Books › The Gone-Away World
The Gone-Away World
First published 2009 · 576 pages
A hyper-verbal, martial-arts-infused apocalyptic joyride that hides a profoundly beating heart beneath its chaotic exterior.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like strapping into a runaway rollercoaster built by a mad philosopher. It is a wildly exuberant, maximalist experience that throws everything—ninjas, mimes, apocalyptic wastelands, and corporate dystopias—at the wall, and somehow all of it sticks. The prose is hyper-verbal and breathlessly digressive, pulling you through bizarre tangents that are as hilarious as they are sharply insightful. Yet beneath the frenetic, absurdist surface lies a surprisingly tender core. The emotional gravity of lifelong friendship and the fragile nature of human identity anchor the chaos, ensuring that the relentless action never feels hollow. It is a perfect match for readers who crave genre-bending, high-octane storytelling that refuses to take itself too seriously while still managing to break your heart.
- Mood
- chaotic
- surreal
- frenetic
- surprisingly tender
- Tone
- exuberant
- irreverent
- philosophical
- absurdist
- wry
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- enduring power of friendship · fragility of identity · absurdity of war · corporate hubris · rebuilding after the end
- The writing
- Maximalist, hyper-verbal, and endlessly digressive, spinning complex metaphors and rapid-fire jokes with breathless energy.
- The arc
- Moves from a wildly disorienting, laugh-out-loud adrenaline rush into a deeply moving meditation on who we are to the people we love.
- Who it's for
- Fans of hyper-articulate, genre-smashing maximalism who want their apocalyptic wastelands populated by ninjas, mimes, and profound philosophical questions.
Content notes
- war violence
- apocalyptic themes
- mild body horror
- profanity
About the book
A hilarious, action-packed look at the apocalypse that combines a touching tale of friendship, a thrilling war story, and an all out kung-fu infused mission to save the world.
Gonzo Lubitch and his best friend have been inseparable since birth. They grew up together, they studied kung-fu together, they rebelled in college together, and they fought in the Go Away War together. Now, with the world in shambles and dark, nightmarish clouds billowing over the wastelands, they have been tapped for an incredibly perilous mission. But they quickly realize that this assignment is more complex than it seems, and before it is over they will have encountered everything from mimes, ninjas, and pirates to one ultra-sinister mastermind, whose only goal is world domination.
Description from Open Library.
Books like The Gone-Away World
See why they match
WalkawayCory DoctorowA fiercely optimistic, idea-dense joyride through a post-scarcity apocalypse where building a better world means fighting the billionaires who want to live forever.
Permutation CityGreg EganA dizzying plunge into the deep end of hard science fiction that will leave you questioning the fundamental nature of your own consciousness.
Perdido Street StationChina MiévilleA hallucinatory plunge into a sprawling, grimy metropolis where science, magic, and grotesque biology collide in a nightmare of urban decay.
The Half-Made WorldFelix GilmanA surreal, dust-choked journey to the edge of reality where demonic industry and chaotic violence wage an endless, soul-crushing war.
The ScarChina MiévilleA dark, oceanic descent into a floating city of exiles, where grotesque biology meets Machiavellian politics.
AngelmakerNick HarkawayA gleefully chaotic, clockwork-powered romp through a secret, retro-futuristic London.