The Ask and the Answer: With Bonus Short Story

by Patrick Ness

Book Overview

The riveting Chaos Walking trilogy by two-time Carnegie Medalist Patrick Ness, reissued with compelling new covers--and a bonus short story in each book. "Grim and beautifully written. . . . Superb. . . . This is among the best YA science fiction novels of the year." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Reaching the end of their flight in The Knife of Never Letting Go , Todd and Viola did not find healing and hope in Haven. They found instead their...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763676179
• ISBN13: 9780763676179
• Release Date: July 2014
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 560 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 5.3" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

Loved the entire trilogy.

Great books set in very unique setting with an interesting story. Couldn’t get enough of the main characters.

One of my most favorite reads in a while

It took me a day to read the first book, and a day to read this one. I could not put this series down to do anything else without thinking about it, so what did I do? Ignored all my responsibilies and read all day. The plot is engaging non-stop and the characters are honestly some of the most endearing and lovable I've ever seen that when I'm reading it literally makes me giddy like a school girl

book review

this book was a great read and i found it hard to put it down, usually the second book in a series is always the worst, because the writer has used up most of their ideas in their first book and are by now running out of steam, but not in this series, in this series the writer just kept on grabbing my attention with every new page that i turned to, this one still wasn't as good as the first book because there were was not enough action taking place in the middle of the book this was the only problem i found but i still think that this series, one of the only other series that i found as engaging as this book was the night angel trilogy which was written by brent weeks.

A twist and turn at every page!

This book was such an exciting one to read. I just couldn't read it fast enough. You never knew what was going to happen next. But so well written that you didn't get lost in the story. What a great follow up for book one and such a cliff hanger of an ending.(which I am okay with since I know there is a bk 3 coming soon. :) )I think both the books are just great and I have already ordered them so I can re read them as soon as they get here. Can't wait for book 3 to come out. I know it will be as amazing as the others. These are must reads for anyone looking for a great story to read.

Heavy, Emotive, and Heartbreaking

(this is the second book in the Chaos Walking trilogy. there will be spoilers for the first book, "The Knife of Never Letting Go", but not for "The Ask and the Answer". in a sentence or so: Todd and Viola finally arrive to Haven, only to discover that Mayor Prentiss has beat them there, and taken over the town. they are immediately separated, the town is divided over whether to trust the new leadership or to revolt...and then the bombing begins. this book begins right where the first book left off. like, within seconds of the first book. Todd and Viola finally arrive at Haven, a place they weren't even sure actually existed, just to have their hope and their victory snatched out from beneath them and forced - yet again - into a painful, confusing existence. the antagonist of the first book, Mayor Prentiss, has made himself president of Haven and changed the name to New Prentisstown (a bit of an ego, that guy). within moments of their capture, Todd and Viola are separated and questioned. told from first person perspective in alternating chapters between Viola and Todd, we learn that Todd is forced to work alongside Davy (president's son, shot Viola, not the best friend of Todd) managing the Spackle, the world's native population. Todd is faced with constant challenges to who he is, how he will treat these slaves, and what choices he will make in order to stay true to the man he has become and the man Viola knows him to be. however, being bullied by Davy and managing a silent work force come with extreme challenges...and that's on top of the loss of Viola and the uncertainty of what the heck is going on in New Prentisstown and what big plans the president seems to have for him. Viola is sent to a healing center where Mistress Coyle cares for her, and begins to train her as a healer. during her time there, Viola learns that Mistress Coyle has a history of rebellion and fighting against unruly authority. when Mistress Coyle disappears and the bombings start in New Prentisstown, Viola not only connects the dots but is also pursued by Mistress Coyle from the outside of town. eventually, Viola chooses to join the resistance - called The Answer - and reluctantly leaves her broken Todd behind. to describe this book as heavy and violent is an understatement. President Prentiss is relentless in his desire to rule, manipulate, and gain information from the people of New Prentisstown. however, he is sneaky and manipulative in his methods and seems to have mastered his Noise and the art of influencing other's Noise. perhaps that is why the President is able to slowly get away with segregating the men from the women, enforcing strict curfews, and - when things really start to heat up - banding the women with ID tags used for livestock and torturing potential informants. the middle book of a series has a tough job - advancing the story, sustaining interest, and being a solid stand alone read. the ask and the answer does that and more. this is highly charac

Better than the first one - a no spoilers review

I've just put the book down and....Wow. Just wow. There's no sophomore slump here; if anything this book is better since the first one ended in such a maddening place. Don't get me wrong, Mr. Ness ends this one in a doozy of a cliffhanger as well but at least this one ties up some loose ends and has some semblance of completion to it. Since the product description already mentions this, I don't feel it's a spoiler to say that Viola survives the shooting. In fact, she narrates a big portion of this story so you can see things from both the men's and women's perspective. The plot is just as compelling as the first book (maybe even more so?) and deals with issues of trust, love, leadership, and of course, war. Especially war -- how it's ingrained in humanity, yet it strips it of us. Ness' writing is top notch. Those who are grammar and spelling sticklers might wince at times but the misspellings and creative grammar are just a few of the tools Ness uses to convey train of thought. And see, that's where Ness shines. He has the uncanny ability to capture the duality of human cognition. How we talk to ourselves, evaluate and measure our decisions, how we vacillate in our opinions. Definitely, without a doubt, this book is worth your time.(You must have read the first book to understand anything in this one though.) Take out your calendar and clear a weekend because if you're like me, you won't be able to put it down. Now I'm on pins and needles in anticipation of the third book!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

It is important to read the first book in the CHAOS WALKING trilogy, THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO, before beginning THE ASK AND THE ANSWER. Patrick Ness doesn't leave anything out when he begins book two of the trilogy; THE ASK AND THE ANSWER picks up exactly where THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO leaves off. Todd, after being captured by Mayor Prentiss' men, wakes up with thoughts of Viola. He is beside himself with worry since Viola was dying in his arms when they were captured. Is she dead or alive? No one will tell him, and it is consuming his thoughts. Thoughts that everyone around him can hear. While everyone around Todd can hear what he is thinking, he can't hear the thoughts around him. It seems Mayor Prentiss has found a way to stop his Noise and the Noise of his men, thus explaining how Todd and Viola were lured into Haven and captured. Mayor Prentiss, now calling himself President Prentiss, uses Todd's concern for Viola to control him and force him into working with Prentiss' son, Davy, the one who shot Viola in the first place. Todd can't stand the people around him and feels the tasks assigned to him are barbaric and inhumane. Fear for Viola's safety prevents him from going against Prentiss and he suffers along with the other townspeople as security gets tighter and more strict every day because of a rebel uprising by a group calling themselves The Answer. Then...bombs...begin...to...explode. Patrick Ness has done it again. THE ASK AND THE ANSWER contains the same heart-pounding excitement as THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO. The reader will experience Todd's internal struggle with every decision he is forced to make in order to survive under Prentiss' control. You won't be able to stop reading and you'll be disappointed when you get to the end. The third installment in this fantastic trilogy can't come soon enough. Reviewed by: Karin Librarian