A new novel from The Greatest Living Englishman is always something to look forward to, and The Great When does not disappoint. Full of the joy of words and stories, it combines the ordinary and mundane with the very much not, and does so with extraordinarily vivid characters and locations. It’s funny, exciting, mysterious, and stuffed full of sensawunda. Next one now please.

After the mind blowing short story collection ‘Illuminations’ Alan Moore once again gives us the gift of his genius with the stupendously good ‘The Great When’.

It’s odd, surreal, hypnotising, and has a wicked sense of humour. And that’s just the plot. But what really grabs you is the writing. Oh what a treat! Each sentence has been exquisitely wrought. Every paragraph oozes with brilliance. It’s a literary feast of razor-sharp dialogue and wit.

An outstandingly outstanding novel. Truly top notch.

The Great When by Alan Moore

This review is based on an ARC from Netgalley and publishers Bloomsbury.
There’s a world beyond this world… There is a London we don’t see.
This is an idea that goes back at least as far as Plato. The world we see is just a shadow of the real. And as for books about the hidden version of London, well I’ve even written one of those myself.
I’ll say straight off that I do not read comic books, and though I have of course heard of Alan Moore, I have never read any of his writing. So I come to this with fresh eyes and no preconceptions.
Our protagonist is Dennis Knuckleyard, an orphaned 18-year-old who lives and works in a second hand bookshop run by Coffin Ada, his hilariously uncaring and unattractive landlady. The year is 1949, London is a bomb site, and Dennis walks around clutching his copy of 1984, and looking forward to Mr Orwell’s next blockbuster, which is surely imminent.
In his short life, Dennis has seen some things, including the Blitz and weird stuff he can’t explain. One day, Coffin Ada sends him on an errand. Another bookseller has some Arthur Machen books for sale…
Moore evokes the streets of worn-out London very well. The cold houses, the austerity, the shabby clothes, the general feeling that Britain has been bombed to fuck. When Dennis comes back from his errand, there’s a book in his box that shouldn’t be there. It’s a fictional book Machen made up for one of his stories: but there it is, for real.
Ada immediately kicks him out and tells Dennis that his life is in danger if he does not find a way to return it. Return it where? To that other London, that Lacanian Imaginary London. But how does a naive idiot kid manage that?
And so the adventure begins. As the first book of five, as it says on the cover, you know what kind of ending to expect, but it doesn’t leave you frustrated. It’s good. I really quite enjoyed it; the problem is, I can’t make my mind up about the style.
On the one hand, overwritten. On the other, some of the “overwriting” is funny and part of the entertainment. Step with me into this world. First of all, overwritten:
“With Ada’s second-best jug, he scooped up enough hot water to first drench his head, then, after rubbing up a lather with the dwindling bar of Lifebuoy soap, doused it a couple of times more to rinse away the suds. Inevitably, some went in his eyes, and so he dried them with a scratchy towel before removing shoes, socks, trousers, underpants, and stepping gingerly into the by-now-only-lukewarm tub…”
Need I go on. You could say, “After washing his hair with Lifebuoy soap, he took off his clothes and got in the tub.”
Or, “He took a bath.”
So, overwritten. The adjective to noun ratio is more or less 1:1.
On the other hand, this:
“The lounge [bar], with Spare’s work hanging everywhere about its walls, seemed to be going through a crisis of identity, unsure if it was a South London pub that had both educated and refined itself, or an art gallery that had unfortunately turned to drink.”
You see my dilemma.
It’s great, it’s good, it’s fun, it’s overwritten, it’s witty, it’s for Alan Moore fans (presumably), but also people who like to think about that other London. So call it four stars and look forward to the next volume.

I was so happy to join NetGalley and be able to get a review copy of this book. Alan is one of my favorite living authors. I was a bit disappointed in illuminations, but this one was incredible. Here was a post-war London that was magical on so many levels. Our unlikely hero finds himself caught up in a world of occult books, and a hidden magical London that is part fairyland part nightmare. Alan's prose is just remarkable for the magic it conjures up in the other London parts. It is so descriptive, and so vivid. You feel you are walking the streets of London while you read it. Not to mention drinking in my favourite London pub, the Cheshire Cheese! I very highly recommend this book. Particularly to Alan's fans of Promethea and League of extraordinary gentleman. I will definitely be buying a physical copy of this when it comes out and reading it again. I can't wait to read the rest in the series.

Alan Moore kicks his way back into the room with this kaleidoscopic tour-de-force. Equal parts British 1950s noir and hyperdelic nightmare, with a supporting cast of 20th century countercultural luminaries including (But not limited to) Austin Osman Spare, Prince Monolulu, the giant Gogmagog, Ironfoot Jack, Jack Spot Comer and, last but not least, a decrepit Aleister Crowley, and including (If I'm not mistaken) one of Don McCullins's anonymous bombsite meth-swigging tramps from a 1969 photograph. Once read, never forgotten.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

I received a copy of this book for a free unbiased opinion.
This book will no doubt appeal to so many fantasy readers with its premise of a hidden London existing beyond time, dangerous books and unusual concepts but unfortunately it wasn’t the book for me.
The book is well written with amazing prose, world building and characters that vividly described. The writing had a touch of humour and there were times when I found it laugh out funny especially the interactions between Coffin Ada and the rest of the world.
But I found this slowed the pace of the story and I struggled to keep reading. There were also times I struggled to keep up with what was going on in the midst of all the descriptions.
Looking at the book objectively, there are many positives and I imagine Fans of Alan Moore will love this, but I am disappointed that I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to.
Perfect for Fans of
Alan Moore, books about alternate Londons ( eh Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, London Calling, Witherward ( review here)

Part surreal dream and part overly verbose nightmare. The Great When is one of those books that many will love, but just as many hate. Me? I'm leaning towards the former.

Do I have the faintest idea what Moore was aiming for? No, I'm not sure that I do. Do I want to know? Ask me again when I've fully recovered from the experience.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing and the author for an advance copy.

This book is unlike anything I have ever read before. I found the sections set in the London of the Great When too surreal for me, and almost didn’t finish the book. I’m glad I stuck with it as the ending was quite a revelation.
The characters were interesting and believable, although some were rather unpleasant.
The second half of the book had better pace, and the great quality of the writing helped me get through the book.
Many thanks to Alan Moore, NetGalley and Bloomsbury books for the opportunity to read this book.

The book is about a somewhat hapless youth called Dennis Knuckleyard who, against his will, finds himself tied to the Great When, a sort of surrealist other London that acts as a metaphoric source of reality for real London.

Fantastic book. Alan Moore really, REALLY has a way with words. I could see every surreal item and scene he describes, when it is borderline incomprehensible. There were moments when it reminded me a lot of 'The Vorhh,' and reading his acknowledgements at the end, I can now see why! It is also just an entertaining book. If you were not a fan of The Vorhh (why?), I would say you would still enjoy this book. The surrealism is similar, but employs a more familiar narrative structure. It has a nice streak of humour also. I too cannot tell anybody's age.

I've only read random comics of his yonks ago, so I can't really compare his novel writing to comic writing, but I can certainly imagine an artist working with him seeing how articulate his description is!

Ps. Really unhappy with the description of an over-dunked digestive biscuit being described as 'an oversaturated morsel falling with a faecal plop into their laps.' I'll think of that every time my biscuit collapses ):

A mysterious kind of story - It seemed to take us from one decade to another and then into an alternate dimension - London and yet not London. At times the story appeared quite dystopian, other times it felt like we were in the days following the war. This did confuse me to an extent but I loved the images created from the descriptions of the characters and there are some amusing parts within the story. There are also some really descriptive lines which I particularly liked.
I did find it a bit difficult to follow what was happening to our protagonist when he crosses the opening between his London and the ‘other’ London but it is
a good story nonetheless.

I read my self-imposed 10% but I could not get away with this book. I found the first 10% overly descriptive and overly weird. I have no doubt Mr Moore has his fans but this just isn't for me.

British fantasy at its very best

What a wonder this book is! Just when I thought that the fantasy wells of London had run dry comes this magnificent and unexpected treasure, opening up London as a new battleground in an uncertain clash with a macabre and eerie world that is only a thought away.

What I love about it is how the Maestro Moore has created a mid-century Britain that feels alive and then peppered it with a technicolour Otherworld, as if The Wizard of Oz were taking place in 1940s London, bookended with spivs and crooks that are equal parts East End and Cthulhu. The cast is stunning, barely dipping into any of them before the book draws to close, hinting at some of the adventures to come. This is the first in an intended series of five, and I cannot wait for my next journey to the Great When.

Five stars and more.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for a review copy.
The premise of this book was irresistible, a hapless 18 year old with a lethal magical book on the streets of not one but two versions of London – what’s not to like? And I didn’t like it, I loved it. The prose is so lyrical that it seems to automatically become a graphic novel in the imagination. There are plenty of similes and metaphors here which perfectly fit the scene that the author is describing and which help to create a vivid impression of the world.
I am no fan of present tense prose but the change from normal past tense story telling to italicised present tense script when Dennis, our lead character, moves from normal or ‘Short’ London to the other ‘Long’ London really helps cement the transition into the text and triggers a shift in imagery from the dull post war streets to the surreal and brightly coloured environs of ‘The Great When’.
Dennis is brilliantly drawn as the totally hapless boy on a mission he neither wants nor understands and the supporting cast is fantastic too. Although there are comparatively few major characters in the novel it somehow feels like a feature film, but one where we get to know the players well.
The story is wrapped up nicely but there are plenty of hooks for the series to continue and I certainly look forward to seeing how things pan out and what the motley cast of misfits get up to next.
My only criticism is that the lengthy prologue, which is about the same length as a chapter of the book, felt quite hard to get into. Even re-reading it after finishing the novel I felt that there were sections which I didn’t understand and can only assume that these are preliminary forays into the later books of the series. If the first few pages feel totally incomprehensible don’t give up, the main story is well worth waiting for.
Just as a note of caution - this is definitely a story for adults in language, tone and content.

'The Great When' by Alan Moore.

The year is 1949, the city London. Dennis Knuckleyard is a hapless eighteen-year-old who works and lives in a second-hand bookstore. One day, on an errand to retrieve rare books, Dennis discovers that one of them does not exist. It is a fictitious book, yet it is physically there in his hands nonetheless. How? It comes from the Great When, a dark and magical version of the city that is beyond time. There, epochs blend and realities and unrealities blur. If Dennis does not take this book back to the other London, he will be killed.
So begins a journey delving deep into the city's occult underbelly and tarrying with an eccentric cast of sorcerers, gangsters, and murderers, many of whom have their own nefarious intentions. Soon Dennis finds himself at the center of an explosive series of events that may alter and endanger both Londons.

I'm a big fan of Alan Moore and this book was no disappointment. I love Dennis and I've got a bit of a soft spot for Coffin Ada and Spare. The book is fantastically written and if you are a fan of Neil Gaimen's Neverwhere then I would give this book a read.
Thankyou to NetGallery UK, the publishers and the author for letting me a read a copy in return for an honest review.

A good read. I enjoyed this book. Thank you to the writer, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

The idea of ‘anotherLondon’ beneath the mundane one is a conceit I very much enjoy. Pair that with an interesting time period and great characters and I’m in. Moore goes further and takes the reader on a gripping ride of misadventures for the young protagonist with his characteristic blend of whimsy, horror and humour. Great dark fantasy.

This is a fascination book set in post-war London. It deals,with the stark reality of the time and the underlying ‘essence’ of London dealt with in dreamlike and poetic prose. It has a wonderful sense of place and the characters in both Londons are compelling and engaging. A great read, beautifully written.

There’s no doubting the scale of ferocity of Alan Moore’s imagination, but whether it’s captured effectively on the page is a different matter. The Great When is in turns witty, disorienting and frustrating. There are many, many great lines, but they’re not drawn into much of a coherent narrative. Perhaps fittingly, I’m left not really sure what I just read.

A novel novel, set in the real and imaginary Londons running in parallel.

Dennis is drawn into an unbelievable world on receiving an incongruous book.

A compelling read, with characters that develop with the story.

Firstly - thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Where do I begin with The Great When?

I cannot avoid talking about Moore's writing style. Or the narrator's choice of words. So often, nonsensical metaphors and similes detract so much from the story and goings-on, that it is so difficult to get through the book.

Genuinely - I cannot emphasise enough how much unnecessary (and all too often incorrectly used and archaic) language frequented this story. There were genuinely periods in the first half of this book that had I not received an ARC and needed to submit a review for it, I'd have given up and DNFd.

That said, the pretentious writing seemed to ease off as we neared the final third, engrossing me in a well-paced narrative - which was an enjoyable tale of a young, impressionable, and slightly dense London lad who becomes embroiled in another fantastically grotesque world.

As a stand-alone story, this was good. Not great. I've read other aspects of Moore and love his Graphic Novels and comic-book writing, and having read some of his Illuminations stories, was immeasurably excited to get stuck into this.

Sorry, but this one was not for me. Hopefully, the other stories in The Long London Quintet are written with a smoother flow.

2.3/5