1) It's ambitious. The scope is impressive. Greg Bear couldn't hardly write a short story without "and then the world ends" at the beginning, middle or end but Harkaway walks you through it, slowly and carefully, with witty asides all the way.

2) It's a tour de force. It's like watching a magician take your money playing 3-card Monte but there are dozens of cards, flowers and explosions keep popping up behind him and he's cracking jokes the whole time.

3) It's masterful. There's an entire deck of cards in the air at one point and then he holds out the open box at arm's length and every card but the one you picked files neatly back into the case while he smiles at you.

Nick Harkaway's dad used the pen name "John Le Carre". Nick Harkaway's grandpa worked for the Kray twins. And at some point, around 35 or 36, he decided that what Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy needed was particle physics, ninjas and Douglas Adams. Much like Madoka Magica, and for the exact same reasons, the less you know going in the better. I started it because William Gibson shouted out Harkaway's new book Titanium Noir on Twitter, it was unavailable from the library, but Gnomon was, and Gnomon was fucking amazing so I read Gone Away World without so much as a book jacket blurb.

It's a hell of a ride.