3.5 stars. A fairly dark young adult story that is quite violent. Quite amazing what all gets labeled as young adult fiction these days. Our protagonist is Todd Hewitt, a 12-year old boy a month away from coming of age on his home world, called New World. The colonists landing on this planet found a native race, the Spackles, who unleashed a germ on the planet that makes everyone telepathic. The phenomenon is called The Noise, and no one can escape it. It also killed all the women in Prentisstown, the dark and unsettling town that Todd calls his home. Everything changes though when Todd finds a bubble of silence in the swamp near town that turns out to be a girl called Viola. His foster parents send Todd packing, to flee and warn others of Prentisstown. He flees with Viola and his dog Manchee, and on this tortuous trip along the river, Todd is faced with the truth that everything he was taught in Prentisstown was a lie.

It's a bit Huckleberry Finn, this story of their escape along the river, as the two of them try to stay ahead of their pursuers. The style of storytelling isn't always to my liking, and as mentioned above, there's a fair amount of depicted violence. The Noise angle is quite interesting, and I really want to learn more about the Spackles. The last pages of the book made me want to fling my Kindle across the room, because it's a giant, whopping cliffhanger. I suppose I will keep on reading, bah! Well played, Mr. Ness.