Sixty Minute War
Encyclopedia
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 a flooded maze of atomic craters. The war was fought using futuristic weaponry, such as particle cannons, which eventually led to the partial degeneration of civilization. The destruction was so complete as to force survivors to begin anew, and leading to a second period of dark ages.
Following the war came a period of immense geological instability, as earthquakes, tsunamis, glaciers and volcanos swept across Earth. Empires rose and fell, among them the Anglish Empire, the new Roman Empire and the New Mongol Horde. It is uncertain whether this was an unfortunate coincidence, or directly caused by the Sixty Minute War (since weapons technology was greatly advanced at the time of the war, this is not out of the question).
North America was reduced to a radioactive wasteland, along with much of eastern China. The surviving Chinese fled into the Himalayas
and formed a new civilization that would later become Shan Guo, leading nation of the Anti-Traction League
. Africa escaped much of the devastation and parts of it became the center of another new civilization though it was weakened by the Traction Cities centuries later.
This destruction led to the so called "Black Centuries", an era presumably similar to the Dark Ages. During this period, barbaric nomad tribes wandered Europe.
After these centuries (at least 10,000 years after them), Nicholas Quirke (Nikola Quercus) transformed London into the first of the Traction Cities and this led to the rise of Municipal Darwinism
and the Traction Era.
.
The radioactive fallout from the war was also apparently responsible for triggering several mass mutations in the genetic patterns of several species. Several of these mutants are still present by the time of the Fever Crumb Series
, although their races seem to be in decline, and have completely disappeared from both the world and from memory by the time of the Mortal Engines Quartet.
Several items featured in the series are deadly relics of the conflict, including a directed-energy weapon called MEDUSA which is later mounted upon the Traction City of London. This weapon (and the computer that controls it) was recovered by a group of explorers from an ancient military base on the American continent. MEDUSA is a key element of the plot in Mortal Engines
.
Another featured weapon was the device known as ODIN (acronym for Orbital Defence INitiative), an ancient weapon consisting of a particle cannon mounted on a space platform in Earth's orbit.
ODIN is a key element of the plot in Infernal Devices
and A Darkling Plain
, as several major organizations (particularly the Green Storm
) attempt to gain control of the device to destroy their enemies.
Other Ancient orbital weapons mentioned in passing are the Diamond Bat, Jinju 14, and the Nine Sisters
, although these take no part in the plot and are not described beyond their name. It is implied that they are likely to have fallen out of orbit during the long millennia between the Sixty Minute War and the rise of the Traction Cities.
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 Mortal Engines Quartet. It is a cataclysmic conflict which is deliberately left vague, but was evidently fought 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 is likely that the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
was involved, as this region has been reduced to a flooded maze of atomic craters. The war was fought using futuristic weaponry, such as particle cannons, which eventually led to the partial degeneration of civilization. The destruction was so complete as to force survivors to begin anew, and leading to a second period of dark ages.
Aftermath
Most human technology was lost during the conflict, and the world collapsed into a post apocalyptic state. The isthmus linking North and South America was destroyed by Slow Bombs, volcanoes sprouted up in Europe and new oceans and mountain ranges were formed. It was shown that the Middle East was directly involved (be that deliberately or otherwise) as the entire area is a mass of atomic bomb craters. Europe was also hit, as impact craters plague the coast of mainland Spain and Portugal.Following the war came a period of immense geological instability, as earthquakes, tsunamis, glaciers and volcanos swept across Earth. Empires rose and fell, among them the Anglish Empire, the new Roman Empire and the New Mongol Horde. It is uncertain whether this was an unfortunate coincidence, or directly caused by the Sixty Minute War (since weapons technology was greatly advanced at the time of the war, this is not out of the question).
North America was reduced to a radioactive wasteland, along with much of eastern China. The surviving Chinese fled into 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...
and formed a new civilization that would later become Shan Guo, leading nation of the Anti-Traction League
Anti-Traction League
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.-Geography:...
. Africa escaped much of the devastation and parts of it became the center of another new civilization though it was weakened by the Traction Cities centuries later.
This destruction led to the so called "Black Centuries", an era presumably similar to the Dark Ages. During this period, barbaric nomad tribes wandered Europe.
After these centuries (at least 10,000 years after them), Nicholas Quirke (Nikola Quercus) transformed London into the first of the Traction Cities and this led to the rise of 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...
and the Traction Era.
Remnants of weaponry
The scale of the war meant that particle compressing weaponry, some deployed upon orbital platforms, were utilized to great extent. More powerful weapons were also used or at least developed; the "American Empire" is mentioned in passing to have possessed weaponry that made the gods quake in fear, such as weapons capable of somehow drawing power from parallel universesParallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
.
The radioactive fallout from the war was also apparently responsible for triggering several mass mutations in the genetic patterns of several species. Several of these mutants are still present by the time of the Fever Crumb Series
Fever Crumb Series
The Fever Crumb Series is the title of an ongoing series of novels written by the British author Philip Reeve, and is the prequel series to his critically acclaimed Mortal Engines Quartet...
, although their races seem to be in decline, and have completely disappeared from both the world and from memory by the time of the Mortal Engines Quartet.
Several items featured in the series are deadly relics of the conflict, including a directed-energy weapon called MEDUSA which is later mounted upon the Traction City of London. This weapon (and the computer that controls it) was recovered by a group of explorers from an ancient military base on the American continent. MEDUSA is a key element of the plot 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...
.
Another featured weapon was the device known as ODIN (acronym for Orbital Defence INitiative), an ancient weapon consisting of a particle cannon mounted on a space platform in Earth's orbit.
ODIN is a key element of the plot in 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:...
, as several major organizations (particularly 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...
) attempt to gain control of the device to destroy their enemies.
Other Ancient orbital weapons mentioned in passing are the Diamond Bat, Jinju 14, and the Nine Sisters
, although these take no part in the plot and are not described beyond their name. It is implied that they are likely to have fallen out of orbit during the long millennia between the Sixty Minute War and the rise of the Traction Cities.
See also
- Municipal DarwinismMunicipal DarwinismMunicipal 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...
- Mortal Engines quartet