OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Going Gone" by Abraham Lopez.]

Going Gone is a dystopian book unlike many I have read. The book contains a series of vignettes. Each is separate, yet all work together to tell the story of a collapse of a society.

The Prime Minister of Israel has been assassinated. Unfortunately, he was the unifying force for much of that area and was well-liked. Somehow, the United States is blamed for his death. This, of course, results in (or is used as an excuse for) retaliation. What ensues is a catastrophe unlike the world has ever seen. Follow along for this journey of epic proportions.

I found one of the most interesting stories in this collection to be the one entitled Jessie and the LARGOnauts. LARGO is a cult, and the acronym stands for Legion Above, Reaping God Overseer. Jessie is an investigative reporter who goes searching for a missing Senator believed to have joined this cult. Jessie is an atheist; and, against her better judgement (believing the story will win her a Pulitzer), she joins this cult by convincing them that she is searching for something more in her life. How does this tie in to the overall story of destruction? I guess you'll just have to read the book and find out.

As hard as the plot of this book is to sum up in one paragraph, it was an easy and quick read. There are around 250 pages (depending on which format you download) with 12 chapters. In each chapter, we are privy to a different person going through this tragedy. The stories, however, all seem to connect in some form or fashion forming one continuous view of the world during this disastrous time. I found this to be a very unique and interesting way to tell the story of a country's demise. It captured my attention from the very beginning making me not want to stop until I reached the conclusion. The story as a whole moved along at a good clip without a boring moment.

The one drawback to this style of storytelling is that you don't get the full scope of any one person. I enjoyed seeing glimpses of these characters, and the author provided enough back story in each vignette for me to get a true sense of who they were. Therefore, this really only added to my sense of enjoyment because I got a better sense of the world as a whole this way. Unfortunately, I realize that there will be some that are driven crazy at not knowing what becomes of each character.

I very much enjoyed reading this collection of stories and was sad when it ended. Therefore, I rate Going Gone 3 out of 4 stars. Sadly, I was unable to give the book a perfect rating due to the grammatical errors sprinkled here and there throughout the book. Most of these errors were minor and consisted of missing words or incorrect tenses. While these did not occur frequently nor did they take away from my enjoyment of the book, they were regular enough to make me think that the book needed more editing. I recommend this to all who enjoy a good dystopian novel especially one that stands out a bit from the crowd.

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Going Gone
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Like kandscreeley's review? Post a comment saying so!

I have not read such a book before and i am curious to see how it has come out. Thank you for the review and looking forward to reading it after editing is done.

Thanks for your insightful review. Everything is of course perceived slightly or indeed extremely differently by different people. The author played with this concept in an innovative way so that it sounds as if the events themselves somehow become the main character. It will be great to see a 2.0 version with the errors corrected.

Rosemary Okoko wrote: ↑25 Jan 2018, 03:01 I have not read such a book before and i am curious to see how it has come out. Thank you for the review and looking forward to reading it after editing is done.

It's unique, and that's why it was so good. I always love when an author does something so unique!

ButterscotchCherrie wrote: ↑25 Jan 2018, 05:01 Thanks for your insightful review. Everything is of course perceived slightly or indeed extremely differently by different people. The author played with this concept in an innovative way so that it sounds as if the events themselves somehow become the main character. It will be great to see a 2.0 version with the errors corrected.

You're right ButterscotchCherrie! It is almost as if the event is the protagonist and everyone else is just secondary! It was really fun that way for me.

It is always interesting to watch political dramas unfold. This is a book I would check out. The storyline does make for great entertainment.

Mercy Bolo wrote: ↑25 Jan 2018, 09:36 It is always interesting to watch political dramas unfold. This is a book I would check out. The storyline does make for great entertainment.

Thanks for your comment! I hope that you enjoy it if you do decide to read it!

It's a great concept, and the premise just gave me the chills. The demise of a nation indeed. It's a frightening notion. I don't really mind not knowing what becomes of character. Even in books, there are things that are best left to the reader's imagination.

inaramid wrote: ↑25 Jan 2018, 10:48 It's a great concept, and the premise just gave me the chills. The demise of a nation indeed. It's a frightening notion. I don't really mind not knowing what becomes of character. Even in books, there are things that are best left to the reader's imagination.

And some of the characters you do learn what happens to them. It's just a few you don't. Still, it's a very intriguing way of looking at the whole nation! Thanks for commenting.

Any book that pulls off an atypical narrative structure that actually manages to tell a coherent story is to be applauded. This sounds like an interesting read!

Kieran_Obrien wrote: ↑25 Jan 2018, 18:19 Any book that pulls off an atypical narrative structure that actually manages to tell a coherent story is to be applauded. This sounds like an interesting read!

I agree completely. I can only imagine how difficult it is to write it successfully, but the author does so well.

Thank you for the review. But I will have to pass this one. I am among those who will go crazy at not knowing what becomes of characters. Thanks

Hildah Mose wrote: ↑26 Jan 2018, 07:48 Thank you for the review. But I will have to pass this one. I am among those who will go crazy at not knowing what becomes of characters. Thanks

I'm sorry! You do get to hear about some of the characters, but I understand what you mean. Hopefully you'll find one you like!

This book sounds interesting, but also like something that could drive me nuts. I am somewhat ambivalent when it comes to dystopian novels, and it sounds like the author pulls off the small vignette way of writing, but I think this one will go in my "maybe" pile. Thanks for the review.

I am intrigued by the anthology method of narrating this story. That way, it mirrors life in all its uncertainties and mysteries. I would be willing to dive into this book; I hope I can find a place to cram it into my bursting want-to-read shelf.

I like the imagery evoked by the title and cover art, the world dying out. And then there were none.