Monsters of Men: With Bonus Short Story (Chaos Walking)

Patrick Ness must hate Suzanne Collins. Why? Raise your hand if you've ever heard of The Hunger Games Trilogy. Now raise your hand if you've ever heard of Chaos Walking Trilogy? That's why. But I can't figure out why. Both are series about dystopian futures staring young people trying to overthrow oppressive leaders. Both were published at the same time. Both sold film rights to Lions Gate Entertainment. Both are great. The biggest difference? Chaos Walking is better--much better. So why hasn't anyone heard of Chaos Walking? I don't know, but I'm about to do my part to correct this gross injustice. For starters, check out what Wikipedia has to say for Chas Walking: On the overall series, the Costa Prize Judges said that they were "convinced that this is a major achievement in the making," while the Guardian stated that "I would press Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy urgently on anyone, anyone at all. It is extraordinary." In their review of the final book, Publisher's Weekly called the series "one of the most important works of young adult science fiction in recent years." Robert Dunbar wrote in The Guardian that the series "will almost certainly come to be seen as one of the outstanding literary achievements of the present century, whether viewed as fiction for the young or for a wider readership." The Knife of Never Letting Go was received with near universal praise for its originality and narration from critics such as Ian Chipman from Booklist and Megan Honig from The School Library Journal. It went on to win several awards and recognitions, including the Guardian Award, and the 2008 James Tiptree, Jr. Award. The second book was also received well, with praise from Publishers Weekly, Children's Literature and Kirkus Reviews, all noting the excellent plot and cast. It was named as one of "the best YA science fiction novels of the year" by Publisher's Weekly while Kirkus called the characters "heartbreakingly real" and praised the questions brought up about "the meaning of war and the price of peace." The book won the 2009 Costa children's fiction prize and was recognized widely for its success. The third book, Monsters of Men, has received greatly positive reviews and won the 2011 Carnegie Medal. It was also nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke award for best science fiction novel, only the second time that a young adult novel made it on to the shortlist. All three books have been shortlisted for the Carnegie Book Award. [...] Convinced yet? Let's ask Wikipedia what it thinks of The Hunger Games: Praise has focused on the addictive quality of especially the first book, and the action. John Green of The New York Times compared The Hunger Games with Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series. Catching Fire was praised for improving upon the first book. Mockingjay was praised for its portrayal of violence, world building, and romantic intrigue. [...] Not exactly gushing, is it. The Chaos Walking Trilogy makes people gush. How about some of my favorite quotes? "We are the choices we make." ― Patrick Ness, The Knife of Never Letting Go "Faith with proof is no faith at all." ― Patrick Ness, The Ask and the Answer "Choices may be unbelievably hard but they're never impossible. To say you have no choice is to release yourself from responsibility and that's not how a person with integrity acts." ― Patrick Ness, Monsters of Men "It's not how we fall. It's how we get back up again." ― Patrick Ness, Monsters of Men Ready to give it a try? I'm not going to recap the synopsis, you can read that anywhere. Here's what you need to know from me that you can't get anywhere else: Don't give up if you feel frustrated at the writing style after the first few pages. Patrick Ness uses his words as part of the story, and so his style feels a bit awkward at first. For example, some words are spelled fonetiklee because Todd can't read. Also the books are full of stream of consciousness sentences that would earn you an "F" if you tried to use them in English class. But it's intentional. The author's use of words adds to the feeling of the story and endures you to the characters. And speaking of the characters . . . The characters in Chaos Walking are some of the best I've ever read. Every character--from Todd and Viola even down to the horses they ride--is powerful and flawed and full of meaning. Todd, Viola, the Mayor are the major players, but there are no minor players. Everyone is important. Many times I'll describe a book as "character driven" or "plot driven." These books are both--enduring characters living through a powerful story. And speaking of the story . . . I typically don't like 1st person narration because it's so hard to get it right. The Chaos Walking Trilogy is written entirely 1st person--and it couldn't be any other way. It's what makes the story work, and I'm extremely impressed. Todd narrates the first book, Todd and Viola narrate the second, and the third book is narrated by Todd and Viola and one other special guest who I don't think I'll divulge . . . but just know that it works great. And speaking of great . . . Read Chaos Walking. For you parents out there, here's what else you need to know. Chaos Walking has the same level of violence and death as that other trilogy. Also, there is some PG-13 language. I rate all three books 16+.

Spoiler Alert. Patrick Ness is a bit of a bastard. Just so you know ahead of time, there will be no mercy. Book 3 began exactly where Book 2 left off: The army of New Prentisstown is at war with the army of The Answer and Mayor President Prentiss is talking his way out of being overthrown by Todd. The Spackle forces are attacking and Viola's racing to intercept her incoming scout ship before Mistress Coyle can get there. The story once again expands by adding yet another point of view, that of 1017. 1017 is essentially the one that got away... and proceeds to plot vengeance. He was a Spackle slave in New Haven, who watched his one in particular, die to keep him safe. Forced to work under Prentiss's command and branded with a number intended for livestock, he survives a brutal massacre and escapes to find his people. And this is where his POV, becomes really useful; the reader gets to learn about the Spackle from a Spackle. The Spackle are fiercer and smarter than they've let on and they've spent their downtime between wars inventing new weapons. They call themselves The Land and are a species perfectly evolved to a planet that induces telepathy in its inhabitants. They choose a leader, The Sky, to watch over them, to think independently and make decisions to their benefit. And The Sky keeps his secrets... Todd and Viola are once again caught in a war they want no part of... Todd is stuck keeping tabs on Mayor Prentiss who's becoming increasingly nice, even though no one is buying that brand of BS, except maybe Todd who only ever wants to see the good in people. Viola is stuck trying to keep the scouts, Simone and Bradley calm, while preventing Mistress Coyle from convincing them to unleash Hell on New World. Throughout the majority of the story, New World is having an all out civil war and there's nothing civil about it. Mayor Prentiss calls his peculiar brand of leadership a war tactic when really there's just a lot of murder. Mistress Coyle calls it opposition against a tyrant when she plants bombs in unexpected places, but most see it as terrorism. And as Todd and Viola try to be advocates of peace, getting what they want is going to cost big. Which brings me right back to Patrick Ness is a bastard. Todd and Viola, having found each other time and time again, fought for each other, and survived bloody, fiery wars... Todd and Viola, constantly having to prove themselves the heroes of the story, despite the despair...The ending brings hope, hope in the human and the Spackle alike, hope that happiness is near. And then Patrick Ness drives MacTruck over that hope. And I read the final pages in tears. I can't really find anything to complain about in the final installment...The plot-timing was perfect, the plot twists were exciting. The suspense kept me flipping pages even when I wasn't sure I wanted to read what happened next. The loose ends were tied up beautifully. And even though Patrick Ness made me cry, I can't fault him too heavily for that... The fact that he was able to make me feel so much is a testament to his ability as a storyteller.

The final book in Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking trilogy, Monsters of Men, brings this highly recommended series to a more than satisfying close. In doing so, much as he did with book two, Ness expands the storyline and the depth, in this case offering up an entirely new perspective. The book begins where The Ask and the Answer ended, with Todd freeing the Mayor and allowing him to take control of the city so as to defend it against the Spackle army that has just attacked, becoming one of his primary lieutenants in the process. Meanwhile, Viola is up in the hills with Mistress Coyle resistance/terrorist group, which is also where the new scout ship, although the two pilots there are trying to remain wholly neutral, not just between the two human factions but in the Spackle-Human conflict as well. If the first book was often about gender and personal violence, and the second one was about means versus ends, Monsters focuses more on war and its impact, as well as the choices it drives people to. In more general fashion, this entire series has always been about choice and Ness has done a good job of raising the stakes each book in terms of the impact of said choices. In book one, the choices directly affected Todd and Viola and a handful of others. In book two, their choices had an impact on an entire city. And here, what they choose to do (as well as others--the Mayor, Coyle, etc.) will affect not just this human settlement, but the humans waiting in the colonizing fleet in the space above, the Spackle, and pretty much the planet (literally so in some fashion). These stakes might have seemed a bit overwrought in book one, but here, after we've traveled so far and seen so much growth in these characters, the stakes feel just right. Along with continuing to watch Todd and Viola struggle with deep moral issues, my favorite part of the book was the introduction of a Spackle viewpoint. To be more precise, we get the point of view of the Spackle (known as 1017 to Todd, "the Return" by his own people) whom Todd saved in book two from the slaughter of the Spackle slaves. There is no gratitude to be had, however, as The Return seeks only vengeance for the death of his people, their enslavement, but especially and much more personally for the murder of his beloved. Some of the most moving parts are the conversation between the Return and the leader of the Spackle, who speaks for the Land. The species have a shared linkage, always there (this is the "virus" that was somewhat warped among humans) but the Return no loner can fit himself in--he is lonely despite being surrounded by thousands of his kind.There's also a nice parallel in the way the Mayor sees Todd as his successor and the Spackle leader sees the Return as his own. Unlike the other books, I don't want to go too much into detail with Monsters of Men with regard to plot. The basic storyline is the war between the Spackle and the humans and the questions of whether the two human factions will band together against a common enemy or not, will the scout ship choose a side or not, will Todd and Viola choose their leaders' methods or find an alternative, will there be peace. The plot elements are handled deftly, though the world and logistics are a bit thinly presented; it's a bigger stage with a larger cast and I'm not sure Ness does a great job of nailing things down, though I can say it didn't bother me much at all. There is tension and suspense throughout, as well as many moving, emotional scenes, something Ness has shown a great aptitude for throughout the series. As with the other books, there are some flaws, but to be honest, I have little interest in detailing them since they didn't preclude the book and this series from being one of my favorite recent reads. The flaws are noticeable enough that sometimes I might question whether the book are always "good" or well-written, but I can't complain about the result--flaws or no, this is a wonderfully moving, thoughtful reading experience and one which I highly recommend. I think one reason for that is it deals so consistently, so relentlessly, with the idea of complexity. Whether it be the characters or the situations, complexity rears its head again and again. Horrible people do good things, good people do horrible things, good and bad people face horrible choices. It's a struggle worth watching.

I cannot begin to express my admiration and awe at how the author wielded language with surgical skill. My love for books is gluttonous; I speed through books like a wine connoisseur, tasting the words briefly before spitting them back out and moving on. Here, I swallowed sentences whole, greedily, sucking all flavor from each syllabyl until drunk. Patrick Ness' style of writing underscores geniusly the lightening fast action and rapidly evolving plot: sentences are snapped in half as ideas and observations shift mid-thought, bringing us immediately into the minds of the protagonists; the artful (but select) use of misspelled words when delving into Todd's experiences; even the format and size of the font differentiating each perspective worked to emphasize the the tonal quality and pace of the final book in the Ask and Answer trilogy. Somehow the limited vocabulary of Acorn and Angharrad succinctly conveyed love, loyalty, joy and sorrow for their Boy Colt and Girl Colt through punctuation alone. It is only through the perspective of outsiders that we can fully comprehend the implications for the whole. Narrating the tale from the views of Todd, Viola, and the Return expertly united the warring factions and provided objective insight into the machinations of the groups. "Monsters of Men" is filtered by a sense of alienation. Viola was stranded from her convoy and foreign to the planet; Todd was separated from his society as its youngest member and also in his stridently involuntary role by the Mayor's side; the Return was disconnected from the Land as the last of the Burden, a living symbol of his people's guilt and shame, as well as by his difficulty in communicating through their native, communal language. Has there ever been a villain so well drawn with his twinkling eye and wide smile and his open and unashamed love of war as the Mayor? As the Reader, I, like Todd, was inexorably enthralled by the Mayor, knowing, knowing, that his redemption must be false but hoping otherwise. As the Mayor seduced Todd, so too was I seduced. Despite coinciding with the artful and obvious manipulations of Mistress Coyle, the decisions made by Viola felt like necessity. Again, knowing full well that becoming a conspirator, albeit unwilling, would lead to disastrous consequences, Viola's actions were true to her core beliefs and wholly believable. A human being's innate need to believe in salvation, regardless of previous evil, stems from a desire of absolution for one's self. Todd and Viola were horrified by their own actions in the name of peace and had difficulty in reconciling the means they used to achieve their ends, despite the best of intentions, so naturally the Mayor and Mistress Coyle could beguile the young, conflicted heroes. Not once did I feel slighted by the arc of any of the characters in these books. Each lived up to their promise and became fully realized, complex figures. Whereas I, as the Reader, felt frustration at betrayal after betrayal, wanting happiness at long last for the protaganists, every treason served a purpose in the plot. Somehow Ness managed to give us not one but two endings- the one we dreaded and the one we dreamed of- and yet neither felt like a cheat. "Monsters of Men" was innovative, brilliant, heartbreaking and thoroughly, thoroughly satisfying.

This is not OK! After all they went through. After everything they worked so hard for, this is it? I must have more. I have to know what happens. This is too much. OK, after my initial reaction of complete betrayal from Ness, I calmed down some and came to the conclusion that this kind of ending can be quite genious, as it leaves the readers pining for more, wondering if this or that happened and completely incapable of stop thinking about this book. Patrick Ness is one of the most captivating writers I have read so far in his raw depictions of feelings and the way he manages to make you care so much for the characters. And when you're in love with Todd, Viola, Wilf and the lot of them, he picks you up, beats you, shakes you, hits you while you have to read and endure all the crap he flings at Todd and Viola. Until finally he drops you to the ground and you lay there for a minute, not quite capable of taking in everything you just read, the fear, the love, the anger, the frustration, all of it. And then you realize: wow! This might just be the best reading experience ever. Because that is what books are supposed to do to you, you know? Engage you. Make you feel. And Ness does that, so beautifully, so gritty. Nothing quite compares to Monsters of Men. It changes something in you. I think I know I may not ever read anything close to its quality, except perhaps A Monster Calls or More Than This, also by Patrick Ness, which I will read. They're on my list. By the way, in my frustration and sadness over having finished Monsters of Men without having my needs for closure satisfied, I stumbled over these ingeniously written short stories from New World: The New World, The Wide, Wide Sea and Snowscape which I immediately devoured as they are as brilliant as Ness' other masterpieces. I read them in the aforementioned order, which worked very well. Get these three stories for free (!!) here: [...] Well, to sum up, I am in shock. I am in awe. And I am so grateful I discovered these books, and I am even more grateful to Patrick Ness for writing them. Safe to say, I will read it in a second as soon as he releases his next book.

This is it, the third book in the Chaos Walking trilogy (at least I think it's a trilogy). These are books meant to be read in order, so you probably shouldn't be starting here. I feel like every previous book has left us on a cliffhanger. So of course, this book starts pretty quickly where the last one left off (although they're blurring together for me a bit). War is coming; between the rival human groups, the Spackle, and an unknown ship in orbit, there's not too many that have the same view for the future. I'm afraid Viola and Todd slip back a bit into being frustrating characters for me. They just don't make smart decisions. And while I know they're supposed to be young, it still gets a bit unbelievable at times. They're so easily led astray. The Spackle ended up being the most interesting characters. Their back story was a bit more fleshed out, and while some of the elements of their society were a bit out there, it was still intriguing. This ones plot kind of staled for me. While it was the conclusion, there were certain character twists and turns that I found overkill. And the ending left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. I don't know. It just wasn't what I expected. There was a little short story in the copy I read that gave some info on the future, but it left more questions than answers too. Overall, this one had the standard amount of violence I'd come to expect. Maybe a little less sexual violence than the others though. Maybe there's more planned for this series. I know it's been awhile since this one came out, but you never know. Review by M. Reynard 2021

Ok, I am an adult who loves to read young adult fiction but this book is a book every adult should read too. It's fabulous! Honestly, this series is one of the best I have ever read. I personally don't think you can pick up book three in this series without reading the first two books but in short this the tale of a boy and a girl on a dangerous journey together on the planet New World and yes, the very future of humantity on this planet rest in the hands of these two kids. Although on the surface this tale is one we may have heard before, Mr. Ness introduces something new called "noise" that completly sets his tale apart. Because on New World the thoughts of all men are broadcast for everyone to hear. I must admit it took me a while to adjust to the authors writing style and the "noise" of his main characters but boy was it worth it. I completly fell in love with both Todd and Viola and so enjoyed watching them learn to love one another and then fight for that love again and again. And of course every good tale has to have a villian and boy does Mayor Prentince deliver. But the best surprise of all was the authors ability to bring to life New World's indigenous life form otherwise known as the "Spackle". They are so alien and yet so similair to the humans that have settled New World. I found myself rooting for them despite the deadly consequences for the human populous. All in all this book took my breath away. It really captures the complexity of relationships and the constant testing of our hearts. A wonderful conclusion to an amazing series. The only word of caution I would give for parents is that there are some subtle references to homosexual relationships that sort of took me by surprise.

Really, what is there to say about this book...? The series itself was fascinating. The first book gripped me so much I read it all in a few hours, I just couldn't put it down. Not only that, it had me so emotionally riled up I ended up crying near the end(something I rarely do)... I had high hopes from book one onward, and I think that is what... disappointed me. That's just the word for it. The first book leaves you with such high expectations, you are prepared for an imaginative, intense, heart breaking, wild ride through the rest of the series and once its all done and over with you... feel like something is missing. The second book was very, very good. But the constant switch from Viola's and Todd's point of view got on my nerves, I found myself just wanting to skip Viola's POV and get back to Todds. Don't get me wrong, I liked Viola as a character, but... Todds POV and story was just much more interesting to me. And then there's this book, the final book, Monsters of Men. Really, after the second, book, my expectations had dampened slightly, but I still hoped that the third book would redeem the series, and hence leave me stunned by it. Sadly, this was not to be... The constant switch between POV annoyed me, and the story just seemed to drag on and on and build up forever. And build up to what, really? Really, WHAT WAS IT BUILDING UP TO? The ending disappointed me greatly. Nonetheless, the series overall was a very good read, better than I've been able to enjoy in a long time. It was a thrilling adventure, and I will return to read it again someday. Something that I feel Ness really did well was drawing you close to the characters. I felt what they felt, hurt with them, loved with them, hated with them. I think this was not felt as much in the third book... I do recommend this series, highly, because I feel, that even with its faults, the Chaos Walking series shines above the rest, it is a truly imaginative and emotionally riling world.

Couldn't have hoped for a more thrilling conclusion to this series. I couldn't put this book down before I finished it. Remember to also check out the three short stories Patrick Ness published for free on his website: {....}

Brilliant story with unique storyline. Purchased both on kindle and audible. Audio version was brilliantly narrated and characters were clear.

ついに始まる戦争。倒すべきは誰だ？ 昨日の敵は今日の味方。 錯綜する思惑と裏切り。 ToddとViolaが失ったものと取り戻したもの。 気を抜く暇もなく変わってゆく状況。 見えた光を信じていいのか、それは罠なのか。 活き活きとした人物描写がすばらしい。 それぞれの性格や話し振りを思い出せるほど、 読み終わって２ヶ月以上経った今もキャラクターが私の中で生きています。

Durch den Massenmord an den versklavten Spackle hat Mayor Prentiss den Zorn des gesamten Volkes über die Menschen gebracht. Jetzt hat er das, was er die ganze Zeit wollte: Krieg. Die Bewohner Havens sehen sich mit einer Übermacht konfrontiert, denn The Land ist zahlreicher, als sie je angenommen haben. Todd muss einsehen, dass sie die militärische Erfahrung des Mayors brauchen, wenn sie nicht ausgelöscht werden wollen. Er muss ihn freilassen. Im ersten Gefecht fließt jedoch trotz dessen literweise Blut. Spackle und Menschen sterben; Todd sieht Gräuel, die ihn nachhaltig verändern. Beinahe werden die menschlichen Soldaten überrannt, denn The Land hat die Jahre des Waffenstillstands nicht ungenutzt gelassen. Im letzten Moment rettet Viola Todd aus der Ferne das Leben, indem sie die Waffen des Kundschafterschiffes einsetzt. Simone und Bradley, die Besatzung des Schiffes, sind davon allerdings nicht begeistert. Vor allem Bradley ist überzeugt, dass die Menschen versuchen müssen, Frieden mit der indigenen Spezies zu schließen, für all die Siedler, die bald in New World ankommen werden. Frieden wollen auch Todd und Viola. Doch sie wissen, dass das sehr schwierig wird, kochen doch Mayor Prentiss und Mistress Coyle noch immer ihr eigenes Süppchen. Wie sollen sie The Land von den Vorteilen eines Bündnisses überzeugen, solange nicht einmal unter den Menschen Einigkeit herrscht? Eine sichere Welt zu schaffen wird die schwerste Aufgabe in Todds und Violas Leben. Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass die Chaos Walking – Trilogie NOCH besser werden kann, aber Patrick Ness hat es tatsächlich geschafft, im Finale noch eine Schippe drauf zu legen. Ich bin absolut verliebt in „Monsters of Men“, so sehr, dass ich mich nach dem Auslesen dabei erwischte, wie ich das Buch ganz fest an mich drückte, als wäre es ein Kuscheltier. Für mich ist es mehr als nur ein Roman, mehr als nur eine Geschichte. Es ist so echt, so tief, lebendig und gefühlsgeladen. Thematisch behandelt Patrick Ness mehrere Ansätze, die er alle brillant ausgearbeitet hat. Vordergründig geht es um Entwicklung. Seine Handlung verlangt den Charakteren nicht weniger ab, als über sich selbst hinauszuwachsen. Sie müssen den Teufelskreis aus Hass und Rachegelüsten überwinden und begreifen, wie schlechte Gefühle einfach alles vergiften – was nicht nur für die menschlichen Figuren gilt. In „Monsters of Men“ integriert Ness nämlich eine neue Perspektive: die des Spackle 1017, der einzige Überlebende des Massakers, zu dem Todd eine spezielle Beziehung hat. Ich liebte seinen Blickwinkel, weil er der Geschichte eine ganz neue Facette hinzufügt. Sein Schmerz, sein Hass, seine Trauer haben mich völlig aus Balance gebracht. Er eröffnete mir eine Verständnisebene, die ich andernfalls nicht erreicht hätte; besonders in Bezug auf Todds Handeln. Auch fand ich es faszinierend, wie ähnlich sich 1017 und Todd sind, obwohl sie aus sehr unterschiedlichen Kulturen stammen. Beide werden durch das, was den Personen, die sie lieben, angetan wird, an die Kante getrieben und sind mehr als einmal kurz davor, sich fallen zu lassen. Beide treten jedoch im ausschlaggebenden Moment einen Schritt zurück und entscheiden sich dazu, das Richtige zu tun und ihre eigenen Gefühle hinten anzustellen. In diesem Punkt unterscheiden sich sowohl 1017 als auch Todd maßgeblich von Mayor Prentiss. Im letzten Band ebenso wie jetzt im Finale kam mir immer wieder der Gedanke, dass Todd und Prentiss durchaus die eine oder andere Gemeinsamkeit aufweisen. Doch schlussendlich ist es gar nicht so wichtig, was sie gemeinsam haben, viel wichtiger ist, was sie verschieden macht. Prentiss ist ein durchgeknallter Kontrollfreak, der weder Vertrauen noch Liebe in sein Herz lassen kann. Dieses erhebliche Defizit lässt ihn unter der Last New Worlds zusammenbrechen, weil er so nicht in der Lage ist, sich dem Noise hinzugeben, sondern ihn beherrschen will. Er erkennt nicht, wie wunderschön die Verbindung ist, die The Land mit ganz New World eingegangen sind. Dieses unglaubliche Netzwerk ist in seiner Reinheit und Klarheit einfach fantastisch. Anfangs dachte ich, dass das Fehlen jeglicher Privatsphäre das Schlimmste ist, das ich mir vorstellen kann. Aber mittlerweile frage ich mich, ob eine Welt, in der jeder Gedanke offen liegt, tatsächlich so schlecht und beängstigend wäre. Im Noise von The Land gibt es kein Verstellen, keine Lügen und keinen Egoismus. Sie sind wahrhaft EINS. Sie fühlen einander, spüren jede Freude und jeden Schmerz, auch kilometerweit entfernt. Unserer Welt täte das vielleicht gut. Wären wir alle miteinander verbunden, gäbe es dann noch Kriege? Könnten wir uns dann noch gegenseitig umbringen und leiden lassen? Ich denke, so eine Verbindung könnte uns alle zu den besten Versionen unserer selbst werden lassen. Stellt es euch vor: eine Welt ohne Lügen, ohne (versteckte) eigennützige Gedanken und Motive, ohne Heuchelei. Wunderschön, nicht wahr? Ich habe während des Lesens von „Monsters of Men“ viele Tränen vergossen. Ich durfte eine extreme Nähe erleben und trotzdem war es mir nicht genug. Ich wollte in das Buch hineinkriechen, physisch vor Ort sein, die Figuren umarmen und ihnen sagen, dass alles gut werden wird. Vor allem Todd und Viola werden für immer einen Platz in meinem Herzen haben. Sie sind für mich eines der außergewöhnlichsten Paare der Literatur; ihre Beziehung ist beispiellos. Der Gedanke an sie wird mich für immer daran erinnern, dass es bloß zwei Menschen, Liebe und Vertrauen braucht, um die Welt zu verbessern. Und ihre Geschichte wird mich davor warnen, dass es leider auch nur einen hasserfüllten Menschen braucht, um sie zu verschlechtern. New World zu verlassen fällt mir unsagbar schwer. Trotz des hoffnungsvollen Endes schmerzt es mich einfach so sehr, Todd, Viola und all ihre Freunde gehen zu lassen. Die Chaos Walking – Trilogie ist in meinen Augen viel zu unbekannt. Lest sie und verbreitet es, wo immer ihr könnt: Patrick Ness ist ein großartiger, fabelhafter, denkwürdiger Autor.

When I received The Knife of Never Letting Go: bk. 1 (Chaos Walking) as a trial copy, I loved the book so much that it genuinely infuriated me when it came to an end without resolution. Having finished the third and final book, which really does come to a resolution, I find myself almost depressed at the realisation that there won't be more. This third volume is just as riveting, powerful and uncompromising as the other two. Patrick Ness has genuinely created a classic series that deserves the wider recognition given to such authors as Philip Pullman - and in doing so Patrick has reaffirmed the value of the book as a medium for telling stories; you could try to convey the concept of Noise on film but the book will always be the best way that this unique story can and should be told. It is rare for an author to have so many characters who are so extremely well conceived and realised that you genuinely want to know everything you can about them. Todd, Viola, David Prentiss, Mistress Coyle and 1017 are all central to this third volume, in which the President's actions have led the settlers old and new of New World into all out war with the native Spackle, who turn out to be a much greater threat as an attacking force than most of the humans had previously believed. The plot should not be spoiled by giving out any detail further to this, so instead let me say that, as was the case with the second volume ( The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking) ), one of the joys of this third book is how you the reader are always trying to get into President Prentiss's head and understand his motivation, but this time around you also get to learn a lot more of the Spackle view of the world - as joining Todd and Viola in the narrative is the Spackle known to Todd as 1017. Again, I can't give anything away about the ending, but will say to you that it is one of the best-written endings I have read in my life. I read the last several pages four times in a row before I put the book down. I am so grateful to Amazon Vine and the publisher for sending me the first volume in hardcover back in 2008, for it led to me buying the other two volumes in hardcover and I now having a matching set of what has to be the best designed book and plastic dust jacket combination ever to have seen a bookshelf. If you can get your hands on all three in hardcover, I strongly recommend you do so.