Book #47: Three short stories set in the Chaos Walking world
Book #47 of 2013: Three short stories set in the Chaos Walking world, by Patrick Ness. Technically not a book, and probably shorter than a real book, but I'm going to count it in the year's count anyway. All stories are free to download once you register with the publisher (and optionally opt in to Ness's newsletter).
After each of the three Chaos Walking books (the final one reviewed by me yesterday), Ness wrote a short story. Each story was meant to be read after each book, but I ended up reading them all at once at the end of the trilogy.
The New World: A story about how the female main character of the series came to arrive on the new planet. I was surprised at how much I disliked this. The character was younger and a typical teenage girl. I've said before how little I enjoy reading about typical teenagers. All she did was whine and not appreciate what her parents and others were doing for her, let alone not appreciating that she was going to be one of the first people on the new world. Whine whine whine, woe is me, whine whine whine.
The Wide, Wide Sea: I liked this story the best, by leaps and bounds. Even when humans go to a new planet to live, they don't leave their prejudices and hatreds behind. A friendship or love story (depending on how you read it -- it was a love story, but younger readers would probably miss the clues and see it as friendship), between one of the planet's aliens and one of the newly arrived humans.
This story also illustrated something I really like about Ness's writing: He can be subtle. He writes adult themes (same sex relationships, physical sexual relationships), that could be missed by younger folks but that adults can see.
Snowscape: I didn't like this one much for two reasons. 1) It showed the aliens could be human too (mean, cruel, heartless), but did it in a heavy-handed way. 2) [Mention about the trilogy's ending, minorly spoilerly]It wrapped up something in the ending of the last book. I like open endings so much better. I was really, really disappointed to read the more tidy conclusion.
So, counting this as a book, that means I have three more to read to make 50 for the year. It's possible I'll make it, though unlikely. (Though for the hundredth time, I remind myself that I'm not officially in 50bookchallenge and I'm not really trying to hit 50. Even if I totally am.)
After each of the three Chaos Walking books (the final one reviewed by me yesterday), Ness wrote a short story. Each story was meant to be read after each book, but I ended up reading them all at once at the end of the trilogy.
The New World: A story about how the female main character of the series came to arrive on the new planet. I was surprised at how much I disliked this. The character was younger and a typical teenage girl. I've said before how little I enjoy reading about typical teenagers. All she did was whine and not appreciate what her parents and others were doing for her, let alone not appreciating that she was going to be one of the first people on the new world. Whine whine whine, woe is me, whine whine whine.
The Wide, Wide Sea: I liked this story the best, by leaps and bounds. Even when humans go to a new planet to live, they don't leave their prejudices and hatreds behind. A friendship or love story (depending on how you read it -- it was a love story, but younger readers would probably miss the clues and see it as friendship), between one of the planet's aliens and one of the newly arrived humans.
This story also illustrated something I really like about Ness's writing: He can be subtle. He writes adult themes (same sex relationships, physical sexual relationships), that could be missed by younger folks but that adults can see.
Snowscape: I didn't like this one much for two reasons. 1) It showed the aliens could be human too (mean, cruel, heartless), but did it in a heavy-handed way. 2) [Mention about the trilogy's ending, minorly spoilerly]It wrapped up something in the ending of the last book. I like open endings so much better. I was really, really disappointed to read the more tidy conclusion.
So, counting this as a book, that means I have three more to read to make 50 for the year. It's possible I'll make it, though unlikely. (Though for the hundredth time, I remind myself that I'm not officially in 50bookchallenge and I'm not really trying to hit 50. Even if I totally am.)