Books: Chaos Walking
Apr. 15th, 2016 06:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofastolatI'm getting out of order here, since I have a couple of book reviews on my work computer, written over several lunch breaks, but forgot to email them to myself before the weekend. Since I've got this review on my home computer, I might as well post it now.
The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, and Monsters of Men
Carnegie Medal winning YA dystopia. Todd is the only boy in Prentisstown, a town of men. Around 25 years ago, human colonists came to the planet known only as "New World" in search of a simpler life, and soon ended up embroiled in a terrible war with the natives, whom they call the Spackle. The humans won, but not before the Spackle released a germ that killed all women and girls and infected men and boys with "the Noise," by which they involuntarily broadcast all their thoughts and feelings in a never-ending cacophony of words and pictures. Or that is what Todd has always been taught. One day, out in the swamp with his talking dog ("Poo, Todd!" "Squirrel!") he finds something that should not exist: a person without Noise. A girl, Viola. Then his guardians are suddenly telling him to run for his life, and take Viola with him. It turns out that everything Todd has ever been taught is a lie. But Mayor Prentiss has plans for the planet, big plans, and soon Todd and Viola are caught up in an escalating nightmare.
Oh, but this is dark. Seriously, seriously dark. Be warned: something happened during book one that upset me very much. Book two was far darker than book one, although it upset me less, perhaps because by then I was emotionally braced for awfulness. We have genocide, terrorism, forced labour camps, state sanctioned brutality and torture. Never think that because it is a young adult book, it will step away from the brink. Never think that because it is a young adult book, it will give us black and white morality and simple answers.
The series is told in the first person, present tense, which I don't usually like, but it seemed to work in this case. The first book is entirely Todd, who is illiterate and whose narrative voice reflects that, although other viewpoints are added later, each with their own distinctive voice. The writing style works, I think, and I found the world interesting. It's also quite thought provoking, raising all sorts of issues about the ways we communicate, as well as all the moral issues associated with the war and the awfulness.
I was obviously emotionally involved, or I wouldn't have been so upset by The Incident in book one. I read book two in a single day, and found it hard to put down, even though it was so dark. Book 3 I found a bit less compelling, because I knew that the end was in sight, and I just wanted to get past the awfulness to the happy(ish), hopeful ending that I hoped we'd reach. I found it powerful, and I can see why it won so many prizes, but did I enjoy it? Will it be a book that I forget within months, or will I find myself wanting to reread it? At the moment, I just don't know.
The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, and Monsters of Men
Carnegie Medal winning YA dystopia. Todd is the only boy in Prentisstown, a town of men. Around 25 years ago, human colonists came to the planet known only as "New World" in search of a simpler life, and soon ended up embroiled in a terrible war with the natives, whom they call the Spackle. The humans won, but not before the Spackle released a germ that killed all women and girls and infected men and boys with "the Noise," by which they involuntarily broadcast all their thoughts and feelings in a never-ending cacophony of words and pictures. Or that is what Todd has always been taught. One day, out in the swamp with his talking dog ("Poo, Todd!" "Squirrel!") he finds something that should not exist: a person without Noise. A girl, Viola. Then his guardians are suddenly telling him to run for his life, and take Viola with him. It turns out that everything Todd has ever been taught is a lie. But Mayor Prentiss has plans for the planet, big plans, and soon Todd and Viola are caught up in an escalating nightmare.
Oh, but this is dark. Seriously, seriously dark. Be warned: something happened during book one that upset me very much. Book two was far darker than book one, although it upset me less, perhaps because by then I was emotionally braced for awfulness. We have genocide, terrorism, forced labour camps, state sanctioned brutality and torture. Never think that because it is a young adult book, it will step away from the brink. Never think that because it is a young adult book, it will give us black and white morality and simple answers.
The series is told in the first person, present tense, which I don't usually like, but it seemed to work in this case. The first book is entirely Todd, who is illiterate and whose narrative voice reflects that, although other viewpoints are added later, each with their own distinctive voice. The writing style works, I think, and I found the world interesting. It's also quite thought provoking, raising all sorts of issues about the ways we communicate, as well as all the moral issues associated with the war and the awfulness.
I was obviously emotionally involved, or I wouldn't have been so upset by The Incident in book one. I read book two in a single day, and found it hard to put down, even though it was so dark. Book 3 I found a bit less compelling, because I knew that the end was in sight, and I just wanted to get past the awfulness to the happy(ish), hopeful ending that I hoped we'd reach. I found it powerful, and I can see why it won so many prizes, but did I enjoy it? Will it be a book that I forget within months, or will I find myself wanting to reread it? At the moment, I just don't know.
