The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1) in Building a SciFi/Fantasy Library

Jan 21, 2010 Dracolibris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2010, dystopian

More like the book of never letting go, this dystopian-esque novel starts out with one of the greatest first sentences I have read in a long time.

"The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don't got nothing much to say. About anything."

This book would technically be considered science fiction because it takes place on another planet, one that has been settled by people searching for a simpler, more devout way of life than could be found on Old World. But I would be t ...more

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Apr 10, 2010 Kimberly rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, science-fiction

When I worked at a bookstore, people used to ask me for book recommendations for, say, a fourteen-year-old boy. I'd show them several young adult novels I'd enjoyed or that I'd heard good things about, and then, invariably, the person would say "But will BOYS like these, or are they GIRL books?" At which point I would be sorely tempted to a. haul off and punch them or at least b. say something like "If you don't trust my suggestions, why didn't you ask a boy?" But if they asked me now, I could r When I worked at a bookstore, people used to ask me for book recommendations for, say, a fourteen-year-old boy. I'd show them several young adult novels I'd enjoyed or that I'd heard good things about, and then, invariably, the person would say "But will BOYS like these, or are they GIRL books?" At which point I would be sorely tempted to a. haul off and punch them or at least b. say something like "If you don't trust my suggestions, why didn't you ask a boy?" But if they asked me now, I could recommend The Knife of Never Letting Go (though I'd probably still want to punch them, just a little bit). I've heard that it can be difficult to get teenage boys to read, and the abundance of paranormal romance filling the YA shelves these days probably make the task even more daunting. But The Knife of Letting Go, with its action-driven plot and lack of sparkly vampires, may be a terrific solution, and happens to be quite thought provoking as well.

Todd Hewitt is the youngest person in Prentisstown, where the animals speak and everyone can hear every thought that goes through everybody's head. There are no women any longer, and as Todd will become a man in just a month, there will soon be no boys either. One day when Todd is out in the swamp with his dog Manchee, he encounters a patch of no Noise (i.e. the constant sound of people's and animals' thoughts). To keep his discovery secret, Todd must leave town carrying a knife and his mother's diary, and with a mad preacher on his tail.

The Knife . . . has a lot to recommend it, but what I probably liked the most about it was Todd's distinctive voice. Speaking in present tense, and without the best grammar or spelling, Todd brings to life the world he knows in sparse description and his gruff and irritable personality comes across quite clearly. Todd is barely literate, grumpy, and inexperienced; he makes mistakes and knows it, but has no time to dwell on them as he is constantly on the run. The pace never lets up throughout the novel; when there is a pause in the action, it's usually to reveal some of Prentisstown's secrets, or to appear to, but things quickly start up again. Were the story less exciting, this practice of beginning a revelation then cutting it short would be annoying, but the reader has no time for such resentment, with Todd facing one peril after another.

Since I opened this review recommending this book for teenagers, I will add one caveat about the content. There is no sex in the book, and the issue of profanity is handled in a humorous and unique way, but there are some rather harrowing scenes of violence. It isn't glorified at all, and both the acts of violence and their consequences are treated realistically, but squeamish reader should be made aware. The book also ends in a rather depressing cliffhanger, which for me was subsequently spoiled by the blurb for the next book in the series (though I was kind of glad). So you might want to read it with the sequel close at hand---just don't read its blurb!
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Dec 13, 2013 TRXTRMXTR rated it really liked it

So I picked up my first three books for 2014 for my Forever Young Adult bookclub, and I started with this one because:

1. It's a series and I figured I'd get it out of the way if I didn't like it and;

2. It has a male main character and while I sometimes like them, a lot of the time I just want to read about women.

Well, this book was a total surprise. As soon as I started I was pretty sure I didn't like it, even half-way through I wasn't sure I liked it, but all of a sudden I was done and I'd mis ...more

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Jan 26, 2010 J-Lynn Van Pelt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, young-adult-and-adolescent-lit, strong-girls-and-women, favorite-young-adult-books, nyra-2011-books

I love this book and can't wait for the rest of the series. Ness as a new author has really crafted a master tale of adventure. Although the beginning reads as historical fiction--some sort of prairie existence of subsistence farming--you quickly begin to realize that this is actually a fresh look at sci-fi.

I loved Todd, his innocence within the coming-of-age story, although his density and naiveté sometimes made me want to shake him. But, he emerges as a solid hero that readers can root for. Hi ...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Elizabeth rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror-thriller, dystopian

Todd Hewitt lives on a planet where everyone and everything talks and continually broadcasts their thoughts as Noise for everyone to hear. The Noise is the result of a virus, released in a war with the natives, that killed off all the women and many of the men. Todd Hewitt is the last boy in town, in one month he'll become a man in some sort of ritual he knows nothing about. But one day Todd finds a piece of silence in the swamp. When he returns to town he is forced to flee by the 2 men who rais ...more

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Jan 13, 2011 Tracey rated it really liked it

Shelves: libraryread-idm, audiobook, owned-etext

First off this novel is AMAZING as an audiobook; I can't imagine it having the same impact just reading it on the printed page. (Tho I am curious how the "noise" was depicted in book form). [Edit: another point in favor of the audiobook - you don't have to decipher the written dialect!]

Nick Podehl was the narrator and his performance was superb! I couldn't help but see Manchee as Dug from the Disney/Pixar film Up and Podehl's portrayal of Aaron was truly frightening.

It's not a happy book; and ...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Cindywho rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, fantasy-sf, ya

Phew - I heard this one was violent, but man, poor Todd never gets a break. I liked the effects the audiobook was able to produce for the noise of the men. I'd heard that the reader yelled a little too much, but Todd was pretty excitable. It was an fast-paced and intriguing story of a planet colonization gone crazy when something about the place lets everyone hear the thoughts of men and beasts. The unfettered mind of an adolescent boy is a little crazy-making. My favorite part was the soothing ...more

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Sep 18, 2011 Shalini Boland rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, ya, favourite, apocalypse, dystopian

I adored this book. It kept me up reading far too late. My heart was in my mouth all the way through and now I'm straight onto book two. I love it when I find a series as good as this. ...more

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