A Recollection and Musing on The Gone-Away World

I find myself during these pandemic days and nights thinking often of The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway. The novel was published in 2008 and I must have read it in or around 2012 when the world did not in fact end.

The Gone-Away World is a dystopia, one where a pipe, which is for all intents and purposes the size of the world and as important to the world as the sky, is on fire. The pipe consumes to make a substance that keeps the gone-away world at bay. The pipe is on fire and the gone-away world is getting closer day by day.

I find myself thinking often of this book because it is zany and fun to think about.  There are ninjas, bombs, scientific magic, and corporate malfeasance. Mostly I think about it because in this book the world is on fire and people still go about their daily lives and do their best to keep the gone-away world at bay just a little longer.

The Gone-away World is available for checkout.