The Ask and the Answer

Ness, P. (2009). The Ask and the Answer.
YA Lit / Dystopian, Post-Apocolyptic

I gave this 5 out of 5 Stars on Goodreads

Well I just burned through this and now into Book 3, Monsters of Men.  This should be one giant book because there really is not natural breaking point between where The Knife of Letting Go finished, this one, and the next.

Another page turner with some very interesting pieces of information coming to light.  Viola, our female lead from book one, really becomes formidable and the readers see her much more clearly.  Todd is much more tormented than in the first book (both physically and mentally), and for good reason. And the Mayor. . .boooo, hisssss. He is one evil dude and honestly, I kept turning pages to see what he was going to do next and if he'd keep getting away with his dastardly deeds.  Old characters are more defined, and new characters are introduced - good and bad - and some you can't ever figure out!

I haven't read all books in a series, back-to-back, since The Hunger Games came out some years ago.  This series has my attention for all 1600+ pages.

On the Clean-O-Meter rating, this is a 3 out of 5.  As with Book One, The Knife of Letting Go, Ness's writing style gives you the impact of swear words without the offense. In Book Two, the violence is more intense and the descriptions are pretty graphic, so that's where some younger kids might be in uncomfortable territory. (This moved my rating from a 3.5 on Book One.)There is no sex or sexual situations or even sexual references. (1- naughty, naughty ------- 5 - squeaky clean)

Boys will still enjoy this book even though Viola takes on a more prominent and powerful role.  It's war in all its awful gore and glory.

Here's a video of the author, Patrick Ness, reading an excerpt from The Ask and the Answer. Enjoy!

The Knife of Never Letting Go -- Chaos Walking Book One

Ness, P. (2008). The knife of never letting go : chaos walking book one. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

YA Fiction / Dystopian - Post Apocolyptic
I gave this 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads

Wow! I haven't read a book that I couldn't put down in a long time.  I absolutely did not know what to expect when I started this story and was pleasantly surprised many times throughout. 

My assumption about the setting of the story was completely wrong. (cool!) As were my assumptions about the direction the story took and how things would play out. And the premise! Unusual and different from anything I've read.  The main character, Todd, is memorable. Gullible but learning.  Heartbroken but healing. . . and then getting heartbroken again and healing, and again and again.  Poor kid!  This first book really "grows" Todd, and I'm interested to see what direction he will take in the following books.  Yes, I think I will actually get the next installment, The Ask and the Answer, and read it soon.  Those of you who follow my blog know that this is big.  I rarely read sequels and if I do, it's usually not back-to-back.  This series has me intrigued.

Ness's writing style is outstanding. He uses spelling and type-face so effectively that you HEAR the words coming off the page.  Really unique. It really brings life to my favorite character in the book, Manchee the dog. Yes, the dog is one of my favorite characters.  I'm telling you, this book and its premise are fabulous.

On the Clean-O-Meter rating, this is a 3.5 out of 5.  Again, Ness's writing style is so perfect that it gives you the impact of swear words without the offense. For example, Todd, who narrates, will say something is "Effing" this or that, and then he'll tell you "'cept I didn't say 'effing'."  There are a few stray "S" words, and a bit of "dammit" thrown about, but as far as language, it's pretty benign.  Now, there is violence and the descriptions are pretty clear, so that's where some younger kids might be in uncomfortable territory. There is no sex or sexual situations or even sexual references.

Boys and girls alike will enjoy this book if they don't allow themselves to be intimidated by the size.  It reads very easily and quickly.  Lots of white space in those nearly 500 pages.  Lions Gate bought the movie rights, so we'll see if they can successfully translate some of the more difficult aspects of this book (the Noise, aliens, talking animals) onto the big screen.

Here's a trailer for the trilogy.  Gives away more than my review, but pretty good.