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The Gone-Away World

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About this listen

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

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)
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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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Good performance. Unusual story . Enjoyed it very much though a bit side tracking at times

Very unusual twist in the tale

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