Two-time Carnegie Medal-winner Patrick Ness returns to the world of Chaos Walking with the gripping and emotional Piper at the Gates of Dusk. This first installment in a planned YA sci-fi trilogy follows the intrepid sons of the original books' protagonists as the teens try to defeat child-thieving gods.
The Land, the indigenous people of the New World, use a wordless form of communication, dubbed "Noise" by the humans who live in "the city" on their planet. "When the first settlers landed... every man had Noise and no woman ever did." A cure was developed and 15-year-old brothers Max and Ben, like all children, received it. Now, a Glyph has arrived in the sky and kids are having Noise nightmares. When gods appear and steal Land and human children alike, Max and Ben learn that this has happened here before--and that an invasion is imminent. The Land and human denizens should unite, but genocidal preacher Margery Wingard denies the existence of gods and claims the Land is responsible. Then the gods surround the city.
Ben and Max offer candid insights in alternating first-person accounts, each expressing sadness and anger for human aggression toward the Land as they endeavor to solve this crisis. Ben, who cannot speak, feels especially voiceless when his communicator breaks; Max, who is adopted and trans, works through a tragic loss and others' judgment to maintain bravery and a good heart. The parents here shine--fallible yet accountable, openly emotional yet nurturing and protective. Ness (And the Ocean Was Our Sky; Different for Boys) delivers an incredibly layered story about settler colonialism, belonging, and the dangers of deceitful leadership, brilliantly juxtaposed with a gorgeous portrayal of interconnection. --Samantha Zaboski, freelance editor and reviewer