City of Darkness

By: Ben Bova

Narrated by: Harlan Ellison

In a dystopian New York City, a teenager fights for his survival.

Years ago, New York City was closed by the government in response to insidious crime and pollution. The huge Manhattan Dome hovers high in the smog, while beneath it, the city lies deserted—its buildings haunted, hollow shells. Each summer, though, the metropolis opens for two months as a sort of morbid recreational park, and gangs prey on those who venture onto its darkest streets. To taste the forbidden fruits of the city, teenager Ron Morgan sneaks away from his safe and sterile suburban home. But when the dome is closed at season's end, Ron finds himself in a shadowy world filled with gangs who fight over turf and food, and his recreational journey becomes a nightmarish struggle for survival.

©1998 Ben Bova (P)1998 Phoenix Books, Inc.

Critic reviews

Winner of Audio Publishers Association 1999 Audie Award, Solo Narration—Male

An Execelent Short Story

He's passed his college entrance exams with flying colors. He can do pretty much whatever he wants. But what teenager Ron Morgan wants most is for his father to quit telling him what to do. Quit running his life. What better way to unwind than having a last blowout on Labor Day in the domed playground of Fun City: Manhattan.
Inside the dome, however, Ron loses his wallet and identity card. Worse, he's trapped when the dome closes for the season. There's no way out. Gangs roam the street. Food is scarce. Ron is on his own. All Ron wanted was some fun. He'll be lucky to escape New York alive.

The story is excently, but the audio quility is a bit sub-standard for Audible. A great Ben Bova!

Great young adult story

Where does City of Darkness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is the Best written, and Harlan does a fantastic job, though the audio quality is bad, I have haunting memories of Harlan's reading of the novel which was just a wonderful thing, the man is an actor with a lot of range.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ron, because he learns so much.

Which character – as performed by Harlan Ellison – was your favorite?

Ron, because he made him so human.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I just loved it. One of my top favorites of all time like Hienlien's Tunnel in the sky.

Any additional comments?

Great book.

Good story bad in the air ocean

Harlan Ellison is a good writer but he can't narrate. I think it's like he's trying to over dramatize and he goes overboard.

Dated, predictable

The story had an early-work feel, very predictable end, but overall good story. I don't think Harlan Ellison has any business on the microphone end of a book.

Bad audio quality

I have mixed feelings about this book. The narrator was a little too loud and harse. The sound quality was uneven and sometimes horrible., but the story was good and had a point.