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timinbc's review against another edition
3.0
Well, that was a ride.
It was worth it for two marvellous firework shows, a couple of competent stories.
The rest was a drag.
"Location, location, location" is spectacular in every way, possibly the best short story I've ever read. The tone, the ideas, the style, the atmosphere, the characters, the logical development of the premise, the deftly-timed humour, ... just wow.
"improbably complex..." is a wonderful romp through modern physics from a guy who while mastering the world of comics also found time to keep up with some leading-edge science to the point that he can both explain it and have fun with it.
Moore teaches a master class in writing and his credentials are on display in these two.
"Thunderman" - a loving look at the comics industry, but gosh, 240+ pages and it drones on and on, I guess you had to be there and I don't dispute that it's a valid story to tell and the right guy telling it. For those who are into it, I expect it would feel just as well written as the others.
In several others, I came to feel that there were more words than the idea needed.
The bad poem was a treat, but again, wore out its welcome
But those two top stories will give you as much value as any other book out there.
It was worth it for two marvellous firework shows, a couple of competent stories.
The rest was a drag.
"Location, location, location" is spectacular in every way, possibly the best short story I've ever read. The tone, the ideas, the style, the atmosphere, the characters, the logical development of the premise, the deftly-timed humour, ... just wow.
"improbably complex..." is a wonderful romp through modern physics from a guy who while mastering the world of comics also found time to keep up with some leading-edge science to the point that he can both explain it and have fun with it.
Moore teaches a master class in writing and his credentials are on display in these two.
"Thunderman" - a loving look at the comics industry, but gosh, 240+ pages and it drones on and on, I guess you had to be there and I don't dispute that it's a valid story to tell and the right guy telling it. For those who are into it, I expect it would feel just as well written as the others.
In several others, I came to feel that there were more words than the idea needed.
The bad poem was a treat, but again, wore out its welcome
But those two top stories will give you as much value as any other book out there.
jbenz1213's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I’m a fan of Alan Moore’s work in comics—I wrote my high school AP English thesis (lol) on his graphic novel Watchmen and have since read From Hell, most of his The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen run, and V for Vendetta has been on my bookshelf for an embarrassingly long period of time. His political opinions have generally aligned with mine, and I respect his slow & clearly painful extraction from the comics industry—it always seemed like Moore had ideas that were too big for the childish, superhero-filled worlds of DC & Marvel. Illuminations is my first journey into Moore’s prose and it’s… about what you’d expect.
There are some absolute bangers here. The collection starts out with a string of stories that are, in my opinion, the best of the bunch. “Hypothetical Lizard,” Moore’s self-described “first serious attempt at short prose fiction” written in the ‘80s, is gorgeous in both its language and its imagery. It’s easy to see why Moore’s work translates so well to comics—he spends far more time than your average author describing the geometry of his spaces, the material makeups of his environments, and the lighting of his characters. Thematically I’m not sure if I *got* what was going on beyond the interesting dynamics of a toxic relationship between two concubines, but I was thoroughly entertained.
“Not Even Legend,” written in 2020, might be my favorite in the collection. Its nonlinear conceit draws parallels with the Dr. Manhattan chapter of Watchmen, and it features a lot of Moore’s dry humor, a recurring theme in this collection. It’s short, it’s sweet, and it has a touch of that unknowable, Lovecraftian magical realism that Moore loves. It’s also the first mention of the Covid lockdowns in this collection, another recurring theme. Like the collection itself, the Covid references are a mixed bag—its mention in “Not Even Legend” is more of a distraction, but it works better in later stories.
Moore’s visual storytelling is again highlighted in “Location, Location, Location,” a story about a real estate agent who is the last survivor of the Biblical rapture. She is, hilariously, tasked with showing a property to the literal Jesus Christ. As this is happening, terrible apocalyptic scenes of multi-headed monsters descending from the heavens are depicted in glorious detail—you could absolutely imagine a two-page spread with this imagery in one of Moore’s graphic novels. At first I thought this story was an allegory for Covid, but it was written in 2019 and thus seems to be a bit more focused on Brexit (we have really been going through it this decade, huh?) Another highlight.
“Cold Reading” is a cute little rationalist horror story that I won’t get too deep into, but “The Improbably Complex High-Energy State” is where shit starts to really go off the rails. The first few pages reminded me a lot of the first chapter of Diaspora, in that it describes the emergence of a being from nothingness. Instead of reading like an instruction manual, like Egan’s book, this reads like the ramblings of a physicist who took three too many tabs of acid. It is brain melting, difficult to get through, but pretty entertaining. The narrative eventually settles into the formation of a little civilization of disembodied brains, led by a self-centered and horny king. Society—of course, because this is Alan Moore—eventually devolves into orgies, infighting, and Trump-like posturing by the authoritarian leader of the bunch before everything collapses. A fun one.
There’s a brief foray into the dangers of nostalgia in the titular short story before the real elephant in the room—“What We Can Know About Thunderman.” This is really a ~200 page novel, collected here presumably because its subject matter is too niche and its tone too dark and cynical to be successful as a standalone product. It’s been described as an “exorcism” and a “lanced boil” by Moore himself, and I’d agree with him. It’s essentially a scathing history/takedown of the comics industry, based on real life events. There are stand-ins for DC, Marvel, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko—Thunderman’s creation in the early ‘30s, when he was originally envisioned as a villainous character, is exactly the same as Superman’s. It is incredibly effective in that I can’t see myself engaging with superhero media the same ever again. Moore draws a direct line between the rise of superheroes in pop culture, their status as a uniquely American product, and the insurrection on January 6th. As persuasive as it is, it definitely wasn’t an easy or even enjoyable read. No one comes out of the story unscathed, even the most sympathetic characters, and it is deeply, soul-wrenchingly sad to read Moore in such a state of disillusionment over a medium that he clearly loved. And if you’re not at all into comics, this will probably be a little too inside baseball for you.
After “Thunderman,” the rest of the collection feels like an afterthought. “American Light: An Appreciation,” is more inside baseball, but this time Moore’s targets are the Beat scene of the ‘50s and ‘60s in San Francisco and academic literary analysis. As someone who has literally never read a beat poet, this was *extremely* difficult to get through (especially after the ordeal that was “Thunderman”), and worse, I wasn’t sure what Moore’s point was. It’s easily the worst thing here, and I took a deep sigh of relief when it was over. “And, at the Last, Just to Be Done with Silence” is a fitting ending, an overwhelmingly bleak death march with a hint of Moore’s gallows humor.
So yeah, this collection is heavily frontloaded, and your mileage may vary based on your interest in comic books. I think I would’ve much enjoyed a shorter collection with maybe half of the stories. But if you’re a big fan of Moore’s, like me, and enjoy his cynical humor about everything from sex to modern politics, it’s a worthwhile read.
There are some absolute bangers here. The collection starts out with a string of stories that are, in my opinion, the best of the bunch. “Hypothetical Lizard,” Moore’s self-described “first serious attempt at short prose fiction” written in the ‘80s, is gorgeous in both its language and its imagery. It’s easy to see why Moore’s work translates so well to comics—he spends far more time than your average author describing the geometry of his spaces, the material makeups of his environments, and the lighting of his characters. Thematically I’m not sure if I *got* what was going on beyond the interesting dynamics of a toxic relationship between two concubines, but I was thoroughly entertained.
“Not Even Legend,” written in 2020, might be my favorite in the collection. Its nonlinear conceit draws parallels with the Dr. Manhattan chapter of Watchmen, and it features a lot of Moore’s dry humor, a recurring theme in this collection. It’s short, it’s sweet, and it has a touch of that unknowable, Lovecraftian magical realism that Moore loves. It’s also the first mention of the Covid lockdowns in this collection, another recurring theme. Like the collection itself, the Covid references are a mixed bag—its mention in “Not Even Legend” is more of a distraction, but it works better in later stories.
Moore’s visual storytelling is again highlighted in “Location, Location, Location,” a story about a real estate agent who is the last survivor of the Biblical rapture. She is, hilariously, tasked with showing a property to the literal Jesus Christ. As this is happening, terrible apocalyptic scenes of multi-headed monsters descending from the heavens are depicted in glorious detail—you could absolutely imagine a two-page spread with this imagery in one of Moore’s graphic novels. At first I thought this story was an allegory for Covid, but it was written in 2019 and thus seems to be a bit more focused on Brexit (we have really been going through it this decade, huh?) Another highlight.
“Cold Reading” is a cute little rationalist horror story that I won’t get too deep into, but “The Improbably Complex High-Energy State” is where shit starts to really go off the rails. The first few pages reminded me a lot of the first chapter of Diaspora, in that it describes the emergence of a being from nothingness. Instead of reading like an instruction manual, like Egan’s book, this reads like the ramblings of a physicist who took three too many tabs of acid. It is brain melting, difficult to get through, but pretty entertaining. The narrative eventually settles into the formation of a little civilization of disembodied brains, led by a self-centered and horny king. Society—of course, because this is Alan Moore—eventually devolves into orgies, infighting, and Trump-like posturing by the authoritarian leader of the bunch before everything collapses. A fun one.
There’s a brief foray into the dangers of nostalgia in the titular short story before the real elephant in the room—“What We Can Know About Thunderman.” This is really a ~200 page novel, collected here presumably because its subject matter is too niche and its tone too dark and cynical to be successful as a standalone product. It’s been described as an “exorcism” and a “lanced boil” by Moore himself, and I’d agree with him. It’s essentially a scathing history/takedown of the comics industry, based on real life events. There are stand-ins for DC, Marvel, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko—Thunderman’s creation in the early ‘30s, when he was originally envisioned as a villainous character, is exactly the same as Superman’s. It is incredibly effective in that I can’t see myself engaging with superhero media the same ever again. Moore draws a direct line between the rise of superheroes in pop culture, their status as a uniquely American product, and the insurrection on January 6th. As persuasive as it is, it definitely wasn’t an easy or even enjoyable read. No one comes out of the story unscathed, even the most sympathetic characters, and it is deeply, soul-wrenchingly sad to read Moore in such a state of disillusionment over a medium that he clearly loved. And if you’re not at all into comics, this will probably be a little too inside baseball for you.
After “Thunderman,” the rest of the collection feels like an afterthought. “American Light: An Appreciation,” is more inside baseball, but this time Moore’s targets are the Beat scene of the ‘50s and ‘60s in San Francisco and academic literary analysis. As someone who has literally never read a beat poet, this was *extremely* difficult to get through (especially after the ordeal that was “Thunderman”), and worse, I wasn’t sure what Moore’s point was. It’s easily the worst thing here, and I took a deep sigh of relief when it was over. “And, at the Last, Just to Be Done with Silence” is a fitting ending, an overwhelmingly bleak death march with a hint of Moore’s gallows humor.
So yeah, this collection is heavily frontloaded, and your mileage may vary based on your interest in comic books. I think I would’ve much enjoyed a shorter collection with maybe half of the stories. But if you’re a big fan of Moore’s, like me, and enjoy his cynical humor about everything from sex to modern politics, it’s a worthwhile read.
zechs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
brittanica_bold's review against another edition
4.0
Question for you: what was the first graphic novel or comic book you read?
Mine, fortunately or unfortunately depending on the way you look at it, was Watchmen. I remember sitting in my high school boyfriend’s bedroom, perusing his bookshelf, when something about that bloody smiley face just called to me. Jumping from that to V for Vendetta and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, it was established: I was a complete and total Moore Whore.
That’s why I completely freaked out when I got my newest ARC from the man, the mystical, the legend!
*My review below is based on the first 7 books in this collection
Hypothetical Lizard (46 pages) – 4 stars
Alan Moore has a way of weaving medical horrors grounded in Sci-Fi into everyday life in a way that is disturbing and completely unforgettable.
In Hypothetical Lizard, we meet our FMC, Som-Som, who is a Whore of Sorcerers at the House Without Clocks, which is basically a brothel dealing with exceptional requests. Som-Som was brought to the brothel and sold by her mother before having undergone a procedure where the connection between the two hemispheres of her brain were severed. A mask was placed over half her face, and a thick glove was installed on her hand. All of this acted to destroy the connections between her ability to intake things and output others in response (her thoughts and actions do not matchup). Essentially, she can see and hear, but any response is a non sequitur. This makes her perfect to be the Whore of Sorcerers, who apparently can’t be trusted to keep their mouths’ quiet during the act…
While this background is given, the story really focuses on Som-Som’s transexual friend Rawra Chin and her abusive partner Foral Yatt. We watch Rawra go from this courageous individual who leaves the House Without Clocks seeking (and finding) success, only to come back for love and be reminded of why no one can be trusted, especially with a smile like his.
Side note: I just read Moore’s Fashion Beast and I definitely got the feeling these were written around the same time in his career. If you enjoyed the overall feel of that one, you’ll love this one!
Not Even Legend (15 pages) – 3 stars
This short was obviously more current than the last, given there was the reference to COVID, but also because of Moore’s more modern style of writing. While this story still had his elements of sci-fi and general what-the-fuck-is-going-on -ness, it was definitely less chaotic and intellectual than his normal writing style. I loved the ideas of what was happening in this story (different alien lifeforms and whatnot), but I’m not sure I loved it as a Moore story. I also felt this should have been much longer. I would read more of this though, as I feel it has potential (uuugggghhhhh and now I just feel pretentious saying that about Alan Fucking Moore! Who SAYS that!?!?)
Location, Location, Location (35 pages) - 5 stars
Jesus is inheriting the family business and it’s fantastic! I loved this one the most given it was quick, it was cerebral, and it brought that beautiful sexual undertone that Moore has to the surface, complete with a cinnamon-roll Jez.
This one had me feeling all kinds of things (I should mention that my sexual awakening came from the hands of Alan Moore in the form of Black Dossier, because, you know, I’m not a big enough nerd as it is…). I loved the ending, where, if I’m interpreting correctly, she was led into the Garden of Eden hungry. I do not know why this spelled out the perfect set up for reverse harem Jesus-Devil-Angie scenario, but now I, someone who does not like sharing, need this devil’s threeway in my life!!!
Cold Reading (17 pages) – 5 stars
An “opportunistic” medium gets more than he bargained for in this ghastly tale!
This was witty, character-driven, and a sure start to a horror novel that I would push everything in my life away to read.
Moore’s ability to take common, reality-based fears and turn them into something disconcerting is one of my favorite talents of his. For real though, what’s scarier than something that could happen? Ghosts, aliens, and unknowns? Something about these subjects gets me a little more on the edge of my seat than the definite non-realities of zombies, vampires, etc. And, boy, does he craft them well.
Also, his ability to develop a character and his/her traits within minutes of reading is so good and probably the reason I refuse to like stories with characters reminiscent of cardboard. I’ve been spoiled as a Moore Whore, thus I have standards…
The Improbably Complex High-Energy State (37 pages) – 5 stars
I found this story to be peak Moore: full of scientific processes that tickle your cerebral cortex while normalizing sex.
The best way to describe this one is the evolution of a being, starting from nothing and eventually falling into the normal pitfalls of arrogance, judgment, and yearning for omnipotence. Definitely not lite reading, but definitely interesting.
Illuminations (17 pages) – 2 stars
The titular short left a lot to be desired for me. I can’t even fully articulate what the hell this was about, other than a man having a mid-life crisis and never coming back from it. This draaaagged hardcore for me.
What We Can Know About Thunderman (241 pages) – 4 stars
This story, which takes up a majority of the total page count, shows an interesting set of interconnected lives belonging to persons in the comic industry.
I liked the shifting of timelines and perspectives in this. It definitely had a very Pulp Fiction feel to me, which is always a plus.
It had death, murder, pornography, Americana, and pop culture. This definitely also had Moore’s feelings towards movies never being able to live up to the comic books they try to recreate expressed, which was cool to see.
Overall, I feel I would have enjoyed this better if I had any idea who these people were supposed to represent or knew more about the comic book industry itself, but it was still a fun, easy read.
Final (Average) Rating: 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing, and Alan Moore for this book in exchange for my honest review!
Mine, fortunately or unfortunately depending on the way you look at it, was Watchmen. I remember sitting in my high school boyfriend’s bedroom, perusing his bookshelf, when something about that bloody smiley face just called to me. Jumping from that to V for Vendetta and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, it was established: I was a complete and total Moore Whore.
That’s why I completely freaked out when I got my newest ARC from the man, the mystical, the legend!
*My review below is based on the first 7 books in this collection
Hypothetical Lizard (46 pages) – 4 stars
Alan Moore has a way of weaving medical horrors grounded in Sci-Fi into everyday life in a way that is disturbing and completely unforgettable.
In Hypothetical Lizard, we meet our FMC, Som-Som, who is a Whore of Sorcerers at the House Without Clocks, which is basically a brothel dealing with exceptional requests. Som-Som was brought to the brothel and sold by her mother before having undergone a procedure where the connection between the two hemispheres of her brain were severed. A mask was placed over half her face, and a thick glove was installed on her hand. All of this acted to destroy the connections between her ability to intake things and output others in response (her thoughts and actions do not matchup). Essentially, she can see and hear, but any response is a non sequitur. This makes her perfect to be the Whore of Sorcerers, who apparently can’t be trusted to keep their mouths’ quiet during the act…
While this background is given, the story really focuses on Som-Som’s transexual friend Rawra Chin and her abusive partner Foral Yatt. We watch Rawra go from this courageous individual who leaves the House Without Clocks seeking (and finding) success, only to come back for love and be reminded of why no one can be trusted, especially with a smile like his.
Side note: I just read Moore’s Fashion Beast and I definitely got the feeling these were written around the same time in his career. If you enjoyed the overall feel of that one, you’ll love this one!
Not Even Legend (15 pages) – 3 stars
This short was obviously more current than the last, given there was the reference to COVID, but also because of Moore’s more modern style of writing. While this story still had his elements of sci-fi and general what-the-fuck-is-going-on -ness, it was definitely less chaotic and intellectual than his normal writing style. I loved the ideas of what was happening in this story (different alien lifeforms and whatnot), but I’m not sure I loved it as a Moore story. I also felt this should have been much longer. I would read more of this though, as I feel it has potential (uuugggghhhhh and now I just feel pretentious saying that about Alan Fucking Moore! Who SAYS that!?!?)
Location, Location, Location (35 pages) - 5 stars
Jesus is inheriting the family business and it’s fantastic! I loved this one the most given it was quick, it was cerebral, and it brought that beautiful sexual undertone that Moore has to the surface, complete with a cinnamon-roll Jez.
This one had me feeling all kinds of things (I should mention that my sexual awakening came from the hands of Alan Moore in the form of Black Dossier, because, you know, I’m not a big enough nerd as it is…). I loved the ending, where, if I’m interpreting correctly, she was led into the Garden of Eden hungry. I do not know why this spelled out the perfect set up for reverse harem Jesus-Devil-Angie scenario, but now I, someone who does not like sharing, need this devil’s threeway in my life!!!
Cold Reading (17 pages) – 5 stars
An “opportunistic” medium gets more than he bargained for in this ghastly tale!
This was witty, character-driven, and a sure start to a horror novel that I would push everything in my life away to read.
Moore’s ability to take common, reality-based fears and turn them into something disconcerting is one of my favorite talents of his. For real though, what’s scarier than something that could happen? Ghosts, aliens, and unknowns? Something about these subjects gets me a little more on the edge of my seat than the definite non-realities of zombies, vampires, etc. And, boy, does he craft them well.
Also, his ability to develop a character and his/her traits within minutes of reading is so good and probably the reason I refuse to like stories with characters reminiscent of cardboard. I’ve been spoiled as a Moore Whore, thus I have standards…
The Improbably Complex High-Energy State (37 pages) – 5 stars
I found this story to be peak Moore: full of scientific processes that tickle your cerebral cortex while normalizing sex.
The best way to describe this one is the evolution of a being, starting from nothing and eventually falling into the normal pitfalls of arrogance, judgment, and yearning for omnipotence. Definitely not lite reading, but definitely interesting.
Illuminations (17 pages) – 2 stars
The titular short left a lot to be desired for me. I can’t even fully articulate what the hell this was about, other than a man having a mid-life crisis and never coming back from it. This draaaagged hardcore for me.
What We Can Know About Thunderman (241 pages) – 4 stars
This story, which takes up a majority of the total page count, shows an interesting set of interconnected lives belonging to persons in the comic industry.
I liked the shifting of timelines and perspectives in this. It definitely had a very Pulp Fiction feel to me, which is always a plus.
It had death, murder, pornography, Americana, and pop culture. This definitely also had Moore’s feelings towards movies never being able to live up to the comic books they try to recreate expressed, which was cool to see.
Overall, I feel I would have enjoyed this better if I had any idea who these people were supposed to represent or knew more about the comic book industry itself, but it was still a fun, easy read.
Final (Average) Rating: 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing, and Alan Moore for this book in exchange for my honest review!
jstrahan's review against another edition
5.0
Really really good, some better than others, and I’ll be honest I don’t know enough about beat poetry to understand one of them. Also the middle 300 pages are just a standalone novel, with a a few short stories on either side. That main story feels like a real conclusion/epitaph for Alan Moore’s work in the world of comics. Personal favourites were probably ‘Not Even Legend’ which does some fun experimenting with the form, harking back to the dr Manhattan issue of watchmen, and also ‘And, At the Last, Just to Be Done With Silence’ which is like a Samuel Beckett play about the murder of Thomas Beckett, filled with some really horrifying ‘dark soulsy’ imagery
anakins_wife's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
TLDR: Loved this book! Every single story except Thunderman was a joy for different reasons. Some were poetic and slow reading with an elegant style, others were fast paced and easy to read, while some required extra brain power but were worth the effort. All of them had unique ideas or plots twists, super enjoyable read overall!
Non-spoiler reviews for each story:
1.Hypothetical Lizard- beautiful descriptions, poetically written, made me think about the story’s central premise, loved it
2.Not Even Legend- fantastic premise, absolutely loved it, read it twice to fully grasp it (which makes sense once you know the story!)
3.Location, Location, Location- very fun premise, full of beautiful if not unnerving descriptions, with a few interesting moments for wondering what the symbolisms can represent
4.Cold Reading- short, simple, but great little story!
5.The Improbably Complex High-Energy State- The opening few pages melted my brain and I almost gave up on this story, but once you figure out what’s going on after a few pages, it’s an interesting and humourous thought experiment in writing! Worth the read but be prepared it’s DENSE.
6.Illuminations- great story with a question about nostalgia and memory vs reality is.
7.What can we know about Thunderman?- I tried to get through this but I couldn’t, I gave up after 70 pages, this one was a painful miss for me and I skipped it
8.American Light- Once I got used to the style of a poem with annotations, this was quite good, I really enjoyed the poetic sentences mixed with Egyptian mythology.
9.And at last just to be done with silence- Super short but really interesting and enjoyable story with a fun twist.
Non-spoiler reviews for each story:
1.Hypothetical Lizard- beautiful descriptions, poetically written, made me think about the story’s central premise, loved it
2.Not Even Legend- fantastic premise, absolutely loved it, read it twice to fully grasp it (which makes sense once you know the story!)
3.Location, Location, Location- very fun premise, full of beautiful if not unnerving descriptions, with a few interesting moments for wondering what the symbolisms can represent
4.Cold Reading- short, simple, but great little story!
5.The Improbably Complex High-Energy State- The opening few pages melted my brain and I almost gave up on this story, but once you figure out what’s going on after a few pages, it’s an interesting and humourous thought experiment in writing! Worth the read but be prepared it’s DENSE.
6.Illuminations- great story with a question about nostalgia and memory vs reality is.
7.What can we know about Thunderman?- I tried to get through this but I couldn’t, I gave up after 70 pages, this one was a painful miss for me and I skipped it
8.American Light- Once I got used to the style of a poem with annotations, this was quite good, I really enjoyed the poetic sentences mixed with Egyptian mythology.
9.And at last just to be done with silence- Super short but really interesting and enjoyable story with a fun twist.
xantaranth's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
11corvus11's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a big fan of Alan Moore and liked this book a lot at first, but as it progressed I found myself less and less interested. I can't quite pinpoint why. It was an audiobook and the narrators were excellent. I guess like most story collections, some were just better than others. Also be prepared for lots of weird sex stuff (not in an egregious way, just lots of sexual themes if that's not your thing.)
hyponome's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
4.0