The City of Ember
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''The City of Ember'' is a
post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...
novel by
Jeanne DuPrau Jeanne DuPrau (born 1944 in San Francisco, California) is an American writer, best known for ''The Books of Ember'', a series of science fiction novels for young people. She lives in Menlo Park, California. Works The Books of Ember * ''The ...
that was published in 2003. The story is about Ember, a post-apocalyptic underground city threatened by aging infrastructure and corruption. The young
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
, Lina Mayfleet, and her friend, Doon Harrow (the second
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
), follow clues left behind by the original builders of the City of Ember, to safety in the outside world. It is the first book in the ''Books of Ember'' series, which also includes ''
The People of Sparks ''The People of Sparks'' is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by American writer Jeanne DuPrau, published in 2004. It is the second "Book of Ember" in the series, and a sequel to ''The City of Ember''; other books in the series include ' ...
'', '' The Prophet of Yonwood'' (a prequel), and the final installment, '' The Diamond of Darkhold''. In 2008, the book was adapted into a film by
Walden Media Walden Media, LLC or Walden Media is an American film investor, distributor, and publishing company. Its films are based on children's literature, biographies or historical events, as well as documentaries and some original screenplays. The corpo ...
and
Playtone Playtone (stylized on-screen as PLAY•TONE; a.k.a. The Playtone Company) is an American film and television production company established in 1998 by actor Tom Hanks and producer Gary Goetzman. It was named after the fictional record compan ...
. A graphic novel adaptation by comic book artist
Niklas Asker Niklas Asker (born 1979) is a Swedish comic book artist, best known for his debut graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-ficti ...
was released on September 25, 2012.


Critical reception

''The City of Ember'' was praised for its setting and main characters, Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow. ''
Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' praised the characters, stating: "The likable protagonists are not only courageous but also believably flawed by human pride, their weaknesses often complementing each other in interesting ways." Sally Estes from ''
Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
'' commented how readers would be able to connect to Lina and Doon's courage amidst the conflicts. Robert Sutton from ''
Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietres ...
'' compared the novel to '' Gathering Blue'' by
Lois Lowry Lois Ann Lowry (; née Hammersberg; March 20, 1937) is an American writer. She is the author of several books for children and young adults, including '' The Giver Quartet,'' ''Number the Stars'', and '' Rabble Starkey.'' She is known for writing ...
, noting how "the darkness of Ember is essentially literal" with the generator (the mechanical light operator) failing and running out of power, leading to frequent blackouts. Sutton noted how DuPrau does not explain the history of Ember all at once, which would confuse and overwhelm the reader and instead, "allows the events of the story to convey the necessary information". Lina and Doon were described as "good sorts" that are "deeply etched". Dian Roback from ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' also praised the "full blooded characters" as every bit as good as the plot which would hook readers until the end. Although Jones Johns from ''
School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
'' wrote that the setting was not as ingenious as the ones in
Joan Aiken Joan Delano Aiken (4 September 1924 – 4 January 2004) was an English writer specialising in supernatural fiction and children's alternative history novels. In 1999 she was awarded an MBE for her services to children's literature. For ''The ...
's '' Is'' and Lois Lowry's ''
The Giver ''The Giver'' is a 1993 American young adult dystopian novel written by Lois Lowry, set in a society which at first appears to be utopian but is revealed to be dystopian as the story progresses. In the novel, the society has taken away p ...
'', he said that the characters and pace of the plot would keep readers hooked.


Film adaptation

A
film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...
of the novel, directed by Gil Kenan, was produced by
Walden Media Walden Media, LLC or Walden Media is an American film investor, distributor, and publishing company. Its films are based on children's literature, biographies or historical events, as well as documentaries and some original screenplays. The corpo ...
and
Playtone Playtone (stylized on-screen as PLAY•TONE; a.k.a. The Playtone Company) is an American film and television production company established in 1998 by actor Tom Hanks and producer Gary Goetzman. It was named after the fictional record compan ...
with
Bill Murray William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan delivery. He rose to fame on ''The National Lampoon Radio Hour'' (1973–1974) before becoming a national presence on '' Saturday Nig ...
as the mayor,
Saoirse Ronan Saoirse Una Ronan ( , ; born 12 April 1994) is an American-born Irish actress. Primarily known for her work in period dramas since adolescence, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations fo ...
as Lina, and Harry Treadaway as Doon. Filming was finished in October 2007, and the film was released in theaters a year later on October 10, 2008. ''
City of Ember ''City of Ember'' is a 2008 American science fantasy adventure film based on the 2003 novel '' The City of Ember'' by Jeanne DuPrau. Directed by Gil Kenan in his live-action directorial debut, the film stars Saoirse Ronan, Harry Treadaway, B ...
'' was released on DVD on January 20, 2009. The film received mixed reviews, with a
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
rating of 58/100, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


Awards

*2003 Child Magazine's Best Children's Book *2003 Kirkus Editor's Choice * 2006
Mark Twain Award The Mark Twain Readers Award, or simply Mark Twain Award, is a children's book award which annually recognizes one book selected by vote of Missouri schoolchildren from a list prepared by librarians and volunteer readers. It is now one of four M ...
*2006
William Allen White Children's Book Award The William Allen White Children's Book Award is a set of two annual awards for books selected by vote of Kansas schoolchildren from lists prepared by committee. As a single award it was established in 1952 by Ruth Garver Gagliardo, a children's l ...
*
American Library Association Notable Book American Library Association Notable lists are announced each year in January by various divisions within the American Library Association (ALA). There are six lists, part of the larger ALA awards structure. * ''ALA Notable Books for Adults'' (est ...


References


External links


Jeanne DuPrau's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:City Of Ember, The 2003 science fiction novels 2003 American novels American post-apocalyptic novels American historical novels Debut speculative fiction novels American novels adapted into films Science fiction novels adapted into films 2003 debut novels Novels about cities Mark Twain Awards