If you’re a huge fan of Patrick Ness’ Chaos Walking Trilogy like me I’m sure you didn’t want to leave New World behind at the end of Monsters of Men. Chaos Walking is one of those series that has really stuck with me and I often want to reread it right from the start. A few years ago Patrick gave his readers a gift when he released his free short story, The New World, about Viola coming to New World. I loved this story because it gave us a snapshot of Viola’s life before all hell broke loose in The Knife of Never Letting Go.
Walker Books have just re-issued the Chaos Walking Trilogy with very cool new jackets (and they look great beside the originals I have to say). Not only do they have new covers, they also each contain a new short story, set in New World. In the new edition of The Ask and the Answer you can read The Wide, Wide Sea, which takes place just before the first Spackle War and stars Mistress Coyle. It focuses on the relationship between a human and a Spackle in the sea-side settlement of Horizon. In the new edition of Monsters of Men you can read Snowscape (my favourite of the three), which takes place after the events of the trilogy.
I loved each of these stories! They’re like the special features on a DVD – you get extra insights into the world of the stories and you get to return to your favourite (or most hated) characters. Patrick says that he sees the stories as treats, ‘If you made it all the way through the trilogy, here’s some hopefully fun rewards.’ Well I certainly feel like Christmas has come early. If you’re a fan of the series you have to read them.
The really awesome thing is that you don’t even have to buy copies of the new editions to read the stories. You can read all of them for FREE at www.chaoswalkingstories.com.au, where you can also enter to win signed Chaos Walking goodies.
Don’t forget – enter my competition to win a signed copy of the new edition of The Knife of Never Letting Go or The Ask and the Answer.
