Life is more than this. More Than This by Patrick Ness – review Patrick Ness's new novel about love and survival will have readers hooked from the first line Tony Bradman. More Than This by Patrick Ness (2013) published by Walker Books Brilliant. More Than This An enthralling and provocative new novel chronicling the life – or perhaps afterlife – of a teen trapped in a crumbling, abandoned world. We absolutely need to know what the hell is going on.

But it is so much more than a mystery. Patrick Ness really has the most vivid imagination. Judging by some of the other one-star reviews on Goodreads written by fans of his other books (particularly the Chaos Walking trilogy), More Than This may not be a very good representation of his work. He pulled off this book seamlessly while handling tough topics like death, the afterlife and sexuality. A boy called Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. That there is more than to it than suffering. Simply brilliant. This is the first book by Patrick Ness that I've read. If you need an object lesson into how to feed your reader a big, fat, juicy mystery that just grows and grows into an obsession then read this book. --The Boston Globe At times, More Than This is like a literary experiment that only by the grace and dedication of its creator resulted in a novel proper, but in the hands of a poised, perfectionist prose-smith like Patrick Ness, it's rarely less than life-affirming. I think this book is a stark message to all teenagers struggling to find meaning to their life.