means to end Municipal Darwinism
Municipal Darwinism
Municipal Darwinism is a fictional concept featured in Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet. It refers to the practice in the post apocalyptic world described in the series, in which large mobile metropolitan areas, known as Traction Cities, consume one another by gathering other, smaller cities...
(such as terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
) and constructed Stalkers and combat airships so that it could wage open war on the Traction Cities. Two years after the Green Storm's formation, it overthrew the League's ruling body in a military coup, and began to implement its own militant ideology
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
(Mainly involving the neglect of the citizens in favor of better feeding the Green Storm's troops and military assets). This included waging a massive war against Traction Cities across the globe, which took place in the final two books of the series, Infernal Devices
Infernal Devices
Infernal 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...
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:...
.
At the end of the series, with the war over and the rulership of the Green Storm destroyed, the Asian nations return to the name "Anti-Traction League" and their old, peaceful ways.
Notable Members
- Lama Batmunkh - Founder of the Anti-Traction League.
- Anna FangAnna FangAnna 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...
- One of the League's top agents, considered a hero by its people. - Ermene Khan - Governor of Batmunkh Gompa.
- Captain Khora - An African captain in the League's military forces from Zagwa, a static enclave in the Mountains of the Moon in Africa. After the Green Storm takeover he returns to Zagwa and becomes the marshall of its air force.
- Sathya - Wing CommanderWing Commander (rank)Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
in the Northern Air-Fleet and a founding member of the Green Storm.
Locations
- Batmunkh Gompa
- Batmunkh Tsaka
- Tienjing (Capital)
- Shan Guo
- Spitzbergen static (devoured by Arkangel)