Name: Virtually Gone
ISBN: 9798483660835

Simon Carr

Knowing everything is the goal of all scientists, the idea that they might be better not knowing everything has never crossed their minds in their relentless pursuit of discovery and knowledge. Doctor John Spanks is about to learn that discovering everything it's not always in our best interests. The biggest questions of our existence can now be answered, the remaining question is, would you really want to know?

Virtually Gone

Eleanor Luhar

When I saw this book, I expected some futuristic sci-fi novel. In some ways, it was that. It's got cool tech and robots and string physics - it's really quite clever. But it also has a lot of crazy stuff like unicorns that look like dragons and dragons that look like unicorns, and a lot more humour than I had anticipated. It reminded me of the book Come Take Me by E.M. Skyler in many ways, with nods to the whimsical nonsense of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland.
It's a pretty short book and easy to read - I got through it in just a couple of hours without any difficulty. There are a fair few issues with grammar and spelling which irked me a little, but nothing a bit more editing can't sort out. Now, regarding the humour, I think it may be a little hit-and-miss. I definitely admit it was quite cheesy and immature - lots of wordplay and a fair few fart jokes, too. It's also very blatantly British which I love (I've read so many American books with references and slang I just don't get). Beneath all the corny jokes, though, the plot is really interesting and there are some fantastic moments and themes covered. For example, it tackles the topic of the afterlife in more of a scientific way which I found rather unique. It even addresses the idea of God which I definitely had not expected. Plus, let's not forget that everything John goes through is because he has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour and isn't ready to die. Some pretty heavy stuff underneath all the farts. There was a surprisingly sweet touch to the ending, too, which I hadn't seen coming.
The plot did get somewhat complicated as the aim of their little 'quest' changed quite a few times, and it was arguably a little too nonsensical at times, but I really enjoyed reading it. I've given it 3.5 stars.
I found this book through Reedsy Discovery, which is a great place to share feedback on books and discover upcoming gems!