First, it is impotant to know that I am not an avid fan of fantasy. I have always shied away from it at libraries and bookstores. Whenever I have been forced to read fantastical novels, by either professors or presuassive friends, I have enjoyed the various selections. I believe that certain fantasy can help shed light on our contemporary society by describing an entirely fictional civilization. Sometimes, it is easier to see the faults in our own society through the eyes of a fantastic world. However, there are the other kinds of fantasy that may make the average novel reader uncomfortable or perplexed. It is for this reason that I have kept away from this genre. Yet, both of these challenges have thrown me to the wolves!

The City of Ember is the story of a city that is lit entirely by artificial light through light bulbs. In the first chapter, the reader is told that the city was built by the Builders and was expected to be in use for only 200 years. At the end of 200 years, a metal box holding instructions on how to evacuate from the city will open and all of the citzens will be led to another city. However, the metal box was misplaced over the years and never found.

The tale begins in the year 240 when the lights in the city are beginning to flicker and the citizens are experiencing blackouts in which the lights would go out for various periods of time. In addition, there are food shortages across the city and there seem to be some unethical affairs happening within Ember's government. Eventually, the two main characters in the novel find the remnants of the instructions and must piece together the clues on how to evacuate the city.

For a non-fantasy reader, I found this book to be perfect! One of the problems that I have with fantasy books is that the names in the novels are complicated and hard to pronounce. However, all of the names in this book are very simple. In addition, the plot does not seem to be too far-fetched. There was no magic, enchanted items, or supernatural powers. Instead, the story focused more on the characters and the puzzles that they encountered. Despite the fact that it is a young adult novel, I found both the plot and the characters to be very compelling and realistic.

I would highly recommend this story to anyone who is timid about plunging into the overwhelmingly large amount of fantasy novels. In addition, I would suggest this to readers who enjoy dystopian novels such as Brave New World or 1984 but want a more simplistic novel. For those who enjoyed reading The Giver when they were younger, the City of Ember will certainly bring you back to those days. Lastly, the City of Ember is in fact part of a four book series that include People of the Sparks, The Prophet of Yonwood, and the Diamond of Darkhood. I will also read People of the Sparks as part of both of these challenges. ( )

The City of Ember's blackouts are getting longer and it's up to Lina and Doon to figure out how to save everyone.
The question of what the human race is going to do when the world ends has interested dozens of writers. This book is another example of the genre, bit it takes everything one step further. It's the story of what to do when the world after the world ends is ending. The author's underground world is very detailed, especially the culture of saving and reusing everything again and again and again. Otherwise, it reads as a treasure hunt with the lead characters trying to decipher clues and follow the trail to a new life. It's a well-written treasure hunt, though. It also never gets preachy about what exactly happened to cause Ember to be built. The book leaves it to the reader to wonder exactly what happened.
This is a great book for middle school to high school, although high-level elementary school readers might also enjoy it. ( )

Science Fiction, 6th, Smiley Face ( )

I liked this okay enough, but it didn't send me rushing out to buy the sequel. I had a bit of trouble picturing the world, and just how high up its floodlights reached, which is a silly complaint, I know. Perhaps it was the two main characters that didn't grip me enough. Perhaps I'll re-read it one day and revise my review... ( )

Kearsten says: This is one of those books about which I'd heard great things, but never got around to checking out. Now that it's being made (or has been?) into a movie, I figured it was time. And, wow, do I wish I'd tried it out sooner! It's fascinating, fast-paced and a bit creepy - which are all things I dig - though I also very much liked the two protagonists, Lina and Doon. Yes, it does end on a MAJOR cliff-hanger, it manages to both resolve one storyline while compelling you to read the next in the series in order to follow the *next* story. A great read! (And guess what book I'm immediately going to put on hold?) ( )