Topics About Which I Know Nothing — Patrick Ness

Scintillating, surprising, inventive fiction from one of the most talented writers in Britain â€" this is a superb collection of short stories from the acclaimed author of the Chaos Walking series and ‘More Than This'.

Have you heard the urban myth about Jesus's double-jointed elbows yet? 100% true. Or seen the latest reports on the 'groomgrabbing' trend â€" the benevolent kidnapping of badly-dressed children by their well-meaning (and more dapper) elders? Heard the one about the Amazon from the Isle of Man? Or perhaps you'd like a job in telesales, offering self-defence classes over the phone? Don't worry, as long as you meet the weekly quota, you won't be sent to the end of the hall…

Wonderfully original, fresh and funny, Topics About Which I Know Nothing is stuffed to the gills with dizzyingly inventive writing and warming, puzzling emotions â€" a fictional guide to how the world might have turned out.

Reviews

‘This collection of short stories goes off in myriad directions, each wild conceit different, each one executed with the deceptive ease of a catchy song. All of them are sprinkled with humour and zest but none are inconsequential.' Arena

‘Ness's first collection brims with inventiveness and creative audacity.' Daily Telegraph

‘Ness's take on the absurd and offbeat is sharp, intelligent and funny.' Time Out

'An utterly compelling account of a young man out in the world … A truly remarkable fictional character' The Times

'Remarkable, an extraordinary, yet utterly convincing creation' The Scotsman

‘Sparkling humour … Ness has a wonderful imagination: creative, unpretentious and pleasingly bonkers.' Metro (London)

‘Very, very funny … a unique comic manifesto from a very talented newcomer.‘ Daily Express

About the author

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. His first adult novel, ‘The Crash of Hennington', and short story collection, ‘Topics About Which I Know Nothing', are being proudly reissued by HarperCollins. Patrick's works have been translated into 25 languages and have sold over a million copies worldwide. Born in America, he lives in London.