From the Bookshelf of Central Library SF Book Group…

The Gone World

Tom Sweterlitsch

Start date: March 19, 2022

Finish date: April 16, 2022

Discussion: The Gone World

Discussion leader: Jackie

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

No topics in The Gone World yet. Start one now »

What Members Thought

Nov 06, 2021 Bryan Alexander rated it really liked it

Shelves: near-future-sf, alternate-history, mystery, hard-science-fiction, sf, american-history, 1990s, time-travel

I tried to describe The Gone World to my wife and daughter and had a hard time. "It's science fiction," I began. "Time and space travel. But also police procedural." Pause. "But weird time travel, not the usual route. And it's about the end of the world. Also doppelgangers." Pause. "Hang on, that doesn't make much sense."

The thing is, it does make sense, and I kept returning to the book during an insanely busy week because it kept grabbing my attention.

So yes, my description was actually correct I tried to describe The Gone World to my wife and daughter and had a hard time. "It's science fiction," I began. "Time and space travel. But also police procedural." Pause. "But weird time travel, not the usual route. And it's about the end of the world. Also doppelgangers." Pause. "Hang on, that doesn't make much sense."

The thing is, it does make sense, and I kept returning to the book during an insanely busy week because it kept grabbing my attention.

So yes, my description was actually correct. The novel is about a murder investigation taking place in an alternate history, where the US Navy (!) builds spaceships which travel through time starting in the 1990s, or so. Our heroine has to figure out who killed a family in West Virginia, which naturally tugs on a whole range of plot threads which involve Larger Issues. But that's after the prologue. In the prologue we learn that a terrible event is making its way through space and time towards humanity, an event which will kills us all in awful ways. Our heroine travels to that event happening in the future and meets her doppelganger.

Things proceed from there: forensics, time travel logic, romance, lots of gunfire, plenty of West Virginia, Larger Issues. It all works well together, proceeding rapidly with a somber, gloomy tone. Like I said, it's hard to stop reading.

I admire that Tom Sweterlitsch was willing to try so many things in a single book. He takes a lot of risks. The combination of genres and ideas may task some readers. The bleakness is neither dystopian nor cozy, just stark, yet without really serving as horror. Let me say more behind spoiler shields: (view spoiler)

I'll certainly look for more by this author. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Apr 19, 2022 Jelli rated it liked it

Shelves: adult, horror, mystery-thriller, science-fiction, book-club-central-library

Well written for such a mash up of genres. Cons: Too much blood and gore on the page for my taste. Recommend to those who like police procedurals with the added bonus of space and time travel and don't mind graphic imagery. ...more

Like · see review

Apr 04, 2022 Jay Bolling rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Apr 20, 2022 Faith rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Apr 10, 2022 Steve Johnsen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Apr 17, 2022 April rated it liked it

Shelves: scifi-book-club

Sep 06, 2022 Tim Fitzpatrick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Group Home Bookshelf Discussions

Photos Videos

Send invite Members Polls