Audible Review: The New World: Prequel to the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness

This is a quick listen that introduces the series of a 'new world'.

The New World: Prequel to the Chaos Walking Trilogy
Written by: Patrick Ness
Narrated by: Angela Dawe

Length: 47 mins
Series: Chaos Walking, Book 0
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:09-13-11
Publisher: Candlewick on Brilliance Audio
Genre: Sci Fi, Fantasy
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
The New World is a prequel to the award-winning Chaos Walking trilogy, setting the stage for the world we discover in The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, and Monsters of Men. The story was written while the author served as writer in residence for the Booktrust an independent UK-wide charity dedicated to encouraging people of all ages and cultures to enjoy books.
The New World tells of Viola's journey to the New World, brilliantly capturing the hope and fear of settlers in search of a new life. Patrick Ness says that he wrote it "as a huge and deeply-felt thank you to readers. I've had so many questions about Viola and what her life was like before that I couldn't resist the opportunity to reveal just a little bit extra. I knew these things - they're vitally important to her as a character, even if they're not directly in the novels - so it felt like a secret trip I could take readers on. The challenge was to make it work on its own, too, so anyone could read it. That was really, really good fun, and I hope the final result is an exciting one."
The New World can be listened to before or after the trilogy – and some may choose to do both. The story works as a standalone piece, but listeners already familiar with The Knife of Never Letting Go will learn more about Viola’s life and the events leading to her arrival and first encounter with Todd, while newcomers to the trilogy will discover a white-knuckle ride of an introduction to the series. Whether you're a new or faithful listener, though, it's a welcome chance to immerse yourself in the world of Chaos Walking.
Listen to more Chaos Walking.
©2011 Patrick Ness (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Review:
Viola is a twelve year old child of space, traveling with her parents and their community to become settlers in a New World. No one remembers what it is like to live on land. Viola and her parents each have excellent skills and knowledge to make them a good choice as the scout ship that is sent to be the first to land on the planet. Viola is not really happy about her family being the first to go since other children in her class make fun of her and taunt that she will have no one to celebrate her 13th birthday.

Viola’s parents are very excited about their opportunity to select the landing site and establish the base for their people. Unfortunately Viola has a pretty bratty attitude about going even though her parents try to instill their hope in her. Viola has to deal with a lot of young emotions especially when the ship experiences trouble coming through the atmosphere.

Viola’s parents were so positive which was the exact opposite of their daughter. I found it difficult to relate to Viola’s bratty, sulky and depressed personality. The story is presented in first person from Viola's view which focused on her young, rebellious attitude. I did enjoy the set up of the world and the suspense which created interest in the series -- as long as Viola grows up a bit.

Audio Notes: I listened to this as a free Audible book. Angela Dawe does a reasonable job with the characters and maybe did too good of a job portraying the sulky attitude of Viola. This was a quick listen and it may be that reading it would not have created such a reluctance towards the primary character.

This title was from my TBR Pile Challenge as free kindle book from 2010 and a free Audible title. It also qualifies for my Audible Challenge.