Gnomon
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $37.88
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Ben Onwukwe
-
Written by:
-
Nick Harkaway
About this listen
A Best Science Fiction Book of 2017 - The Guardian
From the widely acclaimed author of The Gone-Away World and Tigerman, comes a virtuosic new novel set in a near-future, high-tech surveillance state that is equal parts dark comedy, gripping detective story, and mind-bending philosophical puzzle.
In the world of Gnomon, citizens are constantly observed and democracy has reached a pinnacle of "transparency". Every action is seen, every word is recorded, and the System has access to its citizens' thoughts and memories - all in the name of providing the safest society in history.
When suspected dissident Diana Hunter dies in government custody, it marks the first time a citizen has been killed during an interrogation. The System doesn't make mistakes, but something isn't right about the circumstances surrounding Hunter's death. Mielikki Neith, a trusted state inspector and a true believer in the System, is assigned to find out what went wrong.
Immersing herself in neural recordings of the interrogation, what she finds isn't Hunter but rather a panorama of characters within Hunter's psyche: a lovelorn financier in Athens who has a mystical experience with a shark; a brilliant alchemist in ancient Carthage confronting the unexpected outcome of her invention; an expat Ethiopian painter in London designing a controversial new video game, and a sociopathic disembodied intelligence from the distant future. Embedded in the memories of these impossible lives lies a code which Neith must decipher to find out what Hunter is hiding. In the static between these stories, Neith begins to catch glimpses of the real Diana Hunter - and, alarmingly, of herself. The staggering consequences of what she finds will reverberate throughout the world.
A dazzling, panoramic achievement, and Nick Harkaway's most brilliant work to date, Gnomon is peerless and profound, captivating and irreverent, as it pierces through strata of reality and consciousness and illuminates how to set a mind free. It is a truly accomplished novel from a mind possessing a matchless wit infused with a deep humanity.
©2018 Nick Harkaway (P)2018 Random House AudioYou may also enjoy...
-
Titanium Noir
- A Novel
- Written by: Nick Harkaway
- Narrated by: Davis Brooks
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cal Sounder is a detective working for the police on certain very sensitive cases. So when he’s called in to investigate a homicide at a local apartment, he’s surprised by the routineness of it all. But when he arrives on scene, Cal soon learns that the victim—Roddy Tebbit, an otherwise milquetoast techie—is well over seven feet tall. And although he doesn’t look a day over thirty, he is ninety-one years old. Tebbit is a Titan—one of this dystopian, near-future society’s genetically altered elites. And this case is definitely Cal’s thing.
-
-
Excellent novel.
- By G & M on 2023-08-13
Written by: Nick Harkaway
-
The Grey Bastards
- A Novel
- Written by: Jonathan French
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 17 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jackal and his fellow half-orcs patrol the barren wastes of the Lot Lands, spilling their own damned blood to keep civilized folk safe. A rabble of hard-talking, hog-riding, whore-mongering brawlers they may be, but the Bastards are Jackal's sworn brothers, fighting at his side in a land where there's no room for softness.
-
-
Unfortunate performance
- By Anonymous User on 2024-05-24
Written by: Jonathan French
-
Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe
- Written by: Thomas Ligotti, Jeff VanderMeer - foreword
- Narrated by: Jon Padgett, Linda Jones
- Length: 21 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thomas Ligotti’s debut collection, Songs of a Dead Dreamer, and his second, Grimscribe, permanently inscribed a new name in the pantheon of horror fiction. Influenced by the strange terrors of Lovecraft and Poe and by the brutal absurdity of Kafka, Ligotti eschews cheap, gory thrills for his own brand of horror, which shocks at the deepest, existential, levels.
-
-
Great Narration and some fantastic stories
- By Jason Cameron on 2023-04-19
Written by: Thomas Ligotti, and others
-
The Last Unicorn
- Written by: Peter S. Beagle, Patrick Rothfuss
- Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy, Joshua Kane
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone...so she ventured out from the safety of the enchanted forest on a quest for others of her kind. Joined along the way by the bumbling magician Schmendrick and the indomitable Molly Grue, the unicorn learns all about the joys and sorrows of life and love before meeting her destiny in the castle of a despondent monarch—and confronting the creature that would drive her kind to extinction....
-
-
Magical
- By faith on 2024-08-13
Written by: Peter S. Beagle, and others
-
Exhalation
- Stories
- Written by: Ted Chiang
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Dominic Hoffman, Amy Landon, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tackling some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine, these stories will change the way you think, feel, and see the world. They are Ted Chiang at his best: profound, sympathetic, revelatory. Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine.
-
-
Delightful collection of thought-provoking stories
- By Hmmmm on 2020-02-03
Written by: Ted Chiang
-
The Hexologists
- Written by: Josiah Bancroft
- Narrated by: Sarah Slimani
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, are quite accustomed to helping desperate clients with the bugbears of city life. Aided by hexes and a bag of charmed relics, the Wilbies have recovered children abducted by chimney-wraiths, removed infestations of barb-nosed incubi, and ventured into the Gray Plains of the Unmade to soothe a troubled ghost. Well-acquainted with the weird, they never shy away from a challenging case.
-
-
Bancroft - The Best Worldbuilder Working Today
- By Daniel W. on 2023-10-31
Written by: Josiah Bancroft
-
Titanium Noir
- A Novel
- Written by: Nick Harkaway
- Narrated by: Davis Brooks
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cal Sounder is a detective working for the police on certain very sensitive cases. So when he’s called in to investigate a homicide at a local apartment, he’s surprised by the routineness of it all. But when he arrives on scene, Cal soon learns that the victim—Roddy Tebbit, an otherwise milquetoast techie—is well over seven feet tall. And although he doesn’t look a day over thirty, he is ninety-one years old. Tebbit is a Titan—one of this dystopian, near-future society’s genetically altered elites. And this case is definitely Cal’s thing.
-
-
Excellent novel.
- By G & M on 2023-08-13
Written by: Nick Harkaway
-
The Grey Bastards
- A Novel
- Written by: Jonathan French
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 17 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jackal and his fellow half-orcs patrol the barren wastes of the Lot Lands, spilling their own damned blood to keep civilized folk safe. A rabble of hard-talking, hog-riding, whore-mongering brawlers they may be, but the Bastards are Jackal's sworn brothers, fighting at his side in a land where there's no room for softness.
-
-
Unfortunate performance
- By Anonymous User on 2024-05-24
Written by: Jonathan French
-
Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe
- Written by: Thomas Ligotti, Jeff VanderMeer - foreword
- Narrated by: Jon Padgett, Linda Jones
- Length: 21 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thomas Ligotti’s debut collection, Songs of a Dead Dreamer, and his second, Grimscribe, permanently inscribed a new name in the pantheon of horror fiction. Influenced by the strange terrors of Lovecraft and Poe and by the brutal absurdity of Kafka, Ligotti eschews cheap, gory thrills for his own brand of horror, which shocks at the deepest, existential, levels.
-
-
Great Narration and some fantastic stories
- By Jason Cameron on 2023-04-19
Written by: Thomas Ligotti, and others
-
The Last Unicorn
- Written by: Peter S. Beagle, Patrick Rothfuss
- Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy, Joshua Kane
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone...so she ventured out from the safety of the enchanted forest on a quest for others of her kind. Joined along the way by the bumbling magician Schmendrick and the indomitable Molly Grue, the unicorn learns all about the joys and sorrows of life and love before meeting her destiny in the castle of a despondent monarch—and confronting the creature that would drive her kind to extinction....
-
-
Magical
- By faith on 2024-08-13
Written by: Peter S. Beagle, and others
-
Exhalation
- Stories
- Written by: Ted Chiang
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Dominic Hoffman, Amy Landon, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tackling some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine, these stories will change the way you think, feel, and see the world. They are Ted Chiang at his best: profound, sympathetic, revelatory. Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine.
-
-
Delightful collection of thought-provoking stories
- By Hmmmm on 2020-02-03
Written by: Ted Chiang
-
The Hexologists
- Written by: Josiah Bancroft
- Narrated by: Sarah Slimani
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, are quite accustomed to helping desperate clients with the bugbears of city life. Aided by hexes and a bag of charmed relics, the Wilbies have recovered children abducted by chimney-wraiths, removed infestations of barb-nosed incubi, and ventured into the Gray Plains of the Unmade to soothe a troubled ghost. Well-acquainted with the weird, they never shy away from a challenging case.
-
-
Bancroft - The Best Worldbuilder Working Today
- By Daniel W. on 2023-10-31
Written by: Josiah Bancroft
-
Wild and Crazy Guys
- How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever
- Written by: Nick de Semlyen
- Narrated by: Curtis Armstrong
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The behind-the-scenes story of the iconic funnymen who ruled '80s Hollywood - Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Eddie Murphy - and the beloved films that made them stars, including Animal House, Caddyshack, and Ghostbusters.
-
-
A great listen about a great time in comedy
- By Anonymous User on 2023-05-15
Written by: Nick de Semlyen
-
Angelmaker
- Written by: Nick Harkaway
- Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
- Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joe Spork repairs clocks, a far cry from his late father, a flashy London gangster. But when Joe fixes one particularly unusual device, his life is suddenly upended. Joe's client, Edie Banister, is more than just a kindly old lady - she's a former superspy. And the device? It's a 1950s doomsday machine. And having triggered it, Joe now faces the wrath of both the government and a diabolical South Asian dictator, Edie's old arch-nemesis.
-
-
Starts off great
- By James on 2019-10-28
Written by: Nick Harkaway
-
Fiction Land
- Written by: RR Haywood
- Narrated by: Gethin Anthony
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A delivery driver finds himself inside a world occupied by characters from unfinished novels and must accept he is not real. But the world around him doesn’t feel right, and when he starts asking questions, the authorities soon take extreme measures to stop him finding the truth about Fiction Land.
-
-
Interesting story
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-04-19
Written by: RR Haywood
-
Anansi's Gold
- The Man Who Looted the West, Outfoxed Washington, and Swindled the World
- Written by: Yepoka Yeebo
- Narrated by: Jude Owusu
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Ghana achieved independence from Britain in 1957, it instantly became a target for home-grown opportunists and rapacious Western interests determined to claim whatever assets colonialism hadn’t already stripped. A CIA-funded military junta ousted the new nation’s inspiring president, Kwame Nkrumah, then falsely accused him of hiding the country’s gold overseas. Into this big lie stepped one of history’s most charismatic scammers, a con man to rival the trickster god Anansi.
Written by: Yepoka Yeebo
-
The Lives of Brian
- A Memoir
- Written by: Brian Johnson
- Narrated by: Brian Johnson
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brian Johnson’s memoir from growing up in a small town to starting his own band to ultimately replacing Bon Scott, the lead singer of one of the world biggest rock acts, AC/DC. They would record their first album together, the iconic Back in Black, which would become the biggest selling rock album of all time.
-
-
Things I didn’t know about is I didn’t know about Brian Johnson
- By Anonymous User on 2023-01-30
Written by: Brian Johnson
-
The Lost Van Gogh
- A Novel
- Written by: Jonathan Santlofer
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For years, there have been whispers that, before his death, Van Gogh completed a final self-portrait. Curators and art historians have savored this rumor, hoping it could illuminate some of the troubled artist's many secrets, but even they have to concede that the missing painting is likely lost forever. But when Luke Perrone, artist and great-grandson of the man who stole the Mona Lisa, and Alexis Verde, daughter of a notorious art thief, discover what may be the missing portrait, they are drawn into a most epic art puzzles.
Written by: Jonathan Santlofer
What the critics say
“Gnomon is an extraordinary novel, and one I can’t stop thinking about some weeks after I read it. It is deeply troubling, magnificently strange, and an exhilarating read.” (Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven)
“Opening a novel by Nick Harkaway feels like stepping into a theme park for the mind - every page you turn brings new delights for the mind and the senses. Gnomon is brilliant and terrifying, full of pleasures big and small. Basically, everything I want in a book.” (Charles Yu, author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe)
“Beguiling, multilayered, sprawling novel that blends elements of Philip K. Dick-tinged sci-fi, mystery, politics, and literary fiction in a most satisfying brew.... Fans of Pynchon and William Gibson alike will devour this smart, expertly written bit of literary subversion.” (Kirkus, starred review)
What listeners say about Gnomon
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mr. R.
- 2023-05-02
In every way a success
So, not to go on about it:
I read the novel first, because I always do, and the first thing I thought was that I wanted to read it again. There’s a deep and well woven plot, and if you love the English language you will certainly appreciate what Nick Harkaway can do with it. It’s a great, intricate story, and you should read it.
The audiobook was a great way to enjoy it again. Ben Onwukwe is a masterful reader. He’s fully committed to delivering a near Shakespearean performance of this novel, which takes a lot, when you consider that there are passages I would have thought to be almost impossible to read to yourself let alone other people, Top shelf, my man.
If you plan to listen before you read: be prepared to not have a fucking clue who is actually who at not one but several points in the story. Don’t let this bother you. Read it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- lukasdp
- 2023-06-05
will be better the second time through.
my first experience with this author was the gone away world, which was amazing, but also much much better the second time around. Listening to this almost half the time I wasn’t sure what the hell was going on but I loved it anyway.
listening to it again, in the not too distant future will be like experiencing it all over again, but with a much better level of understanding.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!