Guest Book Review: Niall Alexander reviews The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Today I have a grand little guest review by none other than the beloved Speculative Scotsman, Niall Alexander. I am very grateful to him for taking some time out of his super mega busy schedule and providing a review for your delectation. I can assure you, no one writes a review like Niall (in a good way!) so enjoy this and then head on over to his blog and become a follower!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Reviewed by Niall Alexander

Another day, another dystopia.

In a village surrounded on all sides by the risen dead and so utterly isolated that the ocean has taken on mythic status, amongst a community of survivors over which the fiercely traditional Sisterhood holds sway, young Mary has lived her entire life with one foot in the grave and her head resolutely in the clouds. "How fragile we are," she muses, "like fish in a glass bowl with darkness pressing in on every side." (p.37) But reality bites, and Mary's bleak reality bites all the harder, for suddenly the time comes to be married off in accordance with the Sisterhood's strictures, and no-one's asked for her hand.

However, such questions - of a loveless marriage, or a life utterly without love, or only the love of a God this misbegotten girl has given up on - such questions as those are soon forgotten when the township that is all Mary has ever known comes under attack, first from within... and then without. Without, where the Unconsecrated roam...

I don't know if it began with The Hunger Games - I doubt it - or if this fascination with the plight of those left behind by the end of the world was only buoyed by the success of Suzanne Collins' game-changing trilogy, but the state of play in YA today is much of a muchness either way: nary a month goes by without the launch of yet another new series with designs on all those readers taken by the Mockingjay's tale.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth, I think, is not that. I mean, yes, it's a trilogy; yes, there's a love story sewn through it, without which seam the whole quilt would come apart in your hands; and yea, verily, the young protagonists - chief amongst them a girl burdened with responsibilities beyond than her years - spend it fighting for their very lives in a world gone to hell in a hand basket. Par for the course, perhaps. Swap out Collins' contestants (themselves ripped from The Running Man) for zombies, or the Unconsecrated as The Forest of Hands and Teeth has it, and you've pretty much got the gist of this one. Or you would, were it not for Carrie Ryan's incredibly powerful prose.

Now it's not always immaculate. Particularly as the going goes, and we approach an all-or-none conclusion so devastating as to put one once more in mind of The Hunger Games and its bittersweet denouement, particularly then Ryan seems to sacrifice the composure she's shown in order to up the ante, and I would really rather she hadn't. Add to that a heroine who seems to see-saw from one emotional extreme to the other in a matter of minutes, and a love triangle which can seem duly contrived, and perhaps you begin to grasp how roundly style trumps substance in The Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But I can forgive a beautiful wordsmith much, and Carrie Ryan is that, at times. To wit, writers with such admirable aspirations often fall afoul of prose so minutely considered as to seem overwrought - some might say I should know! - yet there is a terrific undercurrent of the unspoken to Ryan's dialogue, while the understated comes naturally to her exposition. Her imagery is often haunting; her lexicon evocative, and absolutely appropriate to the tale, which is to say one of solitude and belief, love and trust.

Imagine if you will The Reapers Are the Angels for readers a touch younger than Alden Bell's audience, with - and why not? - a certain helping of The Hunger Games crowbarred in for good measure, and of course added bullet points in the marketing materials. As such, I would recommended The Forest of Hands and Teeth, but only with the aforementioned reservations. If a lesser author had knocked the same story out, I'd have said to steer clear, yet the larger part of Carrie Ryan's debut works a dark charm as a showcase of a formidable talent on an upwards trajectory - if not as a particularly notable narrative in its own right.

Thanks so much, Niall - definitely a book that I need to get to!

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Monsters of Men is the third and final novel in the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness, and has been shortlisted for the Arthur Clark award, which is what led to me picking up the novel. Monsters of Men deals with war, the settlement of a planet, how to establish peace, to what extent control is required with other men. I don't want to say much about the plot, for fear of spoiling this or the other two novels in the series for anyone reading the review. These are definitely three novels that you want to come to with no expectations and no knowledge of plot details, because the twists and turns will be all the more explosive for it.

Monsters of Men shows brilliantly the different facets of war - invasion, terrorism, trying to eradicate a way of life, segregation and fear of the unknown. It explores the manner in which words can be used to indicate "sides" in a war, such as this exchange:

"...as far as any objective observer can see, the President is a mass murderer and Mistress Coyle is a terrorist."
"I'm a general," the Mayor says.
"And I'm fighting for freedom," says Mistress Coyle.

Above all - and as with the other two books in the trilogy - Monsters of Men is about choices. The choices we make that define us; the choices thrust upon us; the choices influenced by others. From the moment in the first novel (The Knife of Never Letting Go) where Todd has to decide whether to use a knife, to the very end of Monsters of Men, Todd and Viola show incredibly effectively how their choices affect the very outcome of a war.

This novel is both softer and more tender than the previous two, and also more visceral and nightmarish as the settlers descend into outright war. There are moments of heartbreak, where I found tears in my eyes, and moments where I wanted to put the book down and never pick it up again because I was so frustrated by some of those aforementioned choices, or so frightened by what was about to happen to the characters I've grown to love. Ness makes you feel EVERYTHING, assisted tremendously by the first person perspective which, in this novel, switches between Todd, Viola and a member of the Spackle race.

The ending is incredibly ambiguous and might leave some readers feeling a little let down or confused, but I loved it. I thought it was the perfect way to end this trilogy, after everything that has gone before. The hope and the pain fit beautifully with the events we've already seen.

I honestly don't believe that anything else I read this year will live up to the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness. This is something incredibly special, and I'm honestly surprised that more people haven't been shouting at me to read it. Well, consider this me shouting to everyone else: READ THE CHAOS WALKING TRILOGY BY PATRICK NESS! It is suitable for all ages, and for both sexes (which I find incredibly unusual). It is brilliantly written, with vibrant voices and very immediate characters. It is a true rollercoaster ride. Just perfect.

Clarke Award thoughts: Well.... It says something that, when the shortlist was announced, I wanted to read all six novels put forward. After reading this one, I have little interest in the others in comparison. It was so powerful, so thought provoking, and yet also so much fun to read. It is the perfect distillation of a reading experience - something that makes you wonder and contemplate at the same time as being a breeze and a joy to pick up. The fact it is YA, and the fact it is the third in a trilogy, might make the judges hesitate to hand the prize to Patrick Ness. Even without reading the other five novels, I want Ness to get this. I want the judges to celebrate YA and the way it is pushing boundaries, more so right now than any other area of literature. Monsters of Men is an absolutely deserving winner of the Arthur C Clarke Award *crosses fingers and wishes*

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

It is incredibly hard to write any sort of synopsis for The Ask and the Answer - this is a novel that relies on the reader groping their way blind through the story, being double crossed by the author's supreme talents, and learning for themselves the themes that are strongly conveyed. I do not want to spoil anything for those coming to this series for the first time - part of the rollercoaster feel to the novels are that you never know what is around the next corner. In essence, you have a situation where Viola and Todd have arrived in Haven, to discover the Mayor already waiting for them. They are split up and both suffer various events thanks to the formation of both the Ask and the Answer, opposing forces who want very different outcomes. By the end of the novel, war is imminent. And that really is ALL I can say!

My overwhelming feeling while reading The Ask and the Answer is that it should be handed to ANYONE who questions the relevance and importance of YA fiction. Some of the themes are as weighty and difficult to fathom as in the hardest philosophical discussion - themes such as power, control, the nature of tyranny, the reasons for war, love. These are powerful themes, yet presented in a manner which will thrill, scare and horrify young adult readers.

I particularly enjoyed the fact that Ness plundered periods in history to examine these themes. In the 'A' graffitied through New Prentisstown during the attacks of the Answer - and the fact the force is formed entirely of women - we have shades of the suffragettes, fighting for the right to be heard and have freedom. In the imprisonment of people, and the manner in which they are tagged and interrogated, we can see concentration camps, especially since people are segregated. Oppression and terror throughout history are represented here, from Nazis, to Communists, to the Chinese government.

We are also shown segregation and prejudice of people other than ourselves, thanks to the spackle and the fact they are treated much like slaves. Reminds me very much of the white man's treatment of black people...

So much happens in this novel that it would be far too breathless were it not for the very strong characters to fix upon and root for. These characters are drawn realistically in shades of grey, rather than absolutes. They commit cruelty because they believe it to be right; they make mistakes; they are distrusting at times. Some characters you hate to begin with become sympathetic characters by the end, and vice versa.

And once again, for me at least, an animal steals the show everytime she is on the page - this time Angharrad, Todd's horse, and her constant desire for reassurance, to feel the rest of the herd around her; her mutterings of 'boy colt' when she sees Tod. I adored her.

Honestly, I cannot understand why anyone with a deep love for science fiction and strong characters isn't picking up this trilogy. If you are put off by the YA label, and the fact that you believe The Ask and the Answer is for younger readers, you couldn't be more wrong. There are timeless qualities about this novel, ageless qualities, and the ability to present those themes that cut right to the heart of most human beings. The Ask and the Answer is, impossibly, a stronger read than The Knife of Never Letting Go, a novel that truly astonished me. Visceral horror and cruelty, moments of great tenderness and poignancy, and a central duo to fall in love with - The Ask and the Answer is a novel of supreme power, and touched me deeply. A tour de force.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness is the story of Todd Hewitt, a boy on the verge of manhood who lives in a place called Prentisstown. In Prentisstown there is Noise - every man, boy and animal (there are no women) projects their thoughts and can be heard. Pictures, shouts, dark thoughts, happiness - nothing is secret, all is shared. On a day leading up to Todd's birthday, he is wandering in the swamp near Prentisstown and hears an absence of Noise, something he has never encountered before. At this point Todd's life changes irrevocably and he is forced on the run from everything and everyone he has ever known.

This is the best novel I have read this year by a LONG way. It was simply tremendous - breathless, exciting and yet with a heart and morals and discussion points that lifts it far beyond the realm of most YA fiction. I would say quite honestly that it is about the best children's/YA book I have read EVER.

The novel lives and dies on how well you get on with Todd - the story is told from his first person perspective, even down to his heavy dialect. As such, you encounter words such as 'direkshun' and 'ain't' is used profligately. I could see that this might irritate some people reading The Knife of Never Letting Go, but personally I felt this gave the novel an immediacy and intimacy - you literally heard and felt everything Todd experienced. I particularly enjoyed the way Todd would correct himself, or talk directly to the reader ("Run!" I shout to Manchee, turning and making a break for the back doors. (Shut up, you honestly think a knife is a match for a machete?)

Another wonderful facet to the tale is the fact that animals are able to talk as well. The aforementioned Manchee is Todd's dog - and we learn at the start of the book that even though animals CAN talk, it doesn't mean they have anything profound to say: "Squirrel, Todd! Squirrel!" Manchee reminded me a great deal, in fact, of Doug from the Pixar film Up - an amusing sidekick in a lot of ways, but also capable of providing incredibly touching moments. Manchee was probably my favourite part of The Knife of Never Letting Go.

The titular knife represented, for me, the march into adulthood that Todd is forced to experience. Early on in the novel it is said that a knife makes no decisions, the hand holding it does - and thereafter is used to demonstrate the decisions that Todd must make as he becomes a man. There is also decent social commentary on what adulthood involves.

I liked the way that the fact it is the MEN who project the Noise, and the women who remain silent. It seemed rather a sardonic nod to the fact that this is almost role reversal from real life (or certainly what is perceived to be the case). It also allowed Ness to explore matters of importance to boys and men - not wanting to appear cowardly, discovering morals and lines of honour, how to treat women. All of these were represented both realistically and very sympathetically.

Honestly, I cannot wax lyrical enough about this book. I had seen it read and reviewed by others, but had very little interest. I only picked it up this time around because the third novel of the series has been shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke award - and I am so glad that I was directed to do so. This novel FEELS important. It is horrific, funny and thoughtful by turn - and never less than brilliant.