Giveaways

Book Giveaway: Numbers: The Chaos by Rachel Ward

Last year, I read and truly enjoyed Numbers by Rachel Ward. This year, Numbers: The Chaos is out, and it’s the second book in the series by a talented author. In order to celebrate the release of the novel, we are offering up a giveaway for TWO lucky readers!

The Book:

Numbers: The Chaos by Rachel Ward

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Horror/Thriller

Publisher: The Chicken House (Scholastic)
Publication Date: March 2011
Paperback: 352 pages

The curse of the NUM8ERS continues in Rachel Ward’s CHA0T1C, earth-shattering sequel!

When he was a little boy, Adam learned about the numbers. The first ones he saw were Jem’s. That was how he knew she was going to die. Adam has more than inherited his mother’s curse: When he looks in someone’s eyes, he not only sees the date of their death…he feels the searing, shocking pain of it. Since Jem died, Adam has lived by the sea with his great-grandmother, Val. But when rising tides flood the coast, they return to London. The city is an alien, exciting, frightening place. Most disturbing of all, Adam can’t help but clock how many people’s numbers are in January 2027; how many are on New Year’s Day. What chaos awaits the world? Can he and Sarah stop a catastrophe? Or are they, too, counted among the “twenty-sevens”?

The Website:

You can read more about Numbers: The Chaos online at the author’s official website HERE and the series official website HERE.

The Excerpt:

The knock on the door comes early in the morning, just as it’s getting light.

“Open up! Open up! We’ve got an evacuation order on these flats. Moving out in five minutes. Five minutes, everybody!”

You can hear them going down the corridor, knocking ondoors, repeating the same instructions over and over. I hadn’t been asleep, but Nan nodded off in her chair, and now she jerks awake and curses.

“Bloody hell, Adam. What time is it?” Her face looks crumpled and old, too old to go with her purple hair.

“Half-six, Nan. They’ve come.”

She looks at me, tired and wary.

“This is it, then,” she says. “Better find your things.”

I look back at her and I think, I’m not going anywhere. Not with you. We’ve been expecting this. We’ve been camped out in the flat for four days, watching the floodwater rising in the street below. They’d warned everyone that the seawall was likely to go. It was built years ago, before the sea level rose, and it wasn’t going to stand another storm with a spring tide to add to
the swell.

We thought the water would come and then go, but it came and it stayed.

“S’pose this is what Venice looked like before it was washed away,” Nan said gloomily. She flicked her cigarette butt out the window and down into the water below. It bobbed slowly along the street toward where the walkway had been. And she lit another cigarette.

The electricity was cut off that first night, then the water in the taps turned brown. People waded along the street outside, shouting through megaphones, warning us not to drink the water, saying they’d bring us food and water. They didn’t.

Instead we made do with what we’d got, but with no toaster and no microwave, and the milk going bad in the fridge, we were starting to get hungry after twelve hours. I knew things were bad when Nan peeled the cellophane off her last pack of smokes.

“Once these are gone we’re going to have to get out of here, son,” she said.

“I’m not going,” I told her. This was my home. It was all I had left of Mum. expecting this. We’ve been camped out in the flat for four days, watching the floodwater rising in the street below. They’d warned everyone that the seawall was likely to go. It was built years ago, before the sea level rose, and it
wasn’t going to stand another storm with a spring tide to add to the swell.

We thought the water would come and then go, but it came and it stayed.

“S’pose this is what Venice looked like before it was washed away,” Nan said gloomily. She flicked her cigarette butt out the window and down into the water below. It bobbed slowly along the street toward where the walkway had been. And she lit another cigarette.

The electricity was cut off that first night, then the water in the taps turned brown. People waded along the street outside, shouting through megaphones, warning us not to drink the water, saying they’d bring us food and water. They didn’t. Instead we made do with what we’d got, but with no toaster and no microwave, and the milk going bad in the fridge, we were starting to get hungry after twelve hours. I knew things were bad when Nan peeled the cellophane off her last pack of smokes.

“Once these are gone we’re going to have to get out of here, son,” she said.

“I’m not going,” I told her. This was my home. It was all I had
left of Mum.

You can read the full first chapter online HERE.

The Author:

I’m a fortysomething author, currently writing novels for teenagers and young adults (some adults like them too). My first novel, ‘Numbers,’ was published in January 2009, and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. At the moment, I’m working on a sequel, which will be published in 2010.

The Trailer:

THE GIVEAWAY:

We are giving away TWO copies of Numbers: The Chaos! The contest is open to participants with a United States mailing address only (international readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can accept their prizes by mail) and will run until Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 11:59 PM (PST). In order to enter, all you have to do is leave a comment here answering the following question: if you had the option, would you want to be able to see the death dates of everyone around you? Only ONE comment per person, please! Multiple entries and/or duplicate comments will be automatically disqualified. Good luck!

73 Comments

  • Sami Thomson
    March 7, 2011 at 12:08 am

    No, I think it would be horrible to know when everyone is going to die – it’d be way too sad.

  • Susan Laura
    March 7, 2011 at 5:58 am

    No way!

  • Rebecca
    March 7, 2011 at 6:24 am

    As much as it is painful when a death is a surprise, I think the knowing would be much worse.

  • SandyG265
    March 7, 2011 at 6:51 am

    No – I wouldn’t want to know when people were going to die.

  • Marg
    March 7, 2011 at 7:07 am

    Definitely not. It would be too much for me to bare. I’d probably try to prevent the deaths and be overwhelmed with guilt when I couldn’t.

  • Tina
    March 7, 2011 at 7:27 am

    No, I wouldn’t want to know. Knowing when all your loved ones are going to die or meeting people and knowing the day they’re going to die before you even find out their name? I think that would drive me insane after a while. It would be so depressing.

  • Su
    March 7, 2011 at 7:58 am

    No, thank you! I think in that case, ignorance would definitely be bliss.

  • brit
    March 7, 2011 at 8:15 am

    No, you would treat everyone differently, depending on when they were going to die. Plus you could never really be friends with someone.

  • CrystalGB
    March 7, 2011 at 8:46 am

    No, I would not want to know.

  • Rin
    March 7, 2011 at 9:00 am

    I would not want to know when others would die, however knowing my own… What can I say, I like to make plans.

  • MarieC
    March 7, 2011 at 9:14 am

    EEE!! no way. How sad that would be….

  • Jackie
    March 7, 2011 at 10:23 am

    Good lord, no! That would be a morbid life…

  • Quill2006
    March 7, 2011 at 10:33 am

    No, that sounds pretty horrible…especially if you didn’t know why someone would die in the next few days or something so you could do something to stop it.

  • jenmitch
    March 7, 2011 at 10:59 am

    absolutely not. what a terrible responsibility. dealing with mortality is difficult enough, and most of us do it by spending most of our time ignoring that simple reality. having it in your face constantly would be unbearable.

    thanks so much for the giveaway!

  • Amanda Lee
    March 7, 2011 at 11:02 am

    Not a chance- the agony of watching a loved one’s numbers tick away would be too hard to see.

  • Karen C
    March 7, 2011 at 11:14 am

    No, I wouldn’t want to know the death dates of the people around me! I’d be in tears all the time. 😥

  • CC
    March 7, 2011 at 12:33 pm

    Yes, I would! Im just morbid that way.

  • Kaethe
    March 7, 2011 at 12:56 pm

    I wouldn’t mind knowing, although I’m afraid I would be tempted to test it somehow.

  • Sandy Jay
    March 7, 2011 at 1:18 pm

    Absolutely not! Way too much sadness.

  • Joder
    March 7, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    I would want to know so I can help people get everything in order and make sure that they have no regrets when they take their last breath.

  • Mia
    March 7, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    No way. I can only see two possibilities for that power to even exist. 1) Fate is real. In that case you would be forced to bear this incredible burden without having the option of changing it or 2) The date a person dies is not fixed by fate and is ever changing. Which would then give you some sort of power over life or death.

    I personally wouldn’t want either of those scenarios to be my life.

  • Allison
    March 7, 2011 at 2:59 pm

    Only if there was a filter so I could only see the death dates of people I don’t like.

    …totally kidding. I would never ever want that pressure or responsibility. No way.

  • Josephine
    March 7, 2011 at 3:07 pm

    Absolutely not!

  • Scribe Kira
    March 7, 2011 at 3:12 pm

    I cannot even fathom knowing the dates of others’ deaths. i’d go mad, wanting to save them, wanting to know if i even could, wanting to do something, and wanting–even if this is creepy–how they die. what happened? was life worth living for them? i would just want to hug the people’s families, apologizing to them for their loss that hasn’t even happened yet. i mean seeing the dates of when your family members will pass on, your husband, you best friends, how could you NOT be messed up. the days will just keep ticking by and until it is finally their last hour. i mean, yeah, knowing will allow you to know to tell that person everything you have ever wanted to tell them, but how would you know when was enough? how could you not go insane worrying when the person would finally fall over, heart no longer pounding, lungs no longer taking in breath after sweet breath of air? i can see the pros, but, honestly, i would go mad if i knew, wondering, contemplating, the numbers refusing to every let me rest.

  • Maya S
    March 7, 2011 at 4:31 pm

    Oh my goodness, I would never want to know. It reminds me of one of the stories from “Machine of Death” where there are some people who also receive the date of their death and it takes over their lives. It sounds truly horrific.

  • Heather
    March 7, 2011 at 4:56 pm

    I don’t think I would. It would be too traumatizing. If you wanted to try and save someone and couldn’t, it would always haunt you.

  • heatwave16
    March 7, 2011 at 6:03 pm

    I don’t think I would want to know. I would feel the need to tell people, and I bet most people don’t want to know.

    heatwave96(at)hotmail.com

  • Stephanie
    March 7, 2011 at 7:10 pm

    Oh gosh, no I would not. I would be so paranoid and probably would go crazy.

  • Susan
    March 7, 2011 at 7:12 pm

    Noooooo way!!! 😥

  • Victoria Zumbrum
    March 7, 2011 at 7:13 pm

    I am a follower and email subscriber. No I wouldn’t want to know when everyone was going to die. I couldn’t handle knowing. It would be very sad and upsetting. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

  • Amy C
    March 7, 2011 at 7:21 pm

    No, I wouldn’t want to know when my family and friends are going to die; I don’t want to obsess in avoiding fate the way seers in books always do. It’s too hard to know and not be able to act, far too hard. And to know that if you act, it might lead to the person’s death; and if you don’t act, it might lead to the person’s death anyway.

  • Claire
    March 7, 2011 at 7:26 pm

    Oh, definitely no, you would become obsessedand it would mean having to keep so many secrets.

  • Ginny
    March 7, 2011 at 7:47 pm

    This is kinda satanical and scary but yes, that would be really interesting. I think that if i were to know that i only have a couple days, weeks, years etc. with someone i would value my time with them much more then i do now as the clueless person i am. This is just my personal opinion, im not saying i want people dead or anything, just wish to my value my time and their time on Earth better. 😀

  • Missie
    March 7, 2011 at 7:59 pm

    Heck no. That would be way too intense.

    Thanks for the giveaway.

    missie at theunreadreader.com

  • Jill
    March 7, 2011 at 8:23 pm

    No! No! No! No! especially being a mom!!!! Never!!!!!

  • Bethie
    March 7, 2011 at 8:28 pm

    No, I would not want access to that info. Thakns for the giveaway.

  • Elly
    March 7, 2011 at 9:11 pm

    No. Probably not. It won’t ease the pain you feel when someone you love dies or will die. And even if you can see the numbers, you can’t cheat death in the real world.

  • Lucia Hua
    March 7, 2011 at 9:11 pm

    Definitely NOT. Reminds me of that movie Knowing… I would go mad. Or other people would think I’m mad. I don’t know if there would be any advantage to knowing this… definitely an example of TMI.

    iLiveiLaughiLoveBooks@gmail.com

  • Stephanie K.
    March 7, 2011 at 9:12 pm

    No, I would be too hard to be around anyone.

  • Courtney
    March 7, 2011 at 9:25 pm

    No, I do not think that I would want to know. It would be hard to get close to people if you knew you were going to loose them.

  • Katie
    March 7, 2011 at 10:55 pm

    Absolutely not. I would become so paranoid.

  • diane
    March 8, 2011 at 5:18 am

    wouldn’t knowing the future throw off the space-time continuum?

  • Serena
    March 8, 2011 at 6:49 am

    I’mma have to go with absolutely not. I read book#1 of this series and I wouldn’t be able to deal with that hehe

    anedia @ gmail.com

  • Katy
    March 8, 2011 at 8:24 am

    No, I think that kind of power could make one insane in the literal definition of the word.

  • Lisa B.
    March 8, 2011 at 9:31 am

    In answer to the question, no way! I wouldn’t want to form relationships with anyone unless their death date were far in the future. How awful to use that factor as a “friendship/relationship criteria”! Ugh!

  • Miss Ash Tuesday
    March 8, 2011 at 10:39 am

    I would want to know.

  • Maya M.
    March 8, 2011 at 10:51 am

    No. Too much pressure. But my boy, for whom I’m entering, says he would like it.

  • Jen B.
    March 8, 2011 at 11:30 am

    No, I would not want to know the death dates of the people around me. I am a fixer and I would go insane knowing that I couldn’t fix it. Even worse, what if there was someone you felt should die because they were truly evil but you could see that their death date was far off? Ugh! I am always looking for new YA. I will check these out. 😀

  • Butt-Kicker Heroine
    March 8, 2011 at 12:28 pm

    It would be pretty creepy but yea I wouldn’t mind having that kind of ability. I would tell people who have only a little time left to cherish every moment. Of course I won’t tell them that they were going to die soon. I’ll just help them appreciate all the little things more. =)

    thanks for the giveaway!

  • Anita Yancey
    March 8, 2011 at 1:52 pm

    No, I wouldn’t want to see the death dates of everyone around me. It would just make me worry, especially about my loves ones.

    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

  • Lisa Richards
    March 8, 2011 at 2:28 pm

    Nope, absolutely not. The best way to live is as if each day were your last.

  • Leanna Hiner
    March 8, 2011 at 7:09 pm

    no I wouldn’t want to see the death date of anyone.

  • Rachael L
    March 8, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    No I would not want to know the death dates of everyone. Thank you for the giveaway!

  • Carina L. Tai
    March 8, 2011 at 10:33 pm

    Well, it’d sure be something interesting to be able to see death dates. However, I like to leave some things a surprise. So my answer would be no.

    Thanks so much for the giveaway!

    -Carina
    http://dystopiandesserts.blogspot.com/

  • Party Bus DC
    March 9, 2011 at 4:31 am

    Here is Similar NEWS

    Adam sees ‘numbers’ – when he looks in peoples’ eyes he can see their death-dates, just like his mum Jem used to. Adam has trouble dealing with his awful gift, and when he realises that everyone around him has the same series of numbers, he becomes deeply afraid of what might happen in 2025. Desperate to find out what could be about to go wrong, Adam spends hours researching possibilities – war, nuclear accidents, killer viruses. He knows something big is coming, but what? And is there anything he can possibly do about it?

  • Maureen
    March 9, 2011 at 8:53 am

    I definitely would not!

  • Kimberly B.
    March 9, 2011 at 12:00 pm

    What a great giveaway! I don’t think I’d wanted to know anyone’s numbers, although I might be tempted to know my own, so I could try to get done everything I wanted to accomplish before dying. But in the long run that would probably also want to lead me to wanting to know the numbers of other people, to see whether they would outlive me. It would be a dangerous temptation, but one I’d ultimately resist.
    Thanks for the terrific contest!

  • alana
    March 9, 2011 at 2:59 pm

    No I wouldn’t. I always say no to these kinds of questions though. Power has power over you and I’d rather not have it.

  • Priya
    March 9, 2011 at 5:37 pm

    I think knowing would be absolutely horrible. I feel like it would ruin my life.

    swaid124(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Melanie L
    March 9, 2011 at 8:35 pm

    No, I definitely would not want to know the day anyone was going to die, especially people that I know. It would be way too depressing and hard to ever stop thinking about it.

  • Sarah
    March 10, 2011 at 1:00 pm

    Resounding no. I think that would lead to an utterly depressing life, and very painful too.

  • CG
    March 10, 2011 at 1:48 pm

    I don’t think I could handle the pressure of knowing when everyone would die but if someone had to have the ability I would take it so no one else had too.

    Thanks for the great contest!

  • Nic
    March 10, 2011 at 3:07 pm

    Thanks for the giveaway!
    I would say “yes” (if there is no “feeling the pain” business involved): if I were a nasty person (which I am definitely not), I would be in the life insurance business; if I were a nice person (which I am), I would help people live a better life with the knowledge and seek serious therapy for myself and all the vicarious traumatization that would be coming my way (hello burn out)… would not be pretty to see children’s death in their eyes…
    OK, I change my answer to “no”.

    Cheers,
    N.

  • Jessy
    March 10, 2011 at 4:53 pm

    I hate surprises so Yes I would want to see everyones death dates. This way I am prepared for what is already going to happen.

  • Ana Lucía
    March 10, 2011 at 5:27 pm

    No. I don’t think I would like to know that, like the weight of the world on my shoulders.

  • Amanda L
    March 10, 2011 at 6:29 pm

    My first instinct is to say Definitely Not!! but after some debating I think maybe…????

  • alex nguyen
    March 10, 2011 at 8:46 pm

    no, I don’t think I would like to know.

  • Audra Holtwick
    March 12, 2011 at 11:51 am

    Great contest- I would not want to know especially if it were my kids it would be too heartbreaking.
    audie@wickerness.com

  • CherylS22
    March 12, 2011 at 2:52 pm

    I’d rather not know.
    Thanks for the giveaway!

  • SuperFoxy
    March 16, 2011 at 2:41 am

    Yes. The value of time would increase greatly in your mind.

  • Nidia
    September 4, 2011 at 8:31 pm

    Mayba, but not that much 😕

  • Nidia
    September 4, 2011 at 8:36 pm

    I mean, if i were Jem I would at least try to not let that happen 😕

  • NM
    April 8, 2016 at 5:06 am

    Arey you still giving this book away?

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