Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Misty

I am a big fan of dystopic fiction, and The Knife of Never Letting Go
is one of the most compelling pieces of dystopia I have read in awhile.



Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown. His birthday is
coming, when he will take his place among the men of his community: a
community of only men, where each can hear the others thoughts. The
inhabitants of Prentisstown -- man and beast alike -- are afflicted
with Noise: a continual stream of thoughts and images from every male
creature. There is no stopping or shielding Noise, it is just a way of
life. But when Todd stumbles upon a hole in the Noise, things begin to
change in Todd's life and he finds himself on the run from all of the
people he's ever known, and discovering along the way that all he's
known to be true may not be.



I loved Todd's voice. It did take some getting used to; and not just Todd's voice but the steady stream of all
voices, down to Todd's dog, Manchee, or the crocodiles that want to eat
him. But once the transition into Noise has been made, all of the
voices become very compelling and interesting. Ness manages to make
them distinct, which is no easy feat. He also keeps the sense of
urgency going through the story without ever making the reader think
"Oh, enough already!", or without giving away too much information too
soon, so that the revelations along the way are spoiled. The action
remains taut and teh narrative quick-paced and interesting.



The Knife of Never Letting Go is the first in a trilogy, Chaos
Walking, and Ness couldn't have made that more clear. First, there is
no way that the conflicts of the story could have been resolved in one
book; second, the ending is so abrupt that it would leave most readers extremely
irritated if it was not to be continued. The ending still may irritate
some, but it certainly makes you want to read the next in the series,
The Ask and the Answer...