Book Review - The Knife of Never Letting Go

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Walker Books, 2008)

This is a thrilling, surprising adventure. I think that most kids who like reading would like this book.

The story is set in the future  because the New World is settled by people who came from somewhere else and no-one today can fly that far with our technology.  But the settlements in the book make it seem like it is set in the past, like the wild west.  Due to the wars there isn't a good system of government and the settlements are unstable and lawless.

My favourite characters are Todd, who is good-hearted and knows what is right, and his dog, Manchee, who is kind, loyal and faithfully protects Todd.  There's something weird about the Mayor who likes Todd but also wants war and chaos.

I really like the way the Noise is shown in the book, all loud and mixed-up.

The way the Noise is demonstrated shows how chaotic it would be if people could hear your thoughts.  I think that Noise would be a problem in society because thoughts are private and you could be judged because of your thoughts.  Lots of the thoughts in the Noise are not deep thoughts and it would be bad to be judged for every little thing that goes through your mind.

I didn't really like the ending because you have to read the next book to find out what happens so as soon as I finished The Knife of Never Letting Go I had to read the next book in the series to find out.

It was worth it.


Daniel, 11, Canberra