DECEMBER 2010 - AudioFile
The first book of the Chaos Walking trilogy is a wild ride in a new world with some old problems. Patrick Ness built the world, but Nick Podehl pulls the listener into it through the embittered voice of Todd, a droll 13-year-old stuck in a community of men in which everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts. Now and then the book gives a sample of the audible cacophony. Todd and his dog, Manchee (whose thoughts are simple and doggish), find a hole of silence in the swamp—a girl. The trio—boy, girl, and dog—takes off, pursued by angry men, into a world much bigger than Todd imagined. Podehl's voice gradually becomes the safety bar we cling to as this roller coaster of bridge burning, space travel, and, yes, knife fights whips us around unexpected corners. The only problem is that the story ends in the middle of a sharp right angle. But that doesn't make it any less breathtaking. M.M.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
Booklist
Chased by a madman preacher and possibly the rest of his townsfolk as well, young Todd Hewitt flees his settlement on a planet where war with the natives has killed all the women and infected the men with a germ that broadcasts their thoughts aloud for all to hear. This cacophonous thought-cloud is known as Noise and is rendered with startling effectiveness on the page. The first of many secrets is revealed when Todd discovers an unsettling hole in the Noise, and quickly realizes that he lives in a much different world than the one he thought he did. Some of the central conceits of the drama can be hard to swallow, but the pure inventiveness and excitement of the telling more than make up for it. Narrated in a sort of pidgin English with crack dramatic and comic timing by Todd and featuring one of the finest talking-dog characters anywhere, this troubling, unforgettable opener to the Chaos Walking trilogy is a penetrating look at the ways in which we reveal ourselves to one another, and what it takes to be a man in a society gone horribly wrong. The cliffhanger ending is as effective as a shot to the gut.
School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up
Todd Hewitt lives in a world in which all women are dead, and the thoughts of men and animals are constantly audible as Noise. Graphically represented by a set of scratchy fonts and sentence fragments that run into and over each other, Noise is an oppressive chaos of words, images, and sounds that makes human company exhausting and no thought truly private. The history of these peculiar circumstances unfolds over the course of the novel, but Ness's basic world-building is so immediately successful that readers, too, will be shocked when Todd and his dog, Manchee, first notice a silence in the Noise. Realizing that he must keep the silence secret from the town leaders, he runs away, and his terrified flight with an army in pursuit makes up the backbone of the plot. The emotional, physical, and intellectual drama is well crafted and relentless. Todd, who narrates in a vulnerable and stylized voice, is a sympathetic character who nevertheless makes a few wrenching mistakes. Manchee and Aaron, a zealot preacher, function both as characters and as symbols. Tension, suspense, and the regular bombardment of Noise are palpable throughout, mitigated by occasional moments of welcome humor. The cliff-hanger ending is unexpected and unsatisfying, but the book is still a pleasure for sophisticated readers comfortable with the length and the bleak, literary tone.-Megan Honig, New York Public Library
Kirkus Reviews
Todd Hewitt has never known quiet. Growing up on an alien planet where thoughts are broadcast and animals speak, 12-year-old Todd is the last boy in a town of men. He quickly goes from outcast to target after finding two surprises in Prentisstown's swamp: a wrecked colony spaceship and Viola, the first girl he has ever seen. In fleeing Prentisstown, Todd and Viola discover its ugly history and terrifying plans. Uneven pacing and an unbelievable premise hobble this work, Ness's first attempt at YA fiction. Events pile up and then freeze while Todd addresses an emotional crisis. Viola's page presence is so weak as to be forgettable, though Manchee, Todd's loyal dog, will grow on readers as the narrative progresses. Ness's attempt to develop Todd's character by including colloquialisms in nearly every aspect of the narrative only succeeds in driving readers out of the tale. Attempting to address adolescent angst, information overload and war, Ness ends up delivering merely noise. (Science fiction. YA)
From the Publisher
Crack dramatic and comic timing… unforgettable… penetrating… The cliffhanger ending is as effective as a shot to the gut.
—Booklist (starred review)
The emotional, physical, and intellectual drama is well crafted and relentless...Tension [and] suspense…are palpable throughout, mitigated by occasional moments of welcome humor.
—School Library Journal
Todd’s world is a fascinating one, and the psychological and sociological impact of being unable to shut out others’ thoughts—or hide your own—is creatively explored … Todd’s colloquial voice is by turns defensive, belligerent, innocent, and desperate; the strength of his point of view and the subtle world-building contained in it make this series opener as promising as it is provocative.
—The Horn Book
Todd and Viola…are realistically portrayed as kids frequently overwhelmed and terrified by their circumstances…The nicely balanced mix of coming-of-age novel, science-fiction adventure, and dystopic thriller will make this an appealing choice for a range of genre readers…still unsolved mysteries, carefully developed by Ness and left at tantalizing moments of resolution, guarantee anticipation for the next two.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Skillfully structured narrative creates an elegant mixture of action, dialogue, and dark, dsytopian pathos.
—VOYA
Gives us a glimpse of the depth of evil in our hearts…the ending of this book is absolutely chilling and leaves the reader begging for more.
—Library Media Connection
This riveting SF thriller is action-packed, with edge-of-your-seat chase scenes, a monstrous villain who just won’t die, and moments of both anguish and triumph…Emotionally intense…haunting page-turner.
—KLIATT
Perhaps the most impressive of the recent crop [of dystopian YA]
—New Yorker
A read-alone, stay-up-way-too-late book for older readers looking for the combination of being scared and being stirred to gallop to the end.
—Chicago Tribune
The powerful, gut-clenching cliffhanger will definitely leave you wanting more.
—Orlando Examiner online
Filled with action, this title will definitely be pleasing to those loving dystopian novels or just looking for a good, if not a tad bit strange, adventure.
—A Patchwork of Books
DECEMBER 2010 - AudioFile
The first book of the Chaos Walking trilogy is a wild ride in a new world with some old problems. Patrick Ness built the world, but Nick Podehl pulls the listener into it through the embittered voice of Todd, a droll 13-year-old stuck in a community of men in which everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts. Now and then the book gives a sample of the audible cacophony. Todd and his dog, Manchee (whose thoughts are simple and doggish), find a hole of silence in the swamp—a girl. The trio—boy, girl, and dog—takes off, pursued by angry men, into a world much bigger than Todd imagined. Podehl's voice gradually becomes the safety bar we cling to as this roller coaster of bridge burning, space travel, and, yes, knife fights whips us around unexpected corners. The only problem is that the story ends in the middle of a sharp right angle. But that doesn't make it any less breathtaking. M.M.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
