The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (Audiobook Review)

Audiobook Reviews from Audiobook-Heaven

If you lived your wholelife in a city beneath the earth, how would it feel to suddenly step out into the open air?

Title: The City of Ember
Series: Books of Ember, book 1
Author: Jeanne DuPrau
Narrator: Wendy Dillon
Publisher: Listening Library
Duration: 7 hours, 6 minutes
Copyright: 2004
Genres: science fiction, adventure, juvenile
Filed in: Audiobook reviews
Review copy provided by Kearney Public Library.

THE GIST: The Builders thought of everything. Fearing that a cataclysmic event would wipe out the human race, they built an entire city underground. There was an underground river to provide water and power, along with storerooms full of food and supplies enough to last two hundred years. They populated the city with nothing but skilled retirees and babies so that the tragic history of humanity would be forgotten. The Builders even provided a time-locked box, set to open after two hundred years, containing instructions on how to return to the surface.

The City of Ember, as it was called, was to represent the last spark of humanity in a world that was destroying itself, but there was one scenario the Builders didn't plan for. The time capsule with the escape instructions was lost. The box opened at its appointed time, but no one ever knew.

Two hundred and forty years later, the city of Ember has reached a crisis. The river-powered generator that powers the city is breaking down more and more frequently, and the acres and acres of store rooms are almost empty. The people live in fear of what will happen when the lights, and the food, run out.

It is twelve-year-old Lina Mayfleet who finally discovers the box, buried deep in a closet at her home. One of Lina’s ancestors was a mayor of Ember, and it was he who brought the box home to see if he could open it. The unfortunate man died unexpectedly without ever telling anyone where the box was. When Lina finds the box, it is already open but the instructions inside are nearly destroyed. Lina, along with her friend, Dune Harrow, patiently reconstruct the ancient paper, and then decode the jumbled mess of printing. They turn to the current mayor for help, but the greedy, power-hungry man only sees it as a threat to his position and quickly brands the two kids as outlaws.

Lina and Dune must leave immediately before they are arrested. Turning to the long-lost document for guidance, they begin to decipher step one.

MY THOUGHTS: I have always been fascinated by the idea of a hidden colony to preserve the human race, and found the premise of “The City of Ember” intriguing. I was a little disappointed when I began the audio book and found that it was really written more for pre or early teens. Jeanne DuPrau leap-frogged over much of the technical details that I enjoy, but I think “The City of Ember” is entirely appropriate for younger readers. This audio book could be a nice introduction to science fiction for kids who are just discovering the joys of reading.

NARRATOR: Wendy Dillon provided a nice variety of voices for “The City of Ember.” Many of them sounded kind of silly and cartoonish, but the younger audience this audio book was intended for will probably enjoy that. Overall, Wendy Dillon gave a good performance.

FINAL WORD: “The City of Ember” is a good audio book for kids. The story is interesting and the narration was well done. I'm going to recommend "The City of Ember" to my daughter.

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (Audiobook Review)
The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau (Audiobook Review)
The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau (Audiobook Review)
The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau (Audiobook Review)


If you liked this audiobook review, you can purchase the audiobook here:
Get "The City of Ember", Unabridged Audiobook from Amazon.com.

This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audio book.
Audiobook review by Steven Brandt
Come back soon for more audiobook reviews from Audiobook Heaven