I have no idea why I put off reading this book but there you go - The story continues almost immediate after the events of Ember and pretty much follows the exodus (you knew it was going to happen and it pretty much is needed to set the scene for this book) from the failing underground settlement.

The book pretty much follows what happens next although there a few side stories about what happened "before" that drove the people underground to Ember and how the residents of Sparks are as they are.

So story is pretty much linear although it does occasionally shift perspective you get the feeling that although the story is focused around the settlement there are more stories to come of this strange new world

The book The People Of Sparks by: Jeanne Duprau, the second book in the series is a book about the pickup of when the people of Ember finally left the darkness of their town. They started exploring the nature around them for they have never seen such things. Soon after the people of Ember left, they came upon a small village called Sparks. The people of Sparks were very confused and concerned when they saw all of the people walking around there village. The people in Sparks were really generous and let them stay for the night to try and figure out what they should do. It was a hard decision to make because they didn't want to make the people go because they had no experience of building or runnings town of their own. On the other hand, if they let them stay they would be sacrificing there food and supplies for people that did not even know. After talking for a while they came to a decision. The people could stay, but on their conditions. The people could only stay for six months while the people of Sparks taught them all they could about building and running a town. But after that time is up, they all have to go.
tI really enjoyed reading this book. It had many fun qualities I really enjoy in a book. Although it was really amazing, I still like the first book more. I also really enjoyed the book because it kind of gave more info about them which helped me understand the first book even more. I really liked this book and when I first started it I read really far in because it just kept leading me into it. The book had many themes but the main one would be that it takes hard work and determination to reach goals. That is one of the themes of the book because in the book they are forced to learn how to build a village of their own in order to have somewhere to stay. I could easily read this book again. I love reading books more than once because when I do that I am able to catch many more details I may have missed the first time I read the book. I also say that this book would be a good pick if you're looking for a fun series to start. The book had a few life lessons throughout it but the one I liked the he most was don't judge a book by its cover. That life lesson is pretty basic but I feel that t is relevant in many different parts of the book. For example, in the beginning, Doon saw Tick and instantly thought that he would be a great friend before he even got to know him. Also, Lina hated the kid she thought was the doctors and couldn't understand why he acted the way he did until she fired out his background to his reasoning. In conclusion, I really enjoyed reading this book.

I have been waiting for a while to read this sequel to "The City of Ember," which left off on a bit of a cliffhanger, and this book did not disappoint. It left off right where the first book ended, and continued the story of the post-apocalyptic society of Ember perfectly. After leaving Ember, the emberites become refugees to the also struggling society of Sparks. They now need to adjust to life above ground as well as fitting in with the ways of their neighboring society who has, somewhat begrudgingly taken them in. I read this book as a fun YA read (which it was). However I was surprised to find a lot parallels to many of the issues facing the US today (2017), although the book was published over a decade earlier (2004). The main message that I got from the book was that the only way to stop political/ social eruptions is when good people sincerely seek to gain understanding of perspectives on both sides of issues. An interesting and thought-provoking read.

3.75 out of 5 stars

The first two books in this series I remember well but the first was always my favorite of the two. This one not as much for some reason. I think it has to do with having so many characters that tell lies, instead of trying to get along and being way to stubborn. Many of the new characters seem too flat and not developed compared to the City of Ember characters and I think that is what leads me to not care as much about them. However I do enjoy being back in this world again.

Όσοι γνώρισαν την "Υπόγεια Πολιτεία" της Jeann DuPrau μέσα από το πρώτο της βιβλίο, είμαι βέβαιη πως την αγάπησαν και ταυτίστηκαν με τους ήρωές της που τόσο σκληρά πάλεψαν προκειμένου να καταφέρουν να βρουν διέξοδο από το απειλητικό σκοτάδι της, να φτάσουν σε έναν τόπο πιο ασφαλή και γιατί όχι, πιο φωτεινό και χρωματιστό. Και ακριβώς αυτό έκαναν! Τα βήματά τους, αν και δύσκολα κι επικίνδυνα, δεν τους έφεραν απλά σε μια νέα πόλη αλλά, σε έναν ολοκαίνουργιο κόσμο που μονάχα στην πιο ζωηρή φαντασίωση και στα πιο τρελά τους όνειρα θα μπορούσε να υπάρχει. Από 'κει κι έπειτα, το μόνο που είχαν να κάνουν ήταν να προσπαθήσουν να οδηγήσουν τους συμπολίτες τους στην έξοδο, να τους δείξουν τον δρόμο, μην όντας βέβαιοι για τίποτα και απλά περιμένοντας. Και ναι, το μήνυμά τους έφτασε εκεί που έπρεπε να φτάσει και λίγο αργότερα βρέθηκαν με όσους μεγάλωσαν, κάνοντας μαζί τα πρώτα βήματα στη νέα τους ζωή.

Η Λίνα, ο Ντουν και όλοι οι κάτοικοι της Πολιτείας που επέλεξαν να αποδράσουν τον θάνατο που τους επιφύλασσε, μετά την έξοδό τους από το σκοτάδι και κατευθυνόμενοι προς το φως ενός νέου κόσμου, φτάνουν σε ένα χωριό, τη Λάμψη, οι κάτοικοι του οποίου τους υποδέχονται με καχυποψία αρχικά, μην ξέροντας αν πρέπει να πιστέψουν την ιστορία τους ωστόσο, αποφασίζουν να τους βοηθήσουν με όποιον τρόπο μπορούν, δίνοντάς τους τροφή και στέγη, εκπαιδεύοντάς τους σε κάθε λογής δουλειά προκειμένου μετά από έξι μήνες να είναι όσο περισσότερο ικανοί για να εγκαταλείψουν τη Λάμψη χτίζοντας τη δικιά τους κοινότητα. Η απόφαση αυτή αρχικά ανακουφίζει τους κατοίκους της Πολιτείας καθώς τους προσφέρει αρκετή ασφάλεια, τόσο στο παρόν όσο και στο μέλλον, ενώ οι ίδιοι οι κάτοικοι της Λάμψης, ακόμα κι αν ανήκουν σε εκείνους που δε χαίρονται με την παρουσία των ξένων στον τόπο τους, κάνουν ότι καλύτερο περνάει από το χέρι τους για να είναι φιλόξενοι και ανοιχτοχέρηδες.

Τα πράγματα φυσικά, σε καμία των περιπτώσεων δεν είναι ρόδινα. Ο κόσμος που βρήκαν μπορεί να είναι όμορφος αλλά παράλληλα, είναι τρομακτικός, γεμάτος από άγνωστα πράγματα που προκαλούν τον φόβο των ανθρώπων της Πολιτείας. Μπορεί οι κάτοικοι της Λάμψης να έχουν κάνει ότι καλύτερο μπορούν για να χτίσουν την κοινότητά τους και για να την ρυθμίσουν να λειτουργεί ομαλά και αποδοτικά όμως, δεν θυμίζει σε τίποτα την πόλη που η Λίνα ονειρευόταν. Είναι φανερό πως ο κόσμος πέρασε μία, ίσως και περισσότερες, μεγάλες κρίσεις με αποτέλεσμα να καταστραφούν τα πάντα με όσους κατάφεραν να επιζήσουν, να παλεύουν σκληρά για να επιβιώσουν και να χτίσουν ξανά από την αρχή της ζωές τους. Και οι κάτοικοι της Λάμψης αυτό έκαναν, κόπιασαν, στερήθηκαν αλλά πέτυχαν και τώρα βλέπουν όλα αυτά για τα οποία πάλεψαν να κινδυνεύουν να καταρρεύσουν κάτω από το βάρος 400 επιπλέον ανθρώπων που δεν έχουν να ταΐσουν και που με τον καιρό, τους κουράζει το να προσπαθούν να βοηθήσουν. Από τη άλλη μεριά, οι κάτοικοι της Πολιτείας δυσανασχετούν για τους δικούς τους λόγους. Δουλεύουν πάρα πολύ, τρώνε πάρα πολύ λίγο και κάθε μέρα το πρώτο σκέλος αυξάνεται και το δεύτερο μειώνεται. Το αίσθημα αδικίας δεν αργεί να γίνει αισθητό και σε συνδυασμό με την αγανάκτηση των δύο πλευρών, η σύγκρουση μοιάζει πολύ κοντά.

Η συγγραφέας κάνει ξεκάθαρο μέσα από τα μυθιστορήματά της ότι βασικός της σκοπός είναι να ασκήσει κοινωνικοπολιτική κριτική. Μπορεί η ιστορία της να διαδραματίζεται σε ένα δυστοπικό μέλλον όπου ο κόσμος δεν θυμίζει σε τίποτα τον σύγχρονο δικό μας όμως, οι άνθρωποι και οι σχέσεις που αναπτύσσουν οι διάφορες κοινωνικές ομάδες μεταξύ τους, είναι πιο ευδιάκριτες και πιο εύκολα αξιολογήσιμες κάτω από αντίξοες συνθήκες. Μας παρουσιάζει δύο διαφορετικές ομάδες ανθρώπων που πρέπει να συνυπάρξουν σε μια ενιαία κοινότητα, η οποία μάλιστα παρά τα προβλήματα και την δυσκολία των καιρών, κατάφερε με κάποιο τρόπο να ευημερήσει έτσι ώστε, όχι να ζει πλουσιοπάροχα αλλά, να μην υποφέρει. Η διαφορετικότητα, όπως είναι αναμενόμενο, δημιουργεί διαφωνίες, οι διαφωνίες οδηγούν σε συγκρούσεις και όλα αυτά, οδηγούν σταδιακά σε έναν πόλεμο που μονάχα η λογική και η αίσθηση του κοινού συμφέροντος μπορεί να σταματήσει, κόντρα σε όσους προκαλούν προβλήματα κι επεισόδια με υποχθόνιο τρόπο και απώτερους σκοπούς.

Το "Πέρα Από Το Σκοτάδι" δεν είναι μόνο ένα βιβλίο δυστοπικής φαντασίας και περιπέτειας που αποδεικνύει ότι αν έχεις θέληση μπορείς να πετύχεις τα πάντα. Είναι μια ανάλυση πάνω σε έναν κοινωνικό προβληματισμό που απασχολεί τους ανθρώπους αιώνες τώρα. Μπορούμε να δεχτούμε τη διαφορετικότητα; Είμαστε σε θέση να καταλάβουμε τη μοναδικότητα του να μην είσαι ίδιος με το διπλανό σου, κάνοντας όχι πόλεμο, αλλά σύμπραξη, ενώνοντας τις δυνάμεις και τις ικανότητές όλων σε έναν κοινό σκοπό για καλό αποτέλεσμα; Η DuPrau, ισορροπώντας ανάμεσα στην εξερεύνηση και τη δράση, διαχωρίζοντας για λίγο τους ήρωές της και με τους δύο να έχουν απορίες που προσπαθούν να λύσουν, ωστόσο, με τη Λίνα να εστιάζει στη γνώση και στην ελπίδα επαλήθευσης των προσδοκιών της πριν εγκαταλείψουν την Πολιτεία και το Ντουν, να ρίχνει περισσότερο βάρος στην σωστή αντιμετώπιση του ίδιου και των συμπολιτών του από τους κατοίκους της Λάμψης, στην ίδι διαχείριση και τα ίδια δικαιώματα. Αρκούντως ευχάριστο στην ανάγνωση, βασισμένο σε στοιχεία δολοπλοκίας και ίντριγκας, το δεύτερο μέρος της "Υπόγειας Πολιτείας" θα σας ικανοποιήσει όσο και το πρώτο, σπρώχνοντάς σας παράλληλα σε βαθύτερους προβληματισμούς.

The story of the people of Ember continues in the city of Sparks. It is a well-written story with strong positive characters and negative characters that learn from their actions. A great series for my 9-year-old grandson. Great teaching/learning moments in this book.

This book was so much better than the first one.
I LOVE the main characters. Lina and Doon they're just... GOOD. Good people. They're brave with great morality.
I liked Kenny and Maddy's characters. They were so wise and lovable.
Caspar seemed to me like a bad cartoon villain, twisting his mostache and laughing in a weird way. He was a joke.
I HATED Torren. At the end, after all that happened he didn't say thank you or sorry. HATED HATED HATED. So immature!
Tick was a douchebag. So happy he left, though he deserved worse.

Love the journey that was this book. The ending was exciting. Really looking forward to reading more about the People of Sparks!

I absolutely loved this! After all these years of waiting I finally found out what happend to my childhood favorite character!

It was an easy read and i loved how we got to explore the hardshipes of the embers trying to fit into this new world and this new world trying to make sense of them

4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this book! The world, and the characters were interesting, and the story was pretty great overall. This book is meant for a younger audience, and the writing reflected that. However, I think kids and adults would both find this story interesting. The only reason it wasn’t a five star rating, was because it wasn’t quite as suspenseful, and exciting as the first book.

The characters in this book are interesting, and I found I liked nearly all of them. The characters that are portrayed as villains, have many different layers, and are not just evil, and the character that is portrayed as a sort of hero has many different sides to him. I think Jeanne DuPrau did a great job at coming up with a variety of characters, that are thought provoking and interesting to read about. Unlike other books, I found myself drawn to every aspect of the story, not just one characters adventure.

The plot in this story is interesting. While still continuing with some aspects of the first book, different problems arise, and along with that comes a variety of different characters, who influence the main characters in different ways.

Overall, it was a fun, and interesting book. The only complaint I have, is that it is slightly less suspenseful, and a bit more predictable then the first. But still, a great read for all ages.

"It looks as if those people have never seen the sun as they gazed deep into the Sun's heart." That is an important quote from the book People of Sparks written by Jeanne Duprau. The book The People of Sparks was very well thought out and detailed with many different twists and turns that you would never imagine.
Lina and Doon have emerged from the underground city to the exciting new world above, and it isn't long before they are followed by the other inhabitants of Ember. The Emberites soon come across a town where they are welcomed, fed, and given places to sleep. But the town's resources are limited, and it isn’t long before resentment begins to grow between the two groups. When anonymous acts of vandalism push the Emberites toward violence, it's up to Lina and Doon to discover who's behind the vandalism and why, before it's too late. I believe that this book is very detailed as illustrated on page 197, "People didn't make life, so they can't destroy it. Even if we were to wipe out every bit of life in the world, we can't touch the place life comes from. Whatever made the plants and animals and people spring up in the first place will always be there, and life will spring up again."
The type of reader that would enjoy this book is someone who likes feuds, mystery, realistic fiction books, and a book that will make you want to read more.

A very worthy sequel to a 5-star first book, The City of Ember. The story, which pits the Emberites as refugees in a prospering post-Disaster town, drew many relevant real-world parallels to refugee crises around the world. What happens when your homeland becomes unlivable? Do prospering places have a respinsibility to take in, shelter, feed and teach refugee populations? The story was told with a heaping dose of reality and humanity - hats off to DuPrau. The end was much more exciting than the beginning and, for me, it doesn't live up to the wonder of The City of Ember, but it was wonderfully told.

How did they grow plants underground? There was no sunlight.
Otherwise, this is a good book (actually, probably better than the first one). I recommend that you read it if you like post-apocalyptic stories - but makes sure to read the first one too!