Illuminations

by Alan Moore

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Illuminations: Stories is an interesting collection of short fiction from Alan Moore. Released 11th Oct 2022 by Bloomsbury, it's 464 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out 4th quarter 2023.

Alan Moore is a peerless writer, a true and rare wordsmith. This is a collection of 9 stories of varying length; one of them, What We Can Know About Thunderman , more of a short novel than novella at 241 pages. All of them are indelibly Moore, with complex language and ideas, well rendered and all-enveloping. 

The thing which struck me during the read was that the author pulls no punches. He brings his best to the work and expects the audience to do the same. The language is richly nuanced and wonderfully wrought. The vocabulary is precise and robust. It isn't easy however. I enjoy language and precise writing. Readers who prefer easy reads might want to have a good dictionary at their fingertips. 

Solidly four stars. Difficult (not necessarily thematically) and demanding writing. Reminds a bit of the Laurie Anderson lyrics: "Good evening. Welcome to Difficult Listening Hour. The spot on your dial for that relentless and impenetrable sound of difficult music. So sit bolt upright in that straight-backed chair, button that top button, and get set for some difficult music". 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.