More Than This by Patrick Ness

Pages: 472
Intended Audience: Teens
Genre: Dystopian
Notes for Parents: There is mild language and some sexual references.

The Back Cover

Seth drowns, desperate and alone.
But then he wakes. Naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. And where is he? The street seems familiar, but everything is abandoned, overgrown, covered in dust.
He remembers dying, his skull bashed against the rocks. Has he woken up in his own personal hell? Is there more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife?

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The author, Patrick Ness, has won the Carnegie Medal twice, the Costa Children’s Book Award, the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Red House Book Award, the Jugendliteratur Preis, the UKLA Award, and the Booktrust Teenage Prize.

What’s good?

Inventive world-building, strong writing, and an evenly-paced plot, make this an compelling adventure mystery. The main character, Seth, is well-drawn, relatable, and easily likeable. The supporting characters have depth and purpose, except The Driver, who’s just plain terrifying. All of the characters feel genuine. The writing is descriptive and emotive, but never overdone. The plot is complex without being complicated, and short chapters keep it moving at a good speed. The story has it all – action, adventure, survival, mystery, humor, suspense, science fiction, philosophical musings, and even some romance.
Best Part: The (super creepy) Driver.

What isn’t good?

The suspense and masterful rise in action almost guarantee disappointment. Seth gets so emotional, the situation becomes so dire, and the mystery builds to such an intensity that a suitable climax was impossible. Oddly, this doesn’t take away from the fact that it was clever, engaging, and an absolute page-turner. A few incidents felt significant at the time, but didn’t really amount to anything, but even those were interesting.
Worst part: What happens now?

Recommendation þþþþo

Just about every chapter ends with a cliff hanger. It’s difficult to put down. About halfway through, I was so hooked that I knew with almost certainty that I would be disappointment regardless of how it ended. I wanted a mind-blowing ending, but knew it wasn’t possible. The end was good, but everything leading up to it was way better. Regardless, it was well-done. Definitely recommended.

Ness, Patrick. More than This. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2013.