Patrick Ness, More Than This

After been rather impressed (although not completely won over) by Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking trilogy It's been on my agenda to read more of his novels, so I ordered More Than This into my local library.

It's a YA (young adult, so about ages 13+) and falls into science-fiction/dystopian genre. If you are considering buying it for a child,  be aware it does have some sex in it, it's not really graphic but it is clear what's going on.

Trigger warning: homophobia, death, suicide, rape(implied), child abuse

The Plot: After drowning, Seth wakes up alone in a barren English suburb, he assumes to be hell. As he dreams about the most horrendous events of his past, and forges for food in abandoned supermarkets, he begins to wonder if there is more to the afterlife than first appeared.

Rating: 2.8/5
(ha- I know this is an unusual number to rate a book, but it is closer to a 3 than a 2, but when I compare it to other books that I've given a 3 to it doesn't quite make the grade)

Full review under the cut:-
*spoiler warning*

Patrick Ness, Siobhan Dowd & Jim Kay, A Monster Calls

Whilst picking up The Chaos Walking Trilogy from the library (see my review here) I spotted A Monster Calls on the shelf.

The Plot: Conor's mum is dying. One night a monster comes to call, he will tell three stories and in return expects Conor to tell the final tale.

Rating: ««««¶ (4/5)

Siobhan Dowd dies of cancer before completing this story, so the novel was completed by Patrick Ness. This gives the novel added poignancy, and the narrative is sad enough as it is. I'm not ashamed to admit I had a little cry.

More pictures under the jump:-

bitch

"Usually when a man calls a women a bitch [...] it's because she's doing something right." 

- Patrick Ness, Monsters of Men

Patrick Ness, Chaos Walking Trilogy

After finally convincing my mum to read The Hunger Games (which she loved by the way) I fancied reading some YA fiction of my own. I spotted the first of Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking Trilogy for a mere pound on Amazon kindle, which I quickly devoured, before scooting off the the local library to pick up the other two.   

The Plot: A month away before becoming 13 and officially a man, Todd is the youngest resident of Prentisstown - a town in which all the women are dead, and the men are plagued by Noise, a telepathic disease which means no thoughts are private. When Todd stumbles upon a silence in the Noise, his discovery has far-reaching consequence which threaten the survival of the entire planet.

Rather than reviewing the books separately, I'm going to lump them all together, so I'm going to put spoilers under the cut. However, in brief, if your perhaps looking for a book for adolescents/teenagers Chaos Walking is not a bad idea. In my opinion, it lacks the brilliance of  His Dark Materials or The Hunger Games, and isn't as a successful as them for YA/adult crossover, it's not without merit though. The initial premiss, pioneers to a new world and the complication of Noise, is clever and imaginative. My main gripe is with the main protagonist Todd, but like I said spoilers under the cut:-