Group Read: The Knife of Never Letting Go (

I just re-checked our Group Read thread and saw that we'd decided to start a thread in March! Not seeing one yet, I thought I'd go ahead and start this.

Warning: There are likely to be SPOILERS in this thread. Please mark them clearly if you post them!

I read The Knife of Never Letting Go last September, and the sequel, The Ask and the Answer in November - I liked them both a great deal!

One thing I found really interesting was this book's unique treatment of telepathy. Here, we see this ability as a curse rather than a gift, something which means not only no privacy, but no silence, no peace, no quiet. Men are forced apart, physically, in order to bear each other. Being in town feels like Chaos. And it seems like it would be easy to lose your sense of self in the face of all the Noise - how do you develop who you are with other people's thoughts constantly in your head?

I have to admit, I just finished reading it yesterday and I found it rather disturbing. Everything about is so dark and has such hopelessness and the bright points, like Todd's friendship with his dog, is quickly snuffed out.

Thanks for starting the tread aerrin!
I just finished Knife and enjoyed it, although selkie, I agree it was dark and disturbing.
I think it would be cool to be able to read other people's thoughts, but not constantly like in the book. And how weird that the women aren't affected.
I liked the writing, how he kept it moving fast with a sense of danger for Todd and Viola. Loved Manchee and was very sad about what happened to him.
Glad I have the next book here to continue reading! Sadly, book three is not out until October. So many good continuing series coming out in the fall!

I totally enjoyed this book. Did not think it was sark until I saw the above message and started thinking maybe it was a little and that is why I haven't started book 2. Needed another book in between and a little scared for Todd.

It took me 2 tries to get this book read and after I finished it, I was amazed. I found the first couple of chapters a bit hard to get into (which is why I stopped reading the first time), I think that I requires a little more focus than some of the other books I've been reading. The writing style threw me off a bit to begin with, but once I got use to it I think that it really works. I have suggested it to a few people and have told them to just give it a chance.
I got very emotionally invested in the characters, even more than I realised at the time.
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When Manchee died, I was horrified. I very nearly cried. I had to put the book down for a few minutes and compose myself.
This book doesn't pull punches. It's dark, violent and down right scary at times, but nothing about it seems gratuitous. I think that this is a war story (even more so in book 2) and even though Tod and Viola are on the run, the war is coming, it's literally following them. I think it does a great job of depicting the chaos and violence of war.

I liked the book fairly well overall, but *****SPOILER****** when Manchee the dog died, I cried and really really wanted to call Patrick Ness (the author) up on the phone and get a sense of WHAT exactly was going through his head when he wrote that?!?!? I mean, Manchee, with his incredibly funny stupidity and his amazing, complicated, hilarious bond with Todd was the best part of the book, and the author ruined that completely! I really lost my appetite for the rest of the book...... but I think I'm still going to read the sequel(s)....... I wanna know what happens!!!!!

I really liked this series. Keep reading. I am about the only person on the planet that hates the Hunger Game books after the third book. I was happy, however, with the conclusion of the Monsters of Men trilogy. I usually shy away from violence and this series is really violent, but I think Ness struggles with the whys and wherefores enough that it was to some purpose.