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.
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.
What Is Piper at the Gates of Dusk?
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?
Why Read Piper at the Gates of Dusk?
If you would like to pick up a copy of Piper at the Gates of Dusk, you can do so here in the US and here, in the UK. (Affiliate Links)
If you enjoyed this review, check out my other book reviews, here. This review also appears (in a slightly different form) on my own blog PotsandPlots.
I received a copy of this book in order to write this review.
