The Knife of Never Letting Go: Chaos Walking, Book 1

Spoiler alert.You do NOT kill the dog, especially if it’s the most innocent and sympathetic character in a story with few innocent and sympathetic characters. The violence is excessive, driving the plot from one violent incident to the next, numbing you to caring about anyone or anything. I know many readers love this book. To each his own. It’s hard to believe this is the same author who wrote the terrific “Release.”

ink I'm going to leave the rating at 2.5, but round up to 3 stars.This book was so incredibly well-written, engaging, and intense. I couldn't put it down. But then I got to the end.I just can't handle books like this. I can read dystopia (I read it a lot, actually), but there's just something about unrelenting pursuit and completely ridiculous odds that I can't stomach. I'm pretty sure the next book will contain things my emotional state just isn't up for, and I must politely decline to scar myself for life.As much as I liked most of this book, I just can't see myself reading the next one.I connected well with all the characters (maybe too well; maybe that's the problem), and even though, at the beginning, I thought the style of the writing and Todd's point of view were going to drive me nuts, I quickly got used to it and even liked it. The plot was unique and the timing was spot on. All in all, this is a great book that I'm sure lots of people will love. I'm just not one of them. Don't base your reading of this book on me, though, because I also wimped out on movies like Training Day, American History X, and Full Metal Jacket, which are widely regarded as very well-made and excellent films. Just not for me. I'm not in any way saying that this book is as violent as these movies, although it does have its gory spots.I'm saying that it has that same vibe of hopelessness that I just can't deal with.TL;DR: If you like books that make you sad, definitely try this series on. This book was superb, honestly. I just can't deal with the feels.

When I read this book, I had no idea what to expect. I had read the basic description, and it sounded interesting enough, but then I purchased the book and from page one it was different than anything I've ever read. I assure you it is different than anything you have ever read as well!It immediately begins with Todd Hewitt the main character, and introduces us to a world where every thought in each characters heads are audible to everyone—including the animals. Ness refers to this as ‘noise.’In order to write this style effectively, the ‘noise’ doesn’t match font or format. The type overlaps, some is larger than other, and it creates a visual noise on the page to match the audible noise to the characters.The book is placed in the young adult genre, but this as much due to the main character’s age as the audience. It handles very heavy themes in a mature manner, and doesn’t condescend to its audience.The book is not just interesting format and concept, but also a very intelligently written, immediately captivating story of Todd and his dog and a new friend he meets when he runs away from his home.This was one of the few times I was actually unable to put the book down and when I finished reading it, I immediately needed to purchase the second in the trilogy.In a time where we’re being inundated by Young Adult novels and series about dystopic societies it is refreshing to read something truly unique, which doesn’t sacrifice any quality in that uniqueness.If you enjoy the Young Adult or Science Fiction genres, I would strongly recommend this book. It is deep, fun, makes intelligent statements about society—as all good Sci-fi should— and has believable, and relatable characters within a scenario that is unlike anything you’ve ever read or experienced.

I picked up this book because I read that it was being made into a movie. Typically books are better than movies, for me anyway, because you get to see what goes on inside the characters' heads. This is the first in a series of books that follow two young teens on an alien planet.The main character in this book is a young boy. 12, almost 13, by their alien years. More like 14 plus in earth years. He lives in a small town full of men. Only men. He believes that it is the only group of people on the entire planet. After a sickness kills his mother, he is raised by two men in that town on a farm. Oh, and everyone can hear what everyone else is thinking all the time. The animals talk as well. He has a dog that he is not too happy to have. That is his entire life summed up right there. The same thing, day and in day out. Until it isn't. He meets our other main character. A girl. Shocking on q planet with nothing but the men of his town on the whole thing. His world, what he believes to he true and right, begin to implode from that point and gets worse as the book goes on. He has to grapple with what he has been taught and what he is seeing. She has to learn to live on a world where men's thoughts spill into the air like a breath and unusual creatures survive.Sounds good, right? Eh. Most of the creatures are pretty normal. There are some unusual ones. They all talk, but crickets and crocs arent really a stretch of the imagination. I doubt the settlers brought crocs to repopulate an alien planet, so these are native crocs. Funny how they have the same animals we have. Little things like that bothered me about the story. We have a villain, but not once does it talk about how he does what he does. Doesn't seem very scary either. Power hungry? Sure. Why though does he have the boys do what they do to become men? What does that do for him? More things bother me but I cant say without it being a spoiler. The priest seems to be superhuman. No reason why given.The girl and the boy go along meeting people and learning things throughout the book. They spend most of their time running or hiding. It should feel exciting. For some reason, it doesn't. At least for me it didn't. It felt like something was missing. The something that draws you in and makes you stay up way too late to find out what happens next. It also seemed very short. I read this book in a couple of hours. I'm a fairly fast reader, but I expected it to feel longer. It's almost 500 pages, but it felt like 200.It's well edited. It does have misspellings but that is absolutely on purpose. I believe it's to show how uneducated he is and to differentiate his from the girl in future books.I don't know what is missing, but I feel like something is. For me at least. I will not be reading the rest of the series.

I'm still reeling! I must admit I wasn't sure about this book when I first started it. It's the first one I've read by Patrick Ness, and the slightly strange way of talking that the main character; Todd has made me think I might not like it. But it grew on me pretty fast and by the middle I was racing through the pages.The premise of The Knife of Never Letting Go is that finding what (I presume is) our current world is corrupt and evil so god fearing folk have travelled to a new world where they plan to go back to basics and live clean, good lives. But it doesn't exactly go to plan.As the only 'boy' in his village Todd has grown up believing one thing only to find out that it isn't in fact exactly true.It's a book about self discovery, love, friendship and understanding. And let me tell you one thing it's heartbreaking in fact no, not heartbreaking it's goddam heart wrenching!Although it has pretty much destroyed me, there's no denying that this is an amazing YA novel. It has all the ingredients to make it into a fantastic series and I can't wait to get started on the second book.

I first read this trilogy a few years back now but this breathtaking opener to the series never gets old.This brilliant book is about a boy caled Todd. He lives in a small hamlet called Prentisstown and he is the last boy left there. Normal, right? Wrong. For in Prentisstown there is something called noise, which lets everyone hear and see what you're thinking. But that's not all. The native species on this planet, called spackle, wiped out every other civilization and also killed every female too. But when Todd finds a lone girl, about his age, his world turns upside down.This is a great first book, with sci-fi, action and mystery all rolled into one. With lies, secrets, betrayal and a race against time, this book is a must read, no matter what you like.

This book starts with a spotlight of narration on a boy called Todd Hewitt and his dog Manchee - and how they both stumble upon a silence that should not be there - but audibly is. From here the spotlight slowly but surely widens - like the Populous games on PC computers years ago - and yet your focus on, and care for, Todd and his dog and the Silence they discover goes as deep as it does wide. This is an extraordinary novel - where the concept of Noise as the means by which our thoughts are revealed to all is extended to the narrative process itself - Todd asking rhetorical questions of you the reader in “real time”. As such it must be the exemplar of an immersive novel experience. It’s exploration of hope and hatred, love and loathing, and the madness that can ensue if we forget our shared humanity, is profound. I cannot wait for the next novel.

I choose this book for my daughter after reading the blurb. This was one of her xmas gifts but I wasn't entirely sure if she would appreciate it.However, apparently, this book had been much talked about in her school library and reading group and she had been keen to try it!Having just finished it, I can honestly say that she was enthralled - and proceeded to relay the entire story back to me, bit by bit, for many nights afterwards! That is how I know it's a good book!Now I'll definitely have to buy her the next two in the trilogy.

The first 3 chapters of this book are infuriating. Written in a language that you end up reading in a southern states of America accent just to get through it, with words like stayshun, confushun, spaks, horrorpilashuns, twixt, theirselves, yer, yerself and "it don't help" that there is a talking dog obsessed with poo. I think the author is trying to portray the country hillbilly lifestyle through dialect, but it just ends up being annoying and distracting. Thankfully, this backs off from Chapter 4 and the story starts to read "normally" until the author remembers he has to slip in the odd word, just to remind you.That aside, the storyline is clever, fast paced and holds your interest with suspense and cunning. You even start questioning your own thoughts as to which side os good and which side is evil. It's defiantly worth pushing through that annoying beginning and into another successful YA dystopian world, as the young settlers find their way through lifes, love and tribulations. The book ends on a massive cliff hanger, and thankfully book 2 continues the rich vein of twists and suspense. It's only a matter of time until this trilogy finds its way to the silver screen