The New World (FREE short story) [Kindle Edition]

Patrick Ness (Author)

Book Description

In this dramatic short story -- a prequel to the award-winning Chaos Walking Trilogy -- author Patrick Ness gives us the story of Viola's journey to the New World. Whether you're new to Chaos Walking or an established fan, this prequel serves as a fascinating introduction to the series that Publishers Weekly called "one of the most important works of young adult science fiction in recent years."

Editorial Reviews

Review

The New World is a prequel to the award-winning Chaos Walking trilogy, setting the stage for the world we discover in The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, and Monsters of Men. The story was written while the author served as writer in residence for the Booktrust an independent UK-wide charity dedicated to encouraging people of all ages and cultures to enjoy books. The New World tells of Viola's journey to the New World, brilliantly capturing the hope and fear of settlers in search of a new life. Patrick Ness told Amazon exclusively that he wrote it "as a huge and deeply-felt thank you to readers. I've had so many questions about Viola and what her life was like before that I couldn't resist the opportunity to reveal just a little bit extra. I knew these things - they're vitally important to her as a character, even if they're not directly in the novels - so it felt like a secret trip I could take readers on. The challenge was to make it work on its own, too, so anyone could read it. That was really, really good fun, and I hope the final result is an exciting one." The New World can be read before or after the trilogy – and some readers may choose to do both. The story works as a standalone piece, but readers already familiar with The Knife of Never Letting Go will learn more about Viola’s life and the events leading to her arrival and first encounter with Todd, while newcomers to the trilogy will discover a white-knuckle ride of an introduction to the series. Whether you're a new or faithful reader, though, it's a welcome chance to immerse yourself in the world of Chaos Walking.

Product Details

• File Size: 167 KB
• Print Length: 25 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (September 27, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0044KM2L2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,950 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 73 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Harbinger: Won't disappoint October 5, 2010

By Hollybally VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Thirteen-year-old Viola has never seen a forest, a river, or the sea. As a second generation colonist and born-and-raised ship dweller, all she knows is vid, arts with Bradley, training pads and convoy life. But when her family's chosen to be the first scouting party to land on New World, she's torn between fear and hope. Fear because the previous settlers were never heard from again and hope because it's all the future settlers have. What she doesn't know is that the experience will be both hopeful and frightful in ways she couldn't expect.

At only 24 pages The New World is more a short story than a novella, but it compensates for its brevity in fine writing. Coinciding with the US release of the final Chaos Walking book Monsters of Men, Patrick Ness intended it as a gift to his fans, but since there are no spoilers to the trilogy it is also the perfect way for prospective readers to wet their feet without a commitment. I'm not sure how Ness did it but somehow he managed to micro-package the essence of the trilogy, seamlessly weaving passionate characters with heart, thought-provoking moral questioning, addictive hooks a la Suzanne Collins, and massively sheer cliffhangers. I'll sound like an infomercial here but if you've ever thought this series might be for you, this is the perfect place to start, and since the pdf and Kindle editions are free, there are no more excuses. A tantalizing preface to The Knife of Never Letting Go and companion to the series, it's a given that The New World is not to be missed by fans.

46 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun prequel - I'm hooked October 1, 2010

By Beth Kristen Nehme

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a prequel to an award winning young-adult trilogy which has been out in print for a few years will be coming out on Kindle shortly when the third book is released.

This is one of the best free prequel kindle intoductions that I've read. The characters were engaging. The situation is intriguing. A young girl is a third generation colonist to a new world. She faces the prospect of living on a planet when both her generation and her parents have only lived on the spaceship. Should she be excited, or terrified?

I can't wait to start the series. Maybe they can push up the release date?

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I NEEEEEDD to read the rest of this book October 1, 2010

By Reviewer

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was totally blown away from the chapter...hooked hooked hooked! I am usually a non-fiction science reader...so it takes alot for a "story book" to capture my attention
The author knows exactly how to sink the hook in deeper with every section. Just when you are hanging on to his every word, the climax is cut just a little short to explain the background a little. You end up dying with curiosity but equally enthused about the background you're reading...because when you do get back to the climax, the understanding you gained from the in-between history of the character makes that moment peak even more!!

I hope the rest of this book is equally riveting!

More About the Author

As a child
I was born on an army base called Fort Belvoir, near Alexandria, Virginia, in the United States. My father was a drill sergeant in the US Army, but much nicer than that makes him seem. I only stayed at Fort Belvoir for the first four months of my life and have never even been back to the East Coast of America. We moved to Hawaii, where I lived until I was almost six. I went to kindergarten there, and we used to have field trips down to Waikiki Beach. I once picked up a living sea urchin and got about a hundred needle pricks in the palm of my hand. I made up stories all the time as a kid, though I was usually too embarrassed to show them to anybody.

As an adult
I've only ever really wanted to be a writer. I studied English Literature at the University of Southern California, and when I graduated, I got a job as a corporate writer at a cable company in Los Angeles, writing manuals and speeches and once even an advertisement for the Gilroy, California Garlic Festival. I got my first story published in Genre magazine in 1997 and was working on my first novel, The Crash of Hennington, when I moved to London in 1999. I've lived here ever since. I taught Creative Writing at Oxford University for three years, usually to students older than I was.

As an artist
So far, I've published two books for adults, a novel called The Crash of Hennington and a short story collection called Topics About Which I Know Nothing, a title which seemed funny at the time but less so 10,000 mentions later... Here's a helpful hint if you want to be a writer: When I'm working on a first draft, all I write is 1000 words a day, which isn't that much (I started out with 300, then moved up to 500, now I can do 1000 easy). And if I write my 1000 words, I'm done for the day, even if it only took an hour (it usually takes more, of course, but not always). Novels are anywhere from 60,000 words on up, so it's possible that just sixty days later you might have a whole first draft. The Knife of Never Letting Go is 112,900 words and took about seven months to get a good first draft. Lots of rewrites followed. That's the fun part, where the book really starts to come together just exactly how you see it, the part where you feel like a real writer.

Things you didn't know about Patrick Ness
1. I have a tattoo of a rhinoceros.
2. I have run two marathons.
3. I am a certified scuba diver.
4. I wrote a radio comedy about vampires.
5. I have never been to New York City but...
6. I have been to Sydney, Auckland and Tokyo.
7. I was accepted into film school but turned it down to study writing.
8. I was a goth as a teenager (well, as much of a goth as you could be in Tacoma, Washington and still have to go to church every Sunday).
9. I am no longer a goth.
10. Under no circumstances will I eat onions.

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Patrick Ness is the author of the Chaos Walking trilogy. The Knife of Never Letting Go, Book One of the trilogy, won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the Booktrust Teenage Prize. The Ask and The Answer, the second book in the trilogy won the Costa Children's Book Award 2009. The third book, Monsters of Men, is released in September 2010.

He has also written a novel (The Crash of Hennington) and a short story collection (Topics About Which I Know Nothing) for adults, has taught Creative Writing at Oxford University, and is a literary critic for the Guardian. Born in Virginia, he lives in London.