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Gefangen in New York
In Amerika wurden die großen Städte evakuiert und geschlossen. Nur zwei Sommermonate dürfen Touristen die Stadt New York betreten und bei den für diese Zeit zurückgekehrten Geschäftsleuten ihre Einkäufe machen, Bars und Hotels besuchen. Ron, Abiturient, in einer futuristischen, keimfreien Gartenstadt lebend, macht sich auf eigene Faust dorthin auf und findet Einlass, obwohl er das dafür notwendige Alter noch nicht erreicht hat. Was er nun erlebt und erleidet, verändert sein Leben.
176 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1976
3 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Ben Bova
714 books1,034 followersBen Bova was born on November 8, 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1953, while attending Temple University, he married Rosa Cucinotta, they had a son and a daughter. He would later divorce Rosa in 1974. In that same year he married Barbara Berson Rose.
Bova was an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett's fencing club. He was an environmentalist, but rejected Luddism.
Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.
In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell's death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.
In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children's science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled "The Search".
Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.
Bova was the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.
Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.
Bova was the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).
Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova's works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film "Repossession Mambo" (released as "Repo Men") starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon".
http://us.macmillan.com/author/benbova
Bova was an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett's fencing club. He was an environmentalist, but rejected Luddism.
Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.
In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell's death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.
In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children's science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled "The Search".
Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.
Bova was the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.
Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.
Bova was the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).
Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova's works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film "Repossession Mambo" (released as "Repo Men") starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon".
http://us.macmillan.com/author/benbova
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 17, 2020
A YA bildungsroman about a teenage boy who runs away from his rural home to enter a sealed off, dystopic future New York where he struggles at first to survive. He accumulates improbable skills and relationships to become a city leader. The story starts well but then rambles and accumulates improbabilities as it goes.
May 31, 2018
Before Snake Plissken ever tried to escape from New York City, there was 14-year-old Ron Morgan, who runs away to the Big Apple after an argument with his father. Only thing is, in this not-too-distant-future world in which they live, all the major cities have been abandoned and domed over because of all the pollution they generate, and are used only as tourist destinations during the summer months—and if you don’t get out of there by closing time on Labor Day, you’ll be trapped under the dome until the following year. Guess who gets trapped under the New York dome? And guess who discovers that there are year-round residents of the city—most of them teenaged street gangs who rule the neighborhoods and who’d kill him just for kicks? Bova's young adult novel, first published in 1976, is heavily influenced by the state of decay the U.S.—and NYC in particular—was in during that decade: garbage-strewn streets, hardscrabble living, every shadow and alleyway hiding a potential danger. The ending’s a little abrupt and preachy, and some readers might be disturbed by how Bova writes the “black Muslim” gang that controls Harlem, but overall it’s an entertaining read.
July 19, 2010
This book takes place in the future at a time when it is believed that the only time people visit New York City is during the summer vacations to have a good time, but it closes every Fall because if people lived there year round it'd get too polluted. A few days before NYC closes for the year Ron decides to sneak out of his house in the suburbs, steal his dad's credit card and go to the city before he has to grow up for the rest of his life. While there he meets a beautiful girl named Sylvia who claims to live in the city all year round. He thinks she's kidding but after being mugged and then drugged Ron finds himself trapped in the city with no way out. He finds out that Sylvia was not lying and that when the city closes gangs roam the street. Ron's only choice is to join a gang and hope to stay alive long enough to get out next summer, but that may be difficult when even his gang members are killing each other. The end has a pretty sweet twist too.
I suprisingly really liked this book. The characters weren't anything incredible but I found myself very interested in the story and invested in some of the characters.
I suprisingly really liked this book. The characters weren't anything incredible but I found myself very interested in the story and invested in some of the characters.
April 11, 2016
Another cool little sci-fi book I bought in a larger lot on eBay. "City of Darkness" takes place in a future where New York City is under a dome and is too dangerous to live in, so they only open up the tourist trade through the summer months. This means of course that people still live there in the shadows, particularly gangs, older people whom remember the city before the dome, and most of the undesired people. Enter Ron Morgan, a kid from outside the dome that plans to visit the last day before Manhattan closes. So you guessed it, he doesn't get out in time and has to live the winder stuck in the City when it's closed.
Bova does a great job with this novel. He does not get into long descriptions on history and setting up the reasons why things have ended up this way. Instead he makes an action driven novel that feels short but compact. It reminds me a lot of the movie "The Warriors." This means I was pleasantly surprised with this novel, and this being my first Ben Bova novel, I'm interested in what else he has available.
Bova does a great job with this novel. He does not get into long descriptions on history and setting up the reasons why things have ended up this way. Instead he makes an action driven novel that feels short but compact. It reminds me a lot of the movie "The Warriors." This means I was pleasantly surprised with this novel, and this being my first Ben Bova novel, I'm interested in what else he has available.
April 28, 2024
Well damn, that's actually a pretty solid dystopian. It's definitely "the future as imagined in the 1970s" (I did love the mention of the phone being "connected to the TV" so that you can, gasp, see the person who's calling face to face!), but it develops into a pretty chilling setup where the government has tight control over lives in the name of national health.
Apparently everyone lives in suburban subdivisions now, and your lifetime career is determined by how well you do on the National Exam taken at age 16 (don't be a dummy who gets stuck in the military! Odds of this are 80% higher if you're black btw. Total coincidence, probably). When major metropolitan cities like New York were evacuated due to General Filth, anyone who failed or refused to evacuate on time was officially registered as dead*. Now the city is enclosed and only accessible during the summer as a tourist attraction, with strict identification requirements and decontamination procedures needed before people go back home.
*Of course people still live there year-round, but since they're supposed to be dead and the government doesn't want to admit that's a lie, if police catch them they're sent to The Tombs, an underground prison from which no one returns. (These are never seen or discussed in detail -- ripe for a sequel!)
After Labor Day it's pretty chilling in the city, with few people living past age 30, in part due to the incredible violence of gang warfare, generally sparked over scarce food resources (starvation is also a major contributor to early deaths, in addition to a lack of doctors and medicine). There is SO MUCH violence -- age appropriate, but fully embracing the Edgy Teen Lit era style. Even I was surprised a couple of times by deaths.
Racial politics also play a role -- the warfare is oftentimes between white & black (specifically "Muslim") gangs -- in a much bigger way than I would have guessed by the end. I guess I don't read enough sci-fi, let alone older sci-fi, to have seen that coming, but my jaw definitely dropped.
And now I REALLY don't understand how this doesn't have a sequel, perhaps even two, because the next round of action is obviously just getting started!
That said, I'm delighted to learn this book not only has a Wikipedia page, but that page told me this book was actually the follow-up to two short stories, one of which sounds like it could more or less be added on to the beginning of this one wholesale, so if I can track those down I'll be at least a little more satisfied about how this world works.
P.S. I'm sorry what in the HELL is that Tor Teen cover. It looks like a comic book for 8-year-olds. (For the record: this may be appropriate for younger teens, but it is still probably not a book you want to give your 8-year-olds.)
Apparently everyone lives in suburban subdivisions now, and your lifetime career is determined by how well you do on the National Exam taken at age 16 (don't be a dummy who gets stuck in the military! Odds of this are 80% higher if you're black btw. Total coincidence, probably). When major metropolitan cities like New York were evacuated due to General Filth, anyone who failed or refused to evacuate on time was officially registered as dead*. Now the city is enclosed and only accessible during the summer as a tourist attraction, with strict identification requirements and decontamination procedures needed before people go back home.
*Of course people still live there year-round, but since they're supposed to be dead and the government doesn't want to admit that's a lie, if police catch them they're sent to The Tombs, an underground prison from which no one returns. (These are never seen or discussed in detail -- ripe for a sequel!)
After Labor Day it's pretty chilling in the city, with few people living past age 30, in part due to the incredible violence of gang warfare, generally sparked over scarce food resources (starvation is also a major contributor to early deaths, in addition to a lack of doctors and medicine). There is SO MUCH violence -- age appropriate, but fully embracing the Edgy Teen Lit era style. Even I was surprised a couple of times by deaths.
Racial politics also play a role -- the warfare is oftentimes between white & black (specifically "Muslim") gangs -- in a much bigger way than I would have guessed by the end. I guess I don't read enough sci-fi, let alone older sci-fi, to have seen that coming, but my jaw definitely dropped.
And now I REALLY don't understand how this doesn't have a sequel, perhaps even two, because the next round of action is obviously just getting started!
That said, I'm delighted to learn this book not only has a Wikipedia page, but that page told me this book was actually the follow-up to two short stories, one of which sounds like it could more or less be added on to the beginning of this one wholesale, so if I can track those down I'll be at least a little more satisfied about how this world works.
P.S. I'm sorry what in the HELL is that Tor Teen cover. It looks like a comic book for 8-year-olds. (For the record: this may be appropriate for younger teens, but it is still probably not a book you want to give your 8-year-olds.)
February 6, 2018
I’ve recently been in a mood to shop used bookstores as well as read obscure science fiction. This dangerous combination has resulted in me purchasing a number of books by well-known authors that have been forgotten, probably for the best. I have decided to add a new category of book blogging to my blog categories, namely “I read it so you don’t have to.”
The first of these that I purchased is City of Darkness (1976), by famed sci-fi author Ben Bova.
As the book cover indicates, the book is set in a — utopia? dystopia? — in which all major cities have been closed and sealed under domes due to rampant pollution and disease. However, every two months of the year, New York City is opened up to tourists, and the city comes alive in a wild recreation of what it must have been like in its heyday.
Read the whole review.
The first of these that I purchased is City of Darkness (1976), by famed sci-fi author Ben Bova.
As the book cover indicates, the book is set in a — utopia? dystopia? — in which all major cities have been closed and sealed under domes due to rampant pollution and disease. However, every two months of the year, New York City is opened up to tourists, and the city comes alive in a wild recreation of what it must have been like in its heyday.
Read the whole review.
January 6, 2019
City of Darkness or City of War?
This book tells a very probable story of social disparity that could happen in the near future. Though I live in Denver, I know plenty of things about that city that do and do not model the New York City modeled in this story. Though this book was written in 1980s America, I think it very viable today. I first read this book when it showed up in my library boxes years ago, but this time while reading it on Kindle, I really felt its impact. I think more books should be written like this, not just books that shatter expectations. In any case, books such as City of Darkness should be a cautionary tale of what happens when racial and ethnic disparity is not addressed in areas of housing, occupations, and services.
This book tells a very probable story of social disparity that could happen in the near future. Though I live in Denver, I know plenty of things about that city that do and do not model the New York City modeled in this story. Though this book was written in 1980s America, I think it very viable today. I first read this book when it showed up in my library boxes years ago, but this time while reading it on Kindle, I really felt its impact. I think more books should be written like this, not just books that shatter expectations. In any case, books such as City of Darkness should be a cautionary tale of what happens when racial and ethnic disparity is not addressed in areas of housing, occupations, and services.
November 8, 2021
It might have been the abridgement or the fact that this audio version had been recorded in 1998 (which gives it a different sound and feel from more contemporary recordings), but I didn't enjoy this book as much as others by Bova.
This is very much a book for teenage boys. It is set in a not-too-distant future dystopian society and is yet another in the YA genre where teenagers appear to have as much knowledge and experience as adults and act that way. The few female roles are of the more subservient type or are just playthings for the boys around them and it feels like they expect to act and be treated that way. I appreciate the YA stories that have stronger female characters (Hunger Games, Divergent series) in which women are treated as equals.
This is very much a book for teenage boys. It is set in a not-too-distant future dystopian society and is yet another in the YA genre where teenagers appear to have as much knowledge and experience as adults and act that way. The few female roles are of the more subservient type or are just playthings for the boys around them and it feels like they expect to act and be treated that way. I appreciate the YA stories that have stronger female characters (Hunger Games, Divergent series) in which women are treated as equals.
November 21, 2022
A quick and easy little read you can accomplish in a sitting! Like many dystopian-future style books, part of society has crumbled and the now new society wants to partake in the customs of the old, but only for the summer. After being trapped in New York, Ron has to learn to survive for the winter in New York with the many gangs and people of New York.
Like I’ve noticed with many Ben Bova novels of the age, there are some questionable stereotypes in regard to the race of some of the characters and gangs.
Like I’ve noticed with many Ben Bova novels of the age, there are some questionable stereotypes in regard to the race of some of the characters and gangs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2023
Dystopian short story. Big city abandoned under a dome for all but 2 months out of the year. Gangs rule the streets during the off season. Ron, a privileged white teen, gets stuck inside and experiences all of life's cruelty.
The ending makes a lot of sense, considering the underlying themes throughout the book. I like Ron's resolution with himself and his plan for the future.
This book does not provide the happy ending you would hope for. There is plenty of death.
The ending makes a lot of sense, considering the underlying themes throughout the book. I like Ron's resolution with himself and his plan for the future.
This book does not provide the happy ending you would hope for. There is plenty of death.
March 16, 2018
Eines der ersten Bücher, die zu Lesen ich mich erinnern kann. Als Kind oder Jugendlicher habe ich es sehr gemocht.
June 24, 2018
Fun quick read and entertaining. straight out of Fallout!
October 1, 2019
Strange book - as are so many of Ben Bova's books. And the narrator adds to the strangeness. But it all comes together in an odd way with a satisfying ending.
August 6, 2020
pretty dumb just watch escape from new york instead
January 11, 2024
It could have been a great book if it had expanded on its ideas. Large swaths of character development were summarized in one to three sentence, and the resolution (including a call to social justice) came without showing the full depth of the tension.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2025
One word = revolution; Got at the Taylor Building 6th floor book exchange
November 16, 2011
This book is about a boy named Ron Morgan, who lives in Virginia. He finished high school and his dad wants him to be a salesman. Ron was so upset about his livelihood that he runs away from home and go to NYC. He was in the Dome and it is in the city, but it closes when the summer ends. There are a lot of buildings and he bought the fancy clothing. Ron saw a pretty girl named Sylvia and he likes her. That night, after he met her, Ron's valuable items and money, including his ID card got robbed. Without the ID card, he can't escape the Dome. He then joined with a gang to survive or else he will die in the streets. He got back his ID card from the pretty girl and he escaped from the Dome. After all, he did discovered that it was the girl's gang, who stole his ID card and his things, but he eventually needs to escape the Dome to go back home. He also discovered that the Sylvia is on a mysterious gang and the gang needs his valuable items for money.
What I think of this fictional book is that it is recommended for young readers and fiction-lovers because there are a lot of action in this mysterious book. In addition, it gets kind of confusing in the beginning, but young readers shouldn't worry too much at the beginning. It should continue to be understandable as the book processes on. I also think that the author did a really good job in his characters and the setting in the story because Ron did meet strange people in the Dome, including the pretty girl, Sylvia. I am surprised that the author didn't have Ron fight back the gang for stealing his wallet and ID card, which shows that he has a good personality. I think that even though this book is pretty easy to read, it is interesting.
What I think of this fictional book is that it is recommended for young readers and fiction-lovers because there are a lot of action in this mysterious book. In addition, it gets kind of confusing in the beginning, but young readers shouldn't worry too much at the beginning. It should continue to be understandable as the book processes on. I also think that the author did a really good job in his characters and the setting in the story because Ron did meet strange people in the Dome, including the pretty girl, Sylvia. I am surprised that the author didn't have Ron fight back the gang for stealing his wallet and ID card, which shows that he has a good personality. I think that even though this book is pretty easy to read, it is interesting.
March 19, 2020
As I was doing lots of reading for a curriculum project involving structures and the geodesic dome, came across this and actually took the time to read and design student prompts. Miserable little book -- the Mad Max world is somehow a tourist destination for two months a year? How does that work? But perhaps fodder for discussion with teens about what makes for more or less value in literature. A few reading prompts that probably won't make the cut:
“They all boiled upstairs, heading for the roof.” We must admit that Ben Bova is not the greatest stylist in the world. What are a few examples of sentences or phrases you find poor in this text?
Ron makes friends with Timmy Jim, the Muslim leader. What is Timmy Jim’s plan? (A few readers on the internet have winced at the depictions of race in this part of the book. How does race influence the characterization here?)
“I waited a long time to find a boy like you, son.” Dewey strikes this reader as obviously coded be a pederast, if not a pedophile. Write a nifty.org-style story that brings these sexual elements to the surface. (“Dewey insisted that Ron stay with him another night. Ron easily agreed. The old man’s food was too good to miss. And sleeping on a real bed again was like being in heaven.” (!!))
“They all boiled upstairs, heading for the roof.” We must admit that Ben Bova is not the greatest stylist in the world. What are a few examples of sentences or phrases you find poor in this text?
Ron makes friends with Timmy Jim, the Muslim leader. What is Timmy Jim’s plan? (A few readers on the internet have winced at the depictions of race in this part of the book. How does race influence the characterization here?)
“I waited a long time to find a boy like you, son.” Dewey strikes this reader as obviously coded be a pederast, if not a pedophile. Write a nifty.org-style story that brings these sexual elements to the surface. (“Dewey insisted that Ron stay with him another night. Ron easily agreed. The old man’s food was too good to miss. And sleeping on a real bed again was like being in heaven.” (!!))
September 5, 2007
This feels like a short story Bova was halfway to adapting into a novel when he just gave up. It's an interesting idea, a pampered city kid adjusting to gang wars for survival, but large parts of it asre skipped because it's so short. In essense, it fel like "Ron was terrified, would he really be living with these people for the rest of the season? Five months later, Ron had adjusted to living with the gang." Alas, it also loses some steam and wondertowards the end when it's revealed exactly how old this book is and a conspiracy all about race and nonsense comes straight to the front. Oh well, some passages were certainly worthwhile. Just wish it was condensed or expanded and not left so halfhearted.
November 22, 2010
I love this book. Finished it in an afternoon. :)
October 6, 2012
This definitely feels like a throwaway by Bova, but if you want to really enjoy it, find the Harlan Ellison audiobook. I'm convinced that it's the only way to experience this story.
January 16, 2013
Wonderful little short story.
June 4, 2024
2.5*
Brave New World lite. Dated.
Predictable, but well crafted language.
Brave New World lite. Dated.
Predictable, but well crafted language.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews