erinflight's review against another edition
5.0
The Gone Away World is a mix of beautiful absurdity and startling, sometimes painful, insights about why humans do what they do.
The story is built around a cast of characters it's hard not to care about and a fascinating science-fiction premise (sort of, neither science fiction or fantasy quite fit, but it's somewhere in there ) that felt unique.
This book also has some genuine surprises, that I didn't see coming the first time around. On the second read, I found that there were a few jokes you'd only catch if you knew what was coming.
Overall, this book is brilliant and, in a few years, I'll probably read it again.
The story is built around a cast of characters it's hard not to care about and a fascinating science-fiction premise (sort of, neither science fiction or fantasy quite fit, but it's somewhere in there ) that felt unique.
This book also has some genuine surprises, that I didn't see coming the first time around. On the second read, I found that there were a few jokes you'd only catch if you knew what was coming.
Overall, this book is brilliant and, in a few years, I'll probably read it again.
kmowery's review against another edition
5.0
Every so often while you are rating things, you come across a work of such beauty that you wish you'd rated everything else 4 just so you could give this one 5 and have it _mean_ something.
Harkaway has a gorgeous, whimsical writing style. I've never loved paragraph-length sentences before, but somehow these are flowing and funny and they never quite end up where they start. The world is loud and lively and wonderfully drawn to support the characters, not simply to provide Chekov with his Gun. This is one of the best books I've read.
Go read this book now okay thanks goodnight.
Harkaway has a gorgeous, whimsical writing style. I've never loved paragraph-length sentences before, but somehow these are flowing and funny and they never quite end up where they start. The world is loud and lively and wonderfully drawn to support the characters, not simply to provide Chekov with his Gun. This is one of the best books I've read.
Go read this book now okay thanks goodnight.
xxkatastrophe's review against another edition
I’m not as invested in the story as I thought I would be. A good friend recommended this to me in college, and I was excited to finally get to it. But I can only just vibe along for so long. When I started to avoid listening to it during my lunch breaks, that’s when I decided to DNF
tacanderson's review against another edition
5.0
How can you not love a post-apocalyptic book that contains mimes, ninjas & super weapons. This book defies description but is among my top three books along with Lord of the Flies and Fight Club. Entry to this exclusive club means that I've actually read it more than once and loved it even more with each consecutive reading.
Nick Harkaway has a wonderful writing style and the book is enjoyable all the way through. I never felt like it lagged and never hit a point where I briefly lost interest (something that happens to almost all books I read, even the good ones).
Nick Harkaway has a wonderful writing style and the book is enjoyable all the way through. I never felt like it lagged and never hit a point where I briefly lost interest (something that happens to almost all books I read, even the good ones).
ecoandi's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know what to say about this book except that it has everything I like in a book. I just finished it and am bummed. I want to read more of it. I want there to be a list called Books for People who Love 'The Gone-Away World' so I can read all of them. Someone get on that.
ashercsb's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book so much. It is weird and moving, beautifully written and oh so funny. It is well constructed and well plotted and full of thematic meaning. It is so very very good.
fantpmas's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
A bit too clever to be really entertaining but enjoyed it nonetheless. Good luck if you return to the book after not reading it for a few days, you'll have no idea in which back story you are.
cognative's review against another edition
5.0
Outstanding book. It was witty and smart, and always threw me in new directions as I read it.
Once I understood that the book went back in time after the opening sequence and then caught up to the opening then continued forward, my initial confusion was gone.
A bit lengthy at moments, but everything comes to a closure throughout the book and was not wasted pages of unfulfilled plot.
Once I understood that the book went back in time after the opening sequence and then caught up to the opening then continued forward, my initial confusion was gone.
A bit lengthy at moments, but everything comes to a closure throughout the book and was not wasted pages of unfulfilled plot.
ginnikin's review against another edition
OMG, I couldn't bear the narrative voice of this. *shudder* Also, by page 8, the POV character had reduced the two women seen so far into sexual objects, one to be desired, one to be avoided. Oh, goody.