The Knife of Never Letting Go
Encyclopedia
The Knife of Never Letting Go is the first installment in the Chaos Walking Trilogy
written by Patrick Ness
and published on May 5, 2008. It has won numerous awards, including the Booktrust Teenage Prize
, the Guardian Award
, and the 2008 James Tiptree, Jr. Award
.
Todd, however, is soon forced to learn the truth. Ben and Cillian, his adoptive parents, have been planning his escape for the past eleven years. When Todd tells them of a spot of moving silence in the Noise, the two men immediately force him to leave Prentisstown. Todd unwillingly obeys, taking with him a rucksack Ben has prepared containing Cillian’s hunting knife and Todd’s deceased mother’s diary.
He follows a map through the swamp. Whilst Todd is escaping, they are attacked by the town priest, Aaron, who has recently been provoking Todd in physical and mental fights. Managing to escape him, Todd comes across the spot of silence and meet a girl who is causing the silence. She says nothing but leads him through the swamp to her spaceship, where her parents’ bodies are half buried. It is apparent that she has crash-landed on New World. They begin traveling together.
During their journey, Todd realizes that he, infected with the germ, might transmit the germ to the girl and kill her. She hears this in his Noise and flees, but he pursues her until they both encounter Aaron and men from Prentisstown who are tracking them. The girl eventually saves them both and tells Todd her name, Viola.
After their escape, Todd and Viola are found by a woman. She tells Todd that the 'germ' is not fatal for women and in fact does not affect them at all. She then takes the two to her settlement. At nightfall, an army of men from Prentisstown arrives and burns down the town, killing all those who will not join them. Todd and Viola escape and flee for the most technologically advanced settlement on New World, Haven, where there maybe be a cure for Noise and a transmitter tower to contact Viola's people still in space.
After a few days, the Mayor’s son, Prentiss Jr., finds them. Todd tries to kill him but discovers he cannot. Instead, Todd ties up the Mayor’s son before heading off for Haven with Viola.
During this trip, they find a live Spackle. Todd is shocked, since he had believed that all Spackle had been killed in the war. Having grown up hearing terrible stories of the Spackle, Todd leaps at the Spackle and kills it, but is greatly disturbed by the Spackle's fear and the blood.
Aaron then finds them, stabs Todd, and kidnaps Viola. Several hours later, Todd wakes up and hurriedly goes after Aaron, although his stab wound becomes infected and sickens him. Todd rescues Viola, by choosing to sacrifice his hunting dog. The pair escape on a boat, where Todd collapses from his infection.
When he wakes up, Todd insists on a walk and surprisingly encounters Ben. Ben explains the truth: the Noise germ was a natural part of the planet, not an attack by the Spackle. The men of Prentisstown, driven mad by Noise and resenting the women's ability to remain silent, killed the women and were subsequently banished from the rest of the world for this crime. The boys were supposed to learn the truth on their thirteenth birthday. This was why Todd had been sent away - he could only be accepted by the rest of the world if his thoughts were wholly innocent.
Ben, Todd, and Viola continue toward Haven, but Prentiss Jr. finds them again. Ben distracts him to allow Todd and Viola to run, but then the two run into Aaron. Aaron corners them in a cavern near a waterfall.
Todd then realizes that the boys of Prentisstown become 'men' by killing someone upon turning thirteen. Aaron thinks of himself as a symbolic sacrifice for the 'last boy' in Prentisstown and tries to provoke Todd into killing him. Instead, Viola kills Aaron. She explains that this way, Todd does not let the Prentisstown ritual have power over him.
Prentiss Jr. again intercepts the pair on their way to Haven and shoots Viola through her stomach. Todd escapes him and carries Viola to Haven to try to find help. However, Mayor Prentiss is already there to greet them; Haven had surrendered without a fight, allowing the Mayor to declare himself President of New World. Through his despair, Todd realizes that he can no longer hear the Mayor's Noise.
. Although the settlers have some high technology, they are mostly subsistence farmers. The rural setting has been compared to the worlds of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
and The Night of the Hunter
Ian Chipman from Booklist
gave the novel a starred review, praising the “pure inventiveness and excitement” of Ness’ narrative, and supporting the book’s characters, adding that “the cliffhanger ending is as effective as a shot to the gut”.
Frank Cottrell-Boyce, writing for The Guardian
, praised the novel's opening, and added that the rest of the book "lives up to the thrill of that first sentence". The Sunday Telegraph also praised the book, calling it “furiously paced, terrifying, exhilarating and heartbreaking”, labelling it as a book that “haunts your imagination”. The Times
called it “a stunning debut” and “as compelling as it is original”.
Similarly, Nicholas Tucker of The Independent
wrote that The Knife of Never Letting Go "sets a high standard”, while the Chicago Tribune labelled the novel as “a read-alone, stay-up-way-too-late book”.
Chaos Walking Trilogy
Chaos Walking is a series of young adult dystopia novels written by award-winning novelist Patrick Ness. "The Noise is a man unfiltered, and without a filter, a man is just chaos walking." From this, the title of the trilogy was derived....
written by Patrick Ness
Patrick Ness
Patrick Ness is an American author, journalist and lecturer who lives in London. He holds both American and British citizenship...
and published on May 5, 2008. It has won numerous awards, including the Booktrust Teenage Prize
Booktrust Teenage Prize
The Booktrust Teenage Prize is an annual award given to young adult literature published in the UK. The prize is administered by Booktrust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading.-List of Prize Winners:...
, the Guardian Award
Guardian Award
The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award is a prominent award for works of children's literature by British or Commonwealth authors, published in the United Kingdom during the preceding year. The award has been given annually since 1967, and is decided by a panel of authors and the...
, and the 2008 James Tiptree, Jr. Award
James Tiptree, Jr. Award
The James Tiptree, Jr. Award is an annual literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. It was initiated in February of 1991 by science fiction authors Pat Murphy and Karen Joy Fowler, subsequent to a discussion at WisCon.- Background...
.
Plot summary
Todd Hewitt is the only boy left in Prentisstown, a small settlement on New World where all boys become men at the age of 13. He begins the novel oblivious to Prentisstown’s history, having been told that all women have been killed by a ‘germ’ released by the native species on his planet known as Spackles. As a side effect of this germ, the remaining men in Prentisstown can hear each other's thoughts, described as an ever-present cascade of ‘Noise’.Todd, however, is soon forced to learn the truth. Ben and Cillian, his adoptive parents, have been planning his escape for the past eleven years. When Todd tells them of a spot of moving silence in the Noise, the two men immediately force him to leave Prentisstown. Todd unwillingly obeys, taking with him a rucksack Ben has prepared containing Cillian’s hunting knife and Todd’s deceased mother’s diary.
He follows a map through the swamp. Whilst Todd is escaping, they are attacked by the town priest, Aaron, who has recently been provoking Todd in physical and mental fights. Managing to escape him, Todd comes across the spot of silence and meet a girl who is causing the silence. She says nothing but leads him through the swamp to her spaceship, where her parents’ bodies are half buried. It is apparent that she has crash-landed on New World. They begin traveling together.
During their journey, Todd realizes that he, infected with the germ, might transmit the germ to the girl and kill her. She hears this in his Noise and flees, but he pursues her until they both encounter Aaron and men from Prentisstown who are tracking them. The girl eventually saves them both and tells Todd her name, Viola.
After their escape, Todd and Viola are found by a woman. She tells Todd that the 'germ' is not fatal for women and in fact does not affect them at all. She then takes the two to her settlement. At nightfall, an army of men from Prentisstown arrives and burns down the town, killing all those who will not join them. Todd and Viola escape and flee for the most technologically advanced settlement on New World, Haven, where there maybe be a cure for Noise and a transmitter tower to contact Viola's people still in space.
After a few days, the Mayor’s son, Prentiss Jr., finds them. Todd tries to kill him but discovers he cannot. Instead, Todd ties up the Mayor’s son before heading off for Haven with Viola.
During this trip, they find a live Spackle. Todd is shocked, since he had believed that all Spackle had been killed in the war. Having grown up hearing terrible stories of the Spackle, Todd leaps at the Spackle and kills it, but is greatly disturbed by the Spackle's fear and the blood.
Aaron then finds them, stabs Todd, and kidnaps Viola. Several hours later, Todd wakes up and hurriedly goes after Aaron, although his stab wound becomes infected and sickens him. Todd rescues Viola, by choosing to sacrifice his hunting dog. The pair escape on a boat, where Todd collapses from his infection.
When he wakes up, Todd insists on a walk and surprisingly encounters Ben. Ben explains the truth: the Noise germ was a natural part of the planet, not an attack by the Spackle. The men of Prentisstown, driven mad by Noise and resenting the women's ability to remain silent, killed the women and were subsequently banished from the rest of the world for this crime. The boys were supposed to learn the truth on their thirteenth birthday. This was why Todd had been sent away - he could only be accepted by the rest of the world if his thoughts were wholly innocent.
Ben, Todd, and Viola continue toward Haven, but Prentiss Jr. finds them again. Ben distracts him to allow Todd and Viola to run, but then the two run into Aaron. Aaron corners them in a cavern near a waterfall.
Todd then realizes that the boys of Prentisstown become 'men' by killing someone upon turning thirteen. Aaron thinks of himself as a symbolic sacrifice for the 'last boy' in Prentisstown and tries to provoke Todd into killing him. Instead, Viola kills Aaron. She explains that this way, Todd does not let the Prentisstown ritual have power over him.
Prentiss Jr. again intercepts the pair on their way to Haven and shoots Viola through her stomach. Todd escapes him and carries Viola to Haven to try to find help. However, Mayor Prentiss is already there to greet them; Haven had surrendered without a fight, allowing the Mayor to declare himself President of New World. Through his despair, Todd realizes that he can no longer hear the Mayor's Noise.
Setting
The Knife of Never Letting Go is set on a planet that has been colonised by a small group of Christian settlers from "Old World". It is disputed whether or not "Old World" refers to Earth, as Viola refers to soil as 'earth' in the sequel The Ask and the AnswerThe Ask and the Answer
The Ask And The Answer is the second installment in the Chaos Walking Trilogy written by Patrick Ness and published on May 4, 2009. The events follow immediately on from The Knife of Never Letting Go.-Plot summary:...
. Although the settlers have some high technology, they are mostly subsistence farmers. The rural setting has been compared to the worlds of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel by Mark Twain, first published in England in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Commonly named among the Great American Novels, the work is among the first in major American literature to be written in the vernacular, characterized by...
and The Night of the Hunter
Reception
The Knife of Never Letting Go has received greatly positive reviews.Ian Chipman from Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
gave the novel a starred review, praising the “pure inventiveness and excitement” of Ness’ narrative, and supporting the book’s characters, adding that “the cliffhanger ending is as effective as a shot to the gut”.
Frank Cottrell-Boyce, writing for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, praised the novel's opening, and added that the rest of the book "lives up to the thrill of that first sentence". The Sunday Telegraph also praised the book, calling it “furiously paced, terrifying, exhilarating and heartbreaking”, labelling it as a book that “haunts your imagination”. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
called it “a stunning debut” and “as compelling as it is original”.
Similarly, Nicholas Tucker of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
wrote that The Knife of Never Letting Go "sets a high standard”, while the Chicago Tribune labelled the novel as “a read-alone, stay-up-way-too-late book”.
Awards
- Winner of the 2008 Booktrust Teenage PrizeBooktrust Teenage PrizeThe Booktrust Teenage Prize is an annual award given to young adult literature published in the UK. The prize is administered by Booktrust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading.-List of Prize Winners:...
- Winner of the 2008 Guardian AwardGuardian AwardThe Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award is a prominent award for works of children's literature by British or Commonwealth authors, published in the United Kingdom during the preceding year. The award has been given annually since 1967, and is decided by a panel of authors and the...
, - Winner of the 2008 James Tiptree, Jr. AwardJames Tiptree, Jr. AwardThe James Tiptree, Jr. Award is an annual literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. It was initiated in February of 1991 by science fiction authors Pat Murphy and Karen Joy Fowler, subsequent to a discussion at WisCon.- Background...
, - Shortlisted for the 2009 Carnegie MedalCarnegie MedalThe Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
. - Longlisted for the 2009 Manchester Book AwardManchester Book AwardThe Manchester Book Award is a project run in Manchester, UK, organised by School Services at the Manchester Library & Information Service; it is funded by the Working Neighbourhoods Fund. The project is currently in its fourth year....
.