Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Gone-Away World, 15 Nov 2008
I've never read a book with so many genres put into one. It's set in a post apocalyptic setting, where the world is being held together by something known as the Jorgmund Pipe. Within a certain "zone", safety is acquired, whereas outside of this zone, there are all sorts of nasties! Basically, this is where the book begins, I've simplified this to put it into as few words as possible, but the story is actually very well thought through, and the execution, although not perfect, is to a very high standard. The book begins in the middle of the story, and the first half of the book is spent catching up to this point - joining our unnamed teller, and his hero pal Gonzo through some highly humerous situations from childhood and university, to war and pig powered pubs. The second half of the book, ironically enough, tells the second part of the story--carrying on from where the book starts (it really isn't as complicated as it seems).
It is Nick Harkaway's first novel, and quite frankly, it shows due to his tendancy to go off on a tangent. This isn't always a bad thing, but the manner in which he does it makes the story drag out. Often I found myself reading up to 60 pages off-topic which could have started with a description of a persons face--and at least 200 pages of the book could have been taken out for this very reason. It's not always a bad thing to stray from the path to give a deeper understanding, but it needs to be controlled, and there are some places that you needn't got. This is something that experience and time will achieve.
If you can push your way through the mundane parts of the book, then there really is something quite special in between the ramble. It really is quite wonderful, very original, and the start of a very promising new author. There is no defining genre available here--whether you like science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, pornography (well, not so much pornography, but everything else is here), there is definitely something here that everyone can enjoy, and it may even open your eyes to new possibilities and new genres that you never knew you'd like. Sorry if I've rambled on, I guess Harkaway did have an influence on me after all.
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8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable epic, but no easy read, 27 Jun 2008
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
Always a fan of post-apocalyptic plots, I wasn't disappointed by Harkaway's exploration of his particular ideas about a reconstructed, shattered world. An eclectic mix of shock and dark humour, and some engaging, expertly drawn characters mean that there is a lot to get your teeth into. The idea of the inevitable cycle of rise and fall is played out in an intriguing mish-mash of the war and sci-fi genres.
On the other hand, if you're looking for a holiday novel or a light read, then this probably isn't it - it's a book you have to approach with the same kind of heavyweight attitude that the writer injects into it with some very carefully crafted prose. And perhaps that is the book's sticking point - it's so carefully constructed along rather orthodox lines that at times it feels a little false. That said, if you have the patience with it, there are some fascinating tableaux to explore. Stick with it when it loses pace - there is light at the end of the tunnel, and your reward for pushing through is a very enjoyable end to the book.
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11 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Implausible fun in the style of Iain Banks, 25 Jul 2008
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
This is a very strange novel. In many ways it reminded me a lot of Iain Banks work, particularly The Bridge. It's not as well crafted as that but the style and setting, the whole feeling of the novel is strongly reminiscent of that. The sequence is very jumbled with the novel starting in the middle and then spending the first half of the book leading up to that point and the second half moving on. The main prtagonist is a mysterious character who is never named throughout the book (something which I admit threw me as I kept thinking I must have missed something).
On occasions Harkaway's book falls into a trap of using the 'and with one bound he was free' school of literature. Suddenly giving a character some Ninja like ability to escape or rescue someone but on the whole he avoids that. Similarly as the novel approaches its end it strains to retain credibility as the situation becomes more extreme and his characters need more to be more extreme to move forward.
Well written if highly implausible and a book that I suspect would appeal to anyone who likes Iain Banks' work.
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