The Knife of Never Letting Go

The Knife of Never Letting Go

by Patrick Ness

published in 2009

reserve now!

reviewed by Jeff R

tagged fiction, teens, dystopian, fantasy

In brief

Brisk and violent, The Knife of Never Letting Go is an alternate reality that's not for the squeamish.

So, you've finished The Hunger Games trilogy and are primed for your next dystopian saga, preferably one featuring a couple of plucky teens trapped in an ultra-violent world more or less ruined by malevolent adults. If that sounds like you, gentle reader, then say hello to Patrick Ness, author of The Knife of Never Letting Go.

In this first installment of the Chaos Walking series, Ness introduces the young orphan Todd Hewitt as he attempts to escape from his past and carve out his future in a world that's not at all what it appears to be. A talking dog, a taciturn heroine and a demonic preacher-- who's equal part Freddy Krueger and Reverend Harry Powell-- round out the cast.