Title: Monsters of MenAuthor: Patrick Ness
Pages: 604
Genre: YA Science Fiction / Dystopian Adventure
Publisher: Candlewick, 2010
Series: Chaos Walking, Book 3
Synopsis: As a world-ending war surges to life around them, Todd and Viola face unspeakably vast consequences of each action, each word, each monstrous decision. The indigenous Spackle are mobilizing to avenge their murdered people; ruthless human leaders are defending their factions; and a convoy of new settlers is approaching. All the while, the ceaseless Noise continues laying all thoughts bare -- and the projected will of the few threatens to overwhelm the desperate desire of the many.
Comment: This is a great ending to a great series!
Author: Patrick Ness
Pages: 25
Genre: YA Science Fiction / Dystopian Adventure
Publisher: Ebook, 2009
Series: Chaos Walking, Book 0.5
Synopsis: In this dramatic short story -- a prequel to the award-winning Chaos Walking Trilogy -- author Patrick Ness gives us the story of Viola's journey to the New World. Whether you're new to Chaos Walking or an established fan, this prequel serves as a fascinating introduction to the series that Publishers Weekly called "one of the most important works of young adult science fiction in recent years.
Comment: Tells a little of Viola's history from before she meets Todd. Great addition to the series.
Author: Patrick Ness
Pages: 39
Genre: YA Science Fiction / Dystopian Adventure
Publisher: Ebook, 2013
Series: Chaos Walking, Book 2.5
Synopsis: The Wide, Wide Sea is set in the past, at a time before the Spackle War, and we get a first look at the fishing village on the sea where some very important things happen at the end of Monsters of Men, so best to read it after The Ask and the Answer but before Monsters.
Comment: A story of love between a Spackle and a human. Mistress Coyle from the trilogy plays an important role. Nice story.
Author: Patrick Ness
Pages: 40
Genre: YA Science Fiction / Dystopian Adventure
Publisher: Candlewick, 2010
Series: Chaos Walking, Book 3.5
Synopsis: This book is set after Monsters of Men and that's when you should read it.
Comment: This was a scary story. It tells about an exploration expedition. Two characters from the original trilogy, Lee and Wilf, play important roles. Nice extra story.
Overall Review: I'm reviewing all of these books together. Since three of them are short stories, I can't possibly do an entire post for each one and have enough to say. All of these books are so completely wonderful that I'm sorry to see them finished.
Monsters of Men was the finale that I had been looking forward to and it didn't disappoint. I was thrilled to find Snowscape included at the end of the book. So, then I got to wondering whether there were other short stories. I found The New World for free on Amazon and The Wide, Wide Sea for free on scribd.com.
They added even more tidbits of information about the people and the planet. Snowscape gave a little bit more closure to the story, which I was very happy about. They were well worth finding and reading. Even though I ended up reading all the short stories after I'd already finished the original trilogy, it didn't detract from my enjoyment. This series is a keeper, without a doubt. I'm sure I'll revisit Todd and Viola again.
The Chaos Walking series is now one of my all time favorites. It's also earned a place on my 'keeper' shelf which, out of all the books I've ever read, has only about 35 books on it. I cannot say enough how much I loved these books.
Rating: 10 / 10
No comments:
Post a Comment