Monsters of Men: With Bonus Short Story (Chaos Walking, #3)

by Patrick Ness

The riveting Chaos Walking trilogy by two-time Carnegie Medalist Patrick Ness, reissued with compelling covers — and a bonus short story in each book.

“This is science fiction at its best, and is a singular fusion of brutality and idealism that is, at last, perfectly human.” — Booklist (starred review)

As a world-ending war surges around them, Todd and Viola face monstrous decisions. The indigenous Spackle, thinking and acting as one, have mobilized to avenge their murdered people. Ruthless human leaders prepare to defend their factions at all costs, even as a convoy of new settlers approaches. And as the ceaseless Noise lays all thoughts bare, the projected will of the few threatens to overwhelm the desperate desire of the many. The consequences of each action, each word, are unspeakably vast: To follow a tyrant or a terrorist? To save the life of the one you love most, or thousands of strangers? To believe in redemption, or assume it is lost? Becoming adults amid the turmoil, Todd and Viola question all they have known, racing through horror and outrage toward a shocking finale.

• ISBN10: 0763676195
• ISBN13: 9780763676193
• Publish Date: 22 July 2014 (first published 3 May 2010)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Candlewick Press,U.S.
• Edition: 2nd ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 656
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780763676193

Reviews

[abookishblether]

The Knife of Never Letting Go ★★★★☆
The Ask and the Answer ★★★★☆
Monsters of Men ★★★★★

I don't think I can say much for this third installment, but I do want to say it was by far and away my favourite in the series.

We get an additional point of view for the final installment, which is possibly the most surprising and compelling choice Ness could have made. 1017 opens up the story which was in the previous book a civil war between two human factions into a fierce defense of the indigenous species against a vicious invading force. The civil war is still being waged, but the real battle is just beginning.

[maggiefan]

holy shit......

[Kelly]

So many breathtaking elements, especially the narration of both The Sky and The Returned. Thoroughly enjoyed it despite the constant repetition.

[Bianca]

War makes monsters of men. Well, so does too much knowledge. Too much knowledge of your fellow man, too much knowledge of his weakness, his pathetic greed and vanity, and how laughably easy it is to control him.

— A little quieter compared to the first two books, but nonetheless compelling, exploring themes of power, control, survival, etc.

[Stephanie]

Holy crap. A+++ Will read from again.

[nitzan_schwarz]

2014 cleaning my shelves challenge + 2014 series challenge

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars

RE-READ DEC. 31st, 2020- 5 stars once again. This series holds such a special place in my heart!!!!

__________________

Angharrad owns my heart.

[Chelsea]

I’m really impressed with how this series turned out. The ending was completely unexpected for me. This book will leave you shocked and amazed. I am not going to do this review justice.

I was nervous starting this book because I had really high expectations. If you’ve read the first two books you’d have high expectations too. Thankfully this ending was better than I could have thought possible. Reading it was exhausting! There were so many emotions being thrown everywhere. I had no idea who I liked and disliked except Todd and Viola, obviously. You get so attached to them that every single emotion they feel, you feel it too. I loved both these characters because they made mistakes and felt guilt and just learned from everything they did. The author is amazing at writing about these characters. This book is really deep without being obvious. It’s just crazy! The ending was shocking and terrifying and I almost had to stop reading for a bit, but it was so amazing!

If you haven’t started this series yet, get on it!

[Rinn]

I literally just read the last 100 pages of this book in 30 minutes and bawled my eyes out.

[nannah]

Wow. Just . . . . wow.

This wasn't just a novel, a story; it was an experience. This trilogy was absolutely something new. I've never, ever, read anything like Chaos Walking--somehow Patrick Ness can convey emotions so clearly and powerfully. I am so glad I was not reading the last third in public, because my face was all twisted and alternating between gross sobbing and wide-mouthed shock and then more gross sobbing.

What used to annoy me, especially the fonts and the arrangement of the words on the pages, is something I regard now as art. He was making a picture out of the page, much like a composer painting a picture through the score and the instrument voices. It's so beautiful.

Characterization is as stellar as in the first two books. Each character was a person, a real person, realized with faults and everything. But they were all there for a reason; faults because of the actual character, not because it was a conscious decision: "oh gee I need to add faults to this character of mine, here let's reach into the grab bag," these characters breathed and their words were believable and it's all the most perfect characterization I've ever experienced coming off a page. Patrick Ness has quickly became my biggest inspiration.

Oh, goodness, and the STORY. And the arcs and the twists! I can't remember reading any other book that's made me cry so much as this trilogy has. I'll probably be traumatized by Chaos Walking my whole life, but it's not necessarily a bad thing, either . . .

Boy I can't wait to see what Ness creates next . . .