“The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don’t got nothing much to say.”

From Patrick Ness’ Chaos Walking: The Knife of Never Letting Go.

When the alien species, the Spackle, attacked the human settlers on the New World planet humanity has chosen for its last chance, the survivors were faced with a far more dangerous life than they ever expected.  Todd has grown up in this world where all the women have long since died, leaving only men and their audible thoughts, something they call the Noise.  Raised by his adoptive parents, Ben and Cillian, Todd is just waiting for his fast-approaching thirteenth birthday that will officially make him a man.  Todd, his family, and his Noise-infected dog, Manchee, live in Prentisstown along with small number of men that represent that lone survivors of the Spackle conflict.  After Todd and Manchee stumble into an unexplainable quiet area in the swamp, Ben and Cillian are terrified, and tell Todd that he’ll have to leave Prentisstown.  When the mayor, Mr. Prentiss, the town’s pastor, Aaron, and other men from town come to take Todd after hearing him mention the swamp quiet in his Noise, Ben gives Todd a journal from his mother and tells the boy and his dog to run.  Confused and terrified, Todd decides to find and kill the Spackle that he assumes must be the reason for the quiet, however instead, Todd finds a girl named Violet in the center of the quiet.  Todd is confused by it all, but Aaron attacks them both, so Todd and Violet flee together in search of the place Ben said would be safe: Farbranch.  After narrowly escaping the men from Prentisstown, the teens meet Hildy and her husband, Tam, who guard the town of Farbranch, and Todd quickly discovers that everything he thought he knew was a lie.  While Todd struggles to learn the truth about Noise-less women, the dark history of Prentisstown, and the realities of New World, their race to Haven will push Todd, Violet, and Manchee to the breaking point.

The first book in Ness’ thrilling fantasy trilogy is packed with unforgettable characters and happenings from start to finish.  Readers will easily connect with the young protagonist as he struggles with both his discoveries and humanity.  The Knife of Never Letting Go is an action-packed and emotional story that will instantly captivate readers, and leave them desperate to move on to the next book.