The Gone World

(Hardback, Large Print Edition)

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Description

Pennsylvania, 1997. Part of a clandestine division of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Shannon Moss is assigned to the murder of a Navy SEAL's family. She learns that the SEAL was an astronaut aboard a spaceship assumed lost to the currents of Deep Time. Moss knows firsthand the mental trauma of time travel, and believes it has triggered this violence. Traveling ahead in time, she discovers it's not only a family's fate that hinges on her work, it's the future of humanity.

Reviews

"The Gone World has already created quite a stir. . . . The book probes questions about consciousness and crime that call to mind, among others, True Detective and 12 Monkeys."--EW.com

"The Gone World will horrify and fascinate readers in equal measure. It is also a primer on cutting-edge theories about time travel and astrophysics...Prepare to be dazzled."--Pittsburg Post-Gazette

"This is big-idea fiction that defies genre in the best possible way. Epic and mind-bending in scope, it carries the reader through on beautifully rendered, human moments."--Blake Crouch, author of Dark Matter and the Wayward Pines trilogy

"Another visionary blend of science fiction and mystery."--Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

"As if [The Gone World did not have] a thrilling enough premise, Sweterlitsch stirs an intriguing end-of-the-world scenario into the mix... How the murder inquiry and the enigma of the terminal event are linked is just one of the many enjoyable aspects of this dark, page-turning SF thriller; another is the character of Moss... She is a resilient, vulnerable, and likable protagonist." --The Guardian

"A fascinating blend that doesn't skimp on the criminal investigation or the [sci fi]...Describing much more than [the] simple setup would rob the reader of the trippy experience of navigating the time-travel intricacies of this nail-biting speculative thriller."--Library Journal (starred review)

"Sweterlitsch has crafted a powerful and compelling protagonist in Shannon Moss. . . The Gone World displays the mesmerizing power of rich speculative fiction, which drives the investigation forward (and backward) in time. Transporting readers to increasingly hostile timelines, Sweterlitsch delivers visceral and unflinching action in this dynamic merger of murder mystery and futuristic vision." --BookPage

"A mind-blowing fusion of science fiction, thriller, existential horror, and apocalyptic fiction...The power of this novel is two-fold: Sweterlitsch's intricately plotted storyline will keep readers on the edges of their seats until the very last pages, and his extended use of bleak imagery coupled with his lyrical writing style make for an intense and unforgettable read."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Every so often, the cosmic tumblers align and the universe ejects a transcendent piece of literature that strikes an existential nerve, evoking a sense of profound wonder about ourselves. The Gone World is one of those refreshingly rare examples and it is going to blow readers away. . . [Sweterlitsch's] ingenious apocalyptic thriller weaves a spell of rapture within each carefully composed page burnished with shimmering prose." --Syfy Wire

"Sweterlitsch offers a highly engaging--and deeply human--story informed by hard science and a refreshing sensitivity to trauma and disability. . .The Gone World is as unsettling as it is unforgettable." --ShelfAwareness

"Billed as Inception meets True Detective, this scifi thriller follows a secret agent within the NCIS as she investigates a strange murder and a related missing-person case that ... could possibly bring about the end of life as we know it." --Io9

"A complicated, dazzling novel that keeps the reader hooked until the last pages... Sweterlitsch plays with time in a fascinating manner, sprinkling in small details that drive home the real cost of Moss's job... In many ways, it feels like it blends the supernatural and cosmic elements from True Detective, and the alternate universe elements of Fringe." --The Verge

"Sweterlitsch follows his futuristic, cyberpunk thriller Tomorrow and Tomorrow with a complex mystery involving time travel, alternate possibilities, murder, terrorism, and one woman's determination to prevent the end of time. . . For hard-core science-fiction fans." --Booklist

"At once futuristic, nightmarish and hard-boiled. Once again Sweterlitsch takes readers to another world and back again. Take the trip."--Stewart O'Nan

"Compelling...The multiple futures and the contemporary setting showcase world-building at its finest, while the characterizations are thought provoking and grittily realistic...A page-turner from beginning to end!"--RT Book Reviews

"[An] investigation into the gruesome murder of a Navy SEAL's family takes some science fictional turns. . . Sweterlitsch juggles all of these balls masterfully. His Moss feels fully realized and the plot is propulsive." --Locus Magazine

"Thought-provoking and entertaining in equal measure. The way the future is presented, as one possibility of many, is good, solid theory and the author describes it in remarkable clarity. . . The character of Moss shines through." --SF Book Reviews

"In a word: Whoa! Edge-of-your-seat crime fiction that bends both time and mind."--Sylvain Neuvel, author of Sleeping Giants

"The Gone World will horrify and fascinate readers in equal measure. It is also a primer on cutting-edge theories about time travel and astrophysics...Prepare to be dazzled."--Pittsburg Post-Gazette

"In Shannon Moss, Sweterlitsch has created a protagonist reminiscent of Clarice Starling--fearless, damaged, driven--and placed her in the most original novel I've come across in years. I simply loved The Gone World. Set against a murder investigation spanning multiple realties, this is big-idea fiction that defies genre in the best possible way. Epic and mind-bending in scope, it carries the reader through on beautifully rendered, human moments."--Blake Crouch, New York Timesbestselling author of Dark Matter and the Wayward Pines trilogy

"Another visionary blend of science fiction and mystery. Set in Western Pennsylvania, an NCIS special agent is called on to solve a mass murder, only to be caught up in a time-travel vortex of deceit and intrigue."--Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

"A fascinating blend that doesn't skimp on the criminal investigation or the [sci fi]...Describing much more than [the] simple setup would rob the reader of the trippy experience of navigating the time-travel intricacies of this nail-biting speculative thriller."--Library Journal (starred review)

"A mind-blowing fusion of science fiction, thriller, existential horror, and apocalyptic fiction...The power of this novel is two-fold: Sweterlitsch's intricately plotted storyline will keep readers on the edges of their seats until the very last pages, and his extended use of bleak imagery coupled with his lyrical writing style make for an intense and unforgettable read...This darkly poetic and profoundly disturbing glimpse into the potential last days of humankind will surely haunt readers' dreams long after the book is finished."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"At once futuristic, nightmarish and hard-boiled. Once again Tom Sweterlitsch takes readers to another world and back again. Take the trip."--Stewart O'Nan

"Compelling...The multiple futures and the contemporary setting showcase world-building at its finest, while the characterizations are thought provoking and grittily realistic...A page-turner from beginning to end!"--RT Book Reviews

"In a word: Whoa! Edge-of-your-seat crime fiction that bends both time and mind. Think True Detective meets 12 Monkeys. Throw in the end of the world and you can begin to imagine where this gut-twisting tale will take you. This is cross-genre fiction at its best."--Sylvain Neuvel, author of Sleeping Giants

"A fascinating blend that doesn't skimp on the criminal investigation or the [sci fi]... Describing much more than [the] simple setup would rob the reader of the trippy experience of navigating the time-travel intricacies of this nail-biting speculative thriller." --Library Journal (starred review)

"In Shannon Moss, Sweterlitsch has created a protagonist reminiscent of Clarice Starling--fearless, damaged, driven--and placed her in the most original novel I've come across in years. I simply loved The Gone World. Set against a murder investigation spanning multiple realties, this is big-idea fiction that defies genre in the best possible way. Epic and mind-bending in scope, it carries the reader through on beautifully rendered, human moments."--Blake Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and the Wayward Pines trilogy

"A mind-blowing fusion of science fiction, thriller, existential horror, and apocalyptic fiction...The power of this novel is two-fold: Sweterlitsch's intricately plotted storyline will keep readers on the edges of their seats until the very last pages, and his extended use of bleak imagery coupled with his lyrical writing style make for an intense and unforgettable read...This darkly poetic and profoundly disturbing glimpse into the potential last days of humankind will surely haunt readers' dreams long after the book is finished."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"At once futuristic, nightmarish and hard-boiled. Once again Tom Sweterlitsch takes readers to another world and back again. Take the trip."--Stewart O'Nan

"In a word: Whoa! Edge-of-your-seat crime fiction that bends both tim

Author Bio

Tom Sweterlitsch is the author of The Gone World and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. He has a Master's Degree in Literary and Cultural Theory from Carnegie Mellon and worked for twelve years at the Carnegie Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife and daughter.