Fantasy Or Fiction

Fantasy Or Fiction

Introduction
“On the day the world ended, the fate of mankind was carried in a small metal box.” This quote is from the movie The City of Ember, which, like many movies, is based on a book. This is no ordinary book however. The City of Ember takes it readers on an epic adventure, and presents to them a mystery that they must solve. One of the unique things about this book is that it is the author’s first book.   Jeanne DuPrau lives in California, and was a teacher and editor before rising to fame with her first novel. She most likely intended for the audience to be kids from the age of eight and up, but her target audience could have also been people who don’t like science fiction. The story of the city of Ember is told through the eyes of Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, two young people that get assigned jobs (as is the custom in Ember) and decide to switch. The story is post apocalyptic; it tells a story that takes place after the end of the world. The unique thing about this is that from first reading the book, it does not seem like science fiction. Until the end of The City of Ember, readers are tricked into thinking that they are reading a fantasy novel, not a science fiction novel. The genre however, does not change the fact that it is a well written book that everyone should give it a chance.

Author
Not many people know about the author, Jeanne DuPrau. She currently resides in California and lives with her dog Jockey. She loved reading when she was young, and often read with her little sister. Growing up during the fifties, nuclear war was a threat that many people worried about, and some people even resorted to building their own bomb shelters in their back yard. Jeanne read magazine articles about how to build bomb shelters and says that the whole experience made a big impact on her, and helped inspire her idea for Ember. The city is like a giant bomb shelter, built to save the human race from a terrible threat. Nowadays much of her time is...