Sam Reader is a writer and conventions editor for
The Geek Initiative. He also writes literary criticism and reviews at
strangelibrary.com. One of
seven trippy works of metaphysical science fiction that he tagged at the B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog:
The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkaway
Nick Harkaway has made a name for himself by mixing philosophical and existential concepts with pulp science fiction and B-movie tropes to create engaging and weird novels. The Gone-Away World, his debut, takes place after an apocalyptic disaster has covered the world with clouds of “stuff,” essentially blank spaces filled with nightmares made real. When a pipeline of “stuff repellent” catches fire, Gonzo Lubitsch and his salvage team are dispatched to repair it and save the world. But as the job goes wrong, it reveals things about the relationship between Gonzo and his friends that lead them into stranger and stranger conflicts—with ninjas, Trappist mimes, martial artists, and monsters. Harkaway’s strong narrative voice and unnerving powers of description make this one heck of a ride, and it’s still my favorite of his works, if only because it makes a plot twist you’ve definitely seen before seem brand-new.
Read about
another entry on the list.
--Marshal Zeringue
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