The Great When

The Long London Quintet, Book 1

De: Alan Moore

Narrado por: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Bloomsbury presents The Great When by Alan Moore, read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.

This audiobook features an exclusive essay, The True History of What Didn’t Happen, written and read by Alan Moore.

From the New York Times bestselling author and legendary storyteller Alan Moore, the first book in an enthralling new fantasy series about murder, magic, and madness in post-WWII London.

The year is 1949, the city London. Amidst the smog of the capital stumbles Dennis Knuckleyard, a hapless eighteen year-old employed by a second-hand bookshop. One day, on an errand to acquire books for sale, Dennis discovers a novel that simply does not exist. It is a fictitious book, a figment from another novel. Yet it is physically there in his hands. How?

Dennis has stumbled on a book from the Great When, a magical version of London beyond time and space, where reality blurs with fiction and concepts such as Crime and Poetry are incarnated as wondrous, terrible beings. But this other, magical London must remain a secret: if Dennis cannot find a way to return this book to where it belongs, he risks repercussions, such as his body being turned inside out (or worse).

So begins a journey delving deep into the city’s occult underbelly and tarrying with an eccentric cast of sorcerers, gangsters, and murderers – some from legend, some all too real, and all with plans of their own. Soon Dennis finds himself at the centre of an explosive series of events that may alter and endanger both Londons forever...

Named a Most Anticipated Novel by Associated Press, NPR.org, Literary Hub, Reactor, Publishers Weekly, and Parade.©2024 Alan Moore (P)2024 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Extraordinary.

The richness of imagery and metaphor is unparalleled. Alan Moore's imagination is boundless. I have never read anything quite like it.

Stick With It

Might feel a little turgid to begin with. Push on through. You’ll get used to the style and be amply rewarded.

A Masterpiece

This is Alan Moore a a great prose stylist. And the reader does it full justice.

Truly an amazing writer

Alan Moore's prose are unmatched, his descriptions of everyday situations brings the mundane to life in a magical way. Highly recommend.

Another great outing.

Moore’s command of the English language ranges from flowery and decadent to grimy and elegant in the span of a heartbeat, and every descriptive got a reaction from me. Engrossing and thought provoking, especially the last act. It could use a second volume!

Well-written Fantastical Tale

I just have the feeling that people more familiar with this author’s works will get more from the book than I did.

Let Moore take you by the hand and lead you down the streets of London.

if you've picked this up, you probably know what to expect, but this is perhaps Alan Moore at his least dense and, at heart, a simple tale - however it's couched in mostly exquisite, occasionally purple prose, is never dull and you'll meet some interesting people along the way.

Other reviews have summarized the plot, but the narration is excellent, with well defined character accents throughout and an engaging cadence. there are a few clumsy punched in edits which slightly marr a 5 star performance.

I'm looking forward to the next three installments of the world that sometimes exists, glimpsed out of the corners of our eyes.

Cant understand narrator

Cant get past the narration. Way too UK for me, swear I can listen to a sentence, and understand 1/3rd of it if I'm lucky. Seems like a great book though, but I have to put this down.

Thin plot and characters

Bad all around. Absolutely incomprehensible drivel. Thin characters and no plot development. The reveal that Clive is a serial killer comes out of nowhere.

I’m not sure..

I felt let down some. The ending was almost depressing in a way. This weak kid was thrust in this adventure and he made his way. But it’s like there was no growth in the character toward the end and i thought that was sad. After everything he went through, it just didn’t make sense to me.