Archaeologist David Platt offers an interesting typology of ruined cities in science fiction.
The rest of the site deals with other sorts of ruins, and is well worth exploring. The industrial ruins page resonates with the 99 Rooms project.
UPDATED: Icon suggests adding a related site, the eerie, brooding Empty Paris project.
(thanks, Jesse)
Closely related to this, I also love the 'Empty Paris' project: http://tecfa.unige.ch/perso/staf/nova/blog/2005/07/20/empty-paris-pictures/
Posted by: nicolas | September 10, 2005 at 14:34
What a weird coincidence... I just watched that "ruined Paris" episode of Tripods last Tuesday, so I immediately recognized the pic accompanying your blog entry. That particular episode of Tripods features a lot of matte paintings and fake backdrops--considering this was all pre-CG, the effects were pretty good.
Posted by: Tony Walsh | September 11, 2005 at 10:30
Thanks, Icon. Added that to the original post.
How is the show, Tony? I loved the books when I was a kid.
Posted by: Bryan | September 12, 2005 at 14:12
The series is pretty good, considering when it was made and the low budget. I read the books so long ago that I don't really remember how closely the series follows the text. One thing is clear, however: The TV series needed better editing. Some loooong, uneeded shots and awkward silences in there. I'm watching the episodes in bi-weekly installments with some old high-school chums. Yay, geekdom!
Posted by: Tony Walsh | September 14, 2005 at 21:03