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.

What an extraordinary story, ‘the Great When’ is, an astonishing piece of work. Seemingly fashioned from the very heart and soul of its legendary author, this tale of two concurrent Londons: the real one, set in 1949 acting merely as a cloak covering its imaginary, warped counterpart which only a few seem to be able to access. These include our hapless hero, the brilliantly drawn Dennis Knuckleyard, who you can’t help but keep egging on through his sequence of fantastic adventures, which all kick off following his inadvertent acquisition of an imaginary book that opens up the largest can of worms ever. Lined up alongside him are a bizarre set of supporting characters, that it would be an insult to merely describe as three-dimensional. I have rarely, probably never, read a narrative so imaginative, it’s drizzled with the richness of Moore’s language, that magically conveys the sense of time, place and being. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than the taut description of Dennis’ employer and landlady Ada, an intimidating literary character, described early on as a “tormentor in her morbid dressing gown and slippers, skeletal and rattling like a woman made of coat hangers”. As for the rest of the cast, you can - and must - read about them yourself. It’s all utterly loopy and madly engaging at the same time; you won’t want to reach the end and when you do, fear not as this is but the first novel in a series of five and I can barely wait for the next helping of all this, fantasy at its best.

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.

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.

*The Great When* is set in 1949 London, where Dennis Knuckleyard, a hapless eighteen-year-old working in a second-hand bookshop, stumbles upon a novel that shouldn’t exist. The book he finds is fictional, a creation from another novel, yet somehow it physically exists in his hands. This strange book originates from the "Great When," a magical, timeless version of London where reality blurs with fiction, and abstract concepts like Crime and Poetry take on physical form as terrifying, wondrous beings. However, this magical London must remain hidden. If Dennis doesn’t return the book to its rightful place, the consequences could be disastrous—even to the extent of having his body turned inside out. While the premise is fascinating, the first 100 pages can feel slow. Moore’s command of the English language is undeniable; his prose is lush, almost to the point of excess, with constant reminders of his linguistic prowess. As Dennis ventures into the Great When, it’s hard not to draw comparisons to other magical versions of London, such as Neil Gaiman’s *Neverwhere* or China Miéville’s *The City & the City*. But this is Alan Moore, a writer known for taking familiar concepts and turning them on their head. *The Great When* is no exception, with moments reminiscent of *The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen*, blending literary history and folklore with urban realities. The plot centres around a fictional book mentioned in Arthur Machen's real-life work *N*, which mysteriously comes to life within this story. This is classic Alan Moore: a metafictional twist embedded within a work of fiction. Then there's Long London, the mystical realm of the title, a place as unsettling as it is intellectually stimulating. Despite some pacing issues, *The Great When* is a rich and imaginative work, one of my favourite books of the year.