Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Imaginative - unpredictable - and very well written, August 20, 2008
With all the promotion accompanying the publication of this book the story probably needs little introduction? However just in case: it is set in Britain in the not very distant future. We join the story and after the Go-Away War when civilisation relies upon and lives within reach of the globe encircling Jorgmund Pipe; and who knows what inhabits the regions beyond its reach? Problem: the pipe is on fire and professional trouble-shooter and all-round hero Gonzo Lubitsch and his crew are hired to extinguish the fire - but there is more to the fire, and the pipe than it seems. As we follow the charismatic Gonzo and his best friend (our apparently happily married narrator) in their exploits the story takes us back to their childhood and the time before the Go-Away War; we learn of the origins of their friendship, follow them to university and through military service and their subsequent involvement in the Go-Away War. Then we pick up the story again post-War; and this is when we learn of the effects of the fall-out, as well as more about the mysterious Jorgmund Company; we gradually understand the disastrous mess of a world which the Jorrmund Pipe appears to dominate and sustain.
But what really makes this book something special is the quality of the writing. It is writing of such eloquence it simply demands to be read. Nick Harkaway (son of spy thriller writer John le Carré aka David Cornwell) juxtaposes the ordinary and the absurd with such naturalness that we almost don't question it; we might just pass it by if it were not so hilariously funny at times; such is the writer's skill. Every page is a pleasure and one wants to dwell on and enjoy each word, but one is torn between lingering at leisure and becoming absorbed in the detailed byways the story regularly takes and the urgent desire to learn what happens next. One thing we can be sure is that what happens next rarely predictable.
As the story unfolds we encounter a wide range of unforgettable characters in addition to our two main protagonists. I'll mention just one as it will also give an indication of the time setting: our narrator's boyhood martial arts instructor the octogenarian Mr Wu of the Voiceless Dragon School, born in the 1930s, a wise, subtle and unassuming man who is relentlessly pursued by his family's arch-enemy the Ninjas, and whose very young female assistant sleeps on his couch. In addition to an array of interesting characters we should add a parade of weird and wonderful creatures.
The Gone-Away World is an amazing tale; it is a fantasy, an odyssey, an epic; it is story of upheaval and disaster, of nightmare monsters becoming reality, of loyalty and friendship, an adventure encompassing tense drama contrasting more leisurely pursuits, a story which takes us along the way, with unhurried confidence, on many detailed diversions and anecdotes, a story which jumps from the mundane to the surreal, even miraculous. But all the while the full comic potential is fully exploited, and it is all the funnier for the masterful writing, for the wry humour is as often found in the choice of expression, the turn of phrase, as in the ongoing events.
That our very likeable and unassuming narrator remains nameless is not inconsequential, it is crucial to the plot; and his loyalty to his friend Gonzo despite some most surprising events might also prove to be the salvation for what is left of the world. It has been likened it to A Clockwork Orange, Catch 22 or Brave New World; it is reminiscent at time of A Hitchhikers Guide . . . Whatever comparison may be made, one thing is beyond question: it is without doubt an eminently enjoyable read and a cracking and original escapade.
If all you are interested in is a quick-fire story which hurriedly gets to the point wasting no time you may in truth find this a laborious read. However if you enjoy reading for the shear pleasure of reading, if you enjoy the liquid flow of words, if for you the adventure of the journey is as important as arriving, you are sure to enjoy The Gone Away World.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Too...something...for my tastes, November 24, 2008
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The Gone-Away World as a book tries to ape some of the popular "geek" novelists of yesteryear and now. Think Douglas Adams, without the cheeky humor, or Terry Pratchett without the well-developed characters. I am told, reading the synopsis of the book, the following:
"Equal parts raucous adventure, comic odyssey, geek nirvana and ultracool epic, The Gone-Away World is a story of--among other things--pirates, war, mimes, greed and ninjas. But it is also the story of a world, not unlike our own, in desperate need of heroes--however unlikely they may seem."
Sounds great; I love geek nirvana and how could something with pirates AND ninjas (in a world in which the only thing that would top such an event is Pirate Ninjas) not rock solidly? Well, I can't quite argue with most of the points. Ninjas and pirates are in the story, as is war and heroes. Is it geek nirvana and ultra cool? Not particularly.
In my time with the book, I was immediately thrust into some weird amalgamation of our current world with...I don't know what. Luckily (?), the story then steps back, way back, to when our protagonist was a kid and an early friend to Gonzo, a hero in his own right. The story then traces its roots from his early life, through tutelage in the Voiceless Dragon School, through rebellious days and his interrogation by the government wishing to crack down on rebellious thought, to amazing bombs that go awry and eventually to The Gone-Away World and beyond. There's some interesting connections to the socio-political world we currently live in, some absurdist touches and a few passages that are worthy of attention.
Roger Ebert recently reviewed a movie entitled Tru Loved. This was a rather controversial review that was picked up in a variety of news outlets not only because of the review but because of the backlash of comments on his blog. At the end of the review, he admits to having seen only 8 minutes of the film. After those 8 minutes, he decided his time was better spent elsewhere.
I am currently only at page 302 and I'd be lying if I said I'd eventually get to the end of The Gone-Away World. It's been sitting at my desk, by my bedside, next to the tub and on my coffee table, asking to be read. But it's been sitting there for two months and some change. It's too tangential for my tastes, with no real narrative thread to pull it along. I don't know what the point is, though there is supposedly a "huge twist" towards the end...but I think I can gather what it is, based on one of the character's name. Even if not, though, the thought of trudging through another 200 or so pages just fo find the twist merely makes me curl my lip and pick up a different book.
A few passages belie some excitement. A thrilling capture and interrogation at the hands of our character's own government, for example. Or when the world has Gone-Away, and a hilariously disturbing encounter with a man who appears normal but ultimately disproves his humanity by enveloping a dog in its stomach, really shows that Nick Harkaway has some latent talent. But there's far more sections in which I couldn't force myself to read any longer.
Obviously, The Gone-Away World has found some excited readers here at Amazon.com. As a reader of many absurdist writers (Jonathan Carroll, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman, etc.), I'm not one of them. It's quite possible that the ending of the book is so transcendent that The Gone-Away World demands higher stars. But I probably will never know. I've had to work at books before to get them finished, but this will be one of the few times where the book has defeated me.
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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable book crushed by unnecessary plot twist, September 18, 2008
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
There is a lot to like in Nick Harkaway's debut novel The Gone-Away World, partially because there's a lot IN the novel. It's a bit overlong, and sprawls across genres, including bits and pieces of pretty much anything you can think of. Sci-fi, kung fu, shadowy international conspiracies...it's all here. Frequently, it's quite funny.
Unfortunately, about two-thirds of the way through the book, Harkaway throws in a plot twist that really dampened my enjoyment of the book, creating what in my mind were irreparable plot holes and making quite a bit of the book no longer make any sense. It is under this dampening cloud that the book ends, and it left me feeling cold about a book that I had been enjoying pretty thoroughly.
Ultimately, I think Harkaway exhibits a lot of talent, and much of the writing in this book is good. I think he's certainly a writer to watch, but The Gone-Away World is problematic.
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