Chaos Walking Trilogy

Story

A young adult novel, set in a dystopian world. In Todd Hewitt’s town, after a biological war, there are no women. There is also no quiet, and no privacy - everyone (including animals!) can hear everyone else’s thoughts, known as Noise. So, when Todd finds a silent spot, and a girl called Viola, they’re going to have to run…

Why we chose it

A gripping trilogy, original, inventive and fast paced, by one of the most original and exciting contemporary young adult writers.

Where it went next

The Knife of Letting Go was nominated for several book awards, winning both the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and the Booktrust Teenage Prize. The final book, Monsters of Men won the Carnegie medal in 2011. A film adaptation of The Knife of Never Letting Go, starring Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley, is due to be released in 2020.

Associated stories

Patrick Ness has written a number of other young adult books including More Than This, The Rest of Just Live Here, Release, And The Ocean Was Our Sky and Burn. A Monster Calls written by Patrick Ness from an original idea by Siobhan Dowd won the Carnegie Medal in 2011. The book was illustrated by Jim Kay who in the same year won the Greenaway Award, making A Monster Calls the first book to win both awards in the same year. It has since been made into a film in 2014 and a stage show in 2017.