is set on a planet, perhaps Earth, shaped by former civilizations and creatures. Its surface is covered by rails, seemingly endless knots and clots and interlaces and switches of rails. They have become a natural feature, their origins as hidden as the origins of trees or beasts. There are cities, villages, all on islands in the vast railsea, but the main human activity is travelling on the rails, at sea. Only just under the rails, ready to break through and devour at any time, is a multitude of predators, almost all of them vicious and dangerous, almost all of them enhanced or even gigantic versions of burrowing creatures from our earth – moles, ant lions, badgers, a tortoise, giant worms, earwigs. These are clearly the equivalents of sharks, octopuses and whales in our…
584 words
Citation: Palmer, Christopher. "Railsea". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 July 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=34663, accessed 19 April 2024.]
