THIS IS A JIGSAW PUZZLE of a novel. Not one of those quick, easy, rainy Sunday afternoon puzzles, but a complex, clear-the-kitchen-table-for-a-week type of a puzzle, a mysterious configuration of tiny pieces that eludes all reason until you succeed in getting the basic frame in place. At which point you suddenly catch a glimpse of the prize, and from then on it's simply a matter of slotting pieces in until finally, exhausted but elated, you complete the picture.

In other words, this is a novel of two distinct parts: intriguing but frustrating to begin with - but immensely rewarding once it finally gets under way.

In fairness to the author, Harkaway, doesn't have much choice, since the post-apocalyptic world that he is constructing is so unlike most standard-issue post-apocalyptic worlds that it requires an awful lot of explaining. It would be monstrously unfair to give the game away, so I won't. What I will say, however, is that this dystopia is, quite literally, everyone's worst nightmare. It is both collective and tailored to the individual - each and everyone's own private, personalised hell. It is not only clever, it is also genuinely terrifying, far more so than any alien invasion or post-Cold War horror.

To the seasoned sci-fi fan, there are strong echoes of almost every great work, from Forbidden Planet (monsters from the Id) to Patrick Stewart's existentialist interpretation of the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek. But it would be wrong to think that this is not an original book, since Harkaway takes all of these references and makes them his own.

The ascent to the book's summit, where all is revealed in a single, penny-dropping moment of realisation (cleverly, Harkaway flatters his reader by allowing them to reach the conclusion a good few pages before the actual character does) is as colourful and engaging as the descent is action-packed. If the first part errs on the tangential side of rambling, the second part has the pace and action of an episode of 24.

Without such clearly defined characters the crazy, implausible plotline might not be acceptable to the reader's bewildered brain. By shoring up the one with the other, he achieves sufficient suspension of disbelief to keep his audience onside. The agility of the narrative is one of the great strengths of this book: for a first-time novelist, Harkaway is robustly confident (although this may also have something to do with his heritage: he is the son of a famous thriller writer). Particularly effective are his Matrix-like fight scenes, brought to life in meticulous yet flowing prose.

There are some charmingly naive moments, mostly to do with sex. There is a scene so impossibly, hilariously romantic that it could keep a straight face only in a Mills & Boon novel. There is a funny reference to the useless Eighties pop duo Bros. This is clever sci-fi with a light heart and a winning smile: a killer combination.

We have four exclusive audio extracts from Gone Away World read by the author. Click the links below to download:

Chapter 2

Chapter 5 (part 1)

Chapter 5 (part 2)

Chapter 11

The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway
Random House, £17.99; 544pp Buy the book here

Times Recommends

• Sarah Palin and the Palindromes: 7 extraordinary connections
• Physics for Future Presidents: The Podcasts
• 10 Books Not To Read Before You Die