The Gone-Away World

By: Nick Harkaway

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

A wildly entertaining debut novel, introducing a bold new voice that combines antic humor (think Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut) with a stunning futuristic vision (á la A Clockwork Orange and 1984, with a little Mad Max thrown in) to give us an electrifyingly original tale of love, friendship, and the apocalypse.

There couldn't be a fire along the Jorgmund Pipe. It was the last thing the world needed. But there it was, burning bright on national television. The Pipe was what kept the Livable Zone safe from the bandits, monsters, and nightmares the Go-Away War had left in its wake. The fire was a very big problem.

Enter Gonzo Lubitsch and his friends, the Haulage & HazMat Emergency Civil Freebooting Company, a team of master troubleshooters who roll into action when things get particularly hot. They helped build the Pipe. Now they have to preserve it - and save humanity yet again. But this job is not all it seems. It will touch more closely on Gonzo's life - and that of his best friend - than either of them can imagine. And it will decide the fate of the Gone-Away World.

Equal parts raucous adventure, comic odyssey, geek nirvana, and ultra-cool epic, The Gone-Away World is a story of - among other things - love, pirates, 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.

©2008 Nick Harkaway (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

Loved it

I love this book and Harkaway's writing but I was blown away even more by the performance of the book!

didn't get through it. or get it.

I guess I was more in the mood for a cool and well written story. rather than a "fresh" new rambling, intellectually witty, literary piece. Nick is clearly a good and intelligent writer. just wish the story had been accentuated more than Nick's dry and intelligent humor. The narrator appropriately accentuates the intellectually witty sarcasm which I guess made it even more grating for my "just want some axe-shun" mood. maybe I'll try reading on kindle if I get the time. It seemed like a good story but got bogged down with filler.

Good book however, not like Pratchett and Adams

This book is uneven. Don’t get me wrong it isn’t bad. It is in fact very good verging on quite excellent in places. I think I’ll remember Master Wu and his story of hunting ninjas and the secret for quite some time as cleaver, funny, and touching.

However, it starts out as a collection of lightly inner connected pros that could easily be independent and then enters a long story of the core of the book and switches quite a bit. The pacing changes frequently enough to distract from rather than enhance the story telling. It actually reminds me quite a bit of the works Haruki Murakami, however Haruki is more skillful in changing pace.

All that being said there is no page, nor paragraph that I could point to and say that it is not witty, well written and entertaining. I did however at several points have to stop, and listen to or read something else before I could return to this book.

Now, here is the point I really wanted to talk about. I bought this book because when I read reviews here and at amazon.com, I saw several that compared this work to those of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. Nope. Not a thing like. Sure there is humor, but this is more like Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut. Which is to say it is honestly and truly well writing and does have a dry and sarcastic wit to it, but it isn’t a thing like the over the top and silly dry humor of Pratchett or Adams. Shame really as I would love to find someone like Pratchett, Adams, Wodehouse, possible more Adams and Pratchett than Wodehouse really. This book is, alas, not it. Eoin Colfer is also quite good though most of his books are targeted at a teen and younger audience.

Unique take on and end of the world

I wasn't sure what to make of it in the first couple of chapters. But I think it really hits it stride later on, and I loved the ending. I love the apocalypse theme, and the unique way it came about.

It is also somewhat of a mystery story that you don't realize is a mystery at first. or at least you forget is a mystery. But it also has elements of Kunfu, war, and end of the world. And most importantly it pushes your definition of humanity

Simply Amazing

Sooooo good. Narrator was clever & unique and did an excellent job at many voices And personalities. Story was funny, and exciting and fascinating. Loved it.

Hilarious and poignant in rapid succession

A superlative exemplar of British snark and apologism of the absurd. I was delighted at all times.

i am a worm genetiscist.

Just kidding. I have to agree that I enjoyed the book and it's action. The depth of theme isn't radical or stunning, but it's clearly about acceptance, tolerance and change. But forget that, there's mutants. Fire. Love. Betrayal. Bad guys. Good guys. The misunderstood. The changed. It's a grab a bowl of popcorn or hit the road trip audio book that explores our nasty corporate tendencies as well as our love for big loud trucks, shiny things and heroes. Fun. That's the ticket. And seriously, mutants make almost anything more interesting. Science fiction often makes me depressed with it's lack of originality - or flowing phrasology. Like I know?! This was just darn solid good fun. Grab your wheel and head for a tri-state road trip with it - you'll be there before you want.

Audible give me more stars for this book

What made the experience of listening to The Gone-Away World the most enjoyable?

Kirby Heyborne embodies The Narrator. Brilliant!

What other book might you compare The Gone-Away World to and why?

Hard to say, since this story is truly unique, but Jasper Fforde's Shades of Grey has some similarities.

Which scene was your favorite?

Pa Lubitch's monster bees.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Not that it isn't THAT good, but I needed to take breaks and digest it.

Any additional comments?

Buy it. Listen to it. Love it.

A rambleogue to the end of the world

I came here for a sci-fi story from an author I didn't know. I enjoyed the story, but it's hidden in a tangle of tangents hours deep. There's a good and interesting premise here, introduced in the start of the book, but in many ways it doesn't get back to the point till maybe fifteen hours in. Some of the twists and turns are quite good, but overall I spent a lot of time wishing the plot would gravitate back to the story.

Really threw me for a loop

this book has such a slow-burn of a story I actually wasn't sure at first whether or not I was enjoying it. The fictitious autobiography style of the book lends itself to an interesting viewpoint, and you feel like you've learned enough. When the story shifts, you realize you didn't know nearly enough.

10/10 execution of a pretty original concept, I was pleasantly surprised with how well the turnaround went. I'm almost disappointed there isn't a sequel, but that's definitely for the best. it wraps up nicely.

Kirby Heyborne does a fantastic job narrating, I don't ever feel like I missed anything due to his cadence. His sound effects were genuinely great.