Mind Blowing

I can't fathom why this hasn't received greater acclaim. Three and half stars? Seriously? This is a five-star narrator reading a six-star book, and whoever marked it down can only have been expecting something very different going in. Yes, it is long and surreal and complicated. That doesn't mean it isn't an absolute joy to listen to. A great white shark may be a terrible tree climber, but that doesn't make it a failure as an animal. In its particular niche of undersea predation, it is unrivaled and magnificent. Gnomon is a very particular sort of creature, but what it does, nothing else I've seen does better.

I get through a lot of books but I rarely bother leaving reviews, although I usually at least give ratings. Most of the time it seems like the meat of what I'd say about my favourite stories has already been said when I get there. But this is seriously one of the best novels I've ever read; possibly even the absolute best (not that I've physically read it yet, but I'm definitely getting a hard copy). It deserves to be recognised as a classic, yet from the number of ratings and reviews I see here it is largely being overlooked. This will not do. It is so good that having discovered it, I now feel somehow obligated to help it reach a wider audience. For the foreseeable future, anyone I know who shows the slightest interest in it will immediately be forced to read my hard copy in one twenty-nine hour sitting, with me standing over them, so that it may then be discussed without fear of spoilers (or sleep). As for Audible, if even one person who was on the fence goes ahead and listens to it on the basis of this review, then actually taking the time to leave one for once will have been more than worth it.

How to describe Gnomon? Not easy. Psychedelic noir? From the synopsis you might think it was primarily a dystopian science fiction story, but large sections of it are set in different times and places from the future Britain in which the story begins, and the focus is more on the internal worlds of the various characters than on the politics of their surroundings. Don't expect a single narrative thread; expect various narratives initially connected only by symbolism to gradually converge on a shared ending and jostle for position as they approach it. Expect a multi-layered reality that starts out masquerading as dystopian science fiction and becomes ever more surreal the further into it you go. At its core this is a story about stories, composed of several smaller stories, each with their own identity and yet all completely symbiotic. It is so full of ideas that weeks after finishing it, I still find parts of it coming to mind on a daily basis. It has enriched my life just by being there in my head to think about.

If you have even the slightest inclination to listen to this audiobook then I urge you to give it a go. For my part, I could not be more grateful to Nick Harkaway for creating this story or to Ben Onwukwe for bringing it to life. A truly transcendent experience.

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17 people found this helpful

Strange, beautiful & wonderful

I’ve read Angelmaker and Tigerman and loved them both. This is different again. It’s a story you have to relax into. The first change of direction startled me. Go with the flow. It’s not slow, it’s action packed & laugh out loud funny in places. I do wonder how Harkaway managed to harness such a beast of a tale. A tour de force.

Onwukwe does a great job considering what he has to get his mouth around in places. There were only a few moments when I wasn’t sure who was speaking, and they all resolved before I became annoyed. The beauty of his voice definitely adds. The audiobook format helped me to not skip ahead, to stay with the story & allow myself to be immersed in it.

After a marathon listen over 3 days, and not quite enough sleep I emerge satisfied and refreshed. Truly wonder-full. And almost indescribable.

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10 people found this helpful

Listenable but unnecessarily complex.

I enjoyed the individual stories contained within the book, and found the characters individually quite interesting. I also enjoyed the narration and found the narrators voice hugely listenable, even if his characters were on occasion hard to distinguish and the cadence of the sentences was sometimes a little off.

However, I found that even at the end of the book the link between the characters is weak and the story makes only limited sense.

Whatever point is being made is lost in a labyrinth of plot twists that only seem to vaguely have an impact on the story, and I thought the way the story ended left a lot to be desired and even more to be explained.

Overall I enjoyed listening, but if I’d known at the start what I know now, I don’t think I would have started.

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An incredible imagination

This is immense. It almost hurt my head at times but... I like it when - whilst reading a book - I'm simultaneously asking out loud "What the hell is going on here?!"

Sometimes books are long and the payoff is poor. Wholly frustrating. Sometimes the perseverance pays off and this is one of those times..... even more so given the story that's unfolding before you.

This is a clever way to explore the application of the technology of the future. A future whose distance from us seems to be rapidly shrinking. Great Book.

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1 person found this helpful

Great story but read the book

Amazing story by Harkaway, as always really. But, the choice of narrator and narrative style were not good. Was very difficult to stay engaged, and considering the complicated story line, was very difficult to follow.

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complex story beautifully told

narration was fantastic! real characterisation.
i loved the twists and turns in this convoluted story, really kept me listening.

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4 people found this helpful

A fascinating story with a captivating performance

Worth 1 of anyone's credits. It isn't short but every word is worth your time.

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3 people found this helpful

Good ideas but jumbled and confusing as audio book

Great idea and interesting characters but poorly stitched together. Possibly would be better if read

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1 person found this helpful

This one is still unfolding in my mind days after

This one is still unfolding in my mind days after finishing it. A commentary on today, future tech and philosophy.

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4 people found this helpful

Cloud Atlas on a bad mushroom trip

Cloud Atlas on a bad mushroom trip. Somewhat long winded. There is a great book buried in there, waiting to be liberated by a valiant editor.

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1 person found this helpful