The City of Ember
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The City of Ember | |
 |
|
| Author | Jeanne DuPrau |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Book of Ember series |
| Genre(s) | Young adult, Science fiction, Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Random House/Yearling |
| Publication date | 2003 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-375-82273-9 (hardcover first edition) |
| Preceded by | Timewise: The Prophet of Yonwood Serieswise: None |
| Followed by | Timewise/Serieswise:The People of Sparks |
The City of Ember is a 2003 apocalyptic book by Jeanne DuPrau. It revolves around the underground city of Ember, the one known surviving settlement and "the only light in the dark world" that's slowly dying as supplies run low and the electrical system starts to fail.
The main characters are Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, two 12-year-olds who watch as the light of Ember flickers and race to discover a way out.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Ember is a completely self-contained, self-maintained city. All food and supplies come from giant storerooms under the city and a handful of greenhouses. All the books in the library, apart from the city history "The Book of Ember" and the schoolbooks "The Book of Letters" and "The Book of Numbers", have been hand written by residents over the years of Ember. All the light in the city comes from lamps and floodlights; when these are extinguished, the city is completely dark, with no stars, sun, or moon. The electricity in the city comes from an ancient hydro-electric generator in the underground Pipeworks; keeping the aging generator operational is a constant task. Beyond the borders of Ember are the dark Unknown Regions, which are unexplorable because none of the Emberites can produce a mobile source of light. Ember was constructed many years ago by the Builders, but nothing is known about them other than the facts that they built the city and provided its supplies.
The story begins immediately after the construction of the city. Two of the Builders discuss what will happen when supplies run low and conditions become bleak, and decide to leave instructions for escape in a special sealed box, which will open automatically after 220 years, when it will be safe to leave the city. The box is entrusted to the Mayor of Ember, who passes it down to the following Mayor when she leaves office. While the Mayors do not know what the box contains, they keep it safe over the years and do not tell anyone about it. However, the box is lost and forgotten when the seventh Mayor unsuccessfully tries to open it and then dies before he can pass it on to his successor.
The action then shifts to the year 241 in Ember. It is Assignment Day at the Ember school. On this day, the 12 year olds finish their education and enter the workforce. They are assigned jobs at random by the withdrawal of pieces of paper from a bag held by the mayor. One student, Lina Mayfleet, draws the job of Pipe-works Laborer; which will require her to work underground in the huge Pipeworks that power Ember and deliver its water, repairing lights and pipes as needed. Another student, Doon Harrow, becomes a Messenger. The Messengers are Ember's communication team, who run around the city relaying personal messages between citizens.
Both Lina and Doon dislike their chosen jobs, and therefore exchange them. Doon wishes to work in the Pipeworks because he is seriously concerned with the state of the city. Blackouts and power outages are becoming common in Ember. In addition, supplies are dwindling, buildings are crumbling and the city seems to be breaking down piece by piece. On the job in the Pipeworks, Doon explores the tunnels and tries to discover a way to save Ember. He even sneaks into the room containing the giant Generator, but realizes at once that he has no idea how it works, much less how to repair it.
Lina is thrilled to have the job of Messenger because it allows her to run and explore every corner of Ember while she delivers her messages. She works hard, puzzling over secret messages passed to the Mayor from a strange man named Looper. She also copes with her grandmother's ever failing health, and cares for her little sister, Poppy.
Poppy discovers an ancient piece of paper in a box in the Mayfleet apartment. By the time Lina manages to pry it out of the toddler's hands, the paper has been chewed and torn to pieces, and the writing has been obscured in many places. Lina hangs on to the scraps, and becomes convinced they hold a special message. She shows the paper to certain friends and neighbors, including her old classmate Lizzie Bisco, but nobody has any clues as to its significance.
Lina's grandmother cannot explain the paper either, but incoherently rambles on about finding "something that was lost". Her health continues to fail, and she dies. One of the Mayfleet family's neighbors, a kindly woman named Mrs. Murdo, offers to take Lina and Poppy in. Lina accepts this offer.
Eventually, Doon and Lina piece the paper together and a friend tells Lina that the message contains "Instructions for Egress"--instructions to leave Ember. They descend into the Pipeworks and discover that the instructions are indeed valid, and that the underground river holds the key to escape from the city. They also discover that a man named Looper is stealing the disappearing resources of Ember from the storerooms and giving them to the Mayor in a secret room in the Pipeworks. They report the Mayor's theft to City Hall, confident that he will be arrested.
However, the Mayor sets his guards upon the pair, and orders their arrest for "spreading vicious rumors." Before they can tell the residents of Ember about the Instructions for Egress, they are forced to flee the city. Lina manages to take her little sister Poppy, and, with Doon, goes down into the Pipeworks and flees Ember by boat on the underground river.
The river eventually leads to a great rock slope. Poppy discovers a book on the riverbank; Lina and Doon keep it and bring it along to read later. After a long and arduous climb, Lina, Doon and Poppy emerge from the rocks into a new world, where they discover sunlight, moonlight, stars and nature.
This discovery is followed by another one, their history. The battered book turns out to be a personal journal; reading it, Lina and Doon learn that their city was founded by a group of one hundred adults and the same number of children as a measure to guarantee the survival of the human race in a disaster that obliterated civilization.
Doon and Lina explore a nearby cave. Looking down from a high cliff in the cave, they are amazed to see Ember below them--and realize that they have been living underground all along. In a last-ditch effort to save their city's citizens, the three write a note with the Instructions for Egress, wrap it in Doon's shirt, and hurl it down into Ember. It is found by Lina's guardian, Mrs. Murdo.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Major characters
- Lina Mayfleet – A 12 year old inhabitant of Ember, Lina is described as being tall and slender, with long dark hair, and has an intelligent, inquisitive and determined nature. Lina's parents are both deceased: her mother died giving birth to Lina's younger sister, and her father succumbed to a bout of "coughing sickness" that swept through the city when Lina was 10. Lina and her sister live with their grandmother in an apartment in Quillium Square, where, because of her grandmother's illness, Lina assumes most of the household duties. Also a talented artist, she constantly draws pictures of things she has neither seen nor learned about in Ember, such as cities with skyscrapers and blue skies.
- Doon Harrow – Doon is also 12 years old, and one of Lina's classmates. He is described as having a "rumpled" appearance and dark hair. He has an intelligent, analytical nature, but also a quick temper. Doon is very mechanically minded and was the first person to rediscover electricity. He spends much of his time studying the limited natural life of Ember, and recording his findings in his own book, entitled Crawling and Flying Things.
- Mayor Cole – The current Mayor of Ember. Described as a "vast, heavy man," he frequently gives stirring speeches to the citizens of Ember, but seems to be unaware, or unwilling, to deal with the city's growing problems. He steals luxury goods from the warehouses but ignores shortages of supplies among Ember's residents.
[edit] Supporting characters
- Evaleen Murdo – Known as Mrs. Murdo, she is the Mayfleet family's neighbor. Mrs. Murdo once ran a stationery store, but was forced to close due to a lack of supplies. She agrees to look after Granny and Poppy while Lina is at work, and when Granny dies, she gives Lina and Poppy a home with her.
- Granny Mayfleet – Lina's grandmother. She one ran a yarn shop in Quillium Square. Due to her failing health, she is forced to give up her business, and spends most of her time in her apartment. She eventually takes ill and dies.
- Clary Laine – The greenhouse manager of Ember, a friend of Lina's, and an old colleague of Lina's father. Clary is very supportive of Lina, and tries to help her decipher the Instructions for Egress.
- Lizzie Bisco – One of Lina's school friends. She draws the job of Supply Clerk, and thus works in the warehouses below Ember, inventorying goods. Due to her connections at the warehouses and her relationship with Looper, she is aware of both Ember's dwindling supplies and the availability of certain luxury goods.
- Looper – A teenage boy, described as an "odd looking person" with a long neck and large teeth. He steals items from the storerooms, some of which he sells in his shop on Night Street, and some of which he secretly delivers to Mayor Cole. He is Lizzie's boyfriend.
- Poppy Mayfleet – Lina's two year old sister. Lina is highly protective of her, and often takes her on shopping excursions. Poppy has a tendency to get lost in crowds and to chew on objects she finds.
[edit] Sequels
A sequel to Ember, entitled The People of Sparks, was published in 2004. Sparks picks up the story where Ember ends, and depicts the Emberites' encounter with an aboveground town, Sparks, which was established after the Disaster.
A third novel, The Prophet of Yonwood, was released in the United States on May 9, 2006. While it is billed as the third installment of the "Book of Ember" series, the novel is a prequel, rather than a sequel, to Ember and Sparks, and is set fifty years before the Disaster and the establishment of the City of Ember.
According to Jeanne DuPrau, the fourth book in the Ember series is expected to come out August 26, 2008, and, according to the DuPrau's publisher, Random House, is tentatively titled The Diamond of Darkhold.[1][2] An excerpt from the book, posted on her personal website, seems to indicate that the fourth book will pick up where The People of Sparks left off, during the Emberites' first winter aboveground.[3]
[edit] Film adaptation
A film adaptation of the novel is in development with Walden Media. Actor Bill Murray is playing the mayor, actress Saoirse Ronan is playing Lina and actor Harry Treadaway is playing Doon. The movie wrapped up filming in October 2007. City of Ember is slated for an October 8, 2008 release. They are producing the movie and are almost finished.
[edit] References
- ^ The Diamond of Darkhold in the 2008 Random House catalogue
- ^ "Making a Deal at Bologna: What agents are bringing to the fair" Diana Roback, Publishers Weekly, February 25 2008
- ^ Jeanne DuPrau's website
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||
