An epic read and not for those who want an easy, quick read. It took me a couple of weeks to read it completely, though I wasn't taking big reading sessions.

It was a story that unfolds in your mind as you think back over it. Which is a bit scary as that is exactly what is happening in Inspector Mielikki Neith's head as she works through the Gnomon case.

In order to work the case, Mielikki takes the evidence (which is in effect a brain trawl) into her own brain. It then unfolds and Mielikki is able to view and experience the trawl in order to determine the guilt or otherwise (and in this instance it is not clear) of the subject.

The book has many protagonists, and sometimes I found it hard to work out when a switch between them took place. It is a complex story, probably because the brain is very complex. And somehow this complexity was necessary to the tale to give it its depth. At points I wondered where it was all going, but I think in the end it was proven appropriate. And the end is true!

I was able to get lost in the story, it was helpful during a time of duress for me. It gave me relief and I escaped into Mielikki's life and the lives of those around and in her.

For some people this book may take a bit of getting into, but give it a chance, you may find it becomes quite compelling, and provokes quite a bit of thought.

I requested an ARC of this book as the synopsis looked fascinating, and parts of the book were indeed interesting, however, this was lost under pages of information dumping, where I wondered exactly where the story was going. Ultimately this book was not for me, and I think it's going to be like a certain product made from yeast extract - you're either going to love it or hate it.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers Random House UK, Cornerstone, for the chance to review an ARC of this book. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.

This book is beautifully written with a really interesting plot. It would have been a lot better in my opinion if it was shorter. The story itself is amazing and has obviously been very well thought out. The writing style is incredible.

This was far too dense for me. I can see that this is literary fantasy/ dystopia, but I really couldn’t get on with it. I like books, generally speaking,that make the reader “work for it” but I was doing all the work and not getting much pleasure!
Many thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a strange multi-layered beast of a book set in a future Britain under total surveillance, governed by the System, where the majority of people remarkably believe this is a good thing. It is a dense and demanding sci-fi and fantasy read requiring attention and patience from the reader. It would be remiss of me not to mention that at 700+ pages, you need to prepared for the long haul. This is a sprawling tale which goes in a myriad of directions and left me bewildered as to where it was heading and what to make of what I was reading. Inspector Mielikki Neith of Witness is investigating the death of Diana Hunter, which to all intents to purposes should not have occurred whilst she was being interrogated. Diana was 61 years old, divorced with no children. She was an administrator and the writer of Quairendo, rumoured to contain secret truths hidden within it although this is disputed.

Inspector Neath is one of those who believes in the good of the system, but as she investigates she is forced to question her beliefs. Nothing is fixed, not even time or notions of reality. The story revolves around the complex issues of identity, shifting and changing realities and questions of what it all might mean, although the conclusion does help a little. I expect every reader to have different concepts and thoughts as to what this novel is about because it is difficult to discern what intentions the author has. This level of nebulousness is likely to leave many readers deeply frustrated. This is a difficult review to write, I find myself in the quandry of knowing I cannot do justice to this book or even delineate precisely what it is about. If you are happy to be left stranded to make of it what you will, then this is a book for you. There are detailed descriptions, it is beautifully written and slow paced. The vocabulary the author uses is extensive and likely to having you reach for the dictionary often. A novel that succeeds in leaving me shaking my head and, at the same time, enthralled. I am at a loss as to what else to say! Many thanks to Random House Cornerstone for an ARC.

This book I found hard to get into, it is very descriptive and extremely detailed which might be some people's cup of tea. Lots of complicated language and large words (i'll admit some of them I had to look up). A very interesting premise and it did make me think but I found it had going at times.

I found this a challenging book in terms of length, vocabulary and ideas and it took me a while to read, but it has left me thinking about freedom and surveillance and I feel sure parts of it will stay with me for some time to come.

I am sad to say I have been unable to get into this book despite being very intrigued by the premise. What I have read is good but I do not get on with the author's style of writing. If you like books with obscure words and very descriptive then this may be for you but sadly not for me.

I really struggled with this, unfortunately and couldn't finish it. The premise seemed really interesting - I love dystopian fiction, but I found the story overly long and convoluted. It was very slow paced, with large sections devoted to descriptions, and unloading a lot of information in one go, making it difficult to hold my attention. I also struggled to get emotionally invested in anything that happened.

Unfortunately not for me, but I'm sure those looking for a deep novel that requires a lot of concentration with a hint of science fiction will love it.

Found it hard to get started, maybe I am not educated enough, choice of words looked to be to impress rather than describe, could just be me......hardly ever give up with a book but did with this one

I love Nick Harkaway's work - and while this was a more challenging read, it was endlessly fascinating and complex. It took me so long to read - but I felt a massive sense of achievement on completion (and loved the ending)

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the copy to read and offer my independent review.
Let me say from the start it is not an easy read. It is not one for the beach and if you need to get up early I wouldn't read it in bed. I did and in future I will re-read it in a comfortable arm chair, a decanter and glass at my side and the 'phone off the hook. The blurb will give you the outline and some clues - I suggest not searching for in depth story analysis you will spoil the trip. You have to, of course, enjoy science/fantasy fiction and be willing to accept off the wall concepts. If you can't then this volume is not for you. If you can then like me you are in for a very enjoyable if puzzling journey. I even surprised myself by staying with it when it went slow - not my natural metre, but the decanter helped. Nick Harkaway has I think produced a classic which will divide critics for years to come. When the inevitable series is picked up by the TV moguls I hope HBO gets the franchise and that Nick Harkaway has the strength to protect his genius. Fives stars I would have given it ten.

In an alternative future Detective Neith investigates suspect Diane Hunter but finds herself questioning the very society she represents. The author asks the reader to trust him through this long and tangled story. Be prepared to concentrate!

Great book. Loved the plot and characters. I would recommend this book.

Listen, I love words. There's nothing that makes me happier than an elegantly turned sentence, a quick wink of the language, a charming alliteration.

But when within the first 3 sentences, there are more long words than linguistic structure, I get instantly bored; I take an instant dislike to a writer who likes nothing more than how intelligent he thinks he must sound to the readers.

So, maybe I am missing out on the greatest thing in literature, but I'm afraid that I won't bother with this one.

I'm afraid I won't be reviewing this book. I like to try all types of genres but this book wasn't for me. From the outset it left me cold and I couldn't be bothered to continue with it

Gnomon is a tale of at times dizzying complexity, set in at times recognisable dystopian London of the future, but with an interlocking set of sub-tales under-pinning the central narrative, bringing in a Greek banker during the financial crash, a Roman alchemist, an Ethiopian artist and his granddaughter in post brexit London...
However, I found the central narrative less engaging than these diversions (not that they are diversions as such..), and found myself growing impatient with the unfocused sprawl. I feel if I’d been on holiday and had the time to let myself be absorbed I’d have got more out of this, as it is I’m afraid I found myself persevering to get to the end.

To describe it as a curate’s egg is a cliche, but it’s hard to think of a book that I’ve found so riveting in parts and so infuriatingly dull in others. Whilst difficult to recommend, I know others will get more from this.

I will not be reviewing this book. For a week I have been trying to get into it. I re-read the beginning four times and eventually got through 10% before deciding life is too short for this...

I read fast as a general rule, but this book has broken me. It is so dense, so clever and so complex that it's taken me over a week to read, because I had to keep having a little lie down and really think about what was happening. It's not an easy read. It's not going to grab you from the first page and never let you go. It took me a good ten percent of it to feel I was a) understanding things and b) committed about reading to the end. I confess that I had to read the first sections over again because I wasn't sure if I was understanding what was happening. Having said that, it is a really rewarding read if you persevere with it. I've read everything else by Harkaway and if I were to describe it to a fan I'd say it's sort of like The Gone-Away World crossed with Angelmaker. If I were to describe it to someone who has never read Harkaway before I'd go for, 'It's a bit like Minority Report, but if Minority Report had gone to Oxford and done a classics degree.' I loved the parallels to what's going on in the news at the moments, referendums, false news, the rise of customised news feeds etc thanks to information profiling. It's all so fantastic and yet so very real.

This one is not for me. Very difficult to read. Lots of big words which seems to be just for the sake of it..
Didn't finish it.