June Book Club: The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway
Rebekah Send a noteboard - 07/06/2010 06:09:34 PM
What'd you think? Love it? Hate it? Feel ambivalent? Did it rock your world, gone-away or otherwise?
Jump in and discuss. I'll set up a few questions to begin with, but if you've got your own then do ask 'em here!
Le Plot Summary
The book is primarily a science-fiction fantasy/comedy/epic that focuses on the events of the unnamed main character and his best friend Gonzo Lubitsch. The book starts with the characters in the "Nameless Bar," a title that is a reference to the main character's namelessness. They are in a world that is profoundly different than our own, with constant references to "the go-away war" and the "reification." They are all shocked when there are power failures and a news report shows that the Jorgmund pipe is on fire. The pipe is referred to as being the back bone of the world, the characters all thinking that this is the end of the world. The Haulage & HazMat Emergency Civil Freebooting Company is hired by Jorgmund, which seems to be half corporation, half government body. As the company sets off, the unnamed protagonist starts thinking about his past, from the day he first met Gonzo. It then goes from this to a recount of a war between all of the world's factions with "go-away bombs," which remove information from matter, making it disappear entirely. The unnamed country that the protagonist is from uses these bombs in a mysterious foreign war, thinking that it is a revolutionary secret weapon. This sparks a war between all of the worlds factions using these go-away bombs, reducing the worlds population to 2 billion. The bomb that was supposed to be the cleanest weapon ever has an unexpected side effect in that the matter left over, referred to as "stuff," remains, floating around the world in great storms. Because it has no information, however, when ever it comes into contact with the noosphere it takes the form of whatever that person is thinking about. This causes horrific apparitions and creates people out of nothing who become known as "new." However, there is a way to stop this "stuff": the material that comes out of the Jorgmund pipe, known as FOX, which allows for a small strip of the world to become livable. In this way it is similar to nuclear holocaust fiction, as the world is completely different from what we know today.
Jump in and discuss. I'll set up a few questions to begin with, but if you've got your own then do ask 'em here!
Le Plot Summary
The book is primarily a science-fiction fantasy/comedy/epic that focuses on the events of the unnamed main character and his best friend Gonzo Lubitsch. The book starts with the characters in the "Nameless Bar," a title that is a reference to the main character's namelessness. They are in a world that is profoundly different than our own, with constant references to "the go-away war" and the "reification." They are all shocked when there are power failures and a news report shows that the Jorgmund pipe is on fire. The pipe is referred to as being the back bone of the world, the characters all thinking that this is the end of the world. The Haulage & HazMat Emergency Civil Freebooting Company is hired by Jorgmund, which seems to be half corporation, half government body. As the company sets off, the unnamed protagonist starts thinking about his past, from the day he first met Gonzo. It then goes from this to a recount of a war between all of the world's factions with "go-away bombs," which remove information from matter, making it disappear entirely. The unnamed country that the protagonist is from uses these bombs in a mysterious foreign war, thinking that it is a revolutionary secret weapon. This sparks a war between all of the worlds factions using these go-away bombs, reducing the worlds population to 2 billion. The bomb that was supposed to be the cleanest weapon ever has an unexpected side effect in that the matter left over, referred to as "stuff," remains, floating around the world in great storms. Because it has no information, however, when ever it comes into contact with the noosphere it takes the form of whatever that person is thinking about. This causes horrific apparitions and creates people out of nothing who become known as "new." However, there is a way to stop this "stuff": the material that comes out of the Jorgmund pipe, known as FOX, which allows for a small strip of the world to become livable. In this way it is similar to nuclear holocaust fiction, as the world is completely different from what we know today.
*MySmiley*
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
This message last edited by Rebekah on 13/06/2010 at 06:12:00 PM
June Book Club: The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway
- 07/06/2010 06:09:34 PM
1363 Views
What did you think? Love, hate, etc? *NM*
- 07/06/2010 06:10:02 PM
460 Views
No surprises here, I suppose.
- 07/06/2010 07:05:47 PM
930 Views
Neither. Good, but not that deep, and with some annoying things.
- 07/06/2010 10:29:18 PM
827 Views
Mostly regarding being tricked
- 08/06/2010 08:47:56 AM
1028 Views
*lol* Don't give up on your thesis just yet. 
- 08/06/2010 09:20:16 AM
939 Views
- 08/06/2010 09:20:16 AM
939 Views
Re: I am linking to my review, because I am self-centred like that. But I am not a fan.
- 09/06/2010 11:47:16 AM
960 Views
Is it successful as a satire?
- 07/06/2010 06:11:11 PM
752 Views
Yes, as long as we are clear on one thing: that is not all it does.
- 07/06/2010 08:29:59 PM
878 Views
Partially.
- 08/06/2010 01:58:19 PM
897 Views
Re: Actually, the IMF loan thing worked better for me.
- 09/06/2010 11:50:36 AM
984 Views
But right up to the point where they're given one they don't want, and the interest thing, etc?
- 12/06/2010 01:21:11 PM
846 Views
Characters:
- 07/06/2010 06:12:29 PM
949 Views
One of my favourite things about this book. *spoilers* (do we need to mark spoilers here?)
- 07/06/2010 07:58:36 PM
1077 Views
*NM*
The BIG twist:
- 07/06/2010 06:13:38 PM
913 Views
Not such a surprise
- 07/06/2010 07:01:24 PM
886 Views
Apparently I was the only person who did not see it coming *spoilers*
- 07/06/2010 08:51:01 PM
937 Views
Re: I guessed it in the second chapter.
- 09/06/2010 12:00:49 PM
869 Views
I clearly need to reread Thief of Time.
- 13/06/2010 06:07:28 PM
714 Views
Re: Spoiler for Thief of Time :
- 14/06/2010 08:27:33 AM
880 Views
Ideas
- 07/06/2010 06:15:25 PM
911 Views
Re: Ideas
- 08/06/2010 12:41:31 PM
785 Views
Re: I agree with you, and I think it is one of the drawbacks of the novel.
- 09/06/2010 12:07:51 PM
801 Views
Re: I agree with you, and I think it is one of the drawbacks of the novel.
- 09/06/2010 06:26:20 PM
850 Views
Re: I think you tend to read something and then decide that it is not fit for the genre it is trying
- 10/06/2010 09:23:29 AM
678 Views
The New People
- 07/06/2010 07:32:46 PM
913 Views
I know how I would have reacted in real life
- 08/06/2010 01:20:04 PM
835 Views
Re: I would have been one of those awkward hypocrites who tried to be cool with it.
- 09/06/2010 12:11:51 PM
808 Views
The first chapter
- 07/06/2010 09:01:13 PM
964 Views
Favourite scenes
- 08/06/2010 01:31:57 PM
858 Views
Re: Ninjas vs. Pirates: Your inner geek votes for?
- 09/06/2010 12:05:22 PM
903 Views
Pirates. Everytime.
- 12/06/2010 01:29:01 PM
822 Views
Re: Pirates. Everytime.
- 15/06/2010 02:40:45 PM
792 Views
I don't consider the pirates thing to be a "pattern"
- 15/06/2010 02:52:46 PM
791 Views
Oh, but that is just the thing: it is.
- 15/06/2010 03:16:26 PM
763 Views
I suspect our differing opinions on what is and isn't a pattern might make this discussion fail. 
- 17/06/2010 06:19:11 PM
834 Views
- 17/06/2010 06:19:11 PM
834 Views
A question I had while reading the book - was this meant to be set in Britain, the US, or some mix?
- 13/06/2010 10:53:03 PM
746 Views
You've not got it quite right. We are able to distinguish between a truck and a lorry.
- 20/06/2010 11:09:51 PM
1031 Views
The other people in the airfield pond
- 15/06/2010 03:04:01 PM
1061 Views
They were scary.
- 17/06/2010 06:25:59 PM
820 Views
The use of tense
- 17/06/2010 03:55:01 PM
842 Views
This is a tendency I have noticed in a lot of contemporary literature
- 17/06/2010 08:54:55 PM
1158 Views