The Ask and the Answer

Chaos Walking, Book 2

By: Patrick Ness

Narrated by: Angela Dawe, Nick Podehl

The riveting Chaos Walking trilogy by two-time Carnegie Medalist Patrick Ness.

“Grim and beautifully written.... Superb.... This is among the best YA science fiction novels of the year.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Reaching the end of their flight in The Knife of Never Letting Go, Todd and Viola did not find healing and hope in Haven. They found instead their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss, waiting to welcome them to New Prentisstown. There they are forced into separate lives: Todd to prison, and Viola to a house of healing where her wounds are treated. Soon Viola is swept into the ruthless activities of the Answer, while Todd faces impossible choices when forced to join the mayor’s oppressive new regime. In alternating narratives the two struggle to reconcile their own dubious actions with their deepest beliefs. Torn by confusion and compromise, suspicion and betrayal, can their trust in each other possibly survive?

©2010 Patrick Ness (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Science fiction lovers will be looking for the next installment in this fast-paced and imaginative series." ( School Library Journal)

Wonderful

The story is so grand I can't wait to start the 3rd in the series

Such a good story

Even better than the first. Loved it and couldn’t wait to finish the story. Very Divergent/Hunger Games, so if you enjoyed those this is for you.

As good as the first book

I don’t like how Mr. Ness enjoys leaving his books end on cliffhangers. Very annoying.

the first book was great, but this one . . .

The Knife of Never Letting Go was a brilliant and tragic exploration of the hard choices of life and personal struggle between trying to be good and trying to survive.

Book 2 explores further what it means to be human, what it means to feel out of control. It's well written and takes an interesting and good twist when book 2 adds the voice of Viola, the female protagonist. It's all a bit too real when it comes to the horrors of war, the unfairness of life, and the weakness of men. It gives some insight into how well-intentioned people can become monsters. war, slavery, rape, masogeny, genocide. all things you must suffer through when reading this book.

the ending, however, becomes a long-winded diatribe from the villain and the decision our idiot main character makes at the last moment of the book can only be justified by the need for a third book in the trilogy.

The author is brilliant, the story and characters depthful and engaging (well, the female characters are a little flatter than the male characters, but I'll forgive the author for this), but the ending of book two - a book which spends all of its time dragging your heart and soul through the muck of the very worst of human action - after this ending, I'm so annoyed that I don't think I'll be reading book 3.

loved it!!!

Patrick Ness was brilliant in this book he read everything with such passion and really made you feel as if you were there. I enjoyed this book thoroughly can't wait to start the next book Monsters of Men

Five Well-Deserved Stars

I only have a few moments to write this, but I want to say how important this book is. Ness sensitively tackles the issues of racism, colonialism, sexism, war, and the essence of humanity. The topics are huge, but the author has a gift for communicating his ideas and drawing out empathy from his readers. We should be teaching this series in literature classes. That's all. Every middle grade/high school student in America (but why stop there, really?) needs to read this trilogy. I can't wait to get my hands on Monster of Men.

Terrible protagonist

The main character is whiny, codependent, obsessed with a very narrow definition of what it means to be a good person, and meanwhile engages in and is complicit in terrible acts, but it's all okay because the heroine still likes him. He's terrible.

Don't forget 1017

This is the second book in the Chaos Walking series, if you have not read "The Knife of Never Letting Go" you must start there. It is a great book. Just imagine a world where you can hear the thoughts of every man. I have read the first two books in the Hunger series and I like this series just a little better. Females read more then men, so I believe that is why Hunger games has been more popular.

I loved the message in this book. Todd and Viola are growing up fast and they are finding out that life is not black and white. While most Sci-Fi books talk about how bad war is, PN shows us through the story. To me that is what stories are all about, otherwise it is just lecturing. I have always wondered about wars and why people fight for certain sides and how they do some of the terrible things they do. Both sides feel they are fighting for the right cause and they somehow justify torture and killing. Our main characters get caught up in opposite sides of a war. Both characters do some terrible things, you could even compare Todd to a guard at a concentration camp.

The book starts out just a little bit slow and doesn't really hit stride until chapter 16. The slow start is probably why I liked the first book just a little bit better. Towards the end there is a very long scene which goes on like William Shatner in Star Trek.

After chapter 16 I found it very hard to stop listening. The story got very intense and every time I thought everything was going to be alright, something would happen to change that. The book is filled with lots of surprises.

1017 is a new character that I hope we hear more from in Chaos Walking.

what a cliffhanger

I love that this is told from two points of view. the story really grips you from the start and gathers speed right to the amazing cliffhanger end.

good book

loved it and the story line.I'm wasting words now. still a good book. am I at 15 words yet