This article coincides in timing and pattern with contributions by the same user which have been determined to be AI-generated, and has no significant contributions by other editors. It is presumed to have also been AI-generated, and may be assumed to violate Wikipedia's policies and guidelines. If no editor takes responsibility for it within a five-day grace period, this article may be deleted. To object to proposed deletion, an editor may take responsibility for the content and assume the onus to achieve consensus for its inclusion. Assuming responsibility requires that all content and its sources be closely reviewed, and reworked as needed, to ensure that they comply with polices and guidelines. This may involve checking that the cited sources support the content and are reliable, determining whether the content is due for inclusion, and rewriting the content to revise any tone issues and resolve possible copyright violations. Once this has been done, this template may be removed. The nominator also gave the following reason for this proposed deletion:
Find sources: "The Gone World" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR Reviewer tools: guideline project (talk • log) Move: draft space userfy The article may be deleted if this message remains in place for five days, i.e., after 04:51, 28 June 2026 (UTC). Nominator: Please consider notifying the author if active: {{subst:prodwarningLLM|The Gone World|concern=[[WP:LLMPRV|Presumptive removal of LLM-generated content]], see [[Wikipedia:AI noticeboard#User:Bookisher|Wikipedia:AI noticeboard § User:Bookisher]]. Feel free to reinstate by following [[WP:LLMPRVOBJ|the procedures for disputing presumptive removal of LLM-generated content]].}} ~~~~ |
The Gone World is a 2018 science fiction novel by American author Tom Sweterlitsch.[1] Combining time travel, police procedural mystery, and cosmic horror, it is often described as a mind bending thriller.[2] Set primarily in 1997, the story follows an investigator for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service who travels into potential futures to solve a present day murder and prevent a global apocalypse known as the Terminus.[3]
.jpeg) | |
| Author | Tom Sweterlitsch |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | |
| Publisher | G. P. Putnam's Sons |
| Publication date | February 6, 2018 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 383 |
| ISBN | 978-0399167508 |
Plot summary
editNCIS Special Agent Shannon Moss belongs to the Deep Waters division, which uses secret technology to travel into "Inadmissible Future Trajectories" (IFTs). These are unstable, branching possibilities that vanish once a traveler returns to the present timeline, "Terra Firma".
In 1997, Moss investigates the murder of a Navy SEAL's family and the disappearance of his daughter, Marian. The suspect is the father, Patrick Mursult, a SEAL supposedly serving aboard the U.S.S. Libra, a spaceship lost in deep space. Mursult's presence on Earth suggests a link to the Deep Waters program.
Moss jumps to various IFTs to observe the investigation's future outcomes. She discovers the "Terminus", a cataclysmic event where victims are found crucified on upside down crosses, is moving backward through time and appearing earlier in each subsequent future. Moss eventually realizes the murder and the Terminus are inextricably linked, leading to a race to save the Terra Firma timeline.
Themes
editThe novel explores fatalism, identity, and the subjective experience of time. It utilizes the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics with a grim twist: alternate futures are inherently unstable and die once the observer departs. The Terminus introduces cosmic horror, suggesting a universe indifferent to humanity, grounded in a gritty noir atmosphere.[4]
Reception
editThe Gone World received positive reviews for its merger of procedural and speculative genres. Locus Magazine called it "relentless and terrifying",[1] while SFBook Reviews awarded it five stars, praising the time travel mechanics.[5] It has been cited as one of the best science fiction thrillers for its ability to maintain tension across multiple timelines.[6]
Film adaptation
editIn 2018, director Neill Blomkamp was reported to be in talks to write and direct an adaptation for 20th Century Studios.[7] Blomkamp later confirmed his involvement via social media.[8]
References
edit- 1 2 Martini, Adrienne (February 2018). "Adrienne Martini Reviews The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch". Locus Magazine. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ↑ Liptak, Andrew (March 3, 2018). "The Gone World is a complicated, mind-bending time travel mystery". The Verge. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ↑ Frauenfelder, Mark (March 11, 2024). "How The Gone World twists time travel into a thrilling, mind-bending mystery". Boing Boing. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ↑ Power, Chris (March 9, 2018). "Science fiction and fantasy novels roundup". The Guardian. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ↑ "The Gone World Review". SFBook Reviews. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ↑ Kingsbury, Margaret (August 27, 2020). "The Best Sci-Fi Thrillers". Book Riot. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ↑ Canfield, David (January 29, 2018). "District 9 director Neill Blomkamp and Tom Sweterlitsch talk The Gone World". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ↑ Breihan, Tom. "Neill Blomkamp Confirms 'The Gone World' Adaptation". ScreenCrush. Retrieved January 18, 2026.