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Chaos Walking #3.5
Snowscape
A Chaos Walking short story to read with Monsters of Men.
Set shortly after the events of Monsters of Men, this gripping story is a must-read for fans of Patrick Ness's award-winning trilogy. A scout ship discovers a monstrous creature lurking in the arctic wastes of the New World's final frontier. As the crew, including two much loved characters from the trilogy, face up to the monster, sensational new truths about Todd and Viola's world are revealed.
33 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 17, 2013
117 people are currently reading
10240 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Ness
58 books18.7k followersPatrick Ness, an award-winning novelist, has written for Radio 4 and The Sunday Telegraph and is a literary critic for The Guardian. He has written many books, including the Chaos Walking Trilogy, The Crash of Hennington, Topics About Which I Know Nothing, and A Monster Calls.
He has won numerous awards, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Booktrust Teenage Prize, and the Costa Children’s Book Award. Born in Virginia, he currently lives in London.
He has won numerous awards, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Booktrust Teenage Prize, and the Costa Children’s Book Award. Born in Virginia, he currently lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 668 reviews
December 26, 2015
That last sentence though.
June 4, 2013
Attention Chaos Walking fans! You can read this story as well as "The New World" and "The Wide Wide Sea" by going here! Or see message 15 in the comments below (in fact, that would probably be the better option because it's faster, haha).
Note: If you haven't read the whole trilogy yet, this story is best read after Monsters of Men. … And by that I mean, trust me, do not read this unless you've read Monsters of Men. Or you will like, spontaneously combust or something.
Well, all I can say is … My little fangirl heart was not prepared for this story. I was just reading along and suddenly:
THE ENDING. OH DEAR LORD.
But I'll put that aside for a moment and try to just talk about the short story itself. The ending definitely made my day (well, and my life pretty much), but I don't want to ignore the fact that the rest of the story is amazing as well.
First of all, we get to see some beloved old characters––Lee and Wilf! SQUEEEE! YES YES YES.
I thought it was really cool to get Lee's point of view. He's a cool character and I always kind of wanted to know more about him. So … I loved getting his perspective so much. And what was so awesome about it––besides it being Lee––was this idea of him being blind, but using other people's Noise in order to see.
That. Is. So. Cool.
Patrick Ness you freakin' genius, stop being so awesome. Just stop. (Haha just kidding don't stop, I love you.)
And then there was the monster in this story … the Snowscape. Holy hell, I was terrified of that thing, biting everyone's heads off and all. Yikes.
But it's not just a two-dimensional evil creature, either. I won't spoil it––but I'll just say, there's actually quite a terrible and sad story behind the existence of this monster. And dang, it's not what I expected. Patrick Ness, your creativity always amazes me.
Okay, and now I have to address the ending because it's killing me.
For those who didn't read the spoiler––there is one killer ending. OMG.
So yeah, okay. This was utterly fantastic and I loved it and it gave me all the feels. The end.
Oh yeah, also this happened:
OMG PATRICK NESS ACKNOWLEDGED MY EXISTENCE. WE ARE PRACTICALLY BEST FRIENDS NOW, RIGHT??????
Note: If you haven't read the whole trilogy yet, this story is best read after Monsters of Men. … And by that I mean, trust me, do not read this unless you've read Monsters of Men. Or you will like, spontaneously combust or something.
Well, all I can say is … My little fangirl heart was not prepared for this story. I was just reading along and suddenly:
THE ENDING. OH DEAR LORD.
But I'll put that aside for a moment and try to just talk about the short story itself. The ending definitely made my day (well, and my life pretty much), but I don't want to ignore the fact that the rest of the story is amazing as well.
First of all, we get to see some beloved old characters––Lee and Wilf! SQUEEEE! YES YES YES.
I thought it was really cool to get Lee's point of view. He's a cool character and I always kind of wanted to know more about him. So … I loved getting his perspective so much. And what was so awesome about it––besides it being Lee––was this idea of him being blind, but using other people's Noise in order to see.
That. Is. So. Cool.
Patrick Ness you freakin' genius, stop being so awesome. Just stop. (Haha just kidding don't stop, I love you.)
And then there was the monster in this story … the Snowscape. Holy hell, I was terrified of that thing, biting everyone's heads off and all. Yikes.
But it's not just a two-dimensional evil creature, either. I won't spoil it––but I'll just say, there's actually quite a terrible and sad story behind the existence of this monster. And dang, it's not what I expected. Patrick Ness, your creativity always amazes me.
Okay, and now I have to address the ending because it's killing me.
For those who didn't read the spoiler––there is one killer ending. OMG.
So yeah, okay. This was utterly fantastic and I loved it and it gave me all the feels. The end.
Oh yeah, also this happened:
OMG PATRICK NESS ACKNOWLEDGED MY EXISTENCE. WE ARE PRACTICALLY BEST FRIENDS NOW, RIGHT??????
January 22, 2022
If you read and enjoyed the Chaos Walking trilogy, then this novella is for you. It's from Lee's perspective and while I can't say I particularly loved or needed that POV, this deserves 4 stars for the last line alone 💜
June 2, 2024
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
This is the final offering of the series and they should be read in order. In this one we have a travel expedition consisting of humans as they explore the planet they have settled on. They end up meeting a group of Spackle that are different from the ones they have met before.
I am one of the few people who thought the novel finale to this series wasn't the best offering. Going into this I was not sure if I wanted to read it because of that reason. Did I really need an epilogue to the series that I thought did not end on the best note? Immediately I was dispelled of that notion as I was fully immersed in this right away. I love the idea of exploring the planet and meeting a new group of natives and seeing their differences. I also believe that Patrick Ness is at his best when he has a message behind his story which this one does. For a short story I thought the author did a tremendous job of getting me to care about the "antagonist" and I thought it was very heart wrenching. That was something I did not see coming especially in a short story. I feel like there is not enough time spent with the characters in a short story. That is not the case with this story. I had to deduct a half star for the last line even though many readers on here loved it. For me it seemed like the author tacked it on to this story because he knows that he sort of screwed up with the finale of the last novel. I understand why readers love it but I don't think it belongs in this story.
I am glad I read this as the last novel of this series left a sour taste in my mouth. It was a shame too because I was enjoying this series until that book. Even though this does not add much to the overall arc (besides the last line) this was a pleasant way to spend my last time in this universe.
This is the final offering of the series and they should be read in order. In this one we have a travel expedition consisting of humans as they explore the planet they have settled on. They end up meeting a group of Spackle that are different from the ones they have met before.
I am one of the few people who thought the novel finale to this series wasn't the best offering. Going into this I was not sure if I wanted to read it because of that reason. Did I really need an epilogue to the series that I thought did not end on the best note? Immediately I was dispelled of that notion as I was fully immersed in this right away. I love the idea of exploring the planet and meeting a new group of natives and seeing their differences. I also believe that Patrick Ness is at his best when he has a message behind his story which this one does. For a short story I thought the author did a tremendous job of getting me to care about the "antagonist" and I thought it was very heart wrenching. That was something I did not see coming especially in a short story. I feel like there is not enough time spent with the characters in a short story. That is not the case with this story. I had to deduct a half star for the last line even though many readers on here loved it. For me it seemed like the author tacked it on to this story because he knows that he sort of screwed up with the finale of the last novel. I understand why readers love it but I don't think it belongs in this story.
I am glad I read this as the last novel of this series left a sour taste in my mouth. It was a shame too because I was enjoying this series until that book. Even though this does not add much to the overall arc (besides the last line) this was a pleasant way to spend my last time in this universe.
September 9, 2015
BLESS. If this novella didn't exist, I'd be a very unhappy lady. Crazy!! Never a dull moment in Chaos Walking!
December 30, 2020
First Read: February 2017, Rating: 4/5 stars
Second Read: December 2020, Rating: 4/5 stars
This is a follow up short story to the Chaos Walking trilogy and can be found here.
This follows on from events that occur in the final book of the trilogy, Monsters of Men. I feel it was only fair that Ness chose to give Lee a voice in this final story, seen as he in the main series.
Lee, along with a crew of nine others, have set off to explore their new home planet. They have travelled from Spackle group to Spackle group until they reached the snowy reaches of the edge of the world. This icy region is thought desolate and uninhabited but the group soon learn, with devastating consequences, that this is incorrect.
This was probably my favourite short addition to the series, as it brought back many of the original beloved side-characters. It furthered both the main story and gave the reader a broader perspective of the world.
The utter magic of Ness' writing is that it never delivers the expected. Despite this measuring in at under 50 pages, it still managed to re-evoke one of my favourite fictional worlds, create believable characters and creatures, and make the reader exhibit every emotion on the spectrum! I am only sad that reading this truly means I have reached the end of my adventures in this world.
Second Read: December 2020, Rating: 4/5 stars
This is a follow up short story to the Chaos Walking trilogy and can be found here.
This follows on from events that occur in the final book of the trilogy, Monsters of Men. I feel it was only fair that Ness chose to give Lee a voice in this final story, seen as he in the main series.
Lee, along with a crew of nine others, have set off to explore their new home planet. They have travelled from Spackle group to Spackle group until they reached the snowy reaches of the edge of the world. This icy region is thought desolate and uninhabited but the group soon learn, with devastating consequences, that this is incorrect.
This was probably my favourite short addition to the series, as it brought back many of the original beloved side-characters. It furthered both the main story and gave the reader a broader perspective of the world.
The utter magic of Ness' writing is that it never delivers the expected. Despite this measuring in at under 50 pages, it still managed to re-evoke one of my favourite fictional worlds, create believable characters and creatures, and make the reader exhibit every emotion on the spectrum! I am only sad that reading this truly means I have reached the end of my adventures in this world.
April 1, 2019
Yay for more short stories set in this world!
What I liked:
- WILF <3
- It's nice to see what happens after the series ended, and to see how things are going with what they settled on.
- The Snowscape in itself was kind of sad and horrible, but you can also relate to the deeper theme of humans loving to have their own snowscapes so they don't have to handle their own problems. And I will forever love that even though this is a short story, if you wanted to analyse this YA sci-fi book, you could. Because Ness is a brilliant writer that way.
- Getting to learn more about the Spackle? Yes pls.
- Novellas that are free should be this length. Like, it's not The Wrath and The Dawn novella short where the story doesn't even get started, but it's also not long enough that it should've been paid for.
What I was meh about:
- It's narrated by Lee and let's be honest, as much as he was able to grow on me by the end of the series because of what happened to him, I didn't really care about him >.> Especially because of his relationship in the book kind of just threw in a trope that no one needed.
What I liked:
- WILF <3
- It's nice to see what happens after the series ended, and to see how things are going with what they settled on.
- The Snowscape in itself was kind of sad and horrible, but you can also relate to the deeper theme of humans loving to have their own snowscapes so they don't have to handle their own problems. And I will forever love that even though this is a short story, if you wanted to analyse this YA sci-fi book, you could. Because Ness is a brilliant writer that way.
- Getting to learn more about the Spackle? Yes pls.
- Novellas that are free should be this length. Like, it's not The Wrath and The Dawn novella short where the story doesn't even get started, but it's also not long enough that it should've been paid for.
What I was meh about:
- It's narrated by Lee and let's be honest, as much as he was able to grow on me by the end of the series because of what happened to him, I didn't really care about him >.> Especially because of his relationship in the book kind of just threw in a trope that no one needed.
November 23, 2018
This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription
Not as good as the rest of the books but certainly important if you are still curious what happens after THAT ending in MoM!
Not as good as the rest of the books but certainly important if you are still curious what happens after THAT ending in MoM!
September 17, 2018
Go ahead, break my heart, I don't care. *sobs*
February 28, 2019
YAS! I CAN FINALLY BREATHE AGAIN!
August 4, 2013
Not an official review but OH MY EFFING GOODNESS!!!!
Spoiler coming up:
I began to read this story out of the pure curiosity of what happens to our beloved Todd and as soon as I began to read, I realized that I'll never get the closure I wanted. I was 99.9% sure that there would be no mention of Todd because of where the story was headed....
AND THEN THE LAST TWO PAGES HAD ME LIKE... OMG... I CAN'T EVEN...
HE'S AWAKE!!!
And those were the only words I ever had to hear. After having my heart broken for far too long because of the open-ended, leave-it-to-your-imagination ending of Monsters of Men... I was overjoyed to the ending of this amazing story by the astounding Patrick Ness. The tears flowed and it took a while for them to stop. I'd give this 43 page short story 6/5 stars if I could.
Spoiler coming up:
I began to read this story out of the pure curiosity of what happens to our beloved Todd and as soon as I began to read, I realized that I'll never get the closure I wanted. I was 99.9% sure that there would be no mention of Todd because of where the story was headed....
AND THEN THE LAST TWO PAGES HAD ME LIKE... OMG... I CAN'T EVEN...
HE'S AWAKE!!!
And those were the only words I ever had to hear. After having my heart broken for far too long because of the open-ended, leave-it-to-your-imagination ending of Monsters of Men... I was overjoyed to the ending of this amazing story by the astounding Patrick Ness. The tears flowed and it took a while for them to stop. I'd give this 43 page short story 6/5 stars if I could.
May 1, 2017
Sada kada sam procitala i novele ove predivne trilogije i kada su se utisci malo slegli, mogu da kazem da je knjiga jednostavno fantasticna!!!
Kada mi je kum doneo knjige i dok sam ga slusala koliko ih hvali, bila sam malo skepticna posto je u pitanju Y/A distopija. Ali, ljudi moji, ovo nikako nije knjiga za decu, omladinu, sta godi. U taj zanr se moze svrstati samo po stilu pisanja i godinama glavnih protagonista. Sve ostalo, tema koja Nes opisuje, medjuljudski odnosi i sukobi su preteski za nevine decije mozgove.
Da postoji mogucnost da se da vise od 5 zvezdica, ova trilogija bi ih dobila 10!!!
*Now when I read the short story of this amazing trilogy, and when my impressions shrugged, I can say that the book is simply fantastic !!!
When my godfather brought books and while I was listening to how his gloryfing, I was a little skeptical since it is Y/A dystopia. But, folks, this is not a book for children, adolescents, whatever. In this genre can be classified only by the style of writing and the age of the main protagonists. Everything else, a subject that Ness describes, interpersonal relations and conflicts are too difficult for the innocent children's minds.
If there is a possibility that this trilogy can be given more than 5 stars, it will won 10 of them !!!*
Kada mi je kum doneo knjige i dok sam ga slusala koliko ih hvali, bila sam malo skepticna posto je u pitanju Y/A distopija. Ali, ljudi moji, ovo nikako nije knjiga za decu, omladinu, sta godi. U taj zanr se moze svrstati samo po stilu pisanja i godinama glavnih protagonista. Sve ostalo, tema koja Nes opisuje, medjuljudski odnosi i sukobi su preteski za nevine decije mozgove.
Da postoji mogucnost da se da vise od 5 zvezdica, ova trilogija bi ih dobila 10!!!
*Now when I read the short story of this amazing trilogy, and when my impressions shrugged, I can say that the book is simply fantastic !!!
When my godfather brought books and while I was listening to how his gloryfing, I was a little skeptical since it is Y/A dystopia. But, folks, this is not a book for children, adolescents, whatever. In this genre can be classified only by the style of writing and the age of the main protagonists. Everything else, a subject that Ness describes, interpersonal relations and conflicts are too difficult for the innocent children's minds.
If there is a possibility that this trilogy can be given more than 5 stars, it will won 10 of them !!!*
September 27, 2025
2022 rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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2025 rating: ⭐⭐
i have no clue why my original rating for this is so high because this novella is completely useless. the other ones in this series actually serve a purpose but this one was just so irrelevant that i was genuinely so bored reading it. the only important part of it is quite literally in the last 2 pages, and even then, i don't think that was needed. i feel like the way that 'monsters of men' ended was perfect, because it was kind of left on a cliff-hanger, but also gave us the answer we needed (iykyk). i think adding this whole novella where we get, like, EXTRA confirmation that just takes away from it. i don't know man, i just don't really see the point of this one.
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2025 rating: ⭐⭐
i have no clue why my original rating for this is so high because this novella is completely useless. the other ones in this series actually serve a purpose but this one was just so irrelevant that i was genuinely so bored reading it. the only important part of it is quite literally in the last 2 pages, and even then, i don't think that was needed. i feel like the way that 'monsters of men' ended was perfect, because it was kind of left on a cliff-hanger, but also gave us the answer we needed (iykyk). i think adding this whole novella where we get, like, EXTRA confirmation that just takes away from it. i don't know man, i just don't really see the point of this one.
September 12, 2014
If war is hard - and it is, forever and always -then after war is just as hard, in a different way.
A glimpse into what happened after Monsters of Men ended. It includes one of my favorite characters - Wilf. I really, really miss Todd though. Mr.Ness can you pretty please write another full length installment in the Chaos walking series. And if it's not asking too much maybe you can bring Manchee back from the dead.
February 8, 2017
Another intriguing look into a different part of Patrick Ness's world. I liked how it confirmed the ending of Monsters of Men and I felt very emotional at the last page. Just a very suitable ending. I want more short stories or books because I love what Patrick Ness has created.
June 25, 2013
ASLKDFJKSDFKLJFKJSDFKL;JFKFJKLFLKDFDLFSSKSKAKSHFKDKD;LAJK;LKD;ASJFKLS;JFIELFJSLKFJS;FNDLJNDLKJNLKDFJSLFKJNSKLJLDKFKLDFMSMSKLFM AHAHHHHHHFEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TODDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!
THAT EXPLAINS IT ALL...
TODDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!
THAT EXPLAINS IT ALL...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2020
“If war is hard - and it is, forever and always - then after war is just as hard, in a different way.”
And here it is... My favorite story of the series!
This short story takes place a few months after the final book and takes us on a journey to meet the rest of the planet called New World. And let's just say what we meet on this journey is peaceful and horrific and WOW! I want more adventure like this!
And here it is... My favorite story of the series!
This short story takes place a few months after the final book and takes us on a journey to meet the rest of the planet called New World. And let's just say what we meet on this journey is peaceful and horrific and WOW! I want more adventure like this!
June 4, 2013
OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY.
My prayers/positive thoughts have been answered! Patrick Ness actually wrote two additions short stories set in the Chaos Walking world.
Well it is real life and I can't handle what my emotions are doing to me
Oh right, the review. Ahem...right. Back on track.
Without saying too much about the plot, I want to establish an already known fact: Patrick Ness knows how to write young adult stories. This was no exception. We all know how you felt reaching the end of Monsters of Men and this additional 40 pages will bring those emotions back but ooh guys, your questions will be answered.
If you want to be kept in the dark, I don't recommend reading this book! I know some of you enjoy ambiguous endings and I do too. I have a love-hate relationship with the ending of Monsters of Men but as much as it hurt me, I still revisit it every year. I flip back to those last pages and UGH FEELS. It hurts but it feels you good, you know what I mean? Snowscape offers "closure" to the readers but if you don't want that, you can ignore these 40 pages exists.
My prayers/positive thoughts have been answered! Patrick Ness actually wrote two additions short stories set in the Chaos Walking world.
Well it is real life and I can't handle what my emotions are doing to me
Oh right, the review. Ahem...right. Back on track.
Without saying too much about the plot, I want to establish an already known fact: Patrick Ness knows how to write young adult stories. This was no exception. We all know how you felt reaching the end of Monsters of Men and this additional 40 pages will bring those emotions back but ooh guys, your questions will be answered.
If you want to be kept in the dark, I don't recommend reading this book! I know some of you enjoy ambiguous endings and I do too. I have a love-hate relationship with the ending of Monsters of Men but as much as it hurt me, I still revisit it every year. I flip back to those last pages and UGH FEELS. It hurts but it feels you good, you know what I mean? Snowscape offers "closure" to the readers but if you don't want that, you can ignore these 40 pages exists.
May 14, 2016
I’m not sure if I think this story added anything to the series or not. I’m leaning towards not. The bulk of the story was ok fun, but not necessary in any way. It added a little to the exploration of Noise, but nothing as thought provoking as I found most of the facets of the series. I didn’t particularly enjoy it. Now, the ending-
March 25, 2017
Omg that was angsty af.
And also really interesting.
I'm glad to know they're finally exploring their new world, and also glad the peace between them and the Spackles is working so well.
But the story in itself made me feel like I was reading a horror story tbh ^^
Also the end made me SO happy :D
Around the Year in 52 books.
52. A book set in a fictional location.
3.75
And also really interesting.
I'm glad to know they're finally exploring their new world, and also glad the peace between them and the Spackles is working so well.
But the story in itself made me feel like I was reading a horror story tbh ^^
Also the end made me SO happy :D
Around the Year in 52 books.
52. A book set in a fictional location.
3.75
March 20, 2016
That sentence, that one final sentence, was the perfect closure for the entire series.
(If you'd like to read any of the short stories from the Chaos Walking series, they're available for free download here.)
(If you'd like to read any of the short stories from the Chaos Walking series, they're available for free download here.)
September 23, 2016
I honestly don't know what the point of this short story was. I thought it would at least provide some closure after the way the final book ended but it just left me with even more questions and an even bigger feeling of discontent. I thought it was utterly pointless and quite frankly a waste of my time.
June 1, 2016
the last sentence THE LAST SENTENCE I'M CONTENT NOW OK I WAS DEPRESSED MOST OF YESTERDAY i legit skimmed this whole novella i gather it was told in lee's perspective? idk who cares the last f*cking sentence XD XD XD.
May 15, 2016
Sweet Lee, Lee sweet! Good story in general, interesting, thrilling all the way through. But more than that, just an awesome ending for the Chaos Walking trilogy in general. Great in all the sense of the word. Read it only if you have already read the main trilogy.
January 1, 2021
OMG! the ending!
Lee was blind! wow..
3 stars because this could have been a novel instead 😡
Lee was blind! wow..
3 stars because this could have been a novel instead 😡
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
September 6, 2021I literally went through so much trouble to manage a copy of this novella. And now you are telling me it's narrated by Lee !!! Wtf....
December 23, 2024
This was a wild ride but I loved it. I gasped at the twist and realization of the Snowscape. Truly intrigued by this short story!!
February 26, 2021
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Somehow, Patrick Ness still managed to deliver a cliffhanger in the LAST novella of the series. It's such a satisfying end to the whole series though! I won't hesitate to read future novellas should the author decide to get back to the story. *cries*
Somehow, Patrick Ness still managed to deliver a cliffhanger in the LAST novella of the series. It's such a satisfying end to the whole series though! I won't hesitate to read future novellas should the author decide to get back to the story. *cries*
April 9, 2022
The last sentence. This series was WORTH the emotional investment.
June 18, 2021
Seriyaya çox gözəl əlavə olan bu novella Böyük Müharibənin bitməsindən sonraki dövrdə Buzluq ərazidə yaşayan Spaklların ərazisini kəşf etməyə çıxan Vilfin başçılıq etdiyi kəşfiyyat qrupunun macərasını anlatır. Amma elə bir şey ortaya çıxır ki, humanoidin imkanı olsaydı, kədər və günahı hara qoyardı sualına cavab tapırıq və üzləşdiyimiz reallıq ürək parçalayır. Çox sevdim, bəlkə sonuncu kitabdan da çox sevdim.
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