Thursday, March 10, 2011

April's Review: Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness


The Knife of Never Letting Go (#1)

The Ask and the Answer (#2)

Monsters of Men (#3)

It’s the story of a boy and his dog. Well, no, it’s actually much more than that. It’s the story of New World, where a group of humans came to create utopia. Instead, they created division, war, and secrets.

Todd Hewitt is about to become a man. He lives in Prentisstown, where everyone hears each other’s Noise, all the time. Even animals have Noise. Todd’s dog, Manchee, is his closest friend. All the other boys in Prentisstown have become men, and they no longer speak to Todd. Soon, he will learn what they know.

For now, all Todd knows is that when he was a baby, his father and mother (and all the other women of Prentisstown) were killed in the war against the Spackle, the native inhabitants of New World. He has been raised by two men, who were close friends of his parents. His whole life, all 13 years of it, has been filled with farm chores and Noise. As Ness writes, “The Noise is a man unfiltered, and without a filter, a man is just chaos walking.”

When everything Todd knows is turned upside down, he must flee with Manchee. He begins an adventure across New World, with his new companion, Viola. Together they must learn what is true, and fight for what they know is right. You won’t be able to put down the books until you find out what happens to Todd, Viola, and all of New World.

Why I picked this book: After finishing the Hunger Games trilogy, I needed another can’t-put-down trilogy to get me through the holidays. And guess what? It worked. I finished all three books in less than a week – that’s a grand total of 1,600 pages.

Why I finished it: I got hooked. The pace is fast, and at the end of every chapter, you want to read just one more. With so many things happening at once, there’s always a detail left hanging.

Who I would give this book to: Anyone who likes a good story with a fast pace and realistic characters in a fantasy-like world, and who has a week to devote to these books.

Rating: ****

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