The Knife of Never Letting Go - by Patrick Ness

Outstanding Epic Perfect for Teen Boys and Adult Sci-Fi Readers
Wow! I LOVE this story! The main character, Todd has grown up in a settlement where all the women have mysteriously died off and the men are plagued with the ability to hear each other's thoughts - or "noise". When Todd discovers a "hole" in the noise, the following events quickly propel him on a journey of discovery while at the same time plunging him into a world of horror. As he pieces together his own history with that of larger world, the sense of looming apocalypse swells. The frontier-like setting takes on surreal quality as the reader discovers more and more about where the book's characters are and how they got there. I'm reminded at times of "Lost" and Cormac McCarthy's The Road when reading this. The characters are flawed and evolving (a good thing) with the fast-paced, highly original story. Especially recommended for teen boys, though girls will like it, too, this title is the first in Ness' "Chaos Walking" series. Addictive, thought-provoking and rich with western-esque sci-fi drama, The Knife of Never Letting Go will leave readers scrambling to find the second book, The Ask and The Answer, in which things become even more chaotic...and compelling. Storytelling at its best - Highly recommended for Teen and Adult readers.

"Airborn" Series by Kenneth Oppel - Steampunk-flavored Odyssey on Audio

Set among Victorian manners, morals and mode, the adventure story Airborn takes flight in an 'almost Earth' world where airships (that's blimps and zeppelins for the dirigible-impaired) are the rulers of sky, trekking between continents. But the vast skies still hold many secrets, waiting to be revealed.

The short hand note on Airborn: As cabin boy on the airship Aurora, Matt Cruse has his sights set on a career in the sky and a life above the clouds. But the dangerous rescue of a mysterious balloonist leads to the discovery of a previously unknown predator in the higher altitudes and a fateful encounter with a famously ruthless sky pirate that endangers everyone aboard the Aurora. Each new development threatens to change Matt's life...or end it.

Full Cast Audio is the real corner-turner on this one. Oppel's story is fantastic, but FCA's unabridged treatment, score and perfectly cast voice actors lift this one right off the page and aloft to new heights for recorded books. I highly recommend this audio read for boys and young men whose reading choices are sometimes outnumbered in the teen section by more feminine pop reads. Absolutely, one of my all-time favorites, I've posted the cover of the Airborn first-edition rather than the audio cover simply because it best captures the spirit of the book. A thrilling non-stop tale that combines the very best elements of sky pirate adventure, Victorian mystery, steampunk-ish sci-fi, Airborn is an seriously compelling listen for teens and adults.