Book 3 of the Ember series is completely different than the two that precede it. While City of Ember and People of Sparks take place after mankind has nearly wiped itself out, Yonwood takes place before the City of Ember was created, back when things were still much like they are today. World tensions are running high and America is on the brink of war.

Althea Tower has a terrifying vision that leaves her only a shell of a person. She mumbles words that people take to be instructions from God about how to avoid destruction. Most of the town embraces her instructions wholeheartedly, giving up things in order to increase their love for God and work on being good. Nikki’s great-grandfather has just died. She and her aunt Crystal go to the small town of Yonwood to clean up the house and sell it. At least, that’s what Crystal wants. Nikki has other plans in mind, which are to move there. (Meanwhile, her father is off on a secret government mission and can’t really contact the family.) She meets Grover, a curious boy who enjoys studying snakes. Together they come to realize that maybe the things the Prophet says are not what people take them to be.

Like the City of Sparks, this story takes a long time before it reaches its high point. It is even harder to see where exactly the story is going or what the point is. I don’t find Nikki and Grover as compelling as Doon and Lina (perhaps because they aren’t so strange and different), but I do think that the end of the story, which comes full circle with the others in the series, really makes it worth the read.

The People of Sparks is Book Two in the Ember series and tells the story of what happens after the people of Ember find their way into the regular world. They find their way to a village called Sparks where the community has just managed to prosper in the post-apocolyptic Earth. Things start off well, with the people of Sparks trying to help the Emberites adjust to the world in the sun, but not everyone is thrilled and the stress of supporting 400 people grows. Can Lina and Doon find a way to keep the peace before a war erupts?

This book is interesting because it explores what would happen if a group of people who have worked so hard and suffered so much to create their village are forced to suddenly take care of a large group of people without the ability to support themselves. But though the topic is interesting, the novel progresses very slowly. It takes a long time for the story to really find its voice and find the interesting things.

This story felt a little more preachy than the first one, it had more of an obvious message. It’s still good and interesting, especially if you are like me and want to know what happens next with the characters.

It’s been a while since I’ve made a post, not because I haven’t read anything but because I usually post about a book series as one post rather than as separate posts for each book. But having read 3 of 4 books for the City of Ember series, I’ve decided to make an exception because each book is distinctly different, with a very different tone and feel.

What’s funny about the City of Ember is that about two weeks before I went and bought it, my dad came to me and said “there was just this movie on TV that I think you would like, but I can’t remember the name or really how to explain it to you.” Then when I started telling him about this book after I read it he was like “hey, that’s the movie I was telling you about!” So clearly, he was right.

Onto the book. City of Ember is about a self-contained city. Beyond its borders is nothing but darkness. The people know nothing but the city. The only problem is that the lights have been starting to flicker and die, the pipes are bursting, supplies are running out. But what can they do when there’s nowhere else. Except that maybe there is somewhere else. When Lina discovers a note that contains instructions for how to leave, she and her friend Doon want to tell the city. There’s just one problem: the mayor is corrupt and doesn’t want the people to have more than him. There are many mysteries to resolve though, like how the people ended up in Ember in the first place, what the rest of the world holds, and can they get out before it is too late?

Jeanne DuPrau creates a fully realized reality. It feels very real. You can feel the terror of the citizens whenever the lights blackout. Of the three books I’ve read so far, this one is the best. It has the most tension and drama, there’s more going on. The last bit is a little over the top (in a “life is beautiful!” sort of way), but otherwise it’s exciting a realistic.

The city of Ember was created more than 200 years ago by The Builders: it was intended to help humans survive until enough time had passed for conditions to improve.   The city was stocked with enough supplies to last until it would be safe for the residents to “return”.  Instructions for the return were placed in a secure box which would automatically open when the time was right.  Unfortunately, the box was lost and no one was present when it opened . . . .

The current residents of Ember know nothing of life outside the city; there are not even rumors of life before Ember.  There is only the city and the Great Unknown, for Ember is a dark place, lit only by streetlamps for 12 hours each day.  People have tried to explore the tunnels but without any “movable” light, the only ones to return do so without any progress, only terror.

Supplies are now running out and the generator which has kept the city running all of these years is failing.  Blackouts are occurring frequently and lasting longer, leaving the residents of Ember in complete darkness.  While most of the city panics, new “graduates” Doon and Lina search for answers.

Loved it!  My only criticism with the book is that the solution to Doon and Lina’s last dilemma seems a bit too easy.  (I’ve plenty of criticisms for a society that determines employment by drawing slips of paper!)

Excuse the bad pun in the headline (and the one coming up), but I devoured Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games and its follow-up Catching Fire over the holidays. I hadn’t realized that the third one wasn’t out until later this year, so now I just have to sit and wait like a chump.

The Hunger Games is set in the near future, after some never explained (but juicy nuclear-sounding) disaster. Dystopian fiction pretty much always gets a pass with me, especially that of the YA variety (The City of Ember series by Jeanne DuPrau, The Giver by Lois Lowry, almost anything by Monica Hughes, but especially Invitation to the Game).

I’m kind of late to the Hunger Games party, but if you haven’t heard of it, it’s a bit of a twist on a Greek myth where the Athenians are forced to pay tribute to Crete by sending their children to be killed by the Minotaur. Then add some Battle Royale, because the kids have to kill each other until there’s only one standing. Then add some American Idol/X Factor/Survivor, because it’s also a reality show! 

The first one was a better read because it’s all about the skim-worthy plot*, which is really what this series has going for it. The political reasoning behind the action didn’t always make sense, and some of the descriptive writing didn’t always gel with me either. But I had to slow down to even notice these issues, and that hardly ever happened because it was all just SO EXCITING.

There was an article in The Guardian last month about a parent’s search for “anti-princess” books suited for young future feminists. I’m not a huge fan of the overly prescriptive “Jenny doesn’t like pink and can run and play and SO CAN YOU!” books, but it made me think about books with a kick-ass heroine, that both boys and girls could easily identify with. The arrow-slinging, boyfriend-slinging Katniss definitely fits the bill.  

* Skim-worthy is a good thing as far as I’m concerned. I think the mark of a good book is when I can’t remember the last third because I read it too fast.

It is strongly recommended you read The City of Ember first before you start this one. The People of Sparks follows what happens right after The City of Ember and it is the second book in the Ember series.

The People of Sparks, continues after Doon and Lina leave Ember and arrive above the surface to find a whole new different area for them to explore and to learn about. They arrive upon the small village of Sparks, where they agree to help the people of Ember for a while until the Emberites themselves are ready to start life on their own. Although the happiness was short lived. Differences between the two groups suddenly started to appear, and it wasn’t until certain events started to fuel the tension between the two, and conflict starts to arise. Some of them want the Emberites out of their village, whereas those from Ember demand better food, and demand better treatment. When tensions really mount and there is talk of war, Lina and Doon try their best to avoid a full scale conflict.

Compared with the City of Ember, I actually preferred this book a lot more. It was very interesting, and engaging. The plot was very well written and I found myself wanting to get back to the book. The plot divides the story into two perspectives; Doon’s point of view and also Lina’s point of view (most of the time). You do have some chapters where it features other secondary characters, but the story really focuses on the two main ones. I like both Lina and Doon. They’re still the same as in the first book; strong, individualstic and willing to stand out to do what’s right in their opinion despite what the majority might say. I was afraid for a moment that Doon might have changed for the worst, especially when he was following Tick around (a suitable name for a character, as Tick is quite annoying just like the insect). However, I was wrong, and was glad Doon did not waver and did not change – in fact he did change, but for the better.

Both Tick and Torren should be best friends in my opinion. They were horrible, obnoxious, annoying, and brought the worst out from both the people of Ember and Sparks. I had the feeling I wouldn’t like Torren from the start (and I was right) and although I had my suspicions about Tick, they were finally correct in the end and I felt like slugging them both with a baseball bat. I’m not sure what to say about Caspar. He’s rather odd and I’m curious as to what he’s really looking for, and what do numbers have to do with it.

There were still a lot of questions left to be answered I think, and there’s a few loose ends still not tied. However I heard the third book in the series is like a prequel. Which I find rather odd but perhaps it’ll provide the answers or information that might help to understand the series more.

Overall, a much better improvement and a much more exciting book than the first one. This is a great sequel and it does provide a moral at the end of the story. The ending was great and although there was no cliffhanger, nevertheless it was certainly a very nice way to close the book.

I give it a 9 out of 10.

Jeanne DuPrau
The City of Ember (Ember, Book 1)
Random House (US & CA: 26th August 2008; UK: 2nd October 2008; AU: 1st December 2008)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Ember is running out of supplies. After graduating from school, Doon starts his job in the Pipeworks, hoping to really contribute to the community, and learn how dark the city’s problems are. Lina wants a foot in every pot, and all the help she can get – her grandmother, also her guardian, is on death’s bed.

Lina accidentally stumbles upon a centuries’-old escape plan, to the world outside Ember. Surviving a journey in a toddler’s mouth, the Instructions now have bits missing, and Lina and Doon must piece together what they can to find a way out of Ember, and a way of saving their city.

Jeanne DuPrau’s contribution to the fabulously innovative subgenre of dystopian YA is outstanding. It’s easy to relate to these characters, who often feel – and are – out of the loop. Their love for their city and desire for a better life elsewhere are emotionally realistic, and breaking out also challenges them physically. Life in Ember feels somewhat historical, so steampunk fans may flock to this, too.

Good news: there are two more novels in this sequence, as well as a prequel. Me want!

DuPrau, Jeanne.  City of Ember.  New York: Random House, 2003.  270p.

Summary: “In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions.”

I have decided to post something about the books I have recently read or that I am currently reading.

I recently finished Wings by Aprilynne Pike.  Great book!  I can’t wait for the next one!  It was a quick read, it was very interesting and kept me turning pages.  Wings left me wanting more when it was finished!  Oh!  Who will she choose?!  Again, great book!  Thanks Mrs. Pike!

I have also been reading the City of Ember series – also great books!  I will admit I did not finish the first one because I made the mistake of seeing the movie first.  I really have a problem that I can’t read a book if I know what’s going to happen – there’s no motivation for me to keep going.  Not even curiosity to see what the movie left out will make me read it.  I know that’s a terrible fault of mine because the book was extremely well written, but I just couldn’t do it.  I read the second book, People of Sparks, and it was fabulous!  I loved it so much that I skipped the prequel (book #3) Prophet of Yonwood, and went straight to the fourth book, The Diamond of Darkhold so I could find out what happens to Lina and Doon!  I’m still in the beginning chapters of Diamond of Darkhold, so I will report back on that one later.  Great work Jeanne DuPrau!  I love the characters and the adventure!

I am discovering more and more that I really enjoy adventure and sci-fi and when those two are intertwined, it makes for a great read!

I wanted to read these books for a long time before I picked them up.  In fact, I still might not have if a friend hadn’t given me the first one.  I recently picked the second up from the library.  If I was hoping to be as blown away by the content as I was by the covers (face it, they are pret-tay) then I was disappointed.  City of Embers is charming, to begin with, but as it goes on and on, the mystery is not that exciting, and the city’s situation in general starts to seem ridiculous.  Not that there’s a city underground (which is what Ember is) but because in generations of citizens, the two main characters, Lina and Doon, are apparently the only original thinkers that have ever been produced there.

I find that a little bit hard to believe.  Hard to believe, and a little insulting to the human mind.  The People of Sparks continues in the same way—Lina and Doon have lead the way out of Ember into the world above, but the people there are just as backward-thinking, and while they have had much more available to them (by way of natural and man-made materials) that would help them to re-invent their society, they are instead scraping by with things they’re grafting from the ‘ancient times.’

This is a world generations away from an all-consuming disaster, but the disaster is of a scale that even Hollywood wouldn’t pretend to.  Here, instead of the major cities being destroyed, apparently (or at least, so far as we can tell) all cities everywhere have been destroyed.  Sparks has been built from scratch, and is only just becoming profitable.  I just don’t buy it.  I have to force myself to look at this as an allegory, and I’m not all that enchanted with allegories—especially ones that last nearly 400 pages.  I think if I’d read these when I was younger (say eight, or ten—yes, I think a ten-year-old could read 400 pages if they wanted to) then maybe I might have enjoyed these books, but I just can’t suspend my disbelief enough at this hardened age of twenty-four.  And really, until you get to the very end, the moral lessons DuPrau is trying to teach are so weighed down underneath the negativity surrounding them, that the books are just depressing.  So many of the people are mean, and cold-hearted, and it just made me sad to read it.

That said, The People of Sparks did pull a nice twist on me at the end, that I didn’t see coming, and I’ll give it kudos for that.  Also, despite 99% of the characters being absolutely scathing representations of humanity, Lina and Doon (and those closest to them) really are quite endearing, so you have to root for them, in the mess of everything else.

I give this a nominable B-.  They’re decently-written books, and their short-comings are all in the name of the moral story.  I just hate reading them.

Okay so we all know that I have a tendency to go overboard when it comes to books. Whether it’s my library loot, buying binges, or signing up for reading challenges, it always seems to be all or nothing. My current reading pool for the read-a-thon encompasses almost every genre and ranges from a mere 32 pages for many of my picture books to almost 500 pages for Margo Lanagan’s Tender Morsels. Maybe instead of thinking of this stack as just my read-a-thon picks, we should also think of it as my October/November even possibly December reads.

Plays I started reading plays during last year’s read-a-thon. I found so many wonderful playwrights that I’ve started slowly reading as many as I can especially Pulitzer prize-winning plays. Plays are usually no more than a hundred pages long and contain memorable characters and great settings. For the upcoming read-a-thon, here are a few plays I plan on reading that won the Pulitzer for Drama.

I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright. 2004 Pulitzer.
Wit by Margaret Edson. 1999 Pulitzer.
Angels in America by Tony Kushner. 1993 Pulitzer

not shown: August: Osage County by Tracy Letts.

Short Stories The great thing about reading short stories during the read-a-thon is that you can dip in and out of collections and still feel as though you’re accomplishing something.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie.
Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories by Sandra Cisneros. I read this collection years ago and I think it’s really time for a re-read.
Dedicate Edible Birds by Lauren Groff.

Graphic Novels

Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry.
Amulet 2: The Stonkeeper’s Curse by Kazu Kabuishi.
Maus by Art Spiegelman

Not shown: The Professor’s Daughter by Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert

Fantasy

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Tigerheart by Peter David
The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Other Notables

Peter and Max: A Fables Novel by Bill Willingham
Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle
A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliot

Books not shown:

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
B.P.R.D. series by Mike Mignola
Sprout by Dale Peck
Uglies by Scott Westerfield
The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
Little Brother by Cory Doctrow

You see how crazy I went? This is why I’m calling this pile my October-November-and-possibly-December pile. I have a ton of books on hold at the library that will be coming in sometime next week. I can’t wait for the read-a-thon to start but I’m not going to wait to start reading some of these great books.

Have you read any of these graet books? Which ones do you think I should save for the read-a-thon? Are there any that you think I should move to the top of the pile? Have you thought about what books you’re going to read for the big event?

- Ember il mistero della città di luce (City of Ember) – 2008 – ♥♥♥ -

di

Gil Kenan

Poco importa se il trailer di questo film che lo vende come la nuova fatica dello studio che ha realizzato il film de Le cronache di Narnia ce lo battezza come un fantasy per ragazzi. Pur la storia si concentri su di un’avventura-puzzle intrapresa da tre giovanissimi alla scoperta di ciò che si cela dietro i tanti misteri della cadente città sotterranea di Ember, alimentata artificialmente e messa al sicuro dall’estinzione umana (da cosa venga causata non si sa), la quale è ignara dell’esistenza del mondo, il piacere di vedere questo film risiede in una dedica particolarmente accurata alle luci e i colori, ad una scenografia mozzafiato realizzata da Martin Laing a Belfast nel set più grande del mondo (quello in cui è stato costruito il Titanic di Cameron, per intendersi), alla buona caratterizzazione e scelta di volti per i personaggi narrati originariamente nel romanzo della francese Jeanne Duprau. City of Ember trasuda di fantastici attori di grande esperienza (Martin Landau, Tim Robbins, Bill Murray) e di richiami estetici e non solo a 1984 (sia il romanzo Orwelliano che il film), Brazil di Gilliam, La città dei bambini perduti e Delicatessen di Jenuet e Caro… Per non parlare del più lampante richiamo al mito platonico della caverna. Si inciampa un po’ nell’evitabile creazione di qualche creatura digitale, ma sorvolata questa parentesi e la solita colonna sonora ridondante, la sostanza del film è di natura nobile. Il film non è puro intrattenimento e arrivederci, contiene soprattutto l’essenza della nostra vita, che spesso è conflittuale, in crisi e addormentata da mille comodità e vizi come Ember… I giovani protagonisti, interpretati da Saoirse Ronan e Harry Treadaway, sono convincenti e sembrano usciti appunto da un film di Jeneut. Il regista è Gil Kenan, un ragazzo londinese – ma con ovvie origini mediorientali – coraggioso, che dopo il debutto cinematografici in Monster’s house datosi nelle mani del produttore Tom Hanks e dei colossi d’attori sopra menzionanti, ha portato avanti un progetto discreto e originale.

(Beffardo infingardo sindaco di Ember, interpretato da un sempre ottimo Bill Murray)

(I due giovani protagonisti del film, Lina e Doon, interpreati dalla Ronan e Treadaway)

Author: Jeanne DuPrau

Lina and Doon, two twelve-year-olds, live and work in the underground City of Ember. The city was always intended as a temporary refuge from destruction above ground. However, the instructions for escaping the city were lost in past generations and supplies are running out and soon the lights may go out permanently, leaving the city in complete darkness. Lina and Doon must fight corruption, fear, and complacency to discover a way to the world of light about ground. It was a quick and entertaining read.

“It was too long,” my friend Jo protested of Inkheart.  ”I am just so discouraged by the state of juvenile fiction these days!”  I was only halfway through the book myself, and thought this rather a strong statement.  Although Jo is the Ph.D. I’m not always ready to defer to her literary assessment.  When Dd1 finished and announced she really didn’t like the book, I was beginning to wonder if the book’s content didn’t quite match it’s hype.  I had to admit, I was a little disappointed; but it wasn’t until a discussion with fellow bibliophile, Leah, that I understood why.  

“It was a good idea,” I admitted, “but wasn’t executed very well.”  

“It could be that it was translated from German,” said Leah.

“Oh, yes.  I wondered about that. I mean, why was it written in German.”

“Well, Cornelia Funke is German.”

“Ahhh!” I said.

“You know, I always wondered, if the characters were leaving the books, I mean, when you read from another copy, wouldn’t they still be in the book.”

“Yes!” she exclaimed, pointing.  ”This is exactly the kind of problems that I had with it.  And then like, why in the world would the aunt try to go back to her house when she knew that the villains knew where she lived.”

“I know.  That made no sense,” I agreed.

On the other hand, there have been some very good children’s books written lately.  Take Michael Buckley’s The Sisters Grimm series.  They are excellent.  The  storyline is well thought out and executed, full of suspense and a lot of humor.  There are blogs upon blogs of kids talking about them, and wondering, like my daughter, when try-outs will be held for the first movie. Speaking of movies, Inkheart was a bit of a disappointment there as well.  It really had the potential to be a great movie, but flopped from the getgo.  Movies based on books are either done really well, as in the case of The Lord of the Rings series or the first Narnia movie; and I must admit the one based on The City of Ember was excellent.  The directors were probably fans of the novels and did their homework.  Others such as Inkheart or Prince Caspian seemed to be rushed onto the screen therefore the storyline had to be manipulated a bit.

In short, I don’t think that juvenile fiction is in a sorry state at the moment.  I forgot to ask Jo how much of that genre she has read lately.  My daughter recently blogged on 21 Balloons by William Pène du Bois herself (See http://talesfromduncanrd.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/the-twenty-one-balloons/). This interesting work of fiction had the added effect of spurring some of the children in her class to watch a documentary on a volcanic eruption on the island of Krakatoa.  The City of Ember (the first in a series of books by Jeanne DuPrau) is a post-apocalyptic book that is not only a non-threatening social commentary that gets kids to think about actions and their impending consequences; but is also full of mystery and edge of your seat action.

In short, I think I’ll spend a little more time in the J section of the stacks.  I’ve got my eyes on Eragon and Pendragon next, so it should be an exciting summer.

A person who thought they knew everything simply didn’t understand how much there was to know.

-Taken from Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau

“Sometimes darkness fell in the middle of the day. The city of Ember was old, and everything in it, including the power lines, was in need of repair. So now and then the lights would flicker and go out. These were terrible moments for the people of Ember. As they came to a halt in the middle of the street or stood stock-still in their houses, afraid to move in the utter blackness, they were reminded of something they preferred not to think about: that someday the lights of the city might go out and never come back on.”

Out of all the young adult literature I have read recently, The City of Ember was my least favorite. After seeing the movie, which follows the book closely, the whole story is a rather anti-climatic experience. Oh, certainly there are a few differences (for example, the time spent in the book talking about the main character Lina’s hobby of drawing), but most of them are minor. This led to there being no real surprises for me in the book, while lacking the kind of depth of character, language, and theme that could have replaced the suspense of experiencing a new plot. Nevertheless, the story is a lot of fun, the language if not mind-blowingly original is still decent enough writing, and the idea is a generally original take on science fiction.

A great tragedy has struck the earth so that scientists known as the enigmatic builders created a city underground to save the human race. However, this solution was meant to be only temporary; the instructions for evacuation procedures have been lost over time. The time to evacuate has long expired. The City of Ember is falling apart. Desperation spreads among the populace over the dearth of food and supplies, the black-outs grow more frequent, and everyone fears that the power may soon fail for good, leaving the city in permenant darkness. The corrupt politicians have no answers, hording prized goods in secret and growing fat on the fruits of their theft.

Lina and Doon, two childhood friends, understand the problems facing their city better than most adults. Doon wants to do everything in his power to find a way to save the city. When Lina finds a message that may have been written by the builders, she teams up with Doon to find a way to escape the City of Ember and save its residents from impending doom, even as the government works to stop them.

The story does a nice job capturing the corrupt politician, that most unholy of characters who follows human beings across different times, lands, and cultures, even into the very heart of the earth itself. It is also interesting to note that the troubles of the people above the earth parallels the city’s current troubles. Human beings build Ember as a way of surviving hard times, the fear of ultimate destruction at the hands of nuclear war, while the residents of Ember who overstay their welcome in the temporary city also fear that the end will soon arrive with the failing of the lights: we briefly hear the fears of a civilization on the brink of destruction in the beginning–presumably our own–only to return two hundred years later to find the solution to that problem transformed into a new civilization on the brink of destruction for different reasons. It is a stark reminder of how quickly civilizations can come and go, implying that the human race must continually strive for progress in order to survive, a testament reflected in the much stronger theme of Lina and Doon’s story itself as two individuals struggling against society to stake new ground that will lead to their survival. The story makes clear that Lina and Doon are to be admired because they do no sink into corruption as a response to impending doom like the mayor or Lina’s friend Lizzie or passively waiting for the government to fix the problems like most of the other residents in the city, but rather they take initiative to finding the solution to the city’s problem themselves. DuPrau demonstrates some intelligent structuring of her plot and themes, each complementing the other, making up for the fact that she is not exactly an amazing wordsmith (though, a servicable one).

The real magic, however, is in the world-building itself. A city of light in a world of perpetual darkness plays on our childhood fears and reminds us how much we take the sun for granted. A reader cannot help shivering at the thought of being left without light in the middle of the earth to rot away in the dark; the consequences to the citizens is genuinely frightening. The deeper charm of the story relies in sharing the naivette of the citizens of Ember, who do not understand the principles of electricity or photosynthesis, but know that these things work in their everyday lives. The culture fascinates with its adaptations to the limitations: recipes for canned foods (no protein from meat), vitamins as daily supplements, jobs picked randomly out of a hat based off the city’s needs, red-coated messengers who serve as the city’s primary form of communication. We even have a religion that worships the builders of the City of Embers; they sing hymns, dance, and believe that soon the builders will return to take them away from Ember and that the blackouts are merely a sign of their coming. There are so many nice and convincing touches to this world that you’re instantly drawn into the story. Most importantly we have both a male and female protagonist with which the reader can identify.

City of Ember
★★ / ★★★★

This is the kind of film that would’ve benefited if it had a longer running time and a bit less family-friendly so it could explore its darker undertones. Saoirse Ronan and Harry Treadaway star as Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, respectively, who try to find a way out of Ember, a city illuminated by artificial light. After two hundred years, the generator was beginning to fail so the two must find a way out or everyone in Ember will perish in darkness. Although the premise sounds adventurous, I don’t think Jeanne Duprau’s book was fully realized on screen. I felt like Gil Kenan, the director, held back a lot of the time in order for younger kids to enjoy the film as much as the adults. As a result, we get a motion that looks grimy, menacing and depressing but when one takes a look at the big picture, it’s ultimately safe and empty. Although I did like the partnership between Ronan and Treadaway, it’s hard for me to like the movie as a whole because it doesn’t have much heart since it’s afraid to take risks when it comes to tackling certain emotions. Even the presence of Bill Murray (as the corrupt mayor) and Tim Robbins (as Doon’s father) did not make up for the movie’s shortcomings. I felt like there were a lot of details in the book about these two characters that didn’t quite make it or translate on film. With a longer running time, I felt like the two characters would’ve been established stronger, such as their motivations and their roles when it comes to knowing (or not knowing) information about Ember. Overall, this is a disjointed fantasy adventure that could’ve been so much better if more details were incorporated from the book. This is a prime example of a money-driven movie studio having more influence in the project than people (such as the book’s author) who actually care about the story being accurately executed from the primary source.

I’d been looking forward to seeing City of Ember ever since I watched the trailer. I’m a sci-fi and fantasy fan, I love inventive set design and costuming, and I’m a sucker for anything post-apocalyptic. Plus, Bill Murray! Of course, I hate going to the movies, so I had to wait until I could rent it to watch.

I’m not familiar with the book by Jeanne DuPrau, but was happy to learn that it is a four-book series. I may have to pick those up after Im finished with my current reading.

I get the impression that City of Ember is geared toward children. As such, it does come upon several problems that children’s movies have. The world of Ember is obviously complex, but many of these complexities are glossed over or skipped outright because movie execs think kids (and adults) are stupid and “won’t get” complicated concepts. The pace of the film is very fast, and while we get glimpses into the odd societal structure built by an unground city with few natural resources, we never really get into the intricacies of any of them.

Bill Murray plays the Mayor of Ember, the highest ranking official in the city. He does a great job with the greedy, complacent leader prone to cronyism. He’s not over the top, not cartoonishly mean… just a jerky bureaucrat who is up to no good. Again, the movie skips over any motivation the mayor may have for his behavior. Is it in the book? I don’t know… yet.

All the acting is great. I was never taken out of the story based on strange lines, bad acting, or massive plot holes. The story unraveled in an engaging and enjoyable way, and the actors playing Doon and Lina prove once again that young actors can be good and still seem like children, and can carry a story realistically.

City of Ember is beautiful to watch. The set design and costuming are fantastic and believable. The retro style that the filmmakers employed (Nixie Tube counters, massive amounts of what appeared to be Futura typeface, lots of dials and switches) work well. The minimal CGI is good, not great, but certainly not distracting.

If anything, I could do with the movie being a half hour longer. They perhaps would have had time to get into some of the meat of Ember. As it stands, things like a quasi-religious cult, the socialist structure of the city, and the incentives of a few characters are left out. Whether those things were left out to make it a shorter, simpler movie for children, I don’t know.

Worth A Rent? I liked it, and I would watch it again. It’s fun, it has decent action, and everything visual in the film was excellent. I was not disappointed, though I was left wanting more.

“Al crecer sin ningún conocimiento del mundo exterior, evitaremos a las generaciones futuras el tremendo dolor por lo que han perdido”

Saben esa sensación donde uno está esperando ansioso algo, la excitación, la emoción, los nervios y la impaciencia, para finalmente la explosión de placer al ver recompensada la espera con ese algo tan valioso. Esto es exactamente lo que ocurre con esta película, pero con la salvedad, que en vez de darnos lo que estamos esperando, nos quedamos con esa sensación inicial incluso una vez superados los títulos de créditos. Lo cual lo convierte en una sensación de frustración, ira, rabia y tedio.

Lina y Doon

City of Ember es una película con una gran cantidad de puntos a favor, en cuanto a una película de aventuras adolescentes se refiere. Todo lo bueno que tiene: una ambientación genial, una serie de monstruos, inventos estrafalarios y llenos de cables y metal, Bill Murray y Tim Robbins, un mundo fantástico del cual quieres descubrirlo todo, un misterio, y una meta. Vamos, la combinación para haber dardo el petardazo y ser un film de aventuras digno de la estantería de cualquiera. Por el contrario, todo ello lo destroza con una historia donde parece que nunca se termina de alcanzar el clímax para contarnos un final explosivo, y parece que nunca se llegue, con esto lo que han conseguido es que durante los tres primeros cuartos de la película estés un poco desconcertado por no saber de que va lo que estás viendo, pero fascinado por todo lo que lo rodea, y por tanto ansioso de saber cual será el gran final. Al llegar al último tercio sospechas que te pueden haber dado gato por liebre, y el ansia se convierte en desesperación al ver como no hay nada más allá de lo que ves. La historia está diluida, sin fuerza, y acaba siendo aburrida como ella sola.

City of Ember es una película que lo podría haber tenido todo, y acabo no teniendo nada. Una verdadera pena y una gran decepción.

*****

Página oficial

Ficha IMDB

Título: City of Ember. En busca de la luz.

Título original: City of Ember.

Año: 2008

Duración: 95′

Director: Gil Kenan

Escrito: Caroline Thompson y Jeanne Duprau

Reparto: Saoirse Ronan, Harry Treadaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Murray, Martin Landau, B.J. Hogg, David Ryall, Ian McElhinney, Lucinda Dryzek y Toby Jones