The world-building in The Great When is intricate, immersive—and maybe too detailed. It leans into abstraction, creating a rich but overwhelming atmosphere. The writing is undeniably clever, sharp, and playful, but I never quite clicked with it. I kept waiting for that emotional pull, but it never came. Around 50% in, I realized I was more exhausted than engaged and put it down.

It’s not a bad book—probably a great one for the right reader. Maybe I’m too dumb for it, or maybe it’s just not my vibe. Either way, I respect what it’s doing, even if I won’t be finishing it.

I really wanted to like this one, as it's exactly my genre, but I found it incredibly confusing and hard to get in to. It's definitely clever but the world building was so complex!

'Dennis Knuckleyard is a hapless eighteen-year-old who works and lives in a second-hand bookstore. One day, his boss and landlady, Coffin Ada, sends him to retrieve some rare books, one of which, Dennis discovers, should not exist. A London Walk by Rev. Thomas Hampole is a fictitious book that appears in a real novel by another author. Yet A London Walk is physically there in his hands, nonetheless'.
and so begins this fantasy novel. Really great storyline, Moore creates a richly detailed London that draws you in. It is surreal and sarcastic at times with bleak elements too. At times it is a little challenging to read, but the pacing is good despite a slightly slow start. I was only familiar with Moore's graphic novel but this was really good. Thanks as always to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Received arc from Bloomsbury publishing and Netgalley for honest read and review,this review is my own.
The blurb sounded really good, this was why I picked a galley.
But overall I didn't really enjoy it and it didn't really work for me. I tried to get into it, but the characters did nothing for me I am afraid.

The Great When by Alan Moore was an enthralling experience that transported me to a richly imagined post-World War II London. Moore’s storytelling prowess shines as he introduces us to Dennis Knuckleyard, an 18-year-old bookseller who inadvertently stumbles upon “Long London,” a parallel realm where reality and fantasy intertwine.

The novel begins with Dennis discovering a book that shouldn’t exist—a physical copy of A London Walk by Rev. Thomas Hampole, a fictitious work referenced in Arthur Machen’s stories. This discovery propels Dennis into the enigmatic “Great When,” a version of London beyond time, where epochs blend and concepts like Crime and Poetry manifest as tangible beings. Moore’s depiction of this alternate London is both vivid and surreal, immersing readers in a world that feels both familiar and fantastical.

Moore’s prose is both lyrical and immersive, capturing the essence of a city rebuilding itself while harboring hidden dimensions. The characters are richly developed, each adding depth to the narrative and reflecting the complexities of human nature. The novel’s blend of historical detail and imaginative fantasy creates a tapestry that is both thought-provoking and enchanting.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I struggled to engage with The Great When and indeed didn't finish it sadly. I found it over wordy and complex and the story just didn't grip me at all .

Dennis Knuckleyard is an eighteen-year-old who works (and lives) in a second hand book store. He is a bit gormless, and mostly useless. He gets sent on an errand one day to collect some rare books. He discovers on his return to the store that one of the books doesn’t exist. It is a non-existent book, a work of fiction, yet he is physically holding it in his hands. Dennis’s boss explains to him that it comes from the Great When, a magical version of the city beyond time, another version of London. The other London. If Dennis doesn’t bring this book back, he will be killed.

So begins Dennis’s journey into a world he could never have imagined. He meets with London’s underbelly, and its occult underbelly, meeting with a broad range of eccentric sorcerers, murderers, thieves and gangsters. All of whom want the book for their own reasons. Dennis finds himself the centre of events that he has no control over, but which he must help take control over. It is all a bit much for a young man who can barely manage to shave in the morning.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. It had essences of authors such as Neil Gaiman and otherworlds. However I found it quite a challenging read. The author's style of writing was tedious at times. The start of the book was very slow. Dennis was a very annoying character, who I could never warm up to. Yes, he was supposed to be a wet blanket, but boy, he was wringing wet! At times there was a bit of stream of thought to the writing. I was not sure if I was getting lost as well as Dennis. For a story where a second world was to be built, where there should have been richness and dimension, it all fell a bit flat for me. Overall, I felt there was strong promise to the story, but it just didn’t land for me.

*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

My first Alan Moore book was definitely quite an experience. His writing is so rich and intense that it gives such a unique quality to the story, made even more impactful by my learning of Moore's graphic novel history. The Under London idea is very clever and despite seeing similar concepts of this before, I was really intrigued by it.

Hoooboy this was some dense, rich writing! As a graphic novelist, I associate Moore with telling whole stories with sharp, succinct prose (and obviously stunning graphics) but when words are his only tool, he plays with them, layers them like paper mache to form a texture, twists them and turns them. It took me a while to get into The Great When, but after I did I was fully immersed, swept along by all the crazy linguistic tricks and treats until I found myself talking in ridiculously long sentences in life.

The under-London idea has been tackled many times before, like in Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere and even in Diagon Alley, but this is different. It's trippier - this isn't a magical funland for children to have adventures in, it's a writhing mass of ideas that somehow gives birth to the London we know. It does help you as a reader if you know London! I'm so glad I requested it and persevered. Now I need a bit of a lie down to get my head straight.

DNF

Struggled with the florid phrasing, and then got caught up in moving house and didn't manage to finish it before access expired

I suspect I'd enjoy a screen adaptation of this, but the writing isn't for me

I received an advance copy for free from NetGalley, on the expectation that I would provide an honest review.

The Great When missed the mark for me personally, but there’s a lot to love here if you’re a fan of Alan Moore’s other works, or like your fantasy worldbuilding on the surreal and psychedelic side. I’d also recommend giving The Great When a go if you’ve enjoyed other ‘hidden magical world’ novels set in the real world, most notably Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series.

I think my issue with the book is Moore’s descriptions and comedy style, which I think is simply not to my personal taste. His worldbuilding and descriptions are undoubtedly imaginative and truly bizarre, but I found their consistent and wacky inclusions confusing, and it kept pulling me out of the story. I must admit though; this style of worldbuilding suits the book premise perfectly! It paints the picture of the Great When like a true fever dream that is shrouded in secrecy and mystery, and there’s a real sense of intimidation that comes from its denizens and their unknown power. The story has a dry sense of humor that is consistent throughout, but I found the jokes had more misses than hits for me.

I found the pacing of the story to be pretty inconsistent throughout, with the magical elements of the story petering out at times in place of Dennis’ everyday life. It may be that these segments are intentional to provide some contrast between the two Londons, but personally I found the book less engaging as a result - there were times where I felt the remaining page count was the only indication that the story hadn’t already been resolved! I struggled with lead Character Dennis as well, who felt less like a character in his own right, and more like a receptacle through which we can learn more about the world.

Alan Moore’s The Great When is a tough read that feels bogged down by its own writing. Right from the start, Moore’s language is dense, filled with confusing metaphors and flowery descriptions that make it hard to follow what’s actually happening. It’s as if Moore prioritized showing off his vocabulary over telling a clear, engaging story. At times, the prose veers into territory so unnecessarily complex that it distracts from the plot itself, making the whole book feel like an exhausting uphill climb.

The pacing doesn’t help, either. The story takes forever to really get going, with most of the action and character development not kicking in until the final third of the book. By then, it’s hard to care about Dennis, the young protagonist, or any of the other characters, who come across as flat and forgettable.

While Moore’s post-war London has a gritty, unique feel that could’ve been intriguing, it’s mostly overshadowed by the writing style itself, which feels more like a writing exercise than a fully-realized story. This mystical take on London has been done more accessibly by other authors, like Neil Gaiman and China Miéville, and without so much unnecessary flair. Fans of Moore might appreciate some of the darker, more atmospheric moments, but overall, The Great When comes across as an overly self-indulgent start to a series rather than a story that pulls readers in.

Grant's dystopian London is psychedelically surreal, a place where anything is possible, existing side by side with our familiar one. A place where impossible creatures exist who have great influence on our world, these are not creatures that you want to meet. By means of a smuggled book Dennis finds himself embroiled in this twisted space, in danger, and desperate to make amends for having handled the forbidden tomb. Dennis is a likeable character, a naïve young sap, living and working in a dilapidated bookshop, he has 2 friends and a grumpy boss. His world experience is practically nil and the likelihood of him surviving to the next page is slim. But perhaps because his expectations of life are so low, he garners the support of a few interesting characters who bridge the gap between our world the other, they feel kinda sorry for him as do you.

I can't believe this book is only 325 pages. It took me many hours longer to read on my kindle than a 'normal' book, so I thought it was one of those huge tomes of about 600+ words that so many authors seem to think are a good thing to publish nowadays. It took me longer to read than a genuine 900 page book I read recently. How strange.
Perhaps it was the style of writing? It took me a very long time to get into it, although I did find the story quite interesting when about three quarters of the way through. But I wasn't a fan of what happened nearer to the end.
There are sections of story, which are fine, and sections which are much more stream-of-consciousness or fantasy word salad. I did understand it, so am possibly being a little cruel, but did wonder at times whether the author was trying to show how learned he was, or how clever.
Mostly it read like a cross between literary fiction, which I mostly hate, and rather clever urban fantasy.
I'm torn between three or four stars; I didn't love it, so not five, but it didn't quite reach the 'it was fine' of a four stars rating. It was probably a bit too irritating at times for that, although I am probably being unkind to give it three, it is better than that.

For those who lean toward immense world-building ingenuity in a sci-fiesque novel, The Great When may be precisely what you've been looking for. In it we track Dennis Knuckleyard (fab name!) as he finds himself in a spot of bother brought on by a book he should not possess. This troublesome book takes him to places our mildly dim anti-hero is not meant to tred putting himself, and others, in danger as he does so. Along the way he meets more than a few colourful characters who help, and hinder, him on the way. Think of it as The Odyssey in deepest, darkest historical London.

I found the setting in post WWII London a rich, inspired novel to sink my teeth in. I love this period and especially enjoyed the unique dialects and lingo particular to London born people. The deprivation of this time and difficulties our orphaned Dennis face felt authentic and plausible...to a certain extent. The otherworldly aspects of The Great When are entirely fanciful and awe inspiring. A magical world the reader enjoys stumbling upon with the hapless Dennis as he navigates this previously unknown world.

As said before this felt like The Odyssey but mashed up with magical Harry Potter in a bomb debris depression era world. Ingenious, rich with fascination in a place new and unlike anything I've read before, I cannot see how this the start of a quintet but find unbelievability to be a magic potion in this new, undiscovered world. Great fun!

Dennis is 18, working for Ada in a bookshop. He goes to pick up some books from another bookseller, to find he has a book that shouldn’t exist. It is s book referred to by an author but was never published in ‘our’ London. As others find out about the book, Dennis is chased through the London streets and finds himself in another London, a kind of parallel universe - it’s in this London that the book belongs and he has to return it to the heads of state.
I usually love dystopian stories, but this didn’t grab me. I found it quite hard work, the chapters are very long - although I realised that each chapter was a day.

I was very much looking forward to this, an author with a history of inventive brilliance and a setting of alternative Londons. But…
Set in the 40’s an orphaned kid finds evidence in a book of an alternative London (The Great When). This is a book that will put him in danger and kick off his adventures.
I’m sorry to say I found it barely readable. Long winded prose and descriptions and very few characters worth caring about. And slow. So very slow. Nothing of any real interest or pace kicks in until the second half, by which time you have almost given up.
Moore is a genius but this shows more self-indulgence than the expected brilliance.

I’m not that familiar with Moore’s work but I am a fan of urban fantasy and of London. I also hugely enjoyed Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhre, which may explain the 5 stars.
Yes, there are a lot of words. It’s like sitting in a ratty pub, having your ear bent by an old gent who’s telling you a huge yarn, and going down loads of drunken tangents, trying to remember the point he was making.

In the. best. possible. way.

It’s hilarious and imaginative. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. It does stall towards the end but the characters are engaging and the story kept my interest.
I am aware of all the streets mentioned in the story, which is perhaps why I felt pulled into the story, rather than alienated.

Alan Moore’s The Great When is a spellbinding journey into a post-WWII London like no other. The intricate world of Long London, where magic and reality collide, is brought to life by Moore’s lyrical prose and sharp wit. Rich in atmosphere and filled with an eclectic cast of characters, this novel immerses readers in a dark, alternate world full of mystery, danger, and wonder. Moore’s storytelling is unparalleled, making The Great When a mesmerizing start to what promises to be an extraordinary series.

A clever concept, but failed to land on an emotional level. The writing style is erudite, reminiscent of Victor Hugo. While that comparison is a compliment on many levels, it jarred a bit for a book set in the 1940s.