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Title: The Prophet of Yonwood (Books of Ember)
ISBN: 0440421241
Author:
Jeanne Duprau
Publicate Date: 2007-05-08
Publish: 2007-05-08
List Price: $6.50
Average Customer Rating: 3.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $2.71
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $3.10
Amazon Merchant Price: $6.50
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Not like the other books in the series.
I agree with the other reviewers that "The Prophet" is unlike the other books in the Ember series.
However, that doesn't mean it wasn't a good book. . . just different.
I thought the story was very well written and included a lot of good moral lessons for young people.
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2: Would be OK outside of the series
...The Earth is on the apparent verge of Apocalypse, the United States President issues daily warnings related to latent Galactic threats. 11-year old Nickie comes to small town of Yonwood, trying to achieve her three goals:
1. Keep Yonwood as her new home,
2. Fall in love,
3. Save the world.
It sounds like a normal teenager's "to-do list" - and like a beginning of a good story. But that's essentially where the story of Ember stops, and where begins the cautionary tale about the danger of people blindly following the leaders and not thinking by themselves. Yonwood town people would obey even the most absurd rules like "No singing", "no dogs". When should we stop blindly listening to authorities and listen to our common sense?
It is a great message, but should it overshadow the story?
The main issue that bothered me is the fact that "Prophet of Yonwood" is the prequel to "City of Ember" and "People of Sparks". In prequel, the readers would expect to learn more about the history of Ember creation, about the events causing the catastrophe. Yet, this information is (very sparsely) given only on the last pages of the book, almost "by the way". Even though there is enough action in this book, almost none of it is related to the history of city of Ember. While this could be acceptable for prequel to the adult fiction book, young readers feel cheated and disappointed. When the book is defined as part of the series, kids expect if not totally "linear" flow, but at least more clear connections.
To confirm my feelings, I asked my daughter what she thinks about this book. According to the girl, who loved first two books, "this one is OK, but it's not related to Ember at all. And there is not a lot of stuff happening".
I could only add that if the author wanted to target children's audience, she should have thought about this!
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3: Great addition to the books of ember
I enjoyed it. I wish It had included a certain letter that I read in another Ember book. Now I have to hunt for this book again, to fill in the blank... But a fun read. I love these books.
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4: Boring Book, but anti-religious not Christian Fiction
This book is extremely boring. I liked City of Ember, People of the Sparks was so-so and this one wasn't really even related to them.
I can't understand the folks out there that said the book was like Christian Fiction. It was the opposite!! The book portrays religious people, Christians in particular, as narrow-minded, nonthinking people that will follow anyone with a strong opinion like they were sheep. One has to wonder if the author ever met a Christian in real-life (not just caricature in liberal media or televangelists). Some of what she portrays is valid, but most religious people I know are not that gullible. Still, my main objection is the bland storyline, the rather simpleminded girl as protagonist and the fact that it doesn't explain anything about how the City of Ember came to be (other than the last 3 pages.)
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5: Clever, clever, clever
This is a thoughtful book about the dangers of blind belief. I would say its Author is Buddhist rather than a right-wing Evangelical. It helps make the leap from today to 200 years in the future. Good writing, good story. I enjoyed it.
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