The Knife Of Never Letting Go- Blog 6

So as the action moves us forward at a heart-stopping speed, we find Todd and Manchee face to face with a girl. I believe that the way Todd reacts to this girl, never having seen one before, is a very realist and accurate comparison. An example would be when he first saw her:

"There it is, looking back at us, breathing heavy, crouched at the base of a tree, cowering from Manchee. its eyes practically dying from fright but still trying to offer up a pitiful threat with its arms. And I just stop. I hold my knife. "Spackle!" Manchee barks, tho he's too chicken to attach now that I've held back "Spackle! Spackle! Spackle!" "Shut up Manchee," I say. "Spackle!" "I said shut up!" I shout, which stops him. "Spackle?" Manchee says, unsure of things now. I swallow, trying to get rid of the pressure in my throat, the unbelievable sadness that come and comes as I look at it looking back at me. Knowledge is dangerous and men lie and the world keeps changing, whether I want it to or not. Cuz it ain't a Spackle. "It's a girl." I say. Its a girl." (Ness, 64)

I think the way he describes the surprise and the "pressure" is interesting. I would interpret it like, he feels the unbelievable loneliness and he is confused by how this girl makes him feel that it all comes crashing down on him.

The tone of this quote just allows me to feel the confusion and the heart stopping shock Todd felt in the moments of his discovery.

 I love how Patrick Ness creates his characterization of Todd just through the way he speaks and the way he thinks. Allowing the reader to literally hear is thoughts was a very great idea.

The Knife Of Never Letting Go- Blog 5

The action in this book continues to rise. As todd and Manchee run on their way to this strange destination that Ben has sent them off to, I began to feel a connection to Todd. He thinks often like I do. He thinks that maybe the world is out to get him (in the sense that he is alone. The world is, in fact out to get him...) or that there is no hope anymore. I think that we as people often feel out of place or unwanted. And we often give up on ourselves. It is just part of our nature.

Todd and Manchee follow the map and are doing fine when Aaron (the Psycho preist) finds them and tries to kill, yes, kill Todd. Aaron gets eaten by an aligator (so we thought) and was taken out of the picture. Just when you think it couldn't get anymore fast paced, the silence, or "Hole in the noise," Appears again. Todd, not going to let it escape this time runs after it to kill it.

Now, Todd thinks that it is a spackle. A spackle is a kind of life form, aliens from the planet that Prentiss Town moved to. They started the war that ended up with a germ being released that killed all the women and most the men. They were supposed to be extinct.

So anyway, Todd is running to it, his heart pounding as this thing runs away from it.
Now by this point I have a million theory's going through my mind and my heart is pounding just as Todds was. But, When he gets to the hole...Its a girl. Thats right a girl. And he can't hear a sound out of her but her terrified breathing.

What a twist that was.

The Knife Of Never Letting Go-blog 4

Wow. This book has completely changed course and blown my mind. The action is compelling in such a way that you just can't turn a page fast enough!
I love how creative Ness is, his style of writing is certainly new to me but is a very fresh and realistic change. He uses certain spelling or vocabulary to show that we are basically reading either directly from Todd's thoughts or out of some kind of journal.

Ex "You'll get an explanashun," Ben says, taking me by the arm and pulling me along. "You'll get more than you ever wanted." And there's so much sadness to him when he says it that I don't say nothing more, just follow along running back to the house, Manchee barking his head off behind us" (Ness, 41)

It both proves how little he actually had to learn to read, write and speak. Well that would make sense, that is, because books are banned from Prentiss Town. This book is a fun and compelling read. I can't wait to further explore the world of Todd Hewitt.

Conflicts So far in The Knife Of Never Letting Go.

So far from what information I have collected; the main conflicts in The Knife Of Never Letting Go are:

1. Person Vs. Society; When everyone can read your mind their is really no place to think. Todd is always constantly under watch. Soon into the book the whole town is chasing after him.

And the second I believe is Person vs. Nature, On Todds way to find the 'new frontier' he has to dodge wild crocodiles, run through swampy and slippery forests and follow weaving paths and trails along side a river! Todd, Manchee and their new acquired friend Viola race across the unfamiliar terrains and escape the clutches of the mayor, his goons and a crazy pastor named Aaron.
But as they get closer to their destination they learn more about each other, and about themselves. 

The Knife Of Never Letting Go part 3

Welcome back!

Just when I thought this couldn't possibly become anymore strange and interesting this story just becomes more and more of an adventure. As soon as Todd gets home he finds himself running away as fast as he can.
His guardians Ben and Cillian both become very alert and frightened when they catch wind of Todd's strange occurrence in the swamp. They run around the house collecting things and pulling up the floor boards to get to a backpack. Todd, getting no answers from either of the frantic pair just becomes more and more angry and scared by the minute. Just when Todd is about to get some answers the sheriff appears at their door gun loaded and ready to "talk" to Todd about what was heard from his thoughts.
Ben nearly has to push Todd out of the back door while Cillian fights off the young sheriff.
Todd and Manchee run off out the back door, and to their unknown destiny.

Thank you!

The Knife Of Never Letting Go- blog 2

Hello, this is Ray again and this is the second part of The Knife Of Never Letting Go.

Todd and Manchee were off trying to find swamp apples for Todd's guardian Ben when they notice that there is a break in the thoughts or "noise" so it is called in Prentisstown. The two call this break "quiet," it's the only way they can describe it. The effect it has on Todd is very strange he describes it as so:
 "Well, I can't hear it, that's the whole point, but when I run toward it the emptiness of it is touching my chest and the stillness of it pulls at me and there's so much quiet in it, no, not quiet, silence, so much unbelievable silence that I start to feel really torn up, like  i;m about to lose the most valuable thing ever, like there it is, a death, and I'm running and my eyes are watering and my chest is just crushing and there's no one to see but I still mind and my eyes start crying, they start crying, they start effing crying, and I stop for a minute and I bend over and Jesus H. Dammit, you can just a whole stinking, stupid minute bent over there, by which time, of, course, the hole is moving away, its moved away, it's gone." (Ness 15-16)
It seems to be such a foreign force to him that he cannot get close or he will collapse. So Todd runs away, back through town where he tries to hide what he had experience in his thoughts. But how do you hide something as big as this, when everyone can read your every thought?
Scared and confused Todd arrives back home to see his one of two guardians Ben, where the course of his life is changed forever.

Thank you!

The Knife Of Never Letting Go- Blog 1

Hey! This is Ray. This is the beginning to my many parted blog about The book: The Knife Of Never Letting Go. (Patrick Ness) I hope you enjoy it and have a great time reading. Thanks a bunch! -Ray

This book (though I have only read 13Pgs) has already been a very imaginative and different read.

It follows Todd, a 12 year old boy with a talking dog Manchee. Todd and Manchee live in Prentisstown, which, happens to be on a different planet. On this planet a few things seem different from our own... Everyone can hear each others thoughts, And there are no women on this planet.

So despite the differences from his planet and ours, Todd is just like a normal "almost man" boy.

Within the first few pages the way the characters talk was an almost comical twist to me. Todd saying things like "Yer" rather than "your" or when Manchee speaks and almost always has something to say about "poo". 

The way Ness creates the thoughts of the character is truly original. Making the thoughts a slurry of ideas and passing memories is an interesting way to view thoughts.  So Far this book has been a fun read and I can't wait to read more!

Thanks a bunch!

Ray.