Piper at the Gates of Dusk: (A Young Adult Dystopian Adventure of Survival, Identity, and a Divided Future World)

Description: "Ness expertly weaves discussions of environmentalism, xenophobia, disability, gender identity, misinformation and disinformation, and more around explorations of family, personal agency, and belonging, creating a creative science-fiction roller coaster." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Two-time Carnegie Medalist Patrick Ness makes a thrilling return to the world of Chaos Walking with this launch of the extraordinary New World trilogy, in a deluxe package with sprayed edges and endpapers illustrated by Jim Kay.

It's been twenty years since the monstrous war that almost tore New World apart, and there's a new generation on the planet. Todd and Viola's sons Ben and Max have known only peace growing up on the family farm outside a bustling human settlement. They dream of the usual things, like school and adventure, until the nightmares begin . . .
A sudden sickness has infected the young people of New World with Noise in the form of their worst thoughts about themselves. Some suspect the Spackle, the indigenous people with whom humans have a very uneasy truce. Others wonder about a connection to a mysterious object looming in the sky. And then, one by one, the children of New World begin to disappear.
Ben, with his mother's logical mind, and Max, with his father's courageous heart, become caught up in separate quests for answers, journeys that will test their beliefs in their parents, each other, and in their very existence on the planet.
Patrick Ness makes a masterful return to New World in this timely work of science fiction, one that looks at the interplay of fear, power, and propaganda, and at the stories we tell ourselves.

Review Quotes: Ness expertly weaves discussions of environmentalism, xenophobia, disability, gender identity, misinformation and disinformation, and more around explorations of family, personal agency, and belonging, creating a creative science-fiction roller coaster. An absorbing, deeply human tale of finding common ground in the perpetual struggle to do the next right thing.
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

[A] gripping trilogy opener. . . . Witty, propulsive first-person narration alternates between the sibs' perspectives as they navigate issues of morality, mortality, identity, and disinformation.
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Ness tackles timely topics, such as identity, prejudice, and the consequences of misinformation.
--School Library Journal

[A] spectacular return to the world of his Chaos Walking trilogy. . . . the story will appeal to returning readers and new fans alike, desperate to follow Max and Ben to the end of the world to get answers on why the young people of New World begin to disappear, who the brothers can trust, and what it all means.
--Booklist

[A] welcome return to the world established in the Chaos Walking trilogy. . . . Ben and Max are each compelling narrators with strong perspectives. . . . Ness' immersive worldbuilding is fluid and subtle, with small details woven into observations, dialogue, stories from the Land, and even relationships and what those show about the planet. It all ends on a stunning cliffhanger, but fans can at least take heart that there are two more novels coming and new readers will be thrilled to have the original trilogy to read while waiting.
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books