PENGUIN Monsters of Men

Perhaps I’ve just maxed out on dystopian YA literature. Perhaps this is one of those YA novels that is much more popular among its target audience (i.e., adolescents) than it is among jaded adults like me. Whatever the case, persevering through this bloated 600+ page conclusion to the Chaos Walking trilogy was a slog.My antipathy for the series (and for this novel in particular) may have something to do with the narrative whiplash I experienced. While I generally have no issues dealing with multiple narrative perspectives in a novel, Ness overused the technique. Just three narrators (Todd, Viola, and an alien Spackle first called 1017 and then the Sky—don’t ask) tell this overwrought tale of non-stop battle for the New World on an unnamed planet, yet the narration switches perspectives every 3 or 4 pages—and perhaps the author or the editors supposed it would be helpful to use a unique font for each narrative voice, but that choice—along with the use of a giant font for explosions (BOOM!) and other loud exclamations—simply creates fatigue. I had to exert so much energy trying to keep track of the ever-shifting narration that I soon grew weary of the endless fighting, explosions, betrayals, and fabricated cliffhangers at the end of seemingly every episode.Beneath this narrative clutter lies an earnest metaphor about love, war, communication, empathy, colonialism, cooperation, power, fatherhood, and a host of other “important” themes, but for me it just never came together.

I really enjoyed this book series and I just finished reading the little short story after the third book called Snowscape. The third book reminded me of colt vibes and the mayor always creeped me out. I really love the way the author gets you to know each character individually and you grow to love them. I would have to say Wilf is probably my favorite character even though he’s not one of the main ones. Without giving too much away, the ending to Snowscape satisfied me and tied up the loose ends. Not only does war make monsters of men, it also makes monsters if any intelligent creatures. If you don’t know what I mean by that there is these species in the book that is another intelligent race called Spackle. They kind of remind me of the blue creatures in the movie Avatar. I’m so glad that I read this series and although the third book took me a little longer to get through (because I lost my motivation) it was worth it!

Whew!The breakneck pace I noted in my review of The Knife of Never Letting Go and my abbreviated—I ain’t got time for no stinking review ‘cause I got to get on to the next one—review of The Ask and the Answer continues, only slightly throttled down, in Monsters of Men, the third, and unfortunately, final, book in the Chaos Walking series.I have no idea how Patrick Ness wrote the trilogy, but the way it reads is one big ambitious story split into thirds, much like The Lord of the Rings was initially one big book that for marketing purposes was sliced into three pieces. It worked well for Tolkien, right? Anyway, there’s no hint of afterthought here. Monsters had to follow Ask which had to follow Knife. And they connected seamlessly—setting, characters, conflict. The characters’ choices made sense, as did the changes they went through (or didn’t go through).In my short review of The Ask and the Answer I mentioned the concept of Scene and Sequel and the fact that there was a high proportion of Scene (action on the page) in the first two volumes, and not so much Sequel (reaction to the scene, interior monologue, point of view stuff). There are a few more opportunities to catch your breath in Monsters, a few more chances to think about possibilities and philosophical notions and who’s doing what and who’s good and who’s bad and the gray areas in between.But still, there’s a lot happening in Monsters, and the few breaks intensify the action when it ramps back up again. Aside from (and contributing to) the slight slackening of pace, there’s the introduction of another point of view, which dilutes the intensity of the focus a bit but makes up for it by giving the reader a deeper appreciation for the universal “humanity” of all reasoning beings, even when those beings aren’t human.When I wasn’t completely caught up in the story, I spent some moments admiring the author’s imagination and organizational skills (it’s a BIG story) and above all, character development. No cardboard characters here. I’m not going to get into spoilers just to convince you, but if you haven’t already read the trilogy (it’s not new), I highly recommend it.

This was the third book I read by Patrick Ness, and it is also the third book in the Chaos Walking Trilogy. After reading the first book, I quickly purchased the next two in the series, and several more by the author. I have also given this series to a couple friends, and my sister who works as a middle school guidance counselor. The series touches on a lot of adult themes but does it in an a great way. The concept was unexpected and new, and the author manages to keep you on your toes with little twist and turns that I really enjoyed. I do not want to say too much in this review, and spoil some of the unexpected surprises, but if you are fan of young adult science fiction or fantasy you must read this series. It touches on issues of perspective, diversity, inclusion, sexuality- and never in a preachy way.Each book in the series adds in additional narrators- so to fully understand the tale make sure you finish the series.I am reviewing this product in an effort to help other Amazon customers through relaying my experience with the product and providing any insight I garnered. Had I not liked this product, I would state so here in my review. I would really appreciate that if you found my review helpful, that you would please indicate so below by clicking the YES button below.