The Goners Vol. 1 by Kenyon Gagne [Book Review]

Kenyon Gagne sent me a signed copy of The Goners last year, and I, in turn, took FOREVER to read it! I’m kicking myself now, because it’s SUCH a good book! I think I was afraid to read it, because Kenyon and I have become good friends, and he’s such a huge supporter of my brand, The Picky Bookworm, so I was scared to be disappointed.

Boy was I wrong! This book is SO good, and it is such a great comment on the fragility of humanity. The three main characters, Kaywin, Dublin and Prudence, have between them all the characteristics that make humanity so….human. I love each of them, and in different ways. 

The Goners is set in the far future, when we have colonized Mars and the Moon. 17 billion people live on Earth, and a bunch of those have become suicidal.

Instead of people just offing themselves, however, they are given the opportunity to die with honor, in the Meaningful Conclusion Program.

The MCP takes jobs that would be deadly to most people, and gives them to the heroes in the MCP, so the “Goners” can die like they want, but die in service of something greater.

To Kaywin, Dublin and Prudence, this all sounds like an incredible option, so they join and get sent to the Moon. When they hear about something that could threaten all of humanity, the 3 unlikely friends have to join forces, or we “are all Goners.”

What Makes the Characters so Different?

Kaywin is what I would consider the “Fatherly” character. He has taken Dublin and Prudence under his wing, and basically treats them like his kids.

Dublin enjoys it, I think, but Prudence doesn’t know how to deal. Kaywin joined the program because his wife and child were killed in an accident, and he just can’t figure out how to live without them.

He figures joining the MCP is a good way to go out with a bang. His assignment on the Moon is as a “Pilot,” which basically means he takes untested hyperdrive engines, and tests them in old spacecraft.

His chances of dying on his first huge trip in the craft is really small.

Dublin is ugly. Physically, Ugly. He has joined the MCP because he has never had a girlfriend. He’s never had a girl even pretend to be interested in him.

He got so tired of getting rejected that the MCP has to be better than that. Kaywin actually wishes he had known Dublin before the MCP, because he thinks he could have helped him, and maybe even saved his life.

Kaywin believes it’s too late for himself, but he still has hope in the rest of humanity.

Prudence was a little rich girl, with everything: fame, beauty, and connections in her head so she can make her hair any color or length she wants.

The problem is, her father was abusive, and would force her into acting situations with his friends that weren’t altogether wholesome.

I don’t believe she was ever assaulted, but I believe if she had stayed in her previous situation, it wouldn’t have been long. Dying was better than that.

It didn’t take long for me to completely fall in love with the characters. This book is a character-driven story, with plenty of action to help it move along.

I’m not usually a fan of character-driven stories, but the author did such a good job of getting me attached to everyone, that I’m pretty sure the book couldn’t be any other way.

Each character has qualities that among the three of them, they comment on the whole of humanity. Each character has flaws that we all have, and each person has qualities we all wish we had. I’m really excited to see what the next book has in store.

I mention this book several times on my podcast, and I mentally kick myself each time for not reading this book sooner.

The Goners is definitely a large book (just under 500 pages) but every single page is worth it, and I can’t find anything that could be taken out without causing serious detriment to the book.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoy character driven stories set in Space.

I recommend this book so much it’s not even funny. Anyone who is interested in a character driven sci-fi story can definitely get into the book. I absolutely loved it. Please let me know in the comments if you have too, because I’d love to talk about it!


Purchase The Goners Vol 1 on Amazon


I appreciate your reading my review, and I hope you consider buying it. Leave me a comment below with your thoughts! I’d love to hear from you!

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Until Next Time, Friends!

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