More Than This

Seth drowns and wakes up in abandonment in his old neighborhood in England. Through dreams and other events, he relives his life. Then he starts wondering: is this death, is this hell, what is reality and what is false?

It was boring for the first 1/4 but I was a bit interested in knowing what would happen.
It didn't get remotely interesting until part 2, after he meets Regene and Tomasz in his town. Around here it went from 1.5 starts to about 2 stars.
By the time part 3 came around, it was bumping up to a 2.5 stars.
And then with about 30 pages left, it fell back down. It was a mess of confusion and no questions are truly answered. Sure, the reader can decide their own reality, but there was nothing about the book that made me eeven fully care. I almost cared, but then everything just fell flat.

It's interesting, yes, but not enough for anyone to buy it or pick it up. Pass on this and go to another book.

This was a thought provoking read. Somewhat long, but with short chapters, the story flowed well, and the premise here was extremely unusual and interesting. Presented as YA fantasy, I think adult readers would enjoy it also, and find much to ponder.

Seth wakes up. It seems from a deep and intense sleep, and his first thought is that he remembers dying before falling into slumber. Yes, dying. He tragically drowned, and has memories of that. Yet here he is, in a place he doesn't recognize, wide awake. How can that be? He knows he died, yet here he is awake, and feeling like he did when he was alive. But he feels strangely out of place, and seems to be totally alone. Is he dead? Did he dream it? Where is everyone, and why does everything feel off?

When he meets some strange residents, things take a different turn. He story is really well written, and an enjoyable read. It will keep you enthralled from word one, and keep you thinking about it long after.

From the very first page " More Than This" has a voice, a mysterious and almost creepy voice. One that gives you just a teeny bit of information, enough to make you salivate and wonder what else is happening. As clues and revelations come forth, each step forward that you take into understanding this story is fresh and exciting. It feels as though you are discovering what this book is about at the same time that the protagonist is discovering it himself. I can't say too much about what happens... but if you love sci-fi (and even if you don't!), if you love abandoned buildings (and even if you don't!), if you love distopia (and even if you don't!), or if you love existential musings (and even if you don't!), you will be hooked by this book.

Though I am a fan of the previous works by Patrick Ness, the first few times I skimmed the synopsis for this book I thought I wouldn't be interested, but every time I read reviews people kept saying it was unlike anything they'd ever read before - and THAT is something I am VERY interested in! SO glad that I gave this book a chance, the reviews were right, it is so unique and haunting!

I thought this was an excellent book - exciting, engrossing, extremely readable and full of interesting ideas and thoughtful reflections.

It is hard to give a flavour of the plot without giving too much away, but the opening of the book is "Here is the boy, drowning." And he does drown, quite irrevocably, and it's brilliantly and chillingly described. And he then wakes up somewhere unknown...but not quite unknown. One of the very well-handled themes of the plot is not knowing what is real and what is made up in one's head (including a powerful modern restatement of Descartes' "Cogito ergo sum"). There are echoes of The Matrix, Total Recall and the like, but Ness also subverts the genre very successfully and this book has a good deal more moral and human substance than most works in this vein. It explores themes of sexuality, families, guilt and friendship without once becoming turgid or preachy and Ness keeps up the pace, the shocks, the mystery and the thrills throughout. He's a terrific storyteller and I was completely hooked.

After his, to me, disappointing The Crane Wife The Crane Wife, Patrick Ness has returned to a genre in which he seems much more at home and this is far more reminiscent of the quite brilliant Chaos Walking trilogy. It may not have quite the depth and power of Chaos Walking, but it is very, very good and very warmly recommended.

(If you haven't yet read Chaos Walking I recommend it very strongly, too - it really is something quite exceptional Patrick Ness Trilogy Collection: The Knife of Never Letting Go / The Ask and the Answer / Monsters of Men.)

I agree with a previous reviewer in that this book is worth reading, but I can't really give details as to WHY in a review. I'm not a fan of spoilers.

I will say I started this book this morning and just finished it. My entire Saturday (well, most of it) has been spent on the couch reading about Seth and his family and friends.

At one point, if you're older, you may be reminded of The Matrix series of movies and think, "Okay. Nothing new here; it's a rehash of that series." Believe me, it's not. Keep reading. You'll quickly get sucked into a story that only has the slightest relationship in that it does deal with a dystopian society and our "state of being."

Why four stars? Because the ending leaves many questions unanswered regarding Seth's relationships (both current and past), society in general (what happened?), and how things became to be the way they are now.

A worthy read that will leave you wanting more. And questioning much.

This is an excellent novel for 9th grade and above. The story revolves around the teen angst of a young man who is also gay - but that is the least of his problems and a small part of the story. He feels responsible for a horrible event that happened to his little brother causing the emotional destruction of his family. This and issues related to a terrible public "outing" of his relationship with a young man causes our hero to attempt suicide. What happens next moves the novel into science fiction kind of along the lines of The Matrix.

This story is a combination of coming of age revelations, an apocalyptical style future, and taking responsibility for our actions. There are a couple of places towards the end where the story line loses shape and I couldn't figure out what the author did what he did - and to top it all off - the ending is excruitiatingly open and unresolved.

I went into this book without knowing anything. The synopsis on Goodreads is vague, but I didn’t even know that much. I was trying out a free trial of a different ebook subscription site and it was there, someplace on the front page. And I had heard good things about Patrick Ness’s books. So I figured there was absolutely no reason not to pick it up, and I could always put it back down if I didn’t like it.

The first page hooked me in. I wasn’t even in the mood to read; I was just browsing the books available. Trying a couple out to see if I liked this app. But this book begins so wonderfully; the writing is so beautiful. So I read about 25% that day. And then a couple days later, I ended up reading the last half of the book in one sitting. (Outside, which might not have been the best decision. I am now sunburned.)

While the writing isn’t very fast paced, the mystery surrounding this new place Seth found himself in kept the story moving nicely. There were just so many things to wonder about, and Seth’s memories only added to that more and more. They also provided more action during times when there was little.

My main problem with this book were the side characters. It’s difficult for me to explain fully without spoilers, but they didn’t feel like real people. They were simply tropes, characters I’ve read so many times before and would prefer to never read about again. If they had felt like fully developed people, I would have found very little fault with this book.

And that fault would have been the ending. It wasn’t terrible, but I’m not certain I was completely satisfied by it, either. This is a small problem in my mind, though – it takes off half a star, if anything at all. Because I completely see the value in the ending as well.

Also, and this is probably just me, this book felt like The Maze Runner trilogy as I read it. Not in the way that it was too similar – although they do have their similarities – but because of the fast-paced mysteriousness that they shared. And of the way I loved the beginnings, and things fell kind of flat after that. I don’t want to put off anybody who didn’t like The Maze Runner series (I will always, always hate those books – the ending killed them for me) or to say they’re super similar, because I don’t think they are. It was just an interesting experience. And this book ended way better than that trilogy did.

Overall, I have conflicting feelings about this one, but I have to say that I did enjoy it for the most part. The writing and mystery and action were all so gripping, and the lessons Seth learned throughout the book were great. Characterization, unfortunately, was its downfall.

I really, really wanted to like this book. Any coming of age novel set in modern times with a hint of sci fi or fantasy tends to be right up my alley. Adding the philosophical questions regarding the afterlife to the mix should have made this an immediate five star read. But the farther I got into this story, the less I found myself enjoying it, and by the time I reached the end I was just frustrated.

Ness's writing style is easy enough to follow. He tends to use a lot of telling rather than showing, but at times this aides to the in-the-moment feeling of the story. But the plot itself just seemed to crumble underneath itself the farther into the book you go. The ending leaves you with many questions unanswered, and while I understand some ambiguity can be beneficial to a story, it just felt like lazy storytelling and negligence to gaping plotholes. As a rough draft, this reads well, with polishing additional editing, it may warrant 4 stars vs. current 3.

While the Ness book "Some of us Just Live Here" left me wanting to re-read it again immediately, this one i simply didn't want to end, causing me--as I reached the end--to read a chapter and then set it down for several days. Patrick Ness is a wonderful writer, and one whose stories really take a grip and hold you. I like how in this book you simply cannot tell what is the truth, even by the ending. It's very much up to the reader to decide what was truly happening. Wonderful book!! It came out 2 years ago, but if you haven't picked up a copy yet, do so ASAP. Highly recommended!!

What an incredible story. I read the book in two days because it is truly captivating. Patrick Ness has quite a gift & Im glad he decided to share it with the world. I find it difficult to review a book like this without spoilers, and many things are just really difficult to explain in the context of a review, so therefore I find myself siding with John Greene when he says, "Just read it."

This is a metaphysical book that can be read as horror, fantasy, science fiction, or post-Apocalyptic dystopia. But that description sounds rather dry, and the story is far from it. Seth is a teenage boy who is driven to commit suicide - except he awakens after his death to find himself in a strangely altered childhood home. Is this a dream or reality? Is it Hell or an alternate universe? Every time he sleeps, his past appears so vividly, it's as if he's back in it. Odd things keep happening, which can be interpreted in any number of ways. I found myself fascinated by the scenario. There are some plot holes, but they don't interfere with the emotional impact of the tale. Seth is a character for whom the reader will cheer. The ending is suitably ambiguous, but we can hope for the best. The secondary characters are well drawn and believable. A unique concept!

It took me a long time to finish reading this book. I liked it, but I had to sort of let the events in the story "cook" for a while before I felt ready to continue reading. It's a little complex with a lot of questions that need answering in Seth's attempt to figure out what happened to him and why he is where he is - and what is this place?? Some aspects were a little repetitive, but nonetheless interesting. It makes one question various aspects of their own lives and begin to sift through what is reality and what is the stuff that I just want to be reality?

Anyway, it's a good book which I recommend for young adults to older adults. I don't think kids will understand a lot of it.

More Than This tells the story of Seth, who drowned and wakes up in what is ostensibly hell. His back story is told through his dreams/nightmares. The story is a complicated dystopian thriller with a couple of plot holes that (in a few instances) the author brings up himself so he can explain them away. There is also A LOT of dialog that I found to be a bit distracting. However, neither of these gets in the way of the well written sympathetic characters and powerful story line. More Than This is philosophical in a “Matrix” kind of way that asks the question: Who are we and what does it mean to be alive? I really enjoyed reading it and I think it will be a BIG hit with YA and adult readers.

More Than This is a unique blend of a lot of different things that I can't say much about without ruining the story. I think every reader should step into this book and through that open door on the cover with a totally open mind, without any knowledge of what lies within. That's what happened to me, and I spent quite a long time just trying to figure out where things were going, and what was going on. It was very refreshing. I read a lot of YA literature and it has become increasingly difficult to find new concepts and ideas. I should have known that Patrick Ness, the co-author of A Monster Calls would be the one to deliver.

There are many elements in this story that are familiar, but the author does such a compelling job of plotting and pacing that as a reader you are never quite sure. At one point, I was all prepared to be disappointed in the story, as it seemed to be taking a predictable path, when all of a sudden things switched up and I was left wondering once again.

There are some surprising philosophical elements to this book that were well thought out and very intriguing. This story asks a lot of questions, and doesn't always provide the answers. The prose is stellar as always, the dialogue crisp and the main character easy to relate to. The author addresses a lot of issues, including, but not limited to; teen suicide, homosexual acceptance, forgiveness, guilt, love and the nature of reality itself.

This story has the feel of a grand, cinematic tale, which is surprising as the first 150 pages or so consist almost entirely of the main characters' inner monologue. The supporting cast is not quite as vibrant, however this is still a five star read for me simply because of its depth and complexity. This is a recommend for older teens and adults who enjoy speculative fiction.

This is one of those books where I want you to read the book. You HAVE TO read this book. But I can't TELL YOU about this book. It's like Fight Club.

Patrick Ness does such an amazing job writing. He is creative and has this amazing way of wording phrases that is just so spot on.

The story itself it deep and you have so many questions that you just have to keep reading to have answered and then at the end you are left with so many more questions but they aren't questions the book can answer - they are questions you yourself have to answer.

Through the whole thing you'll be wondering what is happening, what just happened etc.? Just let it happen. You'll be so glad you did.

Overall, I found this to be such an “odd” book. I found myself just trying to keep-up with what was going on. I got that he was dead. . . I got that he was in this “other world”. . . . but there are lots of different twists that keep coming up.

If you’re looking for a book that ties-up all the loose ends at the end in one neat little package. . . You’re not going to find that here. On the other hand, if you like creating your own ending to stories, then this book is for you.

This book is really not for young readers. I would say that it’s more for upper high school and above.

More Than This is a book aimed at a specific group of people. Do you like books that confuse you? Do you like to be slightly unsure what's going on at any given moment? Do you like twists that come just as you thought you knew what was going on? If so, this book is for you.

Personally, I've read enough books (so, so many books) that not knowing what's going on is pretty exciting. If a book can make me say "what the hell?" (especially out loud so I bewilder my roommate), then I'm on board, and More Than This surpassed that standard easily. It isn't a pretty story, or a simple one, but it'll make you keep reading just for another clue, another glimpse of what is going on.

If it seems like I'm giving no details of concrete examples, it's because this is one of those books you want to go into blind. Trust me, don't read the summary, just pick it up and dive right in. You won't regret it (unless you want closure or easy answers-in which case, this is probably not the book for you).

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I had never read anything by Patrick Ness before, but the description was interesting and made me think of "Bones". It wasn't the same but had similar aspects to it. It kept you wondering what was going on with Seth as you follow him to try to figure it out. His voice is very clear when you're reading the book and makes for a very strong and easy to understand character. I admit, there were a few points when I was on edge, waiting to see what would happen and was kept guessing which is one of the best compliments I can give a book. Despite starting with an idea of what the story would be like, I admit that I was surprised and very happy about it.

Patrick Ness was born on a U.S. army base in Virginia in 1971. He studied English Literature at USC and currently lives in London. He holds joint British and American citizenship and is best known for his books for young adults - in particular his Chaos Walking trilogy. Ness is one of only seven writers to win two Carnegie Medals.

Seth Wearing is sixteen years old and in his last year at school. He and his family live on the coast of Washington state - an area they moved to from England. (The family moved after something Owen, Seth's younger brother - he seems to be functioning normally, and appears to be a gifted musician, but there is apparently some neurological damage. Although what happened is never talked about, Seth seems to be held responsible for what happened. While what actually happened is unclear, it's quite obvious Seth has never forgiven himself). He does have three good friends at school - Gudmund, H and Monica - and is desperately looking forward to the freedom of college life.

But all that comes to an end when the book opens : Seth, for some reason, is floundering in the winter sea. Already drowning, he's sent crashing into the rocks by the current and - thanks to injuries - dies. When he comes round, he's lying on the pavement outside his former home in England, wrapped in bandages and alone. He's totally alone - no people or animals, weeds are running rampant and the houses are in a clear state of disrepair. Remembering his final moments, he figures he's been banished to his own personal hell.

A decent book overall, certainly a page-turner and very easily read. However, having heard the book reviewed on radio, I was expecting a great deal more in the way of twists and turns. In fact, what I suspect was meant to be the biggest twist of all reminded me of a huge sci-fi movie released in 1999...the later stages of the book were, therefore, something of a disappointment.

"More Than This" by Patrick Ness is a strange story to be sure. But, it is well conceived and exceptionally well executed. This is a book that is better read without thinking too much about what is actually going on or trying to figure it out. Once I got into the rhythm of the story I was able to just sail on through it.

It's pretty surreal. What is real and what isn't is not always clear. Still. this multi-layered story is well worth reading.

Don't get me wrong. The concept was fabulous. But the path to get there was a rough ride. And the ending left me with feelings that were more confusing than thought provoking. Still, I really enjoyed it for what I got from it. As stated, it is definitely a Personal Opinion. Well worth reading and making your own opinion.

At one point while reading Patrick Ness's newest YA novel, I was trying to figure out when the last time a book confused me, moved me and made me think as much as More Than This did, and then it dawned on me: It was (of course) Ness's previous masterpiece, the Chaos Walking trilogy. Fans of Ness' ability to write immersive, compelling, funny and tragic stories will devour his newest book, a great addition to his collection of stories that mindf-- the hell out of you (and leave you thankful for it).

It's hard to talk about this book's plot too much without delving into major, twisty-turny spoilers, but suffice to say our hero, Seth, very vividly drowns in a horrific death only to find himself awake and back in his old childhood home, seemingly completely and utterly alone in the world. From there, Seth's journey to discovering where he ended up is interspersed with flashbacks to his life before his death.

Both stories are fascinating and Seth is a compelling protagonist, a well-rounded and emotionally vulnerable teenager coming of age amidst family tragedy and peer pressure and then finding himself - after his own death, no less - in even more dire situations. His romantic entanglements and relationships with his friends, especially, feel fresh and engaging and manage to shine a light on teenage relationships that not very many other YA novels have been able to. And oh yes, there are twists, ones that feel obvious or slight and ones that knock you over and make you rethink everything you thought you knew, and they keep coming one after the other.

Best of all, as always, Ness asks Big Questions of his readers, and doesn't offer any concrete answers. The work is all the better for it, elevating it beyond just an exciting, action-filled read (which it also is). While Chaos Walking dealt with very complicated issues of war and good vs evil, the very nature of reality and existence, and one's sense of self, is questioned here. Oh, is that all?

This book really leaves you wanting more. It's a long read, but the chapters are short. I loved the characters, especially Tomasz. He's just a boy who's scared and afraid of whats going to happen next, but turns into a hero that saves the day (more than once). I'm kind of disappointed that this is a stand alone. The ending was so great. It kind of left you hanging and wanting more. I'm hoping by some miracle that the author writes a squeal to this. I want the story of Seth, Tomasz, and Regine to continue on. I really enjoyed this book. In some ways it reminded me of "The Eye of Minds" by James Dashner.

*I received a copy of the book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

*Possible spoilers ahead*

I was so looking forward to this because I've really enjoyed everything else I've read by Patrick Ness. While I did enjoy this story, I was disappointed that I didn't love it like I was expecting to. I was going to read this book pretty much no matter what simply for the author but I was excited that the premise to the story actually interested me.

Seth dies and then wakes up in his old English neighborhood. This prompts the question of whether the afterlife is just a repeat of our real life. Is it a form of purgatory where you're stuck in your old life without all the people? The story does explore those ideas but unfortunately it gets to them a bit slowly. We spend at least 1/3 (but probably more) of the book was Seth hanging out by himself. He's trying to get used to the `afterlife'. He has no idea what's going on. He just kind of hangs out and tries to figure out how to survive. I know that needs to be done but it's a bit boring for me. Things to pick up when he meets some other people but even then it still felt a bit slow for me. I was really expecting to be kept on the edge of my seat and wanting to neglect my other duties. Instead I got an okay story but one that I was okay with putting down to do other things.

The story kept jumping back and forth between now and then. I really found the flashbacks are jarring. The flashbacks do give us vital information but it was still lacking. There was still a lot of stuff that wasn't resolved for me about Seth's past life. Not to mention the fact that the flashbacks weren't really in any order. It was hard to me to really see the big picture when all I had were a bunch of small pieces in no order.

I'm of very mixed feelings about the storyline. On one hand, it was a really interesting idea. Living your life online could potentially be a cool idea. It really reminded me of The Reality Bug by D.J. MacHale which I really liked. On the other hand, there were so, so, so many unanswered questions. The world was so bad that people went online to live? Really? I could understand how a few people might see this as a good option but everyone see this as the best option? How would you afford this? How are things still functioning? Is the whole world like this?

The bottom line? While I do have quite a few annoyances with the story, I still liked it and definitely recommend it especially to Patrick Ness fans.

Why did I read this? Well, because John Green told me so. And who am I to argue, okay? I knew next to nothing about the book as well, which, weeeell...proved to be both good and bad. I thought I was getting some sort of ghost story with some smushy contemporary romance perhaps and high school drama.

IT WAS NOT.

THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY:
The writing was good. And I don't mean "meh, okay", I mean "extremely and incredibly good". Even though I'd put it on the too-wordy side, the writing was absolutely beautiful. Our narrator is Seth and, even though it's written in 3rd, it's written in such a personal way. I felt totally connected to the book and therefore couldn't put it down.

I...I read it one day, okay? And it's huge. It's 470-pages.

The cover is awesome. Call me a shallow bookworm, but I have serious cover love. And this?! It's fabulous.

Also, it has fabulous friendships. I adore friendships I can root for, and the relationship between Regine and Tomasz and Seth was very dynamic. I don't want to say too much, because: SPOILERS. (This book is seriously hard to review!) Everyone's personalities were miles different -- they clashed, they argued, they worked so well together. But I will pop in a word about Tomasz! He's hilarious. He's Polish, and his English is broken and so, so funny. I love funny!

Description? I see it. I see it all. My only negativity to that is: there was a loooot of description. On one hand, I felt really submerged in the book, but on the other hand...enough with the dribble GET ME SOME ACTION.

THINGS THAT MADE ME TWITCHY:
I am very, very confused. The ending. The middle. The twist. The villain. Oh, wow, I'm just going to say every-second-thing-was-very-confusing. Would it kill to say something definite?! Everything was so...interpretable. I still have no idea why it ended like it did. A quick re-con on Goodreads showed me I'm not the only one left thinking "WHAT" at the ending.

It's kind of huge, okay? There was a lot of interior monologue. A lot of chapters covering the same desperation, confusion, silent exploring. So while that really made me connect with Seth, I felt a bit...bored? When the action started it was high-speed and heart-pounding. And erratic. LOVE. Being stuck with Seth and his head for the first 100-pages was a bit tedious though.

When I closed the book, you know the only thought I could formulate? What. What. What.

I was way too confused...but I had an incredible time reading this! I loved the characters (characters are the winning ticket for me) and I loved the writing.

Following his death, Seth wakes up in a alternate version of his past. Alone and afraid, it appears his version of the afterlife is being stuck in his childhood home, haunted by a terrible tragedy inflicted upon his younger brother of which Seth blames himself. Seth's explorations of this seemingly abandoned post-apocalyptic world were very vivid and fascinating to me as a reader. So too was Seth's inner turmoil as the reader gradually learns about the heartbreaking events of Seth's childhood and the moments before his death. While out foraging, Seth meets two other children who are stuck in this twisted version of reality. Further complicating the story is the fact that a monstrous creature that is not quite human is after them. As the explanation for how and why these children are left behind unfolds, I was on the edge of my seat. I was very curious not only about their fate but about how the author would conclude the story. Unfortunately the ending left much for interpretation. I don't need a bow on my endings but a bit more resolution after experiencing the mystery with Seth would have been nice.

For parents/teachers:
I read this book in the hopes that I could share with my 8th grade GATE class. There is a fair deal of swearing in the story. The story discusses suicide, death, and the nature of being human- not topics to be taken lightly. What really prevents me from being able to recommend to my students is the inclusion of a brief but revealing sex scene between Seth and his high school boyfriend. It added nothing to the story and could have been done much more tastefully. Unfortunately because of that one scene, I wouldn't be able to recommend to anyone younger than a junior in high school. It's too bad because it is otherwise a book my students would love.

More Than This is a novel about a young man who commits suicide and finds himself walking up in a new world, where everything is covered in dust and nobody else is around.

The great thing about this story is it is a journey...we slowly unravel the mystery at the same time the character is. And there are plenty of flashbacks to his old life, and we discover what drove him to his death. I can't talk about the new world too much without giving away spoilers but suffice to say he at first thinks he is in hell, and then learns that it is more than just that. The thing I loved most about it was the multiple reveals, twists, and turns. You think you know what is going on, and then you turn the page and discover everything you just thought was wrong. And this happens maybe six times in the book at least.

Overall I thought the story was very enjoyable and thought-provoking, and well worth a read. The writing quality is really top-notch and there is never a dull scene. It makes you want to keep reading and reading and reading.

NOTE: It does contain mature themes (some harsh language, lots of violence, suicide, affairs, murder, in-depth discussion of homosexuality, and more) and thus is not appropriate for younger audiences. (In context, the main three characters had a tough life and most of the above deals with what they went through).

NOTE: I received this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very well written book, hence the rating is two stars instead of one. I never heard of this writer before, but the reason I grabbed the copy of this book was because somebody put it on the list of the best YA LGBT books of 2013. For the writing - maybe. Substance ? Not so much.

As blurb tells you Seth wakes up after death and tries to figure out where he is and what is happening to him. Oh my god was I confused in places while reading this book. Yes, Seth is gay, yes there is a boy he likes and who likes him. No, no, no the book is not a romance. I did not start the book is expecting it to be romance (I love gay romances, but will read any well done story with gay protagonist), I just want to warn any reader who may expect it.

I do not know what it is. Dystopia? Pseudo scifi with horror elements? I do not know, all I know is that I did not like it, despite writing style being very grabbing and not letting me go.

But the worst thing was that ending. God it just stops and no indication that second book ever coming.

The first part of this novel had me up past three in the morning anxious to find out what really happened. Was the protagonist actually in his own hell. Then other characters show up and Seth begins to wonder if he's creating the world as the story unfolds. Then, I don't understand why at all the entire story take a dystopian sci-fi turn and the story starts making less and even less sense. Ness has done a good job of telling stories within stories where you're not even sure what's the main tale being told. In 'More Than This' is come across like the author had watched 'The Matrix' and read Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle's 'Inferno' and decide to write the second half of this story that combined elements of both stories. Then we get to the end and it makes even less sense. The story doesn't cliffhanger it just quits like the author ran out of ideas and just quit. I hope there isn't a sequel. I honestly don't know that I'd read it. I've loved the last two books by Patrick Ness 'The Rest of Us Just Live Here' and 'The Crane Wife' but this book left my flat, confused and definitely not wanting more.

Do yourself a favor and do NOT read the summary for this book that's printed on the back or on Goodreads or wherever. Not knowing is like the best part of this whole experience. Seth doesn't really know what's going down when he wakes up in an improbably place - so neither should you!

What you should know is that Patrick Ness takes a fresh spin on the whole Unreliable Narrator idea (which I already LOVE) with Seth by alternating between his past and his present. We don't know what the what is going on with his present, so we learn more about who Seth is by his flashbacks.

Oh Patrick Ness. I love your writing and characters and plots so, so much. I would read your grocery lists if you published them. For real. You own at writing.

Ness is insightful, but not preachy. Creative, but not exhausting. Raw, but not abrasive. The balance is perfection, you guys.

This book is for you if...
You are looking for a heady read with well written characters and a big ol' dose of social commentary with a sci-fi twist, dashes of relationship development, the importance of self-worth and a whole lot of feels.

Synopsis: Seth drowns and wakes up in an empty town. He's convinced that it's a hell tailored just for him.

Good things first, once we passed the first 100+ pages of ground work, the book is indeed a page-turner; I found myself ripping through the next 400 pages in a few hours. I took jabs at guessing but was often pleasantly proved wrong. Some twists weren't something you expected out of the premise. Sadly, these seem to be the only redeeming quality about this book.

There are some brilliant, albeit unoriginal, elements at work, unfortunately, the overall story fell short due to a forceful conclusion. I expected... more than this. No, really. I was so disappointed by the end that I wish I could chuck the book across the room. Having slept on it, my frustration has decreased somewhat, but I still don't appreciate the book any better.

In a nutshell, this story is cobbled together by philosophical lessons and existential speculations, grounded on the notion that life is but a perspective and the likes. Some ideas are worth discussion and review as they pertain to universal real life issues, however, the approaches had been rather straightforwards and heavy-handed, even preachy at times. The narrative often does this sadistic thing when it tries really hard to avoid telling-- it churned out gratuitous amount of suspense that often led to an undeserving and underwhelming revelation.

At some point, the characters start to feel like caricatures and their interaction turns into a cliche feel-good kind of thing. This also contributed to my disappointment with the book. Having recently read Ness's A Monster Call, I can't help but compare its protagonist Conor with Seth. The latter, in my opinion, is a few shades less convincing, and thus push me into a passive role of a detached witness rather than an engaged companion.

Moreover, I dislike many instances dues ex machina solutions were employed, and how Ness repeatedly abused the dismissive statement of the-point-is-there-is-no-point-at-all as a justification for anything that goes unexplained. It gives me the impression that he was feeling self-conscious and uncertain about the direction he took.

Last, but not least, the world building is a lackluster--too much dumbing-down and gloss-over. It provided bunny-plots that convinced me the conclusion was anything but organic.

I have to admit, I was so confused through most of this story. A kid dies then awakens in some strange place with no one else around. How the heck do you talk about a book that, if you talk about it too much, you'll give everything away? Well, you don't. Except to say, check this story out. Patrick Ness writes a seriously mind-twisting story that will have you questioning things just as much as Seth.

I'm in a slow reading phase right now... kinda sucks, but alas, I finished this book a while ago and did not write anything yet, so here we go...

I really like Patrick Ness. He is one of the best YA authors, even adult lit, authors I've read in a long time, and I will try and read anything of his that comes out. More Than This was a wild, crazy ride, and while it had a powerful message, it lagged at points, and sprinted at others. Don't get me wrong, if you're a fan, read the book. It will be a great read for you, but don't expect Chaos Walking. The story is just not on the level of the Chaos Walking Series (I'm not sure much is, to be honest)... but this is a worthwhile read, one that may leave you asking questions and excited for the end, or may really piss you off (as the latter did for my wife, but the former for me).

Mr. Ness... Keep'em coming... Love your work and can't wait to read more.

Kind of boring.

If you can make it through the first third of the book, things improve. The characters are engaging, the technology is boggling, and the shifting realities are fairly interesting. The explanation for the bandages is the most interesting part!

With a shorter intro-sort-of-start, this one would have been a four-star book for me.

This book is about a boy who drowns, then wakes up in a world all alone while hooked up to tubes inside a coffin. The story will keep you guessing as to what is coming next with every page. The book explores the extremes of our unique relationship with technology and social interactions in today's world.

This was an exceptionally well written novel that gives its readers a lot of credit for it being YA. As someone who normally reads either realistic or historical fiction, my interest in its plot surprised me. It's a philosophical/sci-fi/action packed story that delivers a punch that you never saw coming.

After finally reading Ness' The Knife of Never Letting Go a month or so ago, I was very curious to try his forthcoming novel. What I'm sure of more than ever now is that Ness is a massive talent. I am also convinced that his books will not work for everyone, because they are daring and strange and twisty and complex. More Than This is a cinematic, philosophical confusing novel, but one I ultimately found fascinating.

I find myself rather at a loss on how to review this book, given that practically anything would be a spoiler, since this is a book that opens up, revealing new layers. For the first hundred or so pages, all you know is what's revealed in the blurb, and talking about anything past that in any detailed way would be to reveal spoilers best left in the dark. Thus, this will probably be short and vague, but bear with me.

The storytelling of More Than This has a rather unique feel to it. Though told in what might seem like a fairly ordinary third person limited narrative, there's something cinematic about More Than This. The novel unfolds like a movie before the reader's eyes, a twisty movie like Memento or Inception that people need to watch several times over to have any sort of solid understanding of what's happening. Even more fascinating is that Seth seems to have a postmodern awareness of his role in the narrative, often calling situations before they even happened, as though he is the creator of his own story.

Seth dies in the prologue, drowns in icy waters. But then he awakens in his childhood home in England, the one his family moved away from after his brother was kidnapped by an escaped prisoner from the neighboring prison. He's thirsty, hungry, and weak. And dead? Seemingly alone, he gathers what food is unexpired and searches out clothing that fits to replace the bandages that covered his body. Whenever he rests, Seth dreams of his life, of his parents who never forgave him for what happened to his brother, of his friends who abandoned him, and his boyfriend who he maybe loved.

Of course, there's so much more to More Than This, rather appropriate no? Only I can't tell you about it. I could compare it to a particular film, but that would be a spoiler like whoa. Keeping things incredibly simple, I had some questions about the worldbuilding, serious ones, but I loved the message of the story, one of looking at the beauty in life and finding your more. I'm also not convinced it really needed to be quite so long.

For such a massive book, this review feels rather ineffectual book, but the book itself serves as a sort of metaphor for life and how we take it for granted. It's a journey to be undertaken by the reader.

This book makes you think but unfortunately you don't always find the answers you are looking for. It was somewhat repetitive but the deep thinking aspect redeemed that slight flaw. I would consider reading something by the author again, it definitely made me want to get to the end of the book.

My 15 year-old son read this and says: It had a very interesting, twisting storyline about alternate realities. It seemed like there was a new turn at the end of each chapter and that kept me reading through all of them, and old fashioned cliff hanger. The characters are generally interesting people with a story to tell. He would recommend this.

“More than this” is a type of dystopic novel, but it is set up so we never find out about the world to which a catastrophic change happened. It is half dystopic, half fantasy, set up with a pseudo-science fiction premise.

The explanation behind the “science” is missing, as is the basis for the change to the world as we know it.

The timeframe is also missing.

The pace dithers about throughout the entire novel with present and past tense awkwardly juxtaposed together within one page, and even one paragraph.

There are so much implausibility that I have to mention:
1. Why do the 3 protagonists, Seth, Regine and Tomascz, end up in the same city?
2. Why do they wake up from their slumber and why are their *places of rest* (to avoid spoilers) separate from those occupied from everyone else’s?
3. How will they live off a supply of expired foodstuffs and evaporated water from water bottles when a) they already don’t like it, and b) it expires?
4. How is there an inexhaustible supply of the liquids for the presumably world’s population to live on? Who runs this, when all are in their *places of rest*
5. How can 1 ‘Driver’ sustain all of them, and what about when/ if he is dead and gone? Have the 3 protagonists even thought this through?
6. The Driver and his actions are so repetitive, and yet by putting the omniscient view, through Seth’s eyes (get this), we expect the Hollywood treatment, then are talked to hoping we won’t get it, then get it anyway. Very stultifying.

It’s more of a surprise how an award-winning author came up with this non-story than the surprises in the novel. Maybe the novel shows how to take your authorship / creativity / popularity for granted.
And, what of what is supposed to be the best part, the ending? Unfortunately, more of the same: confusing, repetitive, unengrossing.

I had to know what happened. The story is a series of cliff hangers for 16-year-old Seth who dies at sea, then awakens in his home where everyone has vanished. A couple of the cliff hangers include the kidnapping of his 4 year old brother by an escaped convict and a same-sex romance with another young adult. It would make a good book club choice if the author would moderate it - otherwise I probably will give this a pass when handing off books to anyone younger than 21, but that is just me.

This book isn't one definitely doesn't fit in the light and fluffy category, it is a bit dark. But the engaging part of it is the unfolding of the story in parts. It is worth a read, though may not be the right book for everyone.

Spoilers ahead! *******
If I could rate this ZERO stars I would. I bought this book based on Buzzfeed Books review for those wanting A TWIST ENDING! Wanting to be left, “slack jawed at the ending”, I bought it on Prime. There were no reviews or WARNINGS that this was basically The Matrix. Yeah, the movie that millions saw, Keanu Reeves starred in, and everyone knows about. Except the author, publisher and readers who bought the book and never saw or heard of The Matrix. There are very few differences, but otherwise it’s the movie. ?

Only More Than This could have kept me entertained with a boy wandering around by himself for about 150-200 pages. When s*** hits the fan, it hits it hard in this book. I absolutely could not put this book down and read it all in one sitting. It was absolutely brilliant and I have to say that I think I liked it more than the last two books in the Chaos Walking trilogy.

It ended up being more science fiction than I expected, but I loved that. This novel was beautifully written, and it makes you stop and think about how you live your life. I loved the characters and I can’t wait to read Patrick Ness’s other books because this one was so amazing!

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This is definitely one of the best books that I have ever read. It was full of suprising twists and turns that I didn't see coming at all. I definitely reccomend this to anyone that likes these sorts of books. Would love a sequel!

My main problem with this book is that the plot is too slow to unfold. With its gradually revealed mysteries, the story is reminiscent of the TV series Lost and The Prisoner, but only in bad ways. I have one other major issue with More Than This, however, and that is that it's inappropriately described as a book for Young Adults, even marketed for schools. The book contains sexual scenes, a fair amount of four-letter words, and other elements that make it clearly unsuitable for a school reading program. I'm not against those things in books for adults--I often read them myself without any concern. However, if children are going to read this kind of stuff, it should be with full knowledge of the book's contents, and with the permission of a parent or guardian.

Is there more than this? What is out there beyond this everyday life we live? Is this life even real? I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say that Patrick Ness has once again caused me many sleepless nights.

ARC/YA Fantasy: I had a lot of problems with this book. I skimmed through part one because I kept on daydreaming; it was boring. I S&S (skimmed and struggled) through most of part two. I really only read the flashbacks and dialog. The narrative was boring. Around chapter 36, it got to the point where I could read and not daydream off. It reminded me of Lovely Bones, which I hated.

The third part was more like the second part. A gay love triangle, two murders, and a suicide could help this book. At the end, I was rooting for The Driver.

Another problem I had with this book was the binding. It was printed on heavy pound paper and at 460 pages, it was too heavy after several hours of reading.

This is on behalf of my 9th grader who is a rabid fan of Ness' Chaos Walking series. She was excited about this latest title but 100 pages in discovered this book with its same sex relationship is more adult than YA. The basic book description did not make this clear and she felt a bit sucker-punched by the adult material. It's always difficult to gage what young adults consider either extreme or mundane, but in this case it went too far.