More Than This

By Author / Illustrator

Patrick Ness

Genre

Mystery & Detective

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Walker Books Ltd

ISBN

9781406350487

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

01-05-2014

Synopsis

From two-time Carnegie Medal winner Patrick Ness comes an enthralling and provocative new novel
chronicling the life - or perhaps afterlife - of a teen trapped in a crumbling, abandoned world.

A boy called Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he is here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighbourhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust and completely abandoned. What's going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this...

Reviews

Patrick Ness' book More Than This is about a boy, Seth, who dies and wakes up in what he thinks is an afterlife. But the reality is, he woke up in England. A place where he and his family ran away from after a terrible problem that Seth and his family blame him for. He is in a wasteland with only weeds and shrubs that look like they are the only living things. Seth drowns, desperate and alone. But then he wakes. Naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. And where is he? the street seems familiar, but everything is abandoned, overgrown, covered in dust. He remembers dying, his skull bashed against the rocks. Has he woken in his own personal hell? Is there more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife?

More than this can be confusing when Seth shifts between reality and his past. When he blinks he sees some of his past memories which can be misjudged to be reality. I found the characters to be bold and inspiring but some of the book was a bit slow. I didn't really get into it at the beginning but as part two of the book began it started to become more fast paced.

Overall I think the book is a great read for 13+. It was very good and I will probably read more books by Patrick Ness. 472 pages / Ages 13+ / Reviewed by Holly Davies