PotsandPlots

When a new Patrick Ness book comes along, it’s always exciting. When that book is in the Chaos Walking universe, it’s more thrilling still.

Enter Piper at the Gates of Dusk, a new book by Patrick Ness, set, yes, you’ve guessed it, in the Chaos Walking universe.

Growing Information:

Plant With: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Chaos Walking

Grows Into: A powerful story of being yourself and an examination of power structures and political manipulation

Rating: Hardy Perennial 🌻🌻🌻 (Check here for rating information.)

Available now in Hardback (affiliate link).

Do I need to read the Chaos Walking books first?

Probably.

I read the Chaos Walking books when they first came out. I had very small children at the time, and while I definitely enjoyed them, my parent brain hasn’t allowed me to retain very much information about them. Indeed, reading The Piper at the Gates of Dusk has me wondering whether I can find time in the schedule to reread them. – Answer, probably not, but I feel like I should do it anyway.

The key thing is that I remembered many of the key concepts, particularly those outlined in the Knife of Never Letting Go. The plot backfill in The Piper is fine; you don’t need to remember all (any) of the details for the original trilogy’s storyline, but I do think that familiarity with the Chaos Walking world will be beneficial.

The Review

My proof copy doesn’t mention that this is the first book in a new series. This is definitely something to be aware of, because as the book hurtled towards its final pages, it became increasingly clear that the story wasn’t going to be complete. It ends with quite the cliffhanger.

Piper introduces us to two new characters, Max and Ben, the sons of Todd and Viola.

Life has carried on with an uneasy peace between the humans and “The Land,” but there are factions within the human enclave that are agitating for a less cooperative arrangement. This gives rise to one thread of the novel, which is deftly handled by Ness.

The power of silken words and manipulation. The use of lies, the stoking of fears and utilising misinformation to “other” a group of people for political gain. In this case, the Land.

Much of this fake news centres around the strange dreams that all of the children have been having. All of the children, that is, except Ben.

The “Noise” from the Chaos Walking books has been eradicated from the men of the world, and yet the children have started hearing it again in their dreams.

If that wasn’t enough, huge fiery “gods” have started appearing in the wilderness and abducting children; snatching them, jumping into water and disappearing.

The Land have also discovered that an asteroid (spaceship) is heading towards the planet too. Are the two things connected? Through the ancient dreamscape of The Land, we learn that they are, but what exactly are they here for, and where are the children going?

The Book of Never Letting Go

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from The Piper at the Gates of Dusk. Returning to much-loved series doesn’t always work, and as I mentioned, I was hazy on the details of the previous books.

It took a few chapters for me to find my way in, but as I read, I found I was increasingly captivating. I was reminded of Stephen Cox’s Our Child of the Stars. The Land in Piper, have a similar otherworldly simplicity to the child in Cox’s book. Both authors use it to examine the complexity of human interaction, in particular power struggles and our seemingly innate mistrust (dislike) of anything different to the norm.

I wasn’t completely sold on the firey gods. They never felt fully explained, and felt, frankly, a bit silly. That was while I thought I was reading a single volume – there’s now two more books for them to properly make sense. Also, I say I found them a bit silly, but as I reflect on that paragraph, there is one section later in the book, where they featured, that reading, almost paralysed in fear at the thought of the destruction they might wreak.

The power struggles within Piper form its backbone, but what give it it’s strength is its examination of famillal bonds. There are deep ties within the book, across a number of relationships and they make for enthralling reading. Be warned, there is some tough reading for a parent (and indeed for children of aging parents)

I devoured the last third of the book, desperate to learn more about the novel’s central mystery and how things were going to shake out for Max, Ben, Todd and Viola.

As Piper at the Gates of Dusk hurtles towards its conclusion and the leaves you hanging out for more. It’s moving parts interlock seemlessly, to make a glorious narrative engine. I’m not sure how long I will have to wait for the next instalment, but I hope its not too long. Ness has posed questions I need to know the answers too, hidden fates that I must have revealed, but above all, created a cast of characters I care about and I MUST find out what will happen to them.