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    More Than This
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    More Than This
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    More Than This
    Audiobook11 hours

    More Than This

    Written by Patrick Ness

    Narrated by Nick Podehl

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    From the acclaimed author of the Chaos Walking trilogy and A Monster Calls comes one of the most provocative teen novels of our time.

    A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is this possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? The street seems familiar, but everything is abandoned, overgrown, covered in dust.

    What's going on? Is it real? Or has he woken up in his own personal hell? Seth begins to search for answers, hoping desperately that there must be more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife.…

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateNov 26, 2013
    ISBN9781480519060
    Unavailable
    More Than This
    Author

    Patrick Ness

    Patrick Ness is the author of seven novels and a short-story collection. His five novels for teenagers have won the Carnegie Medal twice, the Costa Children's Fiction Prize, and has been shortlisted for the LA Times Book Prize and the Arthur C Clarke Award. Patrick's works have been translated into 25 languages and have sold over a million copies worldwide. Born in America, he lives in London.

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    Reviews for More Than This

    4/5

    489 ratings52 reviews

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    • 3/5
      The writing was ok, certainly well edited, but awfully vague and boring for the first 50 pages. After a while being mysterious about who the only character introduced so far is, with constant but vague hints that there is a story, but that the author isn't going to tell it just yet, tamp down whatever excitement and interest the reader might otherwise have felt while reading about the character's strange 'post'-death experiences. I was grateful that at least the book was not full of angsty teen dialogue that very few teenaage boys (and not many girls) I've ever known would be caught uttering, even under their breath; there were a few pages of this, of course, because as a YA novel, how could it not throw in just a dose of the angsty stuff. But it could have been much worse.

      What really dropped the star rating on this book for me (from a 4; the vague non-storytelling bits already bugged me too much for a 5) was the ending. I won't ruin it for those who have the intention still of reading this book, but it was disappointing. I understand that he is just a 17yr-old kid, and he's not expected to grasp the difference between real friends and imaginary ones yet, but seriously? There may have been ways of making the choice at the end of this story seem right, for him or for anyone else, but this novel didn't convince me. I seriously doubt that the human race has much of a future left with this kid in it, at least the portion of the human race he is plugged into.
    • 4/5
      He wakes up in a world he used to know, many years before. His old street- his old house, where he lived before the unspeakable tragedy. But there is no life here now. No people, no animals, and no evidence of either. Everything is covered in a layer of dust, and the evidence that time has passed. Has it been months? Years? If you loved The Knife of Never Letting Go, and the Chaos Walking Trilogy, you will recognize some of the most exciting characteristics of those novels in More than This. Parick Ness write books that keep you guessing about what will happen next, and question what you know to be true
    • 4/5
      A little matrix like, a little dystopian, very Ness.
    • 5/5
      Intense sci-fi/fantasy tale of boy who dies ... but doesn't . Seth drowns (violent, first-hand account) and then re-awakens in his childhood home. He thinks he is the Last Man on the Planet but later discovers others (Tomacz, Regine) who seem to share his fate. They are pursued by a "the Driver" -- encased in a dark, menacing car. This riveting, engaging book is a deep look at life and death and the boundaries between as well as the nature of love (There is a subtheme detailing Seth's romantic relationship with another boy, Gudmund.) The main audience for this book, adolescent males, may be put off by this but it is tastefully handled. The action is tempered by philosophic musings, but the voice and descriptions are, as usual with Ness, terrific. The half point is because this reader lost interest towards the end -- not such a big fan of fantasy.
    • 3/5
      A story with an interesting premise and good characters. But it seemed to take ages to move through the plot. I feel like it needed a damn good edit and could have been 100 pages shorter.
    • 1/5
      i read quite a lot of it, maybe half but i just didn't enjoy it
    • 4/5
      I have recently discovered Patrick Ness and I think he is a fantastic writer. I have read Chaos Walking and A Monster Calls which I thought were fabulous. I didn't like "More than this" quite so much but it was still a very enjoyable read with an interesting plot and a central character who's mental confusion you are dragged into. Ness is not afraid of real life themes and it's all the better for it.
    • 2/5
      So disappointed in this book! The cover design, introduction and recommendations seemed super promising but the book itself really didn't do much for me. Up till page 172 it's very calm and much the same and I had to push myself to keep reading. Then suddenly something big happens and the whole feeling of the story changes - thats cool! But after that it kinds of just keeps going back and forth between the boring part and the super extreme part, which I think could have been done with more profundity in between. The idea of a plot like this is great. But I feel like Patrick Ness has chosen the easy way out. No explanation, for none of those different parts of the story, quite predictable at a lot of moments, plus an open ending which left me feeling pretty bland about it all. So sorry, but pretty unsatisfactory... Maybe the target audience is just really much younger than me. I normally love reading YA books but this might just not been the right pick!
    • 4/5
      I liked it but I’m confused. But I really liked it and the narrator was awesome.
    • 5/5
      So it took me a bit to actually get into this book !! I’m so glad I stuck with it!! Absolutely loved it!!!
    • 3/5
      Overall, Ok book. Some concepts confusing. Nice twist. Disappointing end. Leaves huge cliff hanger.
    • 4/5
      This is just as weird as one would expect a Patrick Ness book to be, and while it was still very enjoyable, I personally needed like 50 more pages. I don’t know if I needed more explanation or what but I needed more. I think I needed this book to rip my heart out like I expected it to.
    • 5/5
      Incredibly addicting and breathtaking, read it in 4 days, couldn’t stop!
    • 4/5
      Really slow start but by about midway I have to say Patrick Ness has done it to me again, the plot twist got me and I found myself completely immersed in a world that had me feeling like anything was possible
    • 4/5
      I really liked this book! It takes you on so many twist and turns you never quite fully understand what’s going on but I think that’s what makes it so great. It’s best to go in this book not knowing and not expecting anything. Very entertaining!
    • 5/5
      It was an unforgettable journey and I really love it!
    • 4/5
      I read Patrick Ness's [A Monster Calls] and remember really enjoying the way this author portrays his characters and messes with their minds. [More Than This] is certainly no exception. From page one the adventure begins on a high note. Well...maybe not so much for our main character Seth since he drowns. Have no fear...in the next chapter he wakes up and discovers he is in the dusty and deserted house where he grew up in an English suburb. To make his ordeal worse...the house is across the world from where he died in the Pacific Northwest. Seth just assumes this must be hell. The book is split into four parts and each drastically changes the dynamic of the story, unraveling more and more layers. The book is a YA novel but it is a well told, well written story that stays with you long after you close the covers of the book.
    • 5/5
      So, the first time that I read More Than This was a month before it actually came out. I was sent an ARC, I read it ravenously, and then I just sat. Sat, and thought. Patrick Ness blew my mind with this book. In fact, I could never wrap my head around how I felt enough to be able to write a review. Recently, when I saw this as a featured audio book at my library, I thought I'd pick it up and give it another shot. It had been long enough that I didn't remember exactly what happened, and I looked forward to getting lost again. I admit it, once again I'm at a total loss for an adequate review. What do you say about a book that shakes you around like a rag doll, and makes you think? You ramble I suppose. Which is what I'm about to do.

      Patrick Ness is an evil genius. The way that More Than This is laid out is brilliant. I'd be following along with the story line, comfortable in the fact that I knew what was going on, and then Ness would sweep the rug right out from under me. He never let me get too settled. Instead, this story expertly cobbles together different stories that you wouldn't even think would mesh. This is a science fiction story. It's a romance. It's a contemporary. It's about love and life. Birth and death. All the beauty and utter bleakness that make up the life of one individual. It's sad, scary, and stunning. That's exactly why I don't really know what to say about it.

      I think that all you really need to know is that this story isn't always easy to read. There are moments where things become uncomfortably real, and before you know it there are tears leaking from the corners of your eyes. I've always liked that Ness isn't afraid to address real issues. He knows that, as much as society loves to sweep things under the rug, teens face life shattering moments all the time. His characters feel real. You want to hug them. You want to save them. It's maddening that they're inside a book and you can't do either.

      Whether you read this in book form, or listen to it on audio, I think you'll be impressed. Both are equally amazing options.
    • 4/5
      Such a powerful book - still trying to absorb how inspiring this was.

      This book turned out to be something so different from what I was expecting. It doesn't really fit into a genre, it's just one of those down to earth, earnest kind of books that you'd expect from none other than Patrick Ness.

      Patrick Ness has quickly become one of my favorite authors. The way in which he crafts his stories is just impeccable. His characters are so very genuine and real , it's kind of impossible for you to finish any of his books, especially this one, and not be left with some kind of impact/lesson/'wow'.

      I won't go too much into this review because I don't think I can sufficiently represent this book and it's beauty in review form. The only thing I can leave you with is that you'd be missing out on a lot by not reading this book, or any Patrick Ness book for that matter.

      PS: This book's design is by far one of the most visually stunning ones I've ever come across. SO COOL GUYS, SO COOL. The colour, the fact that it has no dust cover ( say what? ), just the general feel of it is amazing. ?
    • 5/5
      It's a great story. It's easy to follow and understand. Patrick Ness never let's his readers down.
    • 4/5
      What a fantastic roller coaster ride of a book. It kept me off balance wondering what would happen next but not giving me much idea of what that would be. I can't even give the slightest detail to friends who may want to read it someday as I feel almost anything beyond what happens in the first 5 pages or so is on some level, a spoiler. Fantastic!
    • 4/5
      Interesting book that explores the nature of reality in a dystopic future.
    • 4/5
      A little matrix like, a little dystopian, very Ness.
    • 3/5
      After having drowned, Seth wakes naked and covered in bandages. Where is he and where is everyone? Is this the afterlife? And why does he find himself back in his childhood home in England, far away from the coast of Washington where he drowned. Seth must make sense of this new world and figure out a way to survive. The book leaves the reader guessing about this new world that Seth finds himself in and what Seth’s ultimate fate will be. - SB
    • 3/5
      Seventeen-year-old Seth drowns; in fact his action is deliberate. He wants to escape the horror of his existence. Racked with guilt over the fate of his younger brother, an event he feels is his entire fault, he doesn’t have much to live for. Then he wakes up, back in his old home in England, and things start becoming very weird indeed. He is wrapped in silvery bandages, and his old street is deserted. The whole place is uninhabited and overgrown. He seems to be the only person left alive in the world. He must now forage and scrounge for clothing, food and water. He wonders if this is hell. His dreams don’t help because his previous life comes back to him in huge, unwelcome chunks of memory. Then he meets two other people, with their own unique and strange tales to tell.Despite the fantastic beginning, with a description that pulled me right into the ocean with Seth, I struggled to finish this book. Parts of it were incredibly exciting and then would grind to a halt with unnecessary introspective and philosophical meanderings on the part of the main character, meanderings which became boring and one had the urge to say, “Oh, just get on with it!” The plus side: an utterly riveting and plausible story premise that comes much later on (just when you are wondering what on earth this is all about and is he dead or not, and if everyone else is dead, then where are the bodies?); really wonderful descriptions that have the reader in the grip of the moment; action and tension to add to the positively bleak and hopeless situation; events that come out of nowhere that have a cinematographic and surreal feel to them; the depth of emotion Seth feels for the loss of his younger brother and his friends. In fact, Seth’s guilt is so palpable that one is consumed with curiosity to learn the truth. The two characters that join him are so different, so lost as well, and so eager to hide the circumstances of their lives/deaths. One feels the pain of the characters as they reveal the humiliating and tragic burdens they each carry.What I did not enjoy: the flashbacks were sometimes jarring and intrusive, until I accepted them as part of the story-telling process; the fact that this world, while it began as an interesting construct, did not have enough to sustain the story and/or the last three inhabitants. I found the ending abrupt and it short-changes the reader in a way. There were many loose ends in the unfolding of this tale that I feel the author might have tried to answer. The characters were confused and, as a result, the reader becomes confused. It is as if the author didn’t bother to work things out to the last detail, which is possibly not the case, but feels that way. The reference to same sex love/relationships was dealt with sensitively and delicately, in an almost tender way. However, this might surprise readers who are not prepared for it, especially if the reader is younger than the protagonist’s age of 17. Ultimately, the characters’ thoughts on what constitutes life and death, and the option of living in a constructed world, avoiding the reality of a life too sad/tragic/hopeless to contemplate should give readers food for thought. However, I have no doubt that the intended audience of older teens and YA readers will love this book. Three stars.
    • 3/5
      I was a little disappointed by this book as it just wasn't as powerful as The Knife of Never Letting Go.It's another example of a book where I liked the concept more than the execution. The first half of the novel was very strong. After Seth's dramatic "death", the opening chapters where he wanders alone through the ruined town are very tense. Although little happened, there was always the threat that something would and the mystery of whether or not it really was Seth's Hell. The flashes of Seth's life also really drew me in and I found myself completely invested in the tragedy of his past.However, I started to lose interest in the second part when the novel took a turn towards the dystopian. I never really connected with Regine and Tomasz in the way that I did Seth and his school friends. The science fiction elements felt unoriginal and slapped on, taking a little too much from The Matrix and never fully explaining themselves (or the strange advanced technology the humans seemed to possess.The philosophy also felt pretty heavy handed. It's wasn't all that subtle, largely spoon-feeding the reader some weighted discourses on the nature of reality that didn't really sound as though they came from the mouth of a teenage boy. However, I did love the themes of the novel. The story dealt with themes like homosexuality, child abuse and victim blaming in a mature way and its ultimate anti-suicide message was quite beautiful.All in all, it's a mixed bag. I don't regret reading it but it's not the best that Ness has to offer.
    • 3/5
      dystopian teen fiction like you've never imagined. "Mature content" includes cartoonish violence; two boys lying together; a kidnapping; a girl's abusive, molesting stepdad; and some gun violence. I liked that the main character was gay but that the plotline didn't revolve entirely around that fact (it was a significant part of his character, but that wasn't why everything was happening to him or happening around him). The girl who befriends him is black but it isn't an issue--she just is, just as the third character happens to be Polish (Polish--the other Minority!). As with other Patrick Ness works, you have to wiggle in and wait a bit for him to start working his magic, so this wouldn't be my first choice to give to a reluctant reader, and it doesn't seem worthy of all the eager anticipation that goodreads users would have you believe (I think perhaps they just really love to use animated gifs?). But if you are a reader that wants something with a bit more intrigue, a bit more depth, a bit more mystery, a lot less romance, this could definitely work.
    • 5/5
      Wow. Just wow. I'm not sure where to start on this awesome book. I picked it up for the first time yesterday and now I'm done and I'm sitting here begging for more. The writing style was awesome. I loved the dreams the most. The secrets in there threw me for such a loop that I stopped reading and had to process my emotions. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire book. A
    • 5/5
      Personal Response-- I devoured this book in less than a week! It was very well written and talking about difficult subjects like suicide and homosexuality is not common in literature. I thought it brought up some good thoughts in how technology is over taking everything and that people are unaware of so much that is going on around them. We must be aware of that we can impact others yet having assumptions can change everything. Relationships with parents and students are meaningful but only if they are truly aware of what their own specific impact they have towards a person. Curricular connections- This would be great for high school but some issues on the controversial subjects of a suicidal gay teenager probably wouldn't be acceptable in the regular classroom. I do see this as a valuable novel in recognizing individuality and letting go of the past.
    • 4/5
      Huge admiration for the tight plotting and superbly drawn characters. Loved the running dark joke about the neatness of the plot. Added to the suspense and fully consistent with Seth's character and adolescent solipsism in general. An intense read that took me back to some dark times - and to my young self who hung on in there, believing that there was more than this. (There is.)