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Teen fantasy

It's a popular market, fantasy fiction aimed at the teen/young adult By Madeline O'Connor - 22/04/08

Despite the competition, though, Patrick Ness’ first novel for young people manages to place him at the top echelons of the genre.

The Knife of Never Letting Go (Walker, £12.99) tells the story of adolescent Todd, who lives in a bleak society where no women exist, and where the older boys (who have already become ‘men’) won’t talk to him and the town is buzzing with endless, deafening noise from humans and animals.

It means nobody can keep their inner thoughts secret, but Todd gets round this by escaping - with his trusted sidekick, a dog called Manchee. Once Todd is missing, the head honchos of the town want him back, but his weakness lies in the fact that he has the power to kill but won’t murder those who want him dead.

The odd couple becomes a threesome when Todd meets Viola, a girl from another planet, who is equally lonely and lost. On their way to find Haven, a place they have been told will be safe and a new start for them both, they face all kinds of obstacles, blocking their way both physically and emotionally.

This was Chaos Walking: Book One and there are a further two books to come, so evidently there are plenty of tough adventures and a lot more soul-searching in store for Todd and co.

At first glance, this weighty 400- page tome might put potential readers off, but as soon as they open the front page and read the first sentence, “The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don’t got nothing much to say”, you’ll be hooked, as I was, ready for the pacy, imaginative adventure that is to come.