The Gone-Away World
Ratings16
Average rating4.1
People compare the author to Vonnegut. I hate Vonnegut. Maybe this checks out then.
My usual complaints: didn't like the prose, no connection to characters, hard to understand who are the characters, or whatever is going on for that matter.
There is a pipe that is very important in this post apocalyptic world. The pipe has a problem, the protagonist and his crew are hired to fix the problem.
The farther away you go from civilization, the weirder things get. So they must struggle to not go very far.
Read 1:13 / 22:07 6%
DNF. After previously reading and greatly enjoying “Gnomon” by the same author, I was eager to dive into their earlier works. Had to give up after almost three months of not being drawn in. It is a fun book overall but the writing here had tangents which had asides which had more tangents... The choice to skip back in time to the MC's childhood in chapter 2 after the big setup in chapter 1 was a little offputting. Additionally, new characters kept getting introduced on almost every other page, often never to be mentioned again as we move on to yet another quirky scene. I don't think it was time wasted, but there are plenty of other more engaging books to read.
I cannot possibly say enough good things about this book. Absolutely, jaw-droppingly incredible. I have not been this excited about a book in years. Recommended wholeheatedly and without reservation.
The Gone Away World, Nick Harkaway's debut novel, has ruined me. Seriously. Since finishing it, I have found nothing that captures the same sense of humor, mystery, fantastic writing style, and completely original idea as this brilliant novel.
Told from the first person perspective, The Gone Away World is a fantastic piece of fiction. I can't even begin to go into the plot without worries of spoiling the wonderful and delightful twists and turns it takes. Set in a future world where the technology exists to make your enemies just “go away”, what happens when you discover that everyone, simultaneously and secretly, developed that same technology? And just what does the noosphere think about billions of people just being made to “go away”? Well, I'll just say, it doesn't like that idea. The consequences are terrible.
Just read this. Seriously. I don't remember the last time I finished a book and really, truly loved it as much as this book.