Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness [Review]

5 out of 5 Robots!

  

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Series: Chaos Walking #3
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian/Sci-Fi

Release: September 28, 2010

Hardcover: 608 Pages

Publisher: Candlewick Press

My Copy: Purchased

Reviewer: Shannon

Buy the Book: Amazon

Book Summary:
"War," says the Mayor. "At last." Three armies march on New Prentisstown, each one intent on destroying the others. Todd and Viola are caught in the middle, with no chance of escape. As the battles commence, how can they hope to stop the fighting? How can there ever be peace when they're so hopelessly outnumbered? And if war makes monsters of men, what terrible choices await? But then a third voice breaks into the battle, one bent on revenge - the electrifying finale to the award-winning "Chaos Walking" trilogy, Monsters of Men is a heart-stopping novel about power, survival, and the devastating realities of war. (Courtesy of the Publisher)

 
Shannon's Thoughts:

Monsters of Men is the concluding book in the the Chaos Walking series.  It is every bit as thrilling and tense as the previous two.  There are surprises at every corner.  Todd and Viola struggle to keep from losing themselves and each other, but also to accept responsibility for their actions.  Ness introduces a third voice to the narrative - of a Spackle Todd calls "1017".  The Spackle are the indigenous race of the planet humans have colonized.  The colonists and the Spackle fought each other in a bloody and terrible war.  The Spackle were supposed to have been wiped out, but now the colonist find that the Spackle are still there.  And want revenge.  1017's narration gives lets us in on all sides of the war and really raises the question of when is war worthwhile?  And can one fight in a war without losing their humanity.  Again, this is such an amazing series and the ending was so bittersweet I wanted to cry.  I can't recommend this series enough!  Go read it, people!

Books in the series in the order they should be read:
1. The Knife of Never Letting Go
2. The Ask and the Answer
3. Monsters of Men