City of Light, City of Dark: A Comic-book Novel [Hardcover]

Avi (Author), Brian Floca (Illustrator)

Book Description

A brilliantly visualized drama of energy that is sure to engage even the most reluctant readers. What do a meter maid, a candy maker, a seeing-eye dog, the Statue of Liberty, the New York subway system, and the ceiling of Grand Central Station have in common? Featured billing in this amazing and amusing modern-day myth.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

One of the most versatile YA novelists of the day teams up with first-time illustrator Floca to produce first-rate science fiction in comic-book form. After outlining an altered version of New York City's history, the elaborately plotted saga shows how, through courage and cunning, two preteens, Carlos and Estella, and Estella's clairvoyant mother thwart a power-hungry villain and thereby prevent Manhattan from turning to ice. Against backdrops of neon lights, circling pigeons, abandoned subway stations and storefronts, Avi and Floca dynamically convey a timeless tale of good versus evil. Brilliantly parodying the superhero cartoons of old, this myth conceived in the same spirit as Who Was That Masked Man Anyway? is sure to be a hit with reluctant and advanced readers alike. Ages 9-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Complications abound in a graphic novel related in brief narrative boxes plus dialogue (some of it in both Spanish and English) in hundreds of b&w comic-book frames. Sarah has been told (falsely) that her mother died; Carlos can't understand why an old blind man is so interested in a subway token he's found. The two kids team up and eventually learn the truth: the evil Mr. Underton was blinded by Sarah's mother 11 years ago when he tried to steal the token that's the source of power for the metropolis (N.Y.C.), which will freeze if the token isn't delivered to safekeeping each December 21 by Sarah's mother (and, someday, by Sarah). With neat feats of derring-do but uncharacteristically lumpy plotting and motives (Stubbs hides from his wife for 11 years, fearing she'll hate him--to keep her love, he leaves her?), this isn't quite fish or fowl. Still, robust spirits run appealingly amok until the expected triumph of good. Author (and publisher) get high marks for experimenting with a new genre, though this may not be the book to make it fashionable. A bold venture that will probably entertain the young more than their elders. (Fiction. 10+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books; First Edition first Printing edition (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531068005
• ISBN-13: 978-0531068007
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,774,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Avi has published more than sixty books. Among them is Crispin: The Cross of Lead, winner of the 2003 Newbery Medal. Other novels with nineteenth-century settings, like The Traitors' Gate -- his grand nod to the work of Charles Dickens -- are listed before the title page, and include the Newbery Honor Book, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Avi and his family live in Denver, Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story told in a very different format., April 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: City Of Light, City Of Dark (Paperback)

This comic book formatted fantasy myth is based on sun phases that make summer and winter solistice. The Kurds, an ancient people who dwell in darkness, allowed humans to occupy their island (New York) if their power (housed in something small, like a token) is returned by 12/21 (winter solistice) so that days can become longer. The Kurds hide it again every year on 6/21 (summer solistice) so that days can become shorter. If the power is not returned by 12/21, total darkness will prevail. Move that idea through several generations to modern day, and you've got a very interesting story. It sounds confusing and bizarre, but Avi makes it work. His versatality astounds me.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best, July 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: City of Light, City of Dark: A Comic-book Novel (School & Library Binding)

This is one of my favorite Avi books. It is told in a comic book form, but don't let that fool you. It would have been just as good if it had been writen as a novel, but the black and white pictures really add depth to the story.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books ever!, October 21, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: City Of Light, City Of Dark (Paperback)

I thought this was an astounding and ingenious book. There are people called "Kurbs" and they own an island and have a lot of POWER. Unfortunately, after an accident that caused him to be blind, a man wants to take the POWER for himself and the token in which the POWER rests. He keeps ordering his assistant to get the token, but the assistant marries the woman with the token. Then a boy finds the token while being attacked by pigeons, and then the rest of the story turns into a fast-paced adventure involving the token. Read the book to find out more!