His world City on Fire it starts to feel incredibly real as you get sucked into the New York version, but the specific stories of punk rebels and murder mystery are all pure fiction. Well, except for one thing. While City on Fire is not based on a true story, the event at the center of the new series was very real, and understanding it illuminates how the show differs from the book it's based on.
The new Apple TV+ series is adapted from Garth Risk Hallberg's 2015 novel of the same name, but there is one very big difference between the series and the book. Hallberg's book was set in the 1970s and that era had a huge influence on the characters and the punk scene presented in the story. But the show is set in the early 2000s. The characters are basically the same, but the time shift really changes so much City on Fireits atmosphere.
Importantly, the year change remains consistent with its one element City on Fire based on historical truth: the blackout. The original book focused on New York's infamous blackout of 1977, offering its own explanation for the widespread looting and vandalism that occurred during the very real blackout that lasted from July 13-14. The TV series also revolves around an actual blackout: the 2003 New York City blackout, where most of the northeastern United States lost power from April 14 to 16.
While both blackouts were real, they had completely different vibes. The 1977 blackout was notable for a spike in crime, as was the book's more brutal, relentless Nicky Chaos. But the 2003 blackout had the unexpected silver lining that brought people together. Gothamist reported on community energy in New York City then: “Citizens started directing traffic after the traffic lights were closed. They helped each other out of trapped subway cars. He welcomed stranded colleagues who couldn't make it home. restaurants did makeshift cookouts, sharing their food and beer with their neighbors.”
The show's time jump also meant it would be dealing with a very different kind of blackout, where chaos doesn't necessarily rule. And this may well be emblematic of the larger way in which the show and the book differ.
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