The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking Book 2) Kindle Edition

If you read my review from the first book in this series you already know that I loved it! This one keeps you guessing and holding onto hope. New World has something in the air which causes everyone to hear the men’s thoughts as well as animals thought. You can’t hear the women’s thoughts though. The first book showed you the dark past of being a new settler on a new planet and overcoming the struggles of dealing with this phenomenon as well and man always wanting to be In control and wage war on each other as well as any other creature that stands in their way. The main character Todd narrated the first book himself for the most part as he and a Viola journeyed across the world trying to beat the Mayor’s army. Although, when they think they are safe as they enter New Haven with a badly wounded Viola, it turns out the mayor has beat them. This second book Todd and Viola and split up for the most part forced to work and withstand excruciating circumstances. Todd has it a little harder in my opinion. The book switched back and forth as each character is going on about their life in this strange new world with nothing but hope to live off of. Hope they will be together again. Hope that Viola’s people traveling in space will arrive soon and save them. Hope the Mayor gets defeated. Hope the women won’t be prisoners. Hope to live in peace with other creatures. Hope for a better tomorrow. The Mayor from old Prentistown who likes to be referred to as President of New World gives me a colt vibe. I’m very shocked with the ending and can’t wait to see what happened with the Spackle 0017 (a human like creature with grayish skin and more frail bones). I’m holding onto hope with this book. It shows you true human nature.

This is the second book of the Chaos Walking series. I didn’t write a review for the first book as it finished so abruptly I was in a hurry to start the next one. Well this story is much darker quite frankly a bit gruesome. Sure there was some violence in the first book but nothing as vividly described as in this story. I gave it four stars because it really is a fascinating story albeit not for the faint hearted. Guess I’ll just suck it up because I’m on to the third book!

The second volume of Ness’ Chaos Walking series is another solid dystopian YA novel—it checks all of the genre’s boxes (adolescent virtue triumphing over adult evil and corruption, romance complicated by politics, supernatural elements that can serve as weapons or obstacles, easily recognizable metaphors and symbols) while incorporating what amounts to a planetary gender war (the men are The Ask, while the women are The Answer), which promises to become complicated by the unexpected uprising of the oppressed indigenous people of the New World (here called the Spackle).Although I am not blown away by Ness’ narrative, I do acknowledge it as an exemplar of the genre, yet I wonder whether this series is one of those phenomena of YA literature that is more popular among adults than it is among adolescents. On to the final book of the trilogy…

DNF. I'm a sucker for alien planets and pursuit. The exploration and action in the first book was non stop, that book I couldn't put down. The second book is a hard stop. No more exploring, no more pursuit, no more action.....and that is when I discovered I didn't care about the characters enough to keep reading about their feelings and their helplessness.

Patrick Ness must hate Suzanne Collins.Why?Raise your hand if you've ever heard of The Hunger Games Trilogy. Now raise your hand if you've ever heard of Chaos Walking Trilogy?That's why.But I can't figure out why. Both are series about dystopian futures staring young people trying to overthrow oppressive leaders. Both were published at the same time. Both sold film rights to Lions Gate Entertainment. Both are great.The biggest difference? Chaos Walking is better--much better.So why hasn't anyone heard of Chaos Walking? I don't know, but I'm about to do my part to correct this gross injustice.For starters, check out what Wikipedia has to say for Chas Walking:On the overall series, the Costa Prize Judges said that they were "convinced that this is a major achievement in the making," while the Guardian stated that "I would press Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy urgently on anyone, anyone at all. It is extraordinary." In their review of the final book, Publisher's Weekly called the series "one of the most important works of young adult science fiction in recent years." Robert Dunbar wrote in The Guardian that the series "will almost certainly come to be seen as one of the outstanding literary achievements of the present century, whether viewed as fiction for the young or for a wider readership."The Knife of Never Letting Go was received with near universal praise for its originality and narration from critics such as Ian Chipman from Booklist and Megan Honig from The School Library Journal. It went on to win several awards and recognitions, including the Guardian Award, and the 2008 James Tiptree, Jr. Award.The second book was also received well, with praise from Publishers Weekly, Children's Literature and Kirkus Reviews, all noting the excellent plot and cast. It was named as one of "the best YA science fiction novels of the year" by Publisher's Weekly while Kirkus called the characters "heartbreakingly real" and praised the questions brought up about "the meaning of war and the price of peace." The book won the 2009 Costa children's fiction prize and was recognized widely for its success.The third book, Monsters of Men, has received greatly positive reviews and won the 2011 Carnegie Medal. It was also nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke award for best science fiction novel, only the second time that a young adult novel made it on to the shortlist.All three books have been shortlisted for the Carnegie Book Award.[...]Convinced yet? Let's ask Wikipedia what it thinks of The Hunger Games:Praise has focused on the addictive quality of especially the first book, and the action. John Green of The New York Times compared The Hunger Games with Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series. Catching Fire was praised for improving upon the first book. Mockingjay was praised for its portrayal of violence, world building, and romantic intrigue.[...]Not exactly gushing, is it.The Chaos Walking Trilogy makes people gush.How about some of my favorite quotes?"We are the choices we make."― Patrick Ness, The Knife of Never Letting Go"Faith with proof is no faith at all."― Patrick Ness, The Ask and the Answer"Choices may be unbelievably hard but they're never impossible. To say you have no choice is to release yourself from responsibility and that's not how a person with integrity acts."― Patrick Ness, Monsters of Men"It's not how we fall. It's how we get back up again."― Patrick Ness, Monsters of MenReady to give it a try? I'm not going to recap the synopsis, you can read that anywhere. Here's what you need to know from me that you can't get anywhere else:Don't give up if you feel frustrated at the writing style after the first few pages. Patrick Ness uses his words as part of the story, and so his style feels a bit awkward at first. For example, some words are spelled fonetiklee because Todd can't read. Also the books are full of stream of consciousness sentences that would earn you an "F" if you tried to use them in English class. But it's intentional. The author's use of words adds to the feeling of the story and endures you to the characters.And speaking of the characters . . .The characters in Chaos Walking are some of the best I've ever read. Every character--from Todd and Viola even down to the horses they ride--is powerful and flawed and full of meaning. Todd, Viola, the Mayor are the major players, but there are no minor players. Everyone is important. Many times I'll describe a book as "character driven" or "plot driven." These books are both--enduring characters living through a powerful story.And speaking of the story . . .I typically don't like 1st person narration because it's so hard to get it right. The Chaos Walking Trilogy is written entirely 1st person--and it couldn't be any other way. It's what makes the story work, and I'm extremely impressed. Todd narrates the first book, Todd and Viola narrate the second, and the third book is narrated by Todd and Viola and one other special guest who I don't think I'll divulge . . . but just know that it works great.And speaking of great . . .Read Chaos Walking.For you parents out there, here's what else you need to know. Chaos Walking has the same level of violence and death as that other trilogy. Also, there is some PG-13 language. I rate all three books 16+.

Came late after getting lost is the mail for a bit I guess. When it finally did come, the corners were bent and the cover was dirty like ink had been rubbed off on it. The book is still legible, but it's not in as good of condition as I like my books to be or I expect my books to be when I buy them.On the other hand, I really like the story and it's a very easy read! Can't wait for the movie to come out!

I was so taken with the Knife of Never Letting Go that I went straight into this second volume. Overall, it is a great read - and I finished the last 60 pages or so in one go - I could not “put it down” [reading on the Kindle!]. However, I felt that this volume lacked the pace and depth of the first. Some of this was probably inevitable - the first book was so innovative and gripping from the first page. But also it seems that Ness’ true gift as a writer lies in the intimacy of exploring relationships between a small group of people - father and son, boy and girl, man and woman, leader and second-in-command. When it comes to a wider canvas of lots of people, the story seems to slacken somewhat. That said, the closing scenes are some of the best I have read in any book and really make up for any gaps along the way. I will definitely be reading the third volume.

This was a great book leading on from the critically acclaimed The Knife of Never Letting Go, but there were a few problems.A problem is how the author depicts Todd as readily believing something without any evidence to actually do so and how he is so forgiving. Whether he makes friends with Davy even though Davy shot his father and is probably dead, believing that somehow with him being there he has changed the Mayor once and for all or because he can't see Viola he believes that she has betrayed him.However, having said that the book continued on its relentlessly fast pace with more lies, trickery and a plot to end Mayor, or now called President, Prentiss. Plus a cliffhanger at the end.A great read and a good plot filler leading up to the best one of all, Of Monsters And Men.

Let me tell you about how I had my life ruined by aliens. The Knife of Never Letting Go was a great book. I loved it, and I've been recommending it like crazy. But The Ask and the Answer completely blows its predecessor out of the water. So much happens in such a (relatively) short book, it's a wonder people's heads don't explode while they're reading it. I loved it, and before writing this review I was going to just give it a 4 stars/Essential rating, but now I've decided to go with All Time Favourite. Because my life is ruined and I am crying.So yes, the aliens. The Spackle absolutely broke my heart. I hate Tatum for not warning me, because she knows how I feel about these things (Spartacus has broken me). The Spackle have been oppressed since the war ended, first by the citizens of Haven who treated them as little more than slaves, and then under the rule of Mayor Prentiss, who went the whole hog and started tagging them like cattle and making them poo in a hole in the ground. These intelligent life forms were completely degraded, and it totally broke my heart. Not gonna lie, I'm crying while I write this. Their parts in The Ask and the Answer are the most prominent to me, and it's absolutely heartbreaking and tragic. Team Spackle FTW, everyone else can leave.""We can fight," Davy says. "We proved that. And instead you got us babysitting animals that are already beat."The Mayor considers us for a moment, tho I don't know how or when Davy turned him and me into an us. "If you think they're already beaten, David," he finally says, "then you know very little about the Spackle.""Todd drove me a little crazy in this book. I love him, I really do, but his decisions in The Ask and the Answer broke me. When his hope is taken away, he completely shuts off and forgets about fighting back. He becomes a drone for Mayor Prentiss, and it's awful to see. He does some sickening things, that would have made me hate him if I hadn't already read about him in The Knife of Never Letting Go. I'm looking forward to seeing more development from him in Monsters of Men (if I live through that book, which I doubt I will), because I have a feeling that he's going to rise up and become a great leader.Viola, on the other hand, was pretty much flawless the entire way through. We get to see things from her point of view in this book, since she and Todd are separated for most of it. I spent most of the book fangirling over her, because she is so forking strong and she faced so much, but she didn't give up. She also held onto her beliefs, and didn't let anyone or anything change that. Here, have some quotes.""You haven't even seen me fight yet," I say, standing my ground. "I knocked down a bridge to stop an army. I put a knife through the neck of a crazy murderer. I saved the lives of others while you just ran around at night blowing them up.""As for the romance between Viola and Todd... Well, I can't say that I love it. It totally makes sense that they are clinging to each other and all that, but their relationship is just unhealthy. And also quite cheesy, but let's focus on the unhealthy part. They made some awful decisions because of one another, and I was sitting there wanting to shake them because it was so frustrating. But in a great way, because it provoked emotion from me. I mean, I get that they're very young, and they have no one else on this bloody planet, but STILL. I want them to just end up being best friends, if they both survive to the end of the series, because I think a strong platonic relationship usually works better. For me, anyway.""Everyone here is someone's daughter," she says quietly. "Every soldier out there is someone's son. The only crime, the only crime is to take a life. There is nothing else.""And that's why you don't fight," I say.She turns to me sharply. "To live is to fight," she snaps. "To preserve life is to fight everything that man stands for.""""I won't tell you anything.""But she betrayed you." The Mayor comes round the front again. "She tried to kill you."And at that, Viola lifts her head.She looks him right in the eye.And says, "No, she tried to kill you."""He smiles. "You may have no choice.""There's always a choice," Viola says by my side."There are themes of anti-feminism and terrorism prevalent throughout this book, and Patrick Ness handles it all so well. He's so bleeding talented. Of course, the bits that stuck out to me the most were the slavery, oppression, and genocide, but Ness packs so much into this book that it's bursting at the seams.The ending completely destroyed me. WHAAAAT?!?!? I was hoping that something like that would happen, but I didn't think it actually would. As soon as I got to THE PART, I wanted to scream and cry and jump around my bedroom.I cannot wait to read Monsters of Men, and I'm going to try desperately hard to read it this month. I don't know if it's going to happen, because I have so many review copies to read, but if not that I WILL be reading it in December. I adore this series, and I am almost ready to have my life ruined some more by Patrick Ness.

While I didn't enjoy it as much as The Knife of Never Letting Go, I found that this novel was powerful, deeply moving and (at times) utterly heartbreaking. Although the novel is fairly easy to read, it explores some very complex ethical themes and does so without spoon-feeding answers to the reader, leading them to make up their own minds.By putting Todd and Viola on opposite sides of a civil war, Ness allows the reader to see both sides of the conflict and understand that there are no good guys and bad guys. While Mayor Prentiss is undeniably evil, the casual disregard of human life held by the Answer is also horrific, leading the reader to wonder if they are really what is best for Haven.However, I didn't feel that the novel was structured as efficiently as its prequel. The Knife of Never Letting Go was always moving - a continuous journey as Todd and Viola travelled together and gradually pieced together the mystery of what happened to the Prentisstown women. While never boring, less happened in this story. It was more about the gradual building of tension that lead to the spark of Civil War. I also didn't think that the flips in narrative were very effective as they often repeated the same events from two different perspectives. The narrative voices also weren't different enough as Todd and Viola's voices were very similar, sometimes leaving me confused as to who was speaking.Yet, the characterisation in the novel was still very strong. Todd's actions in the novel were often morally dubious and very difficult to justify, yet I could understand why he did the horrible things he did (even though I didn't agree with them). Viola is, however, by far my favourite character as she Throughout the story, she is strong, resilient and determined. I love how she remains so staunchly loyal to Todd through the story, doing everything in her power to guarantee his safety at all times and always able to stand up to authority figures – even ones as power as the Mayor – when she knows that they’re wrong.So, all in all, this is another strong entry to the series. I can't wait to see how it concludes in Monsters of Men.

The tricky "middle" book in a trilogy where a writer with less skill than Ness could be forced to tread water; go off on a tangent or introduce new characters to beef up the plotting. Ness resists the temptation to cut to the chase. This is a substantial book as it follows the sometimes tortuous (literally) narrative of Todd Hewitt andcompanion Viola against their nemesis, Mayor Prentiss. Pointless to outline the dystopian plotting but suffice to say its goodies against baddies with a few curveballs. Ness is less interested in creating a dystopian world and more in experimenting with the pace of narrative and the interchange of characters, ratcheting up the tension and occasionally wrong-footing the reader. At times it all feels too slow burn and repetitive as Prentiss piles on the pressure and Todd and Viola are seperated but the narrative voices of the two as they miss and yearn for each other works well and involves the reader. The tension and cruelty of the Prentiss dictatorship is also effectively and creepily done and the last 50-80 pages take on an unstoppable momentum- I won't say unputdownable as I had to draw breath at times.The element of repetition is taken too far at times but it is extraordinary how much this works as a book- neither flabby nor unnecessary- overlong perhaps- but Ness demands the readers attention (in the same way Prentiss controls the town!). This is unshowy and layered writing which lays the ground well for the final volume, Monsters of Men whilst also standing up very well in its own right. Dystopia- unplugged.