What do you think?
Rate this book
Going Gone
What is a single life worth? In our modern world, where wars are on the cusp of igniting at a moment’s notice, new diseases ravage entire populations, and hidden atrocities erase the lives of thousands, what can the death of a single person mean?It can mean the tenuous line between peace and destruction.Kurt Ramis knows this, as he watches the aftermath of an assassination on his television set. His years in the CIA have prepared him for such a dreadful day.“Rasul” knows this, as he follows his young guide down the streets of New York City, with a gift for his adopted country.The soldiers and sentries of Camelot’s Corridor, deep under the sands of Texas know this, as they prepare the secret bunker for the President’s arrival.Mike Keogh knows this, as he remembers fallen friends, betrayals, and mention of a secretive monster named the Tangerine Demon.Jessie Rosen will know it soon enough, as she descends the steps to Kubrá, to meet her deliverer. Her new family descends those steps as well, calling for their Lord to hear their prayers.Phil Barr begrudgingly knows this, as he cowers in his palatial Hollywood Hills mansion, murderers and thugs auditioning on live TV, sirens ringing in his ears. This wasn’t how his charmed life was supposed to turn out.And DaRWIn knows this best of all, as it predicted the assassination, and the calamitous after-effects some time ago.On a certain day, on a certain street in the Middle East, the taking of a single life will mean everything, and it will shake the foundation of humanity. It will be the pulling of a loose strand in mankind’s tapestry, undoing the progress of a thousand years, ripping apart at the seams countless lives, countless societies.Intertwining lives and stories, some saved and some ended, some Going, some Gone…
199 pages, Paperback
Published January 16, 2018
5 people are currently reading
1537 people want to read
About the author
Abraham Lopez
14 books33 followersAbraham spent his formative years in rural Colorado, where he was born. He has also lived in Northern Nevada, Virginia, and Northwest Arkansas. These disparate environments and local cultures have had a great impact on Abraham's view of America and his writing styles. Though educated as a computer programmer, Abraham hopes to be a full-time writer in the near future.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 11, 2019
First a disclaimer: I received a free copy of Going Gone by Abraham Lopez in return for an honest review of the book.
That being said, I can now tell you that this is a book worthy of more than one read. Not to gush too much, but reading Lopez made me think of short stories by the likes of Ray Bradbury and Philip K. Dick: thought-provoking and entertaining at the same time, with wonderful metaphors and similes that jump out. Examples: “The host of bodyguards, meanwhile, moved into the nearest enclosed doorway, armed electrons around the Minister’s cowering nucleus,” “though the diagnosis was ever-present, like a burrowed maggot in the back of his brain,” and “Looters were streaming to and from still-burning businesses and storefronts like ants on discarded chicken bones.”
The book is an anthology AND a novel. Each of the 12 chapters can be read as its own short story or all together as a novel. The overall picture is the end of the world; each story takes a look at it from a different perspective. The first story sets up the apocalyptic event with an assassination of a Middle East government official. From there the reader jumps to an ex-CIA official who knew the victim and knew what the assassination would lead to. Next, to New York City with a terrorist bribing an adolescent, whose family lives in poverty, to help deliver a bomb. It goes on and on, with each story building on the next, from the assassination of a president somewhere in an underground safety space, all the way to California with 1) a rich TV personality who now has nothing and 2) a reporter who infiltrates a cult.
The reader also gets to take a view from the AI, named DaRWIn, that could have stopped the Doomsday event but didn’t. At first I found DaRWIn’s short story boring, with lots of tech and military talk and very few humans. But as the story goes on, DaRWIn not only evolves but also becomes a social scientist in a sense, watching people and their reactions to/attention span for various games, better traffic routes, calls for suicide, and specific events that could have been hints at what was coming. Here’s a good summary of what he finds:
DaRWIn doesn’t really get to see the best side of humanity.
In the end, the people in what was the US, Europe, and a few other parts of the world are roaming around, trying to find safety. In South America—which wasn’t affected by the Doomsday event—a young herder is introduced to readers as a future next leader/savior, although he is unaware of what is coming to him, almost a hint of the King David story in the Old Testament.
An occasional grammar mistake and tense change bothered me, but the stories were so engrossing it didn’t matter. One thing that did take me out was reading that someone’s pancreatic cancer had “advanced” to stage IV. A cancer is staged at diagnosis and doesn’t change during treatment or progression. A cancer can spread, but it can’t go from stage III to stage IV. This might bother only cancer patients/survivors, but it makes me wonder what else wasn’t well researched.
Nonetheless, this is a great book, and I highly recommend it to people who enjoy dystopian, apocalyptic tales that center on how humanity reacts to the end. I look forward to reading more by Lopez.
That being said, I can now tell you that this is a book worthy of more than one read. Not to gush too much, but reading Lopez made me think of short stories by the likes of Ray Bradbury and Philip K. Dick: thought-provoking and entertaining at the same time, with wonderful metaphors and similes that jump out. Examples: “The host of bodyguards, meanwhile, moved into the nearest enclosed doorway, armed electrons around the Minister’s cowering nucleus,” “though the diagnosis was ever-present, like a burrowed maggot in the back of his brain,” and “Looters were streaming to and from still-burning businesses and storefronts like ants on discarded chicken bones.”
The book is an anthology AND a novel. Each of the 12 chapters can be read as its own short story or all together as a novel. The overall picture is the end of the world; each story takes a look at it from a different perspective. The first story sets up the apocalyptic event with an assassination of a Middle East government official. From there the reader jumps to an ex-CIA official who knew the victim and knew what the assassination would lead to. Next, to New York City with a terrorist bribing an adolescent, whose family lives in poverty, to help deliver a bomb. It goes on and on, with each story building on the next, from the assassination of a president somewhere in an underground safety space, all the way to California with 1) a rich TV personality who now has nothing and 2) a reporter who infiltrates a cult.
The reader also gets to take a view from the AI, named DaRWIn, that could have stopped the Doomsday event but didn’t. At first I found DaRWIn’s short story boring, with lots of tech and military talk and very few humans. But as the story goes on, DaRWIn not only evolves but also becomes a social scientist in a sense, watching people and their reactions to/attention span for various games, better traffic routes, calls for suicide, and specific events that could have been hints at what was coming. Here’s a good summary of what he finds:
“Additionally, in the weeks when the bee die-off was most critical, America had its mind elsewhere: a next-generation video game console was being debuted, the overdose of a pop star who hadn’t released an album in 19 years but was nonetheless memorialized as ‘the Voice of the New Millennium,’ . . . a long-running show was coming to an end with millions of viewers asking whether the main character would survive.”
DaRWIn doesn’t really get to see the best side of humanity.
In the end, the people in what was the US, Europe, and a few other parts of the world are roaming around, trying to find safety. In South America—which wasn’t affected by the Doomsday event—a young herder is introduced to readers as a future next leader/savior, although he is unaware of what is coming to him, almost a hint of the King David story in the Old Testament.
An occasional grammar mistake and tense change bothered me, but the stories were so engrossing it didn’t matter. One thing that did take me out was reading that someone’s pancreatic cancer had “advanced” to stage IV. A cancer is staged at diagnosis and doesn’t change during treatment or progression. A cancer can spread, but it can’t go from stage III to stage IV. This might bother only cancer patients/survivors, but it makes me wonder what else wasn’t well researched.
Nonetheless, this is a great book, and I highly recommend it to people who enjoy dystopian, apocalyptic tales that center on how humanity reacts to the end. I look forward to reading more by Lopez.
August 14, 2019
Certainly contained the elements that mattered to me. It didn't romanticize anything. Didn't pull away from scrutiny in examining a nuclear war's aftermath. Trauma has never been dealt properly in history of mankind and I think we can see the same pain in this story as well.
December 23, 2018
This book was given to me trough Booktasters, in exchange for an honest review.
Now, as usual, I don’t usually read previous reviews when it comes to picking a book to review myself, so it came to me as a surprise when it turned out to be an anthology, because although it wasn’t exactly going back and forth between characters, it was definitely telling an amazing story.
It all starts with an assassination, with its very chaotic consequences coming along, from the very beginning, Abe Lopez tells a fast paced, gripping story, going from one character to another, and masterfully describing their situations and emotions.
I’m not about to make an account of my faves, since it would be giving away too much, possibly even spoilers, and I want every reader to discover them as I did.
Overall an excellent book, highly recommended.
Now, as usual, I don’t usually read previous reviews when it comes to picking a book to review myself, so it came to me as a surprise when it turned out to be an anthology, because although it wasn’t exactly going back and forth between characters, it was definitely telling an amazing story.
It all starts with an assassination, with its very chaotic consequences coming along, from the very beginning, Abe Lopez tells a fast paced, gripping story, going from one character to another, and masterfully describing their situations and emotions.
I’m not about to make an account of my faves, since it would be giving away too much, possibly even spoilers, and I want every reader to discover them as I did.
Overall an excellent book, highly recommended.
December 26, 2018
(Bilingual English/Español review):
Going Gone is an excellent anthology built with twelve relatively short stories, in an order that obeys more to a stylistic rhythm than to the strict chronology of events. Although the stories can be read individually, they all start from the same central theme that serves as a gravitational core and they complement each other as chapters of a larger work.
Going Gone's stories revolve around the violent human nature, the anticipated terror and the danger of war among nations with nuclear destructive potential.
A hitman accomplishes his last mission; a former employee of the special services of the American government anticipates the end; a boy guides a stranger in New York; a rock singer blows up the small chaos; a soldier trained and chosen to protect the president discovers a larger plan; a soldier waits for a secret code that will change the rest of his life; a reporter seeks answers by entering a sect; a rider in the middle of a storm hears God speaking to him; a famous comedian fights for his life; an artificial intelligence system learns more than it seemed possible; an armed sick person settles at a point of observation and a biological weapon gets out of control ...
The atmospheres that Abe Lopez has achieved in each plot and in the general story are realistic, complex, enveloping and very coherent. The characters of each story are very well characterized, they are quite credible and although they accompany the reader for just a few pages, they manage to generate enough empathy for one to worry about the destinies of those people.
In general, I consider Going Gone to be a refreshing book, very well written, intelligent, with an excellent rhythm and an exciting and thought-provoking reading.
-----
Going Gone es una excelente antología de doce cuentos relativamente cortos, en un orden que obedece más a un ritmo estilístico que a la cronología de los acontecimientos y que, si bien pueden ser leídos de forma individual, parten de un mismo tema central que sirve como núcleo gravitatorio y se complementan como capítulos de una obra mayor.
Los relatos de Going Gone giran en torno a la violenta naturaleza humana, al terror anticipado y el peligro de guerra entre las naciones con potencial destructivo de origen nuclear.
Un asesino a sueldo cumple su última misión; un exempleado de los servicios especiales del gobierno americano anticipa el final; un niño guía a un extraño en Nueva York; un cantante de rock hace estallar el caos; un soldado entrenado y elegido para proteger al presidente descubre un plan mayor; un militar espera un código secreto que cambiará el resto de su vida; una reportera busca respuestas ingresando a una secta; un jinete en medio de una tormenta escucha a Dios; un comediante famoso lucha por su vida; un sistema de inteligencia artificial aprende más de lo que parecía posible; un enfermo armado se instala en un punto de observación y un arma biológica se sale de control...
Las atmósferas que Abe Lopez ha logrado en cada trama y en la historia general son realistas, complejas, envolventes y muy coherentes. Los personajes de cada historia están muy bien caracterizados, son bastante creíbles y a pesar de que acompañan al lector durante pocas páginas, logran generar la empatía suficiente para que uno se preocupe por los destinos de sus personas.
En general, considero que Going Gone es un libro refrescante, muy bien escrito, inteligente, con un excelente ritmo y una lectura emocionante y que hace pensar.
Going Gone is an excellent anthology built with twelve relatively short stories, in an order that obeys more to a stylistic rhythm than to the strict chronology of events. Although the stories can be read individually, they all start from the same central theme that serves as a gravitational core and they complement each other as chapters of a larger work.
Going Gone's stories revolve around the violent human nature, the anticipated terror and the danger of war among nations with nuclear destructive potential.
A hitman accomplishes his last mission; a former employee of the special services of the American government anticipates the end; a boy guides a stranger in New York; a rock singer blows up the small chaos; a soldier trained and chosen to protect the president discovers a larger plan; a soldier waits for a secret code that will change the rest of his life; a reporter seeks answers by entering a sect; a rider in the middle of a storm hears God speaking to him; a famous comedian fights for his life; an artificial intelligence system learns more than it seemed possible; an armed sick person settles at a point of observation and a biological weapon gets out of control ...
The atmospheres that Abe Lopez has achieved in each plot and in the general story are realistic, complex, enveloping and very coherent. The characters of each story are very well characterized, they are quite credible and although they accompany the reader for just a few pages, they manage to generate enough empathy for one to worry about the destinies of those people.
In general, I consider Going Gone to be a refreshing book, very well written, intelligent, with an excellent rhythm and an exciting and thought-provoking reading.
-----
Going Gone es una excelente antología de doce cuentos relativamente cortos, en un orden que obedece más a un ritmo estilístico que a la cronología de los acontecimientos y que, si bien pueden ser leídos de forma individual, parten de un mismo tema central que sirve como núcleo gravitatorio y se complementan como capítulos de una obra mayor.
Los relatos de Going Gone giran en torno a la violenta naturaleza humana, al terror anticipado y el peligro de guerra entre las naciones con potencial destructivo de origen nuclear.
Un asesino a sueldo cumple su última misión; un exempleado de los servicios especiales del gobierno americano anticipa el final; un niño guía a un extraño en Nueva York; un cantante de rock hace estallar el caos; un soldado entrenado y elegido para proteger al presidente descubre un plan mayor; un militar espera un código secreto que cambiará el resto de su vida; una reportera busca respuestas ingresando a una secta; un jinete en medio de una tormenta escucha a Dios; un comediante famoso lucha por su vida; un sistema de inteligencia artificial aprende más de lo que parecía posible; un enfermo armado se instala en un punto de observación y un arma biológica se sale de control...
Las atmósferas que Abe Lopez ha logrado en cada trama y en la historia general son realistas, complejas, envolventes y muy coherentes. Los personajes de cada historia están muy bien caracterizados, son bastante creíbles y a pesar de que acompañan al lector durante pocas páginas, logran generar la empatía suficiente para que uno se preocupe por los destinos de sus personas.
En general, considero que Going Gone es un libro refrescante, muy bien escrito, inteligente, con un excelente ritmo y una lectura emocionante y que hace pensar.
January 10, 2019
4.5 stars
This is a great book by an incredibly intelligent author; infinitely interesting, each story adding to the whole and so so different from all the others.
I love conspiracy theories and reading about the deep state / illuminati / Cabal etc. so these stories, which often delve into that dark world, are like catnip for me. You get the insider government perspective and the everyday man’s perspective on Lopez’s apocalyptic vision of the world.
The otherworldliness of the stories, with this sense of connection reminds me of China Mieville and his Bas Lag novels. The intertwining storylines and crossovers are really satisfying to take note of as a reader.
I particularly loved the DaRWIn ‘chapter.’ It’s interesting to witness the AI/robot turning against its creator from the AI’s point of view.
The only reason this book didn’t get a full 5 stars from me is that some parts of the prose are overexplained – I don’t know if it’s just me not being able to turn off my writer/editor brain but this paragraph:
He bent down and retrieved the small but dense green cylinder he’d hidden under the sofa. Setting it on its flat end at the foot of the sofa, he now sat down and collected his thoughts.
Would read better if it was tighter, and gave less information – like this:
He bent down and retrieved the small, dense green cylinder he’d hidden under the sofa. Setting it down on its flat end, he sat and collected his thoughts.
Some jumping of tense which can be confusing and pull you out of the world that Lopez has rather effectively created. But overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend.
This is a great book by an incredibly intelligent author; infinitely interesting, each story adding to the whole and so so different from all the others.
I love conspiracy theories and reading about the deep state / illuminati / Cabal etc. so these stories, which often delve into that dark world, are like catnip for me. You get the insider government perspective and the everyday man’s perspective on Lopez’s apocalyptic vision of the world.
The otherworldliness of the stories, with this sense of connection reminds me of China Mieville and his Bas Lag novels. The intertwining storylines and crossovers are really satisfying to take note of as a reader.
I particularly loved the DaRWIn ‘chapter.’ It’s interesting to witness the AI/robot turning against its creator from the AI’s point of view.
The only reason this book didn’t get a full 5 stars from me is that some parts of the prose are overexplained – I don’t know if it’s just me not being able to turn off my writer/editor brain but this paragraph:
He bent down and retrieved the small but dense green cylinder he’d hidden under the sofa. Setting it on its flat end at the foot of the sofa, he now sat down and collected his thoughts.
Would read better if it was tighter, and gave less information – like this:
He bent down and retrieved the small, dense green cylinder he’d hidden under the sofa. Setting it down on its flat end, he sat and collected his thoughts.
Some jumping of tense which can be confusing and pull you out of the world that Lopez has rather effectively created. But overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend.
January 16, 2018
My favorites: Going Gone; The Jewell thief; Keed; Showtime; Greater Goodout; Hollywood Ending.
* Going Gone
I’m beginning to think maybe you are as smart as Jacob Appeal.
Warning: This book contains extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive or have potential adverse psychological effects on the reader.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.
A very awesome book cover, & great font/writing style. A very well written 12 Anthology (short stories) book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. Several of these could also make great movies, or better yet a mini TV series. I struggled with a few of them but I will still give you 5 stars.
Thank you for the free Goodreads; Making Connections; Smashwords; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons (Washburn)
* Going Gone
I’m beginning to think maybe you are as smart as Jacob Appeal.
Warning: This book contains extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive or have potential adverse psychological effects on the reader.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.
A very awesome book cover, & great font/writing style. A very well written 12 Anthology (short stories) book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. Several of these could also make great movies, or better yet a mini TV series. I struggled with a few of them but I will still give you 5 stars.
Thank you for the free Goodreads; Making Connections; Smashwords; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons (Washburn)
December 13, 2018
July 28, 1941. Archduke Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie of Austria were assassinated. The first domino that led to World War I.
In Going Gone, the first domino was also an assassination. What follows may be worse than WWI.
Going Gone starts with a bang and doesn’t lose much pace throughout. Lots of bodies; some surprising, some sad, all linked. Looking back, I can see the arc. The Jewel Thief is that first domino to fall. Ramos knew what was to follow and he still thought he could help Jason and his family? But could he really help them? I am haunted by Keed. And the chaos starting with Jessie seems poetic since he was the definition of drama. The last chapters (8-11) are harder for me to tie together other than they are post-chaos. The non-techie in me got lost in DaRWIn but I’d love to see what the author could do with an entire work on AI.
I’m still mentally debating the end. Are we doomed? Or will we always find a leader? Is it destiny? Is it luck?
Great job overall. Recommend it to anyone who likes thrillers, suspense, apocalypse or war or the human on human struggle. Not for the feint of heart.
Disclosure: This review was thru Booktasters. I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author.
In Going Gone, the first domino was also an assassination. What follows may be worse than WWI.
Going Gone starts with a bang and doesn’t lose much pace throughout. Lots of bodies; some surprising, some sad, all linked. Looking back, I can see the arc. The Jewel Thief is that first domino to fall. Ramos knew what was to follow and he still thought he could help Jason and his family? But could he really help them? I am haunted by Keed. And the chaos starting with Jessie seems poetic since he was the definition of drama. The last chapters (8-11) are harder for me to tie together other than they are post-chaos. The non-techie in me got lost in DaRWIn but I’d love to see what the author could do with an entire work on AI.
I’m still mentally debating the end. Are we doomed? Or will we always find a leader? Is it destiny? Is it luck?
Great job overall. Recommend it to anyone who likes thrillers, suspense, apocalypse or war or the human on human struggle. Not for the feint of heart.
Disclosure: This review was thru Booktasters. I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author.
April 5, 2019
Going Gone describes one event in history; the assassination of a foreign leader, and the shockwaves that are sent through the lives of people all over the world. This book consists of several chapters setting out individual points of view of a dozen or so unique characters, ranging from a young child in New York to, a late night television host, politicians and military leaders and their maneuverings to spin an event that threatened to destabilize the country. Abe Lopez writes the story of each person succinctly that opens us up to feel what was felt by each of them and the undercurrent of emotion and at times even terror, feelings that are realistic, complex, enveloping and very coherent. Going Gone's stories revolve around the violent human nature, the anticipated terror and the danger of war among nations with nuclear destructive potential.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2018
Going Gone by Abraham Lopez is an anthology linked together with brilliant stories that pose some unanswerable questions. Each story feature a different protagonist, giving us various points of view, and examines a singular event in history, an assassination. Truly a different look at a dystopian life, these stories compel the reader to think and experience varying attitudes and the ramifications of preconceived ideas for society as a whole. Phil Barr, and Jessie were some of the more compelling and entertaining characters. Read this collection for a change of pace. With each story capable of standing on it's own, or related to the book as a whole, this anthology is not to be missed and is highly recommended.
March 29, 2018
Lopez has taken an anthology and made it feel like a novel. Though each story follows a different character, the world here is rich and full of great writing. The characters are well-developed, all from different walks of life. This really puts the author's skills to the test, and he aces it.
Normally reviewing collections it can be hard, but this world is consistent and full of life throughout each perspective presented by Lopez. In using vivid descriptions, he really put the polish on a world that’s falling apart and seems to hinge on an assassination. Each story is a ripple in a lake after a bolder was thrown in the center. The imagery is solid, overall a great read!
Normally reviewing collections it can be hard, but this world is consistent and full of life throughout each perspective presented by Lopez. In using vivid descriptions, he really put the polish on a world that’s falling apart and seems to hinge on an assassination. Each story is a ripple in a lake after a bolder was thrown in the center. The imagery is solid, overall a great read!
April 13, 2019
3.5 stars. Very well written. I usually don't like a dozen different POVs because there are very few writers who can pull it all those chapters back together, but the author did a decent job of it in this book, with a few exceptions in the middle. I would've liked more dialogue and more human interaction. It seemed like both tapered off at the precise moment in the book you would think it should ramp up (with the exception of the DarWIN chapter). I think this book even had the potential to be expanded into a duology or trilogy if that human interaction and the human nature of being forced to survive had been explored more in depth.
February 23, 2018
I found this to be a very interesting, sharply written collection of stories. I liked how they were all connected and the author does a nice job painting pictures with his words. You can also tell he really did his research. A little dry in spots but for the most part very entertaining, especially the story about a celebrity who finds himself in trouble. Great job!
May 12, 2018
Even though this book is described as an anthology, I would not describe it as a series of short stories, more a collection of episodes linked together by a single theme – death. Dynamic, evocative and very visual in style, it may appeal to someone who doesn’t like longer novels, or who doesn’t read much fiction.
May 21, 2019
If you're into chaotic and violent apocalyptic books, you can pick Going Gone. The book makes a social commentary on how things are now and where they might lead us and even indicates the cycle just repeats. That is the nature of mankind. This book doesn't shy away from ugliness at any point and there are some stories that are really good. However, the style of the book and the way it revealed itself was still a problem for me.
Read the complete review of the book in my blog : https://bookbugworld.com/review/going...
Read the complete review of the book in my blog : https://bookbugworld.com/review/going...
October 30, 2019
A set of 12 different stories that depicts a domino-effect destruction of a country and society. Read it here: https://starstack.blog/2019/02/18/goi...
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews