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The Knife of Never Letting Go
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Chaos Walking: Book 1

The Knife of Never Letting Go (2008) (edit title/settings)

by Patrick Ness (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

A dystopian thriller follows a boy and girl on the run from a town where all male and animal thoughts can be heard—and the passage to manhood embodies a horrible secret. Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear... read more

Summary edit see section history

In Prentisstown, located on New World, there are only men—and not a single woman. Todd Hewitt was brought up in Prentisstown, believing that his was the only settlement on the planet. He was told that the Noise germ, released by the native species of New World during a war, killed all of the... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

In Prentisstown, located on New World, there are only men—and not a single woman. Todd Hewitt was brought up in Prentisstown, believing that his was the only settlement on the planet. He was told that the Noise germ, released by the native species of New World during a war, killed all of the women and half of the men, affecting the survivors in a strange way: the germ caused all of the men—and even the animals—to be able to hear all of each other’s thoughts. Todd only knows this information because that is what he was taught by Mayor David Prentiss, Aaron, who is Prentisstown’s preacher, and his dead parents’ friends, Ben and Cillian. One day, though, a month before the thirteenth birthday that will make him a man, Todd finds something in the swamp near his home that will challenge and destroy everything he’s ever been taught about his planet. That very finding will have Todd fleeing Prentisstown and running for his life with his dog and a girl named Viola as he tries to escape from his followers who will do anything to catch him and his new friend. Here’s the catch, though: Todd will have to run and hide, all while being chased by an army of Prentisstown men—all of which can hear his every thought.

Characters/People edit see section history

  • Todd Hewitt: Main character, the youngest in Prentisstown and the last boy. He finds Viola and soon after finds himself in the worst trouble of his life. He is running from Prentisstown.
  • Viola Eade: Crashed in a scout ship in which her parents died. Accompanies Todd on his flight away from Prentisstown.
  • Manchee: Todd's young dog who accompanies him on his journey. He is loyal, though sometimes easily distracted, because he is a dog!
  • Aaron: The insane preacher from Prentisstown, whose noise is harsh and cruel. He believes he serves God, and that he has right to punish Todd for his actions.
  • Mayor Prentiss: Mayor of Prentisstown
  • Davy Prentiss (Mr. Prentiss Jr.): Sheriff of Prentisstown, Mayor Prentiss's son.
  • Ben: Todd's guardian, a kind father-figure. Helps him escpape Prentisstown.
  • Hildy: Farmer outside of Farbranch. She offers to help Viola and Todd on their journey.
  • Wilf: a simple wagon driver that Todd and Viola encounter
  • Cillian: Todd's other father. Friend/Partner (?) of Ben.
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “Noise ain't truth.”
    Todd Hewitt
  • “The Noise is a man unfiltered, and without a filter, a man is just chaos walking.”
    Todd Hewitt
  • “We all fall. What matters is if we can get back up.”
    Todd Hewitt
  • “...Tho as far as I know no one's heard no Noise back from this God fella.”
    Todd Hewitt
  • “She presses a button on the side of the box and-whoosh-we've got ourselves a whole, full-sized, instant campfire. I just stand there like a fool, my mouth wide open. I want a campfire box.”
    Todd Hewitt
  • “But a knife ain't just a thing, is it? It's a choice, it's something you do. A knife says yes or no, cut or not, die or don't. A knife takes a decision out of your hand and puts it in the world and it never goes back again.”
    Todd Hewitt
  • “You might as well just crumple up the world I know and throw it away.”
    Todd Hewitt
  • “A knife makes no decisions, the hand holding it does.”
    Todd Hewitt
  • “'I think maybe everybody falls,' I say. 'I think maybe we all do. And I don't think that's the asking. I think the asking is whether we get back up again.'”
    Todd Hewitt
  • “When luck ain't with you, it's against you.”
    Todd Hewitt
  • “War makes monsters of men.”
    Ben
  • “The noise is just tremendous. All-consuming, like a real thing you could taste and touch.So loud, Noise is obliterated.So loud, it's the quietest I've ever felt.”
    Todd Hewitt
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • The Noise is a man unfiltered, and without a filter, a man is just chaos walking.
    Highlighted by 76 Kindle customers
  • hope may be the thing that pulls you forward, may be the thing that keeps you going, but that it’s dangerous, too, that it’s painful and risky, that it’s making a dare to the world and when has the world ever let us win a dare?
    Highlighted by 63 Kindle customers
  • But a knife ain’t just a thing, is it? It’s a choice, it’s something you do. A knife says yes or no, cut or not, die or don’t. A knife takes a decision out of your hand and puts it in the world and it never goes back again.
    Highlighted by 52 Kindle customers
  • And too much informayshun can drive a man mad. Too much informayshun becomes just Noise. And it never, never stops.”
    Highlighted by 44 Kindle customers
  • Noise ain’t truth, Noise is what men want to be true, and there’s a difference twixt those two things so big that it could ruddy well kill you if you don’t watch out.
    Highlighted by 44 Kindle customers
  • There ain’t nothing good that don’t got real bad waiting to follow it.
    Highlighted by 44 Kindle customers
  • “I think maybe everybody falls,” I say. “I think maybe we all do. And I don’t think that’s the asking.” I pull on her arms gently to make sure she’s listening. “I think the asking is whether we get back up again.”
    Highlighted by 41 Kindle customers
  • “War is a monster,” he says, almost to himself. “War is the devil. It starts and it consumes and it grows and grows and grows.”
    Highlighted by 40 Kindle customers
  • Doing what’s right should be easy. It shouldn’t be just another big mess like everything else.
    Highlighted by 37 Kindle customers
  • The only place you belong is the place you can never go back.
    Highlighted by 13 Kindle customers
Show all 22 quotes from this book

Setting & Locations edit see section history

  • Prentisstown: A town of 146 men and one boy.
  • Farbranch: The next city after Prentisstown.
  • Haven: A city that is supposed to be sophisticated and helpful. It is rumored to be very technologically advanced.

First Sentence edit see section history

The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don't got much to say.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Part I
1. The Hole in the Noise
2. Prentisstown
3. Ben and Cillian
4. Don't Think It
5. The Things You Know
6. The Knife in Front of Me

Part II
7. If There Was
8. The Choices Of A Knife
9. When luck ain't with you
10. Food and fire
11. The book of no answers
12. The bridge

Part III
13. Across the bridge
14. The wrong end of a gun
15. Brothers in suffering
16. The night of no apologies
17. Encounter in an orchard
18. Farbranch
19. Further choices of a knife

Part IV
20. Army of men
21. The wider world
22. Wilf and the sea of things
23. A knife is only as good as the one who wields it
24. The death of the worthless coward
25. Killer

Part V
26. The end of all things
27. On we go
28. The smell of roots
29. Aaron in a thousand ways
30. A boy called Todd
31. The wicked are punished

Part VI
32. Downriver
33. Carbonel Downs
34. Oh never leave me
35. The Law
36. Answers to askings
37. What's the point?
38. I heard a maiden call
39. The Falls
40. The sacrifice
41. If one of us falls
42. Last road to Haven

Glossary edit see section history

  • Noise: A virus that causes the men to have their thoughts projected to others - their thoughts and secrets are projected for all to hear. Women are immune to it.
  • Spackle: Aliens native to the New World.
  • cassor: A huge bird, ten or twelve feet tall with a long neck, feathers that look more like fur, wings that it uses to stun the animals they are about to eat, and dangerous claws that can kill with a kick.

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

Errata edit see section history

There are constant spelling/grammar errors in the book that are on purpose. These demonstrate that the practice of writing has been banned in Prentisstown - therefore Todd can only write as things sound. Alas;
Petrol Stayshun (Petrol Station)
Direkshun (direction)
Yer (instead of your/you're)
Tho (though)
Thru (through)
populayshun (population)
creachers (creatures)
affectshuns (affections)
sposed (supposed)
kerflooey
horrorpilashuns
corrupshun (corruption
tenshun (tension)
irritashun (irritation)
irrigashun (irrigation)
reckernise (recognise)
twixt (his way of saying between)

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 1 of 4 in Chaos Walking. (standard series)

Preceded by The New World, and followed by The Ask and the Answer.

This book is in 2011-2012 Iowa High School Book Award. (authoritative list)
This book is in 2013 Iowa High School Battle of the Books. (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Patrick Ness (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Country: United States of America
Publication Date: 2008
ISBN: 1406310255
Page Count: 496

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PZ7.N43843Kni
  • Dewey: FIC

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

There are some thematic elements.

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • The Ask and the Answer
  • The Host
  • Gone
  • Lockdown
  • Feed
  • The House of the Scorpion
  • The Maze Runner
  • The Death Cure
  • The Scorch Trials
  • The Sky Inside
  • Double Helix
  • The Hunger Games
  • Catching Fire
  • Mockingjay

Books Influenced by This Book edit see section history

   
  • The Ask and the Answer
  • Monsters of Men

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