Alan Moore's The Great When, both an historical novel and a fantasy novel, came out in 2024, so I am a little late in writing about it here. But I thought it was a fine novel, so I thought I would recommend it to y'all. (The release date is for Great Britain; it actually does not come out in the U.S. until next year).
The protagonist is one Dennis Knuckleyard, an 18-year-old orphan who lives with his mean landlady above a bookstore where they both work. Dennis comes into possession of a fictional book mentioned in an Arthur Machen story which should not really exist in the "real" world, and Dennis comes into peril as he tries to get rid of it. Dennis also comes into contact the magickal London that in some sense is more "real" than the everyday 1949 postwar London in which he lives.
While most of the book's main characters are fictional, real people also are part of the narrative, as is usual with historical novels. Austin Osman Spare, the occult artist, is one of the main characters. Smaller roles are played by folks such as Kenneth and Steffi Grant.
I realize that many people have written about what a good writer Moore is, but this was my first encounter with his prose at book length. I discovered that he has a marvelous talent for description and for wonderful and unexpected turns of phrase. Referring to an historic old fort that had been unearthed in London, he says it was "situated here before Rome stumbled and the ages suddenly went dark." There are wonderful witty bits all through the book.
Moore also is an expert plotter and the book held my attention throughout.
The Great When is the first book of a projected fantasy series; the next book, I Hear a New World, comes out on both sides of the pond in 2026.
I thought The Great When was so good, I assumed it had at least been nominated for a literary award. As far as I can tell, it has not. No Hugo nomination, no World Fantasy Award nomination, no Booker Prize listing. So who are you going to believe, all of those guys, or me?
