num_pages: 688
description: 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 memoriesall 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 doesnt make mistakes but something isnt right about the circumstances surrounding Hunters 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 isnt Hunter but rather a panorama of characters within Hunters 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 Hunterand alarmingly of herself. The staggering consequences of what she finds will reverberate throughout the world.A dazzling panoramic achievement and Nick Harkaways 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.
language: English
title: Gnomon
publisher: William Heinemann