Meta: Differences

Spoiler Warning: For City of Ember; the book (2005) and film (2008)

The Leader of House Lapin originally recommended this article.

Do you know what would be good, James? If you include the differences between your world and the City of Ember. I don’t know much about your world and it might help other readers.

— Sable Aradia, Leader of House Lapin - December 2020 (while reading my book article)

Summary

Book: City Of Ember

There is a city and a box that has a secret locked inside, that will open again in 200 years, telling them how to leave the City of Ember. They pass it between the previous mayor and their successor. Each mayor knows the box has something important and will give its secret when the box unlocks. During this procedure, the seventh mayor goes mad and takes the box home. Which then goes into a cupboard and is forgotten about. Will they get out of the city, there’s only one way to find out!

Film: City of Ember

While similar to the book, the film has some interesting differences. Which are that the city in the film is circular, they don’t have a name for their currency and that they seem to have simple robots that would roll along in a straight line with no purpose given to them. Another interesting difference is a large mole in the film adaptation. It was seen that turning the book into the film would be boring and would need to be made more interesting by including a large mole.

Future’s Seen Part 1

Future’s Seen (FS) was built upon the film and book adaptations of the City of Ember with some slight changes. While the book and film did not have external trade, I included this along with what the disaster could be without mentioning it entirely.
The city, of the city of ember, was underground in the States (book 2). I moved it to be on the surface and to be somewhere in the southwest of the UK but didn’t really know where in the southwest. Another change was that I took out the box. People can leave if they have the money to do so.
I set this part in 2036 and it was a way for me to describe how I saw our future. The story of FS Part 1 followed an older version of me with my adopted son, Michael, as we try to survive in the city.

Future’s Seen Part 2 (The Articles On World Anvil)

Future’s Seen Part 2 was born from a logical error from Part 1 but builds upon part 1 to make a far more interesting part 2.
The logical flaw in part 1 was that I mentioned it had a paper mill when I said earlier in the story, in Future’s Seen Part 1 it didn’t. The entirety of FS part 2 is in this World Anvil world.
This world was built when I wanted to start to write, during the pandemic 2020 and made a World Anvil account.
Future’s Seen part 2 still revolves around a city that now has the name of Birdencaster. Part 2 has greater information about its inhabitant’s professions and the city’s industries. Some professions are inspired by the City of Ember but I have made them more complicated or have made them fit in with FS part 2.
These are;

• Messenger
• The Captain of the Messenger’s
• Timesetter (although I changed the name of the profession)

Part 2 includes the Forestry Industry and Animal Husbandry to show how Birdencaster makes its money, in the first place. I included what the event was to make the world rewind and included how other countries have changed.

Differences In The Timeline With Our World

I try to keep it as close to our timeline as possible but sometimes there need to be changes these are;

• The Coast's Ablaze plant was invented to have glue as there are multiple sources saying differing things on if PVA glue is old derived or not.
• The Porridge House that the article was based off is now liquidated, while in this world it continued and spread, through the UK.

Article Contents

Further Resources

City Of Ember (Blu-ray) (Amazon UK)
The City of Ember (book) (Amazon UK)