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The Gone-Away World

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The Gone-Away World

By: Nick Harkaway
Narrated by: Matt Bates
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Summary

The Jorgmund Pipe is the backbone of the world, and it's on fire. Gonzo Lubitsch, professional hero and troubleshooter, is hired to put it out - but there's more to the fire than meets the eye. A story of love and loss; of ninjas and pirates; and of a friendship stretched beyond its limits. 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)2014 W F Howes Ltd Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Science Fiction Funny Thought-Provoking Witty Mind-bending
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Critic reviews

"Breathtakingly ambitious... A bubbling cosmic stew of a book, written with such exuberant imagination that you are left breathless by its sheer ingenuity." ( Observer)
"A post-apocalyptic triumph... Immensely rewarding... Genuinely terrifying." ( The Times)
All stars
Most relevant
This book (all 22hrs of it) went faster than most of my 10 hr reads. A pleasure of an adventure, and such beautiful language!

Brilliant

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So many twists and great characters. Just as you think you know where it's going, the story changes direction. A brilliant tale that I will do again.

A fascinating tale

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Nick Harkaway has a distinctive writing style that takes a while to get used to. The only problem I had with this book was that it was quite 'baggy in places with lengthy digressions and descriptions. In some ways it is like one of Chris Brookmyre's tales but without the brevity and pacing that mark out Chris B's style.

A baroque tale that takes you by surprise halfway

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Read the book previously and thoroughly enjoyed it, was an absolute delight to hear it brought to life by a narrator who seemed to really love and live the story. Suckers you straight in so no matter if it's the first ofb4the time of reading or listening you're back in the world created by the author and living it alongside the characters

Fantastic

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Where does The Gone-Away World rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Somewhere around the bottom of the top ten?

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Gone-Away World?

The moment I started to twig that there is something crucial I didn't know about the main character. Yes, it took me a while.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Anything with Master Wu

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It gave me an actual nightmare, and I dont really get nightmares. It got under my skin that much. But it was still so good I would recommend it to everyone (so you can all suffer as I did).

Any additional comments?

The author is clearly a slightly mad creative genius. It's almost impossible to describe this book. It's a dystopian sci-fi horror comedy romance psychological fantasy thriller.

The book is soo brilliant, if you are hesitating to pick it up because you think think it might not be your thing don't worry, it's nobody's thing because the author has invented a whole new thing. It's a book that has stuck with me. Every one of the characters is wonderfully unique and multifaceted, just as everyone really is. At points you will hate each one, love each one, cry for them, laugh with them and be surprised by them.

Loved it.

Weird

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