Very good
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The prose in the beginning of this book was a struggle to get through. The author's desire to over-describe every little detail meant it was easy to loose track of the narrative. Remember when you was at school and had to hit a certain word count for an essay and so overwrote every little thing to pad it out? That was what this felt like. Don't get me wrong, it is very well written and can even be enjoyable, but there is so much of it that doesn't seem to go anywhere. It can become an infuriating read. When I was young and read the author's Marvelman in Warrior magazine it was like an amphetamine driven burst of story that had me breathlessly waiting for the next instalment. This, on the other hand, is more like a stoned somnambulant drawl that often had me mentally checking out every now and then. It's worth persevering with though, but you need to be patient. The story involves an imaginary book becoming real and finding it's way from another London into our real London. The cover is a thing of wonder.
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Wonderful book, beautifully Londoncentric in the tradition of Michael Moorcock & Ben Aaronovitch.
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Beautiful work from the Arch Mage himself.
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Unlock the potential and you'll appreciate it, if not, you'll hate it. The personification of a marmite book/author.
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Riffs?.... Yeah! Can you dig it? Alan Moore being the most Alan Moore he can be.
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Firstly - when's the next one coming out...surely such a rich feast cannot only have one course? Prose is splendid and characters are bizarre and eccentric and entertaining. Plot is straightforward but part and engaging. I would have liked the sinister to be more sinister.
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Allan Moore!!
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While wearing the skin of a typical YA coming-of-age story, The Great When is in fact a layered and richly rewarding read both for the experienced and storied reader, and someone closer to Dennis' age and experience. Moore's depiction of a post-war London and his dissection of how its citizens coped with post-war economics and politics is powerfully realized. Putting this book down, one feels as if they just had a long, beer-soaked talk at London pub in '49 about their shattered world, and their doomed hope for a better tomorrow. Despite this grim background, the story absolutely comes to life with a cast of characters that all charm and enchant, leaving you wanting more of all of them (even Ada). Tied together with some truly fantastical narrative prose that feels like poetry at times, the story of young Knuckleyard's dance between two Londons had me absolutely enthralled in every way. A powerful standalone novel in its own right, The Great When (a pun an on old nickname for London) also touches lightly on many motifs and themes Moore has used in his work before. Jerusalem is echoed here, from ensnaring local history as not just plot and setting, but almost as character in its own right, to a parallel world right alongside its local "real" counterpart, and even an art gallery scene with the pieces mirroring plot, which shows off his "creativity as magic" philosophy quite well. There are conversing decapitated heads, as we saw in Voice of the Fire, and he even touches on Jack the Ripper again. Another darker and heavier theme is broached near the crescendo of the romantic arc, and if you're familiar with Moore's work you can pretty well guess what I'm driving at here, but as usual he handles it with heartbreaking nuance, delicacy and sympathy while not shying away from it's brutal reality. I cannot wait for the next one. Godspeed in writing it, Mr. Moore.
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Have started reading and am enjoying it.
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Dennis Knuckleyard gets his hands on a book that shouldn’t exist and he needs to return to a place that shouldn’t exist. Moore takes this premise and spins it out into a surprisingly nimble and fun story of post-war London life. Great stuff and, even though it works as a standalone novel, looking forward to seeing where the story takes us in future.
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Highly imaginative characters remind me of Dickens. .. great story telling and I know London well .. can’t wait for the next books ! 👍😎
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Another very enjoyable work. Bought Swamp Thing 21 from a spinner rack and have really enjoyed the various adventures since then & hopefully into the future.
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