Patrick Ness’s The New World: A Story of Chaos Walking 1

Okay, I’ve held off writing about The Ask and the Answer, as it isn’t out till September. But it is, I assure you Ness fans, fantastic. I think it may even be better than The Knife of Never Letting Go if that is possible. (Here’s my review of that book if you are interested.)  But now we’ve got something else to develop the Chaos Walking story even further. It is “The New World”, a short story Ness wrote for the UK Booktrust that is available starting today on their website.  It is wonderful too — bringing out more of Viola’s backstory to great effect.   I think, though, what I like the most is that it tells us more about Viola herself.  Superb stuff.

Coming Soon: Katherine Sturtevant’s The Brothers Story

Katherine Sturtevant’s A True and Faithful Narrative was one of  my favorite books of 2006 so I am delighted to see that The Brothers Story is coming out this fall.  Here’s the description from her website.

The Brothers Story is set in the Great Frost of 1683-84, and tells the story of twin teenaged boys, Kit and Christy, who have grown up in poverty in their Essex village. Because Christy has been “simple” from birth, Kit has literally been his brother’s keeper. But the hardships that come to their Essex village with the frost bring Kit to frustration and despair. He abandons Christy and makes his way to London, seeking to better himself. There he finds much to take his mind from thoughts of all he has left behind: a master who paints pictures, a sharp-tongued serving maid, and a frost fair upon the frozen Thames. When the time comes that he can no longer evade the problem of his brother, Kit must make a choice between returning to poverty-stricken village life or seizing a lucky chance to advance himself–unless he can find a third way. The novel includes much authentic detail, including a frank portrayal of teen sexuality during this period.