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Book of Ember Graphic Novels #1
The City of Ember: The Graphic Novel
Modern-day classic The City of Ember in stunning graphic-novel form
An underground city is doomed to darkness. Then two kids discover a secret note that may have the answer to bring back the light... but is it too late save their home? As the lights begin to flicker, Lina finds a message from the past that she's sure holds the secret to saving the city. She and her friend Doon must race against time to decipher the message before the lights go out in Ember forever.
An underground city is doomed to darkness. Then two kids discover a secret note that may have the answer to bring back the light... but is it too late save their home? As the lights begin to flicker, Lina finds a message from the past that she's sure holds the secret to saving the city. She and her friend Doon must race against time to decipher the message before the lights go out in Ember forever.
144 pages, Paperback
First published September 25, 2012
67 people are currently reading
2736 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 485 reviews
May 21, 2013
HOW DID I MISS THIS BOOK???
A graphic novel interpretation of a book I had never really heard of... and let me tell you, I am NOT sorry I noticed it on the bookshelf, and thought "huh. this is interesting" ...interesting enough to pick UP and check OUT of the library.
Really, they're lucky I'm letting go of their copy and getting my own, because this book is THAT GOOD.
Have you ever watched those movies, as a kid probably, where a child finds out there is a secret world, a secret city, or a secret people just... OVER THERE?
What... what if it was the opposite?
No, go on... Think about it for a moment. I'll be right here.
Yeah... you're just living your life...
and BAM.
You're the Secret World in question.
Yep.
That's how it works.
Nothing is, as you thought it WAS... the whole concept of the WORLD you live in was overturned, and not because fairies live in the basement, or little people live in the forest... but because YOU... EXIST.
How's that strike ya?
If you're me, that strikes you like a five-star book, that's how!
Now... where is my piggybank... it has a date with a hammer, so I can get me a copy of this for myself...
...and someone said something about a novel, too...
*Crash!*
March 31, 2024
I watched the movie years ago, so when I saw this at the library, I just had to borrow it. It was really interesting and cute at the same time. It’s very much like the movie only shortened. I haven’t read the series yet, but after this I think I might have to!! Lina and Doon are really sweet together and their adventurousness led them through a very exciting journey.
The art was great also!! I loved seeing the city and the characters come to life in a different way. Even though it was fairly dark, the characters just seemed to pop out of the pages. Even the Mayor, who was annoying as all else. Lol
I recommend this to those who enjoyed the movie. Not sure about the books, but it’s a great different view of the story.
The art was great also!! I loved seeing the city and the characters come to life in a different way. Even though it was fairly dark, the characters just seemed to pop out of the pages. Even the Mayor, who was annoying as all else. Lol
I recommend this to those who enjoyed the movie. Not sure about the books, but it’s a great different view of the story.
August 7, 2015
2.5 actually, I have read the actual novel and I personally thought it was much better than the graphic novel. Also I have read the second book and it was great, n does anyone know if there is a graphic novel for that too? Anyways, especially considering the fact that it's a comic book, I was upset to see that all the action was not expressed very well. You couldn't get into the book, and it kind of just skimmed through the story. It didn't have all the details. Maybe I had too high expectations, but if you've read the book than maybe you understand that the graphic novel is just lacking with all the emotion and details that the book did. However I think creating a graphic novel was a great idea and it'd be interesting to read some other graphich novels for the actual novel.
February 28, 2022
Ahhhh this was a good book! Short, but so infinitely good! I could almost feel the sunlight when , even though it was nighttime when I read that part of the book! Now I must reread the original! :D
November 28, 2014
*Book source ~ Library
The Builders created the city of Ember long ago. The only light is what is produced by the water running underneath the city, but the electricity is beginning to fail no matter how many times repairs are made. In addition, the city is running out of food stores and the government is corrupt. Two children, Lina and Doon, discover a way out of the city, but will the citizens believe them? Unfortunately, they have to flee before they’ve told anyone about the potential way out. Have they jumped from the frying pan into the fire? Or is there really a better place than Ember?
I haven’t read the books though they are on my TBR since my daughter enjoyed The City of Ember. In fact, I picked up this graphic novel because she did enjoy it and after she read it I thought, what the heck and picked it up.
It was a quick read as most graphic novels are and I really liked the artwork. The story gives me a pretty good idea of what the novel is about and I’ll still read it (eventually lol) because there is no way for a graphic novel to tell the whole deal. All-in-all a very enjoyable read.
The Builders created the city of Ember long ago. The only light is what is produced by the water running underneath the city, but the electricity is beginning to fail no matter how many times repairs are made. In addition, the city is running out of food stores and the government is corrupt. Two children, Lina and Doon, discover a way out of the city, but will the citizens believe them? Unfortunately, they have to flee before they’ve told anyone about the potential way out. Have they jumped from the frying pan into the fire? Or is there really a better place than Ember?
I haven’t read the books though they are on my TBR since my daughter enjoyed The City of Ember. In fact, I picked up this graphic novel because she did enjoy it and after she read it I thought, what the heck and picked it up.
It was a quick read as most graphic novels are and I really liked the artwork. The story gives me a pretty good idea of what the novel is about and I’ll still read it (eventually lol) because there is no way for a graphic novel to tell the whole deal. All-in-all a very enjoyable read.
June 4, 2019
I read the normal book years and years ago. Really, it has been a long time. So I was excited to go back to this universe with this graphic novel. And I have to say it was a fun read! The story is simplified, at least this is how it feels to me, but still forms a good story. We follow both Doon and Lina in this underground city. Each of them finds out something about the city and also about how to get out. Because there is an outside, or something better, and with everything that is happening they are determined to leave and I loved how eager and hardworking they were. They found clues and solved things on their own. The grandma part had me in tears, and the ending was just super. I am glad that person was the one who found the note. The art is pretty nice!
July 13, 2020
Αρκετά καλό graphic novel, αλλά απευθύνεται σε πολύ νεαρές ηλικίες και όχι σε πιο ώριμους αναγνώστες, που σίγουρα θα απολαύσουν πολύ περισσότερο τα βιβλία της σειράς, παρά αυτή τη σύντομη εκδοχή της.
October 11, 2022
good book about an alternate reality where people survive in the city of ember.
December 20, 2012
I'm generally not a graphic novel person. All the busyness makes me a little crazy. But I liked the novel City of Ember so much that I wanted to see how Lina's world would look in a graphic novel. And it's pretty good. Much like I imagined (although Lina herself is not the way I pictured her).
Some kids who would not read the novel will read this. That's a plus. And this is well done. But there is so much more to the story that has been left out. All the tension that is so beautifully placed into the storyline just isn't there. There isn't time. The format doesn't allow for the language that builds that tension. Example: the scene where Lina has been captured by the guards and is being taken away when the lights go out. She escapes to the rooftop then has to try to find her way down and out without being seen. That lasts about 12 panels in the graphic novel. I got the idea, but I wasn't nervous for Lina, the way I was when I read the novel.
And the egress scenes--Lina and Doon had to endure a lot more danger than I felt here.
If you can't get a kid to read the book, then hand him this one. But don't shortchange him and give him this first just because graphic novels are "cool". Maybe it's just because I'm not big on graphic novels, but the original book was so much better.
Some kids who would not read the novel will read this. That's a plus. And this is well done. But there is so much more to the story that has been left out. All the tension that is so beautifully placed into the storyline just isn't there. There isn't time. The format doesn't allow for the language that builds that tension. Example: the scene where Lina has been captured by the guards and is being taken away when the lights go out. She escapes to the rooftop then has to try to find her way down and out without being seen. That lasts about 12 panels in the graphic novel. I got the idea, but I wasn't nervous for Lina, the way I was when I read the novel.
And the egress scenes--Lina and Doon had to endure a lot more danger than I felt here.
If you can't get a kid to read the book, then hand him this one. But don't shortchange him and give him this first just because graphic novels are "cool". Maybe it's just because I'm not big on graphic novels, but the original book was so much better.
July 25, 2012
SQUEAL! Got to see a preview of this one.
The good ... the graphic novel style? It's totally growing on me. The artwork in this one is COOL. Managed to totally convey the sense of place without giving everything away.
The not quite as good ... for the sake of space (I would guess) some parts of the story were abbreviated. Now, if you hadn't read the original you may not even notice it. But if you HAVE read it ... I kind of felt like it left the pacing and FEEL of the story a little wanting. Examples include how fast they decipher the clues in the note. Lizzie's friendship with Looper. (Is it just me or is it so quick here it's a little untoward?) Lina telling Doon about her grandmother.
To me? It's kind of like the difference between a movie and the book. Both are different art forms and have strengths and weaknesses. So your best bet? ENJOY BOTH.
The good ... the graphic novel style? It's totally growing on me. The artwork in this one is COOL. Managed to totally convey the sense of place without giving everything away.
The not quite as good ... for the sake of space (I would guess) some parts of the story were abbreviated. Now, if you hadn't read the original you may not even notice it. But if you HAVE read it ... I kind of felt like it left the pacing and FEEL of the story a little wanting. Examples include how fast they decipher the clues in the note. Lizzie's friendship with Looper. (Is it just me or is it so quick here it's a little untoward?) Lina telling Doon about her grandmother.
To me? It's kind of like the difference between a movie and the book. Both are different art forms and have strengths and weaknesses. So your best bet? ENJOY BOTH.
June 11, 2017
I'll always like the story of The City of Ember, but I'm pretty sure I'll always like it best in it's original book form.
I wasn't crazy about this, as a graphic novel. The artwork didn't match up with me mental image of the story 100%, and I feel like the entire story just works much better (at least for me) in a book. The graphic novel didn't really capture a lot of the suspense of the original story. It also did leave out a couple points, which is completely understandable as you can't really fit it all in here and they weren't really necessary for the plot, which ... I would have liked to see.
Overall, it was interesting seeing the story in a different format, but personally, the original book was more for me. ;)
I wasn't crazy about this, as a graphic novel. The artwork didn't match up with me mental image of the story 100%, and I feel like the entire story just works much better (at least for me) in a book. The graphic novel didn't really capture a lot of the suspense of the original story. It also did leave out a couple points, which is completely understandable as you can't really fit it all in here and they weren't really necessary for the plot, which ... I would have liked to see.
Overall, it was interesting seeing the story in a different format, but personally, the original book was more for me. ;)
September 30, 2024
4.25🌟
This is probably one of my favourite graphic novels. The scenes were drawn exactly how I imagined them and the art was really good for the most part. I do kind of wish it was longer but if it was longer I might not have enjoyed it as much and thought it was slow. I loved every single character and they were so similar to the actual book. I couldn’t put this graphic novel down and it had such a unique plot. Because I hadn’t read the actual novel in so long I had forgotten the plot twist and was very surprised by it. Overall, I really loved this book and I hope they make more graphic novels for this amazing series. For ages 10/11 and up.
This is probably one of my favourite graphic novels. The scenes were drawn exactly how I imagined them and the art was really good for the most part. I do kind of wish it was longer but if it was longer I might not have enjoyed it as much and thought it was slow. I loved every single character and they were so similar to the actual book. I couldn’t put this graphic novel down and it had such a unique plot. Because I hadn’t read the actual novel in so long I had forgotten the plot twist and was very surprised by it. Overall, I really loved this book and I hope they make more graphic novels for this amazing series. For ages 10/11 and up.
August 20, 2023
I received an ARC of this graphic novel through NetGalley.
This is a new graphic novel version of a middle grade novel that originally published in 2003.
I loved this story. 2 young children live in a post-apocalyptic city underground that is threatened by darkness and lack of resources. The characters are kind to each other and feel realistic.
The art by Niklas Asker was lovely, both enchanting and gritty. You can feel the hope and light at the end of the novel.
A great read for kids roughly 8-16.
This is a new graphic novel version of a middle grade novel that originally published in 2003.
I loved this story. 2 young children live in a post-apocalyptic city underground that is threatened by darkness and lack of resources. The characters are kind to each other and feel realistic.
The art by Niklas Asker was lovely, both enchanting and gritty. You can feel the hope and light at the end of the novel.
A great read for kids roughly 8-16.
May 28, 2020
I read this one like a week ago and just kept forgetting that it was needing a review. I think this graphic novel is very good at portraying the actual storyline and going along with what the original story had. I think that this is a good book for age 6 and up! Sorry very short review look at my other review to see what the story has (link below).
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
July 9, 2023
I loved this book as a kid and it was so fun to revisit it so many years later in a graphic novel format! This is one of the first dystopian books I remember reading and loving and it really sparked my love for the genre. The story was really compelling and the art added a nice touch. It was fast-paced and exciting as Lina and Doon uncovered the secrets of their city. I really hope the next books in the series come out in graphic novel form too!
April 24, 2024
Thanks to the publisher for a finished copy to review
I never actually read City of Ember as a kid, so a graphic novel was a fun way to experience it for the first time. I definitely want to go back and read the novels at some point but this was a fun YA dystopian along the lines of The Giver
I never actually read City of Ember as a kid, so a graphic novel was a fun way to experience it for the first time. I definitely want to go back and read the novels at some point but this was a fun YA dystopian along the lines of The Giver
November 28, 2018
This was a compelling, fast-paced book whose characters I really wanted to care about, and I did a bit, but as the story felt very much like it was skimming surfaces and the characters also felt surface-y, it was hard to get too invested.
Ava says in her gr review:
"This story captures the struggle of living in a crumbling corrupt society. I really enjoyed reading this. The illustrations were incredible! The only thing I didn’t like was the size of the book. It cut out most of the details in the original story line."
I haven't read the prose and it's frustrating to me how often graphic versions of prose books tend to rely on people knowing the prose book to really be a meaningful read. So many of these adaptations just read like illustrated and meager outlines. Ah well. I still really love the form of the gn, and a cool story that's told in a mediocre fashion with great graphic sequential art is better than no story at all. So, I'll keep reading them.
Ava says in her gr review:
"This story captures the struggle of living in a crumbling corrupt society. I really enjoyed reading this. The illustrations were incredible! The only thing I didn’t like was the size of the book. It cut out most of the details in the original story line."
I haven't read the prose and it's frustrating to me how often graphic versions of prose books tend to rely on people knowing the prose book to really be a meaningful read. So many of these adaptations just read like illustrated and meager outlines. Ah well. I still really love the form of the gn, and a cool story that's told in a mediocre fashion with great graphic sequential art is better than no story at all. So, I'll keep reading them.
July 9, 2024
Read one night in inpatient when i couldn’t fall asleep. It was good! Very optimistic
September 20, 2018
This story captures the struggle of living in a crumbling corrupted society. I really enjoyed reading this. The illustrations were incredible! The only thing I didn’t like was the size of the book. It cut out most of the details in the original story line.
If you like suspense and adventure I believe you will love this book. The story folds out rapidly due to the size of the book. The illustrations are really captivating and made me feel as if I was really there. The color scheme in their world gave to the allure of the place they live. The intense struggle of their technology failing gives a sense of uneasiness and the main characters goals are being compromised due to their city’s corruption.
I really hope they will make a longer detail by detail version. I didn’t realize that a graphic novel version existed until I did some research on a second movie. I really enjoyed the movie. I felt that it gave a really incredible sense of where they lived and I loved the mystery and their journey to find their way out of their city’s corruption. I felt the book didn’t have much of an intense struggle compared to the movie. Which is strange since books are usually better. In my opinion it seemed the movie had a better storyline. Even though some detail from the book that was needed in the movie wasn’t included.
If you like suspense and adventure I believe you will love this book. The story folds out rapidly due to the size of the book. The illustrations are really captivating and made me feel as if I was really there. The color scheme in their world gave to the allure of the place they live. The intense struggle of their technology failing gives a sense of uneasiness and the main characters goals are being compromised due to their city’s corruption.
I really hope they will make a longer detail by detail version. I didn’t realize that a graphic novel version existed until I did some research on a second movie. I really enjoyed the movie. I felt that it gave a really incredible sense of where they lived and I loved the mystery and their journey to find their way out of their city’s corruption. I felt the book didn’t have much of an intense struggle compared to the movie. Which is strange since books are usually better. In my opinion it seemed the movie had a better storyline. Even though some detail from the book that was needed in the movie wasn’t included.
January 10, 2016
The art style is interesting, but in all it's actually a rather poor adaptation. I haven't read the original book in four years, so I've forgotten some of the finer details, and I have to say, if someone had never read the book before picking this up, they'd probably be very confused by a lot of what goes on. The pacing is uneven and unnatural, since the narrative was cut down to have a shorter book. And the story suffered for it. None of the characters' relationships with each other are very well established or developed, making engaging characters feel flat and unrealistic in this graphic novel adaptation. For any true fan of the original City of Ember, I recommend giving this a pass. You're not missing anything and it certainly isn't worth spending money on.
July 24, 2015
Looked over the book piles and noticed this, initially thought "hey, this seems interesting..." but it wasn't JUST interesting, it deserves to be known!
I have absolutely no idea why this isn't famous. This dystopian idea is classic and ageless. While I have no idea how the actualy book turned out, the graphic retelling is great and well-paced.
This is about the city of Ember, with it's lights in the city but beyond that city, everything else is Darkness. This is about a boy with revolutionary ideas, Doon; and a girl who loves her younger sibling more than anyone and just wants a better life for them and their grandmother. This is a story about hope and humanity, and home.
Beautiful idea for a novel. Beautifully illustrated. Beautiful work. Beautiful, just beautiful!
I have absolutely no idea why this isn't famous. This dystopian idea is classic and ageless. While I have no idea how the actualy book turned out, the graphic retelling is great and well-paced.
This is about the city of Ember, with it's lights in the city but beyond that city, everything else is Darkness. This is about a boy with revolutionary ideas, Doon; and a girl who loves her younger sibling more than anyone and just wants a better life for them and their grandmother. This is a story about hope and humanity, and home.
Beautiful idea for a novel. Beautifully illustrated. Beautiful work. Beautiful, just beautiful!
September 17, 2015
This graphic version of Ember does an excellent job capturing the character’s raw emotions and visual appearance, moving easily from panel to panel, and providing effective use of light and shadow to give it that dim, dark underworld feel. I look forward to the graphic version of the next book in the series, The People of Sparks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2017
I read it like last year I think and it is interesting because it is like of mystery
July 20, 2019
Quick read. Enjoyed it.
August 29, 2023
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own and were in no way influenced by receiving this copy.
Our story follows two children, Doon and Lila as they live their lives in the City of Ember. One day, Lila's grandmother starts going on and on and on about something she lost that her grandfather and told her to hold on to, which leads to the discovery of a box with an old shredded piece of paper in it. As the days pass, Lila and Doon work during the day, and attempt to unscramble the message written on the paper at night. As they decipher things on the paper, they discover a locked door in the pipeworks tunnels under the city, where they see the Mayor has a hoard of food and supplies, kept for himself. Outraged, Doon and Lila attempt to turn him into the guards. With a little more time they are further able to decipher the message written on the paper and discover a way down to the river where they find hidden boats and supplies to leave the City of Ember. They head to the surface to tell the other citizens about the way out, when they discover that they are both wanted for spreading lies about the Mayor, forced to run they escape to the boats and leave the city- without leaving behind the message to tell the others how to also get out. Once out, they feel the wind on their face, see the sun, and meet animals for the first time. After a while they begin looking for a way back into the city to be able to tell others, when they discover a path that leads to the "sky" high above the city. They fill a pack and attach their note of how to get out, and send it down to the city below. Our story ends with a citizen finding the notes and looking up in surprise.
I really enjoyed this! I have never read the original but if I know anything about middle grade classics, this one hits the nail on the head. It feels very much like The Giver, which probably explains why it is so popular and done so well along side it. I love the relationship with Doon and Lila and that, at least in this graphic novel adaptation, there seems to be no romance between the two; just two friends trying to save their city.
I also thing the graphic novel adaptation lends itself very well to the setting. Ember is dark and dreary, the lights regularly going out, the sorrow of the citizens. The when they get out of Ember and into the real world, and see the sun and animals, the explosion of color, you can almost feel it yourself as you read. It's quite astonishing. Very well done. And a fast read as well.
Our story follows two children, Doon and Lila as they live their lives in the City of Ember. One day, Lila's grandmother starts going on and on and on about something she lost that her grandfather and told her to hold on to, which leads to the discovery of a box with an old shredded piece of paper in it. As the days pass, Lila and Doon work during the day, and attempt to unscramble the message written on the paper at night. As they decipher things on the paper, they discover a locked door in the pipeworks tunnels under the city, where they see the Mayor has a hoard of food and supplies, kept for himself. Outraged, Doon and Lila attempt to turn him into the guards. With a little more time they are further able to decipher the message written on the paper and discover a way down to the river where they find hidden boats and supplies to leave the City of Ember. They head to the surface to tell the other citizens about the way out, when they discover that they are both wanted for spreading lies about the Mayor, forced to run they escape to the boats and leave the city- without leaving behind the message to tell the others how to also get out. Once out, they feel the wind on their face, see the sun, and meet animals for the first time. After a while they begin looking for a way back into the city to be able to tell others, when they discover a path that leads to the "sky" high above the city. They fill a pack and attach their note of how to get out, and send it down to the city below. Our story ends with a citizen finding the notes and looking up in surprise.
I really enjoyed this! I have never read the original but if I know anything about middle grade classics, this one hits the nail on the head. It feels very much like The Giver, which probably explains why it is so popular and done so well along side it. I love the relationship with Doon and Lila and that, at least in this graphic novel adaptation, there seems to be no romance between the two; just two friends trying to save their city.
I also thing the graphic novel adaptation lends itself very well to the setting. Ember is dark and dreary, the lights regularly going out, the sorrow of the citizens. The when they get out of Ember and into the real world, and see the sun and animals, the explosion of color, you can almost feel it yourself as you read. It's quite astonishing. Very well done. And a fast read as well.
March 2, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Random House Graphic, Jeanne DuPrau, Dallas Middaugh (adaptor), and Niklas Asker (illustrator) for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
The release of a graphic novel adaptation is an excellent way to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the original release of the novel The City of Ember. One of the first contemporary dystopian novels of our generation, The City of Ember should be considered a literary children's classic. While I had the books growing up, I never got around to reading them, but I certainly couldn't bypass the opportunity to read this book in a graphic novel medium.
The graphic novel beautifully illustrates the story of two children, Lina and Doon, who live in Ember, an underground city powered by electricity, though outages occur more and more frequently. The people are assigned jobs at a young age, and all they know is the life of the underground city.
When Lina finds a ripped up paper, she starts to decode the message and learns there is more beyond the underground city. The higher ups seem to know about it and force control and discipline over those who tend to dig too deep, such as Lina.
An excellent exploration of a near-future society or a controlled future in a world where humanity has depleted Earth's resources. What will Lina and Doon discover about Earth's recovery? I am certainly excited for The People of Sparks to be adapted into the graphic novel medium as well after such an excellent portrayal of this novel.
The release of a graphic novel adaptation is an excellent way to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the original release of the novel The City of Ember. One of the first contemporary dystopian novels of our generation, The City of Ember should be considered a literary children's classic. While I had the books growing up, I never got around to reading them, but I certainly couldn't bypass the opportunity to read this book in a graphic novel medium.
The graphic novel beautifully illustrates the story of two children, Lina and Doon, who live in Ember, an underground city powered by electricity, though outages occur more and more frequently. The people are assigned jobs at a young age, and all they know is the life of the underground city.
When Lina finds a ripped up paper, she starts to decode the message and learns there is more beyond the underground city. The higher ups seem to know about it and force control and discipline over those who tend to dig too deep, such as Lina.
An excellent exploration of a near-future society or a controlled future in a world where humanity has depleted Earth's resources. What will Lina and Doon discover about Earth's recovery? I am certainly excited for The People of Sparks to be adapted into the graphic novel medium as well after such an excellent portrayal of this novel.
July 10, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the advanced copy.
I enjoyed Jeanne DuPrau's Ember series from the release of the first book. I was an older teen when the series started, but it came out during that dystopia trend in YA/middle grade lit and I was devouring all of it.
Middaugh's adaptation is skint. It's not an overly complicated story but I felt like it could have used another 20 pages to show some character growth. The comic goes like this: welcome to an underground city called Ember, the power is failing, supplies are dwindling, kids are put to work while kids, two kids who are maybe friends switch jobs but we don't know if they're friends because we are told nothing about them and little time is spent with them, etc More of the background could've been given via the art, so that the panels could've focused more on the kids and their story.
I found it about as satisfying as the film adaptation. It hits most of its beats and I think (hope) any kid reading this will be inspired by the mystery left by its cliffhanger to try out the novels.
I still enjoy this story - it's a great middle grade entry-point to dystopian literature.
I enjoyed Jeanne DuPrau's Ember series from the release of the first book. I was an older teen when the series started, but it came out during that dystopia trend in YA/middle grade lit and I was devouring all of it.
Middaugh's adaptation is skint. It's not an overly complicated story but I felt like it could have used another 20 pages to show some character growth. The comic goes like this: welcome to an underground city called Ember, the power is failing, supplies are dwindling, kids are put to work while kids, two kids who are maybe friends switch jobs but we don't know if they're friends because we are told nothing about them and little time is spent with them, etc More of the background could've been given via the art, so that the panels could've focused more on the kids and their story.
I found it about as satisfying as the film adaptation. It hits most of its beats and I think (hope) any kid reading this will be inspired by the mystery left by its cliffhanger to try out the novels.
I still enjoy this story - it's a great middle grade entry-point to dystopian literature.
September 9, 2023
✨ Review ✨ The City of Ember (The Graphic Novel) by Jeanne DuPrau,
Adapted by Dallas Middaugh, Illustrated by Niklas Asker
Adapted from the novel The City of Ember, this book exists in a city surrounded by darkness, where supplies are dwindling and blackouts are recurring. Two kids, Lina and Doon suspect there's something else out there, an escape to another world. This book traces their efforts to save themselves from what feels like an increasingly apocalyptic situation.
I enjoyed the art style which dramatically uses light and shadow to depict the world of Ember. I felt like the pacing was a little slow at points, but overall I enjoyed the story. It alternately felt adventurous and frustrating and hopeful!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: middle grades graphic novel - fantasy
Setting: the city of Ember
Pub Date: 25 Sep 2012
Thanks to Random House Graphic and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!
Adapted by Dallas Middaugh, Illustrated by Niklas Asker
Adapted from the novel The City of Ember, this book exists in a city surrounded by darkness, where supplies are dwindling and blackouts are recurring. Two kids, Lina and Doon suspect there's something else out there, an escape to another world. This book traces their efforts to save themselves from what feels like an increasingly apocalyptic situation.
I enjoyed the art style which dramatically uses light and shadow to depict the world of Ember. I felt like the pacing was a little slow at points, but overall I enjoyed the story. It alternately felt adventurous and frustrating and hopeful!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: middle grades graphic novel - fantasy
Setting: the city of Ember
Pub Date: 25 Sep 2012
Thanks to Random House Graphic and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!
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