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
1364 Views
What did you think? Love, hate, etc? *NM*
- 07/06/2010 06:10:02 PM
461 Views
No surprises here, I suppose.
- 07/06/2010 07:05:47 PM
932 Views
Neither. Good, but not that deep, and with some annoying things.
- 07/06/2010 10:29:18 PM
828 Views
Mostly regarding being tricked
- 08/06/2010 08:47:56 AM
1029 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
962 Views
Is it successful as a satire?
- 07/06/2010 06:11:11 PM
753 Views
Yes, as long as we are clear on one thing: that is not all it does.
- 07/06/2010 08:29:59 PM
880 Views
Partially.
- 08/06/2010 01:58:19 PM
898 Views
Re: Actually, the IMF loan thing worked better for me.
- 09/06/2010 11:50:36 AM
985 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
847 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
916 Views
Not such a surprise
- 07/06/2010 07:01:24 PM
887 Views
Apparently I was the only person who did not see it coming *spoilers*
- 07/06/2010 08:51:01 PM
938 Views
Re: I guessed it in the second chapter.
- 09/06/2010 12:00:49 PM
870 Views
I clearly need to reread Thief of Time.
- 13/06/2010 06:07:28 PM
716 Views
Re: Spoiler for Thief of Time :
- 14/06/2010 08:27:33 AM
881 Views
Ideas
- 07/06/2010 06:15:25 PM
912 Views
Re: Ideas
- 08/06/2010 12:41:31 PM
787 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
802 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
852 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
680 Views
The New People
- 07/06/2010 07:32:46 PM
914 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
809 Views
The first chapter
- 07/06/2010 09:01:13 PM
965 Views
Favourite scenes
- 08/06/2010 01:31:57 PM
860 Views
Re: Ninjas vs. Pirates: Your inner geek votes for?
- 09/06/2010 12:05:22 PM
904 Views
Pirates. Everytime.
- 12/06/2010 01:29:01 PM
824 Views
Re: Pirates. Everytime.
- 15/06/2010 02:40:45 PM
793 Views
I don't consider the pirates thing to be a "pattern"
- 15/06/2010 02:52:46 PM
793 Views
Oh, but that is just the thing: it is.
- 15/06/2010 03:16:26 PM
765 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
835 Views
- 17/06/2010 06:19:11 PM
835 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
748 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
1033 Views
The other people in the airfield pond
- 15/06/2010 03:04:01 PM
1063 Views
They were scary.
- 17/06/2010 06:25:59 PM
822 Views
The use of tense
- 17/06/2010 03:55:01 PM
844 Views
This is a tendency I have noticed in a lot of contemporary literature
- 17/06/2010 08:54:55 PM
1159 Views