Sunday, May 2, 2010

The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau

The Diamond of Darkhold is the fourth and final book in the series that began with the Book of Ember. Doon and Lina make a trade for an ancient book from a traveler and although only eight pages are left they realize answers to many of the mysteries from their past can be revealed if they go back to the city of Ember which they left several months ago.


The journey out of Ember had involved boats and rapids all going one way so of course their return journey needs to take a completely different route. At the end of the first book Doon and Lina threw a note down to the city into a chasm, a note that led to the rescue of four hundred people. As they look down into the chasm now months later all should be dark but instead they see a dim light. Following a steep and perilous path the two friends climb back down to their old home.

The small group of people now living in the City of Ember are very dangerous. They capture Doon and Lina must flea the city to find help. Doon meanwhile finds a jewel which matches information in the book titled “For the people of Ember". It will be these 'diamonds' that later give the people electricity and using this and other things like seeds that the townspeople collect from their old city, the future seems assured but also there will need to be a huge amount of learning which will continue through the generations. The Horn Book review said the conclusion is everything a series closer should be, satisfying but provocative.

I was captivated by the first book in this series and I loved the second book People of Sparks. Although I read the prequel Prophet of Yonwood quite quickly it was not as powerful as the first two. I have also seen the movie which is worth watching although I did not like the way the character of the mayor was portrayed – seeming to act like a clown or buffoon.






It is so great to be talking about the final book in a series and not the first and to be able to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it over breakfast, waiting in queues and late into the night. When I first read City of Ember I was so excited I wanted everyone to read this book in fact I almost didn't want the final book to end. If you enjoy reading fiction which describes a possible future for human life grab this series with both hands. You might also like to hunt for an old movie called Logans Run which reminded me of this series.

1 comment:

TriniBean said...

terrific blog momo! looking forward to reading more of your reviews and choosing things for rishi to read ... cheers, trini