Piper at the Gates of Dusk

By Author / Illustrator

Patrick Ness

Genre

Science Fiction

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Walker Books

ISBN

9781529528992

Format

Hardback

Published

07-04-2026

Synopsis

In New World, there were no secrets. Everyone could hear everyone else's thoughts in a constant, overwhelming Noise. Then a cure came - one that the second generation took from birth. Peace descended, wars ended, communication was silenced. Until now . . .

A sci-fi, dystopian, heart-pounding adventure like no other, by one of the world's most beloved young-adult writers and author of A Monster Calls. This is a brand-new story set in the world of the multi-award-winning, globally bestselling Chaos Walking series - a compelling read for new and existing fans.

Brothers Ben and Max have never really gotten on, each being more like one of their parents - Todd and Viola. But when something is spotted in the night sky - something that's bringing back dreams of Noise, dreams of terror - the brothers will have to come together. Danger is coming and the family will be tested like never before.

For fans of The Hunger Games and action-packed dystopia as well as fantasy worlds such as those by Philip Pullman. The hardback book contains stunning illustrations by Jim Kay, the award-winning artist of A Monster Calls.

"Ness doesn't just tell stories - he illuminates the human heart." Cassandra Clare. "Heartbreaking and brutally human." Neal Shusterman, author of Scythe. "A creative science-fiction rollercoaster . . . An absorbing, deeply human tale of finding common ground in the perpetual struggle to do the next right thing." Kirkus Reviews

Reviews

Clare

In the strange new world where The Land tolerate the humans despite their seemingly endless capacity for distrust and prejudice, Ben and Max are growing up in the shadow of Noise. Their father, Todd, still has it, but others have been cured and the great 'conversayhun' about all life - history, memory, feelings - is now the preserve of The Land.

Denigrated as 'Spackle' by the human mayor of the new city and his acolytes, they are the only ones Todd and his family can turn to when an ominous Glyph appears in the sky and strange burning creatures start to stalk the town's children.

Whilst the boys' mother Viola is leading the scientific investigations, Ben and Max try to work out who these Gods are and what they want. Can they come together and be brave and do the next right thing? Or is a warning from history about to destroy them all?

Piper at the Gates of Dusk, a continuation of the Chaos Walking trilogy, pits a new generation against an unknown enemy. Todd and Viola are background figures as siblings Ben and Max take centre stage. Both are overcoming different odds and are well-rounded characters, whilst still following in their parents' footsteps.

The new world feels fragile and permanently at risk, the danger of an almost unimaginable scale. Children disappear, adults are crushed by screaming monsters - for the reader it is propulsive and there is simply no time to catch your breath. Never has the direction, 'run!' been more necessary!

With his usual deftness, Patrick Ness weaves thorny moral dilemmas seamlessly into the fabric of the story and asks big questions about humans and our place in the world. This is such a brilliant addition to the Chaos Walking canon, with just enough backstory for readers new to the story. For long-standing fans of the series and I'm sure new readers as well, book two can't come quickly enough!

352 pages / Reviewed by Clare Wilkins, school librarian