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Cover of The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Knife of Never Letting Go

  • 496 pages · about 8 hours
  • First published 2008
  • 16 editions

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1 About this book

The Knife of Never Letting Go is a young adult science fiction novel written by British American author Patrick Ness. It was published by Walker Books on 5 May 2008. It is the first book in the Chaos Walking series, followed by The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men. The story follows Todd Hewitt, a 12-year-old boy who runs away from Prentisstown, a town where everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts.

The novel was celebrated by critics and won annual awards including the Booktrust Teenage Prize, the Guardian Award, and the James Tiptree, Jr. Award. The Knife was Ness's first work for teens and young adults. According to The Guardian coverage of its award, Ness "turned to children's fiction after he had the idea for a world where it is impossible to escape information overload, and knew it was right for teenagers."

A film adaptation of the novel, titled Chaos Walking, was released on 5 March 2021.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Good for readers who want: science fiction, a coming-of-age story, dogs, and a long read.

  • Science fiction
  • Dogs
  • Human-animal relationships
  • Coming of age
  • Dystopian fiction
  • Lgbtq science fiction & fantasy
  • Human-animal communication
  • Social problems

2 About Patrick Ness

Born 1971

Patrick Ness FRSL (born 17 October 1971) is an American-British author, journalist, lecturer, and screenwriter. Born in the United States, Ness moved to London and holds dual citizenship. He is best known for his books for young adults, including the Chaos Walking (2008–2010) trilogy and A Monster Calls (2011). Ness won the annual Carnegie Medal in 2011 and in 2012, for Monsters of Men and A Monster Calls.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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