The Knife of Never Letting GoPatrick Ness
As part of my on-going effort to avoid another reading funk, I've surrounded myself with "quick reads" to keep me moving. Based on the many reviews I've read of The Knife of Never Letting Go, I figured this combination of dystopia, thriller, and bildungsroman was guaranteed to excite.
The narrator of The Knife of Never Letting Go, Todd Hewitt, lives in Prentisstown, where the thoughts of men and animals are heard by everyone. This Noise, as it's called, makes life nearly unbearable, as true privacy and peace are impossible to find. The novel opens as Todd and his dog, Manchee, find something they've never found before: silence. Soon, Todd's running for his life and yadda yadda yadda. So, did The Knife of Never Letting Go live up to the hype?
Unfortunately, no.
Todd annoyed me. Even Manchee, the talking dog, annoyed me -- and I love dogs. However, I soon replaced my original image of Manchee with Stains, the internet's beloved hypnodog, and my love for Manchee soared.
The narrator of The Knife of Never Letting Go, Todd Hewitt, lives in Prentisstown, where the thoughts of men and animals are heard by everyone. This Noise, as it's called, makes life nearly unbearable, as true privacy and peace are impossible to find. The novel opens as Todd and his dog, Manchee, find something they've never found before: silence. Soon, Todd's running for his life and yadda yadda yadda. So, did The Knife of Never Letting Go live up to the hype?
Unfortunately, no.
Todd annoyed me. Even Manchee, the talking dog, annoyed me -- and I love dogs. However, I soon replaced my original image of Manchee with Stains, the internet's beloved hypnodog, and my love for Manchee soared.
"Poo! Poo!" says Manchee ... over and over (and over)
Alas, that which annoyed me nearly outweighed that which didn't. Todd's voice was uneven and clunky, the plotting was fast-paced but silly in places, and, while I am intrigued by a world where thoughts are public, the overall execution was a bit weak for me.
Or maybe TKoNLG suffered from poor timing. I've just read several EXCELLENT books, one of which I'm still unable to post about, it was that good (and no, it is NOT The Savage Detectives, thank you for asking), so it was inevitable I'd find fault with TKoNLG. That said, TKoNLG was a fast, light read perfect for breaking a funk.
In a nutshell: Flawed but fast-paced, The Knife of Never Letting Go is relentless and and entertaining, to a point.
Bibliolatry Scale: 2 out of 6 stars
FTCBS: Personal copy (shut up)
Or maybe TKoNLG suffered from poor timing. I've just read several EXCELLENT books, one of which I'm still unable to post about, it was that good (and no, it is NOT The Savage Detectives, thank you for asking), so it was inevitable I'd find fault with TKoNLG. That said, TKoNLG was a fast, light read perfect for breaking a funk.
In a nutshell: Flawed but fast-paced, The Knife of Never Letting Go is relentless and and entertaining, to a point.
Bibliolatry Scale: 2 out of 6 stars
FTCBS: Personal copy (shut up)
7 comments:
I read this about a year ago and was not a fan. Part of me thought I *should* like it. This was before all the hype started in the book blogging world, but an IRL friend recommended it and I did read it almost in one sitting. Sadly, it made me completely exhausted. There were no down moments, and the book amounted to a huge chase scene. There was no refuge from that! I tried to read the second book a couple m onths later when I got ahold of an ARC, but after 3 pages I gave up. I knew I couldn't go through that experience again.
(Oh and I agree Todd and Manchee were annoying!)
I thought the first book was good because of the premise. The second was much better written. No chase scene. Todd isn't annoying. It still had some problems though. Still not explained: why Todd? Why so such Machiavellian evil bad guys?
So... what was the book that was so excellent you can't post about it? Come on, you can tell me. :)
Sorry to hear you didn't like "The Knife of Never Letting Go." I've heard nothing but good things. I'll leave it on my wishlist, though I'll be sure to borrow rather than buy it.
Hope your next read goes better!
JS - that would be The Sparrow, which I will eventually post about, but only after I've pondered it fully. Probably in a few days.
Now THAT's a book!
ugh...reading funks. i know the feeling. i usually reread some of my childhood faves or bill bryson to get me feeling better. :)
too bad this one didn't work for you. i always feel like a bit of a pariah when i don't enjoy a book the rest of the bloggers seem to love.
honest review with a nice balance of criticism and kudos.
cheers!
That title's so damn great, though. What a shame.
I loved the book, and love the whole trilogy, i don't know what you're talking about.
It had some faults, it's not perfect, but it's still like my favorite series so far.
Post a Comment