Originally published at: Alan Moore's new whimsical, wonderful, and wordy novel - Boing Boing
…
4 Likes
Obligatory!
10 Likes
a whole other London lurks in the background, often referred to as Long London or the Great When.
I guess (not being a native, @thomdunn) that you missed the local pun there (albeit that it is a bit archaic these days).
15 Likes
Given that some of Alan Moore’s previous prose efforts have topped out at over 1000 pages, it feels strange to criticize The Great When for being too verbose at just 300 pages.
The fact that it’s not 1,000 pages is a major plus. I don’t enjoy doorstopper novels at all, and even as a fan of Moore, a thousand pages of Moore is too much of an ask for me. So this is going directly on my wishlist. 
7 Likes
Hmm, maybe Mieville’s UnLunDun not City&the City you mean?
11 Likes
Came here to say the same. C&C gave me Budapest vibes, not London.
5 Likes
Tried reading Jerusalem. I love Moore and I love weird, giant complicated novels, but not going to make that mistake again with one of his.
1 Like
3 Likes
Yeah, The City & the City is definitely set in Eastern Europe, maybe the Balkans.
1 Like
Mieville’s King Rat and Kraken are also both set in a London+magic setting. Kraken in particular is similar to Neverwhere.
Which makes me think, is there any other city that has so many books set in a magical version of it as London?
You could add the Rivers of London series; Bryant and May; much of Peter Ackroyd’s work among several others.
3 Likes
Ahh, fair! While reading the book, I also assumed that Arthur Machen and Ironfoot Jack were fictional characters that Moore created. Now I know that they were in fact real people!
2 Likes
Yeah I probably meant that one and was just groping for the title that I couldn’t recall right then.
1 Like
I found a pre-release copy of this in a Little Free Library and it was… okay. Admittedly my initial reaction was I have read so many books set in London and Other London, do I really need to read yet another visit to a Magical Other London?. It was readable enough but it didn’t reach out and grab me. Really it felt kinda thin; now that I know it’s intended as part 1 of 5, I guess it works as an introduction to this particular Other London.
I’ll read the sequels if they show up in another LFL but I don’t think I feel a need to watch for them.
2 Likes
…do you live on the same block as me?
2 Likes
It was a couple blocks away from me but fairly close. The LFL is just off of Banks street and painted like a Minecraft creeper.
Ah, you live on the opposite coast, I see. But thank you for reminding me to put it in one of the 3 LFLs on my block!
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
