Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The Gone-Away World is smart and funny



There’s a book coming out that everyone is going to be talking about, a book that has the 20-somethings inspired. This book is Nick Harkaway’s Gone Away World. Don't miss your chance to get a signed copy of this debut.

Who is this young Cornwall lad? He is the son of English writer John le Carré.
“There were whispers of nepotism when this debut novel by John le Carré's son was bought for a reputed £300,000 last year. But on reading this magnificent, sprawling, epic work, it's clear it was published on its own merits, and is probably worth considerably more than the amount Heinemann paid for it.
With the right wind behind it, The Gone-Away World could easily become a modern classic. Its scope and ambition are extraordinary, its execution is often breathtaking, and its style is by turns hilarious, outrageous, devastating, hip and profound”
Doug Johnstone, The Independent
“To the seasoned sci-fi fan, there are strong echoes of almost every great work, from Forbidden Planet (monsters from the Id) to Patrick Stewart's existentialist interpretation of the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek. But it would be wrong to think that this is not an original book, since Harkaway takes all of these references and makes them his own.”
The Times review by Sarah Vine

A sprawling, highly gratifying read, exploring the fascinating historical episodes of the narrator with each chapter, delivering truths and real incite where most would be content to deliver one-liners and fluff. Not only this, the book provides sideways glances at society, literary flourishes, a catalogue of characterizations any author would be proud to call their own, and a finely structured story which necessitates the rather plump size of the title.

“It's the sort of book which I've no doubt, in university terms to come, will be pawed by awe-inspired English students. It has it's minor annoyances for me, but I'm pretty sure there'll be no greater début, or a more confidently ambitious book this year. 'More than anything, I wanted this book to be fun', says Harkaway on the book's website. Well I'd like to tell him, he's done that, and a fair bit more.”

A wildly entertaining debut novel, introducing a bold new voice that combines antic humor with a stunning futuristic vision to give us an electrifyingly original tale of love, friendship and the apocalypse.”

“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.”

Visit the Official Website. Or you can visit Nick here.

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