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As a world-ending war surges to life around them, Todd and Viola face monstrous decisions, questioning all they have ever known as they try to step back from the darkness and find the best way to achieve peace.Tags
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I have literally just finished reading Monsters of Men and I am short of breath. That's the kind of book this is - it takes your breath away. Of the three in the trilogy, this is by far my favourite. Todd and Viola are a romantically linked couple of EPIC proportions and this novel is a testament to the power of love in someone's life.
In this installment of the Chaos Walking series, The Ask and The Answer are at war with each other, but also with The Spackle (or as they call themselves, The Land). The allegorical connection with displaced indigenous populations is at its most evident in this novel, particularly with the arrival of a scout ship from Viola's people being thrown into the mix. Bradley and Simone, from Viola's home world, show more show the best and the worst of humans and it is often through the lens of their actions that we see how extreme the other protagonists have become.
Ben told Todd long ago that "war makes monsters of men" and this novel leaves us in no doubt that men and women are both capable of turning into monsters in war.
Hearing the voice of The Land reminded me very much of things I have read by, and about, Native Americans - and also of Australia's indigenous population's link to the land. This is definitely a novel rich in content and philosophical points to ponder. The nature of revenge, the healing power of love, the pain of taking the life of another - all are explored here.
I cannot possibly say much more without spoilers , except to say that this series will be something I will carry with me the rest of my life. Sounds like a big call, I know, but I have rarely been as affected by a story as I have been by Chaos Walking and I urge you to read it and never let it go.
Thank you Patrick Ness, for this powerful journey. show less
In this installment of the Chaos Walking series, The Ask and The Answer are at war with each other, but also with The Spackle (or as they call themselves, The Land). The allegorical connection with displaced indigenous populations is at its most evident in this novel, particularly with the arrival of a scout ship from Viola's people being thrown into the mix. Bradley and Simone, from Viola's home world, show more show the best and the worst of humans and it is often through the lens of their actions that we see how extreme the other protagonists have become.
Ben told Todd long ago that "war makes monsters of men" and this novel leaves us in no doubt that men and women are both capable of turning into monsters in war.
Hearing the voice of The Land reminded me very much of things I have read by, and about, Native Americans - and also of Australia's indigenous population's link to the land. This is definitely a novel rich in content and philosophical points to ponder. The nature of revenge, the healing power of love, the pain of taking the life of another - all are explored here.
I cannot possibly say much more without spoilers , except to say that this series will be something I will carry with me the rest of my life. Sounds like a big call, I know, but I have rarely been as affected by a story as I have been by Chaos Walking and I urge you to read it and never let it go.
Thank you Patrick Ness, for this powerful journey. show less
MONSTERS OF MEN by Patrick Ness is one of the best series enders I've ever read. At no point in time did I know where the story was going or how it was going to play out. I felt the push and pull of the characters, their emotional turmoil, and their simple hopes. The villainy is perfect with the immensity of the morally gray area impacting every decision. It is the type of novel that kept me thinking about it long after finishing.
One of the best aspects of MONSTERS OF MEN is the idea that there are no easy answers/decisions. This is such an important lesson to teach younger generations, one I feel we tend to overlook as we prepare the children to take their places in society. We want to make things easy for them because we know how show more difficult life is, but not letting them experience the difficulty before they leave "their nests" is more harmful than helpful in the long run.
Mr. Ness, however, makes sure that all readers understand that sometimes, all the choices you might have are terrible, and all you can do in those situations is to trust what you know, listen to those who might know more than you, and follow your instincts. Viola and Todd are still so very young, barely in their teens, and have to make long-lasting decisions well before they should have to. That they struggle to do so is not a fault of theirs but rather an accurate depiction of someone who has to grow up too fast, who is responsible for too much too young, and who does not have the emotional or mental maturity that comes with time and experience.
At the same time, Mr. Ness shows how much adults also struggle to make decisions that impact a community. Leading is hard. Being responsible for other people is also difficult, and while it may get a little easier to make wide-sweeping decisions as an adult, it is never easy. Being responsible means making decisions that may negatively impact some but will overall be positive for the majority. It means choosing the lesser of the two evils, and sometimes, it even means choosing with nothing but your gut and a fervent wish you chose correctly. These are important lessons for anyone to learn, but they become even more important the closer you are to the target audience of the novel.
I love that we don't get all of the answers at the end of MONSTERS OF MEN. It's so fitting with what Mr. Ness does with the rest of the story. Life so rarely gives us the answers we want, and Mr. Ness's stories are the same. Given everything that is happening in the US right now, the chaos that seems to be the current administration's motto, the Chaos Walking series, ending with MONSTERS OF MEN, is particularly important as it shows us a path out of the chaos and into a peaceful existence with those who are currently our foes. The Chaos Walking series might take place on another planet and involve alien species, but it is also a universal story of love versus hate, knowledge versus power, and fear versus acceptance. show less
One of the best aspects of MONSTERS OF MEN is the idea that there are no easy answers/decisions. This is such an important lesson to teach younger generations, one I feel we tend to overlook as we prepare the children to take their places in society. We want to make things easy for them because we know how show more difficult life is, but not letting them experience the difficulty before they leave "their nests" is more harmful than helpful in the long run.
Mr. Ness, however, makes sure that all readers understand that sometimes, all the choices you might have are terrible, and all you can do in those situations is to trust what you know, listen to those who might know more than you, and follow your instincts. Viola and Todd are still so very young, barely in their teens, and have to make long-lasting decisions well before they should have to. That they struggle to do so is not a fault of theirs but rather an accurate depiction of someone who has to grow up too fast, who is responsible for too much too young, and who does not have the emotional or mental maturity that comes with time and experience.
At the same time, Mr. Ness shows how much adults also struggle to make decisions that impact a community. Leading is hard. Being responsible for other people is also difficult, and while it may get a little easier to make wide-sweeping decisions as an adult, it is never easy. Being responsible means making decisions that may negatively impact some but will overall be positive for the majority. It means choosing the lesser of the two evils, and sometimes, it even means choosing with nothing but your gut and a fervent wish you chose correctly. These are important lessons for anyone to learn, but they become even more important the closer you are to the target audience of the novel.
I love that we don't get all of the answers at the end of MONSTERS OF MEN. It's so fitting with what Mr. Ness does with the rest of the story. Life so rarely gives us the answers we want, and Mr. Ness's stories are the same. Given everything that is happening in the US right now, the chaos that seems to be the current administration's motto, the Chaos Walking series, ending with MONSTERS OF MEN, is particularly important as it shows us a path out of the chaos and into a peaceful existence with those who are currently our foes. The Chaos Walking series might take place on another planet and involve alien species, but it is also a universal story of love versus hate, knowledge versus power, and fear versus acceptance. show less
Monsters of Men is the third instalment of the "Chaos Walking" young adult trilogy, and starts off right where The Ask and the Answer stopped. Which was disaster looming on three fronts, in case you'd forgotten. You'd have to wonder what characters could get themselves in such a mess and then realise: characters who make very human mistakes. Again, Todd and Viola struggle on against overwhelming odds, sometimes make a wrong mistake, and have to learn to live with the consequences. And we come along for the white knuckle ride, all the way.
I think all young people should read this series, and have the Mayor pointed out as the sort of complete sociopath they may run into in their adult lives. Give them some advance warning that some adults show more can be horrible, yet able to weasel out of anything and everything. "But I did it for your own good", "you made me do it", etc.
Yay for a character you love to hate. (Boo! Hiss!)
It's a great and satisfying ending to a great trilogy, for the YA dystopia fans out there. But bring a box of tissues. show less
I think all young people should read this series, and have the Mayor pointed out as the sort of complete sociopath they may run into in their adult lives. Give them some advance warning that some adults show more can be horrible, yet able to weasel out of anything and everything. "But I did it for your own good", "you made me do it", etc.
Yay for a character you love to hate. (Boo! Hiss!)
It's a great and satisfying ending to a great trilogy, for the YA dystopia fans out there. But bring a box of tissues. show less
Wow. Just . . . . wow.
This wasn't just a novel, a story; it was an experience. This trilogy was absolutely something new. I've never, ever, read anything like Chaos Walking--somehow Patrick Ness can convey emotions so clearly and powerfully. I am so glad I was not reading the last third in public, because my face was all twisted and alternating between gross sobbing and wide-mouthed shock and then more gross sobbing.
What used to annoy me, especially the fonts and the arrangement of the words on the pages, is something I regard now as art. He was making a picture out of the page, much like a composer painting a picture through the score and the instrument voices. It's so beautiful.
Characterization is as stellar as in the first two show more books. Each character was a person, a real person, realized with faults and everything. But they were all there for a reason; faults because of the actual character, not because it was a conscious decision: "oh gee I need to add faults to this character of mine, here let's reach into the grab bag," these characters breathed and their words were believable and it's all the most perfect characterization I've ever experienced coming off a page. Patrick Ness has quickly became my biggest inspiration.
Oh, goodness, and the STORY. And the arcs and the twists! I can't remember reading any other book that's made me cry so much as this trilogy has. I'll probably be traumatized by Chaos Walking my whole life, but it's not necessarily a bad thing, either . . .
Boy I can't wait to see what Ness creates next . . . show less
This wasn't just a novel, a story; it was an experience. This trilogy was absolutely something new. I've never, ever, read anything like Chaos Walking--somehow Patrick Ness can convey emotions so clearly and powerfully. I am so glad I was not reading the last third in public, because my face was all twisted and alternating between gross sobbing and wide-mouthed shock and then more gross sobbing.
What used to annoy me, especially the fonts and the arrangement of the words on the pages, is something I regard now as art. He was making a picture out of the page, much like a composer painting a picture through the score and the instrument voices. It's so beautiful.
Characterization is as stellar as in the first two show more books. Each character was a person, a real person, realized with faults and everything. But they were all there for a reason; faults because of the actual character, not because it was a conscious decision: "oh gee I need to add faults to this character of mine, here let's reach into the grab bag," these characters breathed and their words were believable and it's all the most perfect characterization I've ever experienced coming off a page. Patrick Ness has quickly became my biggest inspiration.
Oh, goodness, and the STORY. And the arcs and the twists! I can't remember reading any other book that's made me cry so much as this trilogy has. I'll probably be traumatized by Chaos Walking my whole life, but it's not necessarily a bad thing, either . . .
Boy I can't wait to see what Ness creates next . . . show less
This book, nay - this trilogy, is a masterpiece. A disturbing, often deeply unpleasant, brilliant masterpiece. It had my heart racing and my mind jumping ahead and my feelings constantly stirring, for the characters I hated at first who actually turned out to be great, for the desolation of war that left no man or woman unburnt, for the hopes I had that were crushed and then exceeded and then crushed again, over and over in an incredible roller coaster of character driven magnificence. Despite it being a YA/children's book, I don't think it's very suitable for anyone under the age of fifteen at least. There is some serious darkness in here, darkness that perhaps a younger child wouldn't be able to understand, but one that is ultimately show more paramount to the shaping of one's morality. It carries so much weight on its little shoulders, such an impossible weight, but one that reveals itself very gradually and allows itself to be heard and understood. It's beautiful and it's fast and thrilling and it'll break your heart a few times, quite cruelly too, but the payoff is so worth it.
That being said, I cannot recall the last time I cried this hard at a book. It's got its way of worming into your heart quietly until it's wedged there and there's nothing you can do but let it take you on a journey.
Kinda like Todd. show less
That being said, I cannot recall the last time I cried this hard at a book. It's got its way of worming into your heart quietly until it's wedged there and there's nothing you can do but let it take you on a journey.
Kinda like Todd. show less
It's high time I wrote a review for this baby. I mean, I finished it almost exactly four months ago, why have I not written one yet?!
Well, the last installment of Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking Trilogy is a tour de force in every sense of the phrase. All of the conflicts that have been brewing in the previous two books- Todd vs. the Mayor, the warring factions, the Spackle, Noise manipulation- come to a head in this one. It's violent, powerful, bloody, intense, smart, suspenseful... And you'll love every goddamn minute of it.
Monsters of Men starts with three armies converging upon New Prentisstown. The Ask, the Answer, and the Spackle, and each one is looking for blood. Todd and Viola are stranded on opposite sides of the divide: Viola is show more swept up into the Answer while the Mayor takes a liking to Todd and places him above all his lieutenants in the Ask. As if the borderline-terrorist warfare between the two groups isn't enough, the people that both have wronged have banded together to reclaim their own justice once and for all: The Spackle.
All of the characters are dragged through hell and back. The Mayor starts to seem like he may not be all that insane, the Ask and the Answer are forced to co-operate, and even Todd and Viola start to doubt each other. What makes Monsters of Men so intense are all the mind games and psychological warfare played between all three sides. As Todd grows stronger and begins to fear his own strength, the Mayor grows closer to both him and Viola. Viola makes strides of her own while wondering if the Mayor is truly as protective of Todd as he seems, and why. She and Todd grow somewhat wary of each other, but, in the end, they come back together to become the ultimate duo of awesomeness.
The viewpoint from the Spackle was incredibly interesting, as is the way they communicate- similar to the bugger hive mind in Ender's Game. I sympathised with them a lot, as we begin to realise just how much sh*t the humans of New World have put them through. But it makes the reader wonder... Is this how they should exact their revenge? By slaughtering the humans, who surely aren't going to fly back across the cosmos to Earth? Does that make the Spackle any better than their oppressors?
Noise also becomes quite an interesting factor in this book, as well as how it can be used to mass-communicate and manipulate. Mayor Prentiss even teaches Todd some things as well asteaching him to read (a little) . Todd's own skills with Noise grow, and he uses them- sometimes inadvertently- to achieve things. But the only person he can't seem to use Noise as a weapon against is Mayor Prentiss... But with the almost kind way Prentiss has been treating him of late, Todd wonders if he's even an enemy.
Unquestionably the best trilogy I have ever read, Chaos Walking has no shortage of twists and turns and nail-biting cliffhangers. It is completely unique in characters and premise, and the books just kept getting better. (Seriously- I rated The Knife of Never Letting Go as three stars, The Ask and the Answer escalated to four, and finally Monsters of Men got my highest rating of five.) We learn about family and hope and love, but also of the horrors of violence and war and how they make monsters of men. Do yourself a favour and start the trilogy (if you haven't already) because I promise you, you won't regret it. show less
Well, the last installment of Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking Trilogy is a tour de force in every sense of the phrase. All of the conflicts that have been brewing in the previous two books- Todd vs. the Mayor, the warring factions, the Spackle, Noise manipulation- come to a head in this one. It's violent, powerful, bloody, intense, smart, suspenseful... And you'll love every goddamn minute of it.
Monsters of Men starts with three armies converging upon New Prentisstown. The Ask, the Answer, and the Spackle, and each one is looking for blood. Todd and Viola are stranded on opposite sides of the divide: Viola is show more swept up into the Answer while the Mayor takes a liking to Todd and places him above all his lieutenants in the Ask. As if the borderline-terrorist warfare between the two groups isn't enough, the people that both have wronged have banded together to reclaim their own justice once and for all: The Spackle.
All of the characters are dragged through hell and back. The Mayor starts to seem like he may not be all that insane, the Ask and the Answer are forced to co-operate, and even Todd and Viola start to doubt each other. What makes Monsters of Men so intense are all the mind games and psychological warfare played between all three sides. As Todd grows stronger and begins to fear his own strength, the Mayor grows closer to both him and Viola. Viola makes strides of her own while wondering if the Mayor is truly as protective of Todd as he seems, and why. She and Todd grow somewhat wary of each other, but, in the end, they come back together to become the ultimate duo of awesomeness.
The viewpoint from the Spackle was incredibly interesting, as is the way they communicate- similar to the bugger hive mind in Ender's Game. I sympathised with them a lot, as we begin to realise just how much sh*t the humans of New World have put them through. But it makes the reader wonder... Is this how they should exact their revenge? By slaughtering the humans, who surely aren't going to fly back across the cosmos to Earth? Does that make the Spackle any better than their oppressors?
Noise also becomes quite an interesting factor in this book, as well as how it can be used to mass-communicate and manipulate. Mayor Prentiss even teaches Todd some things as well as
Unquestionably the best trilogy I have ever read, Chaos Walking has no shortage of twists and turns and nail-biting cliffhangers. It is completely unique in characters and premise, and the books just kept getting better. (Seriously- I rated The Knife of Never Letting Go as three stars, The Ask and the Answer escalated to four, and finally Monsters of Men got my highest rating of five.) We learn about family and hope and love, but also of the horrors of violence and war and how they make monsters of men. Do yourself a favour and start the trilogy (if you haven't already) because I promise you, you won't regret it. show less
**Spoiler warnings for The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and the Answer.**
"War makes monsters of men," Ben warns Todd in The Knife of Never Letting Go. Right from the start, we see this play out in the war between the Mayor's people and the Spackle, the indigenous population of New World. Meanwhile, Mistress Coyle tries to get the upper hand by meeting with the newly arrived ship carrying Viola's people to resettle the land. All Todd and Viola want is peace, but at what price will it come?
Carrying on from the questions of motives, choice, and character that The Ask and the Answer put forth, Monsters of Men focuses more exclusively on war and what kind of people desire war over peace. I struggled more with the story because the show more themes appear to me to have more of an agenda than in the earlier books. While I hesitate to take universals out of a particular story, in science fiction and fantasy especially its hard not to see these as more "universal" ideas and ideals that can be - and sometimes are meant to be - applied to the real world. I don't mean that the author specifically had an agenda in writing this story, just that it was hard for me not to read it that way, and I wasn't sure I always agreed with the conclusions. Once again, the plot generally hums along, keeping you caught up in events and wondering what's going to happen next even while causing you to grapple with the larger themes. A few times, I wasn't sure if I would end up mad with the author's designs for his characters, but all in all I was happy with the way the series wraps up. show less
"War makes monsters of men," Ben warns Todd in The Knife of Never Letting Go. Right from the start, we see this play out in the war between the Mayor's people and the Spackle, the indigenous population of New World. Meanwhile, Mistress Coyle tries to get the upper hand by meeting with the newly arrived ship carrying Viola's people to resettle the land. All Todd and Viola want is peace, but at what price will it come?
Carrying on from the questions of motives, choice, and character that The Ask and the Answer put forth, Monsters of Men focuses more exclusively on war and what kind of people desire war over peace. I struggled more with the story because the show more themes appear to me to have more of an agenda than in the earlier books. While I hesitate to take universals out of a particular story, in science fiction and fantasy especially its hard not to see these as more "universal" ideas and ideals that can be - and sometimes are meant to be - applied to the real world. I don't mean that the author specifically had an agenda in writing this story, just that it was hard for me not to read it that way, and I wasn't sure I always agreed with the conclusions. Once again, the plot generally hums along, keeping you caught up in events and wondering what's going to happen next even while causing you to grapple with the larger themes. A few times, I wasn't sure if I would end up mad with the author's designs for his characters, but all in all I was happy with the way the series wraps up. show less
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Author Information
44+ Works 29,537 Members
Patrick Ness was born on October 17, 1971 near Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He studied English Literature and is a graduate of the University of Southern California. He was a corporate writer before moving to London in 1999. He taught creative writing at Oxford University and is a literary critic and reviewer for the Guardian and other major show more newspapers. He is the author of eight novels including The Rest of Us Just Live Here and a short story collection entitled Topics About Which I Know Nothing. His young adult novels include the Chaos Walking trilogy, More Than This, and Monsters of Men, which won the Carnegie Medal. A Monster Calls won the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration, the Carnegie Medal, and was made into a movie and released in October 2016. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Gallimard, Folio SF (494)
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Monsters of Men
- Original title
- Monsters of Men
- Original publication date
- 2010-05-03
- People/Characters*
- Todd Hewitt; Viola
- Important places
- New Prentisstown, New World
- Epigraph
- Who’s in the bunker?
Who’s in the bunker?
Women and children first
And the children first
And the children
I laugh until my head comes off
I swallow ’til I burst
–Radi... (show all)ohead, “Idioteque” - Dedication
- For Denise Johnstone-Burt
- First words
- "War," says Mayor Prentiss, his eyes glinting. "At last"
- Quotations
- I am the Circle and the Circle is me
Boy Colt
"I hope I'd make the right choice, but, Viola, it is a choice. To say you have no choice is to release yourself from responsibility and that's not how a person with integrity acts." (p. 182) - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Keep calling for me, Viola - Cuz here I come.
- Blurbers*
- Vendel, Edward van de
- Original language
- English
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Teen, Fiction and Literature, Young Adult, Science Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 813.6 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 2000-
- LCC
- PZ7 .N43843 .M — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
- BISAC
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