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A review by uselessmathom
Illuminations: Stories by Alan Moore
2.0
DNF- at 51%
I never thought I'd post a DNF on Goodreads, least of all of an Alan Moore work, who I had considered, based on his comic career, one of my favourite authors.
There are many gems and strands of brilliance strewn throughout this, but the writing just seems overwrought and twisted into knots. Here's a handful of takes about some but not all of the stories I read.
THE HYPOTHETICAL LIZARD. One of the better ones, and more character focused than any of them. While unfamiliar with the world, I rather enjoyed the read.
NOT EVEN LEGEND was, of the ones that I managed to finish, the most enjoyable story to me. It mixed an interesting concept -- and high-concepts seem to be what Moore is banking on in each of these stories -- with an aptly creative form into an ironic short story that stood on its own legs like a piece of modern art.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION seemed like a very dull reference-fest without much to really say about society, or religion. It's a kind of Gaimanesque (thought that might be a bit unfair to say in regards to Moore and how his work precedes and inspires Gaiman) "what if we grounded this mythology in reality and followed the funnies that proceded from there" story that really does nothing inventive with what it has.
THE IMPROBABLY COMPLEX HIGH ENERGY STATE surely a great writing exercise for the author, but outstandingly draining for a reader.
WHAT WE CAN KNOW ABOUT THUNDERMAN blindsided me as a 240 page novel sandwiched in between these short stories. While I do have a toe dipped in the comic world and was able to recognise and identify with bits and pieces of the experiences described in here, a lot of it was just a dizzying swirl of names, brands, mock-titles and quasi-parodies that left me truly bereft of all desire to continue with the book. Not even the chapter about the porn ocean got me interested enough to continue.
The defining characteristics of Moore's best works are to me incisive commentary about society coupled with a very postmodern, deconstructive view on the medium he's working in. These stories take some swings but don't really contain either of those (maybe Thunderman does underneath the easter eggs but it overwhelmed me so much with its meandering bullshit so I'll never know), and don't feel like anything approaching the work of a seasoned author.
I never thought I'd post a DNF on Goodreads, least of all of an Alan Moore work, who I had considered, based on his comic career, one of my favourite authors.
There are many gems and strands of brilliance strewn throughout this, but the writing just seems overwrought and twisted into knots. Here's a handful of takes about some but not all of the stories I read.
THE HYPOTHETICAL LIZARD. One of the better ones, and more character focused than any of them. While unfamiliar with the world, I rather enjoyed the read.
NOT EVEN LEGEND was, of the ones that I managed to finish, the most enjoyable story to me. It mixed an interesting concept -- and high-concepts seem to be what Moore is banking on in each of these stories -- with an aptly creative form into an ironic short story that stood on its own legs like a piece of modern art.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION seemed like a very dull reference-fest without much to really say about society, or religion. It's a kind of Gaimanesque (thought that might be a bit unfair to say in regards to Moore and how his work precedes and inspires Gaiman) "what if we grounded this mythology in reality and followed the funnies that proceded from there" story that really does nothing inventive with what it has.
THE IMPROBABLY COMPLEX HIGH ENERGY STATE surely a great writing exercise for the author, but outstandingly draining for a reader.
WHAT WE CAN KNOW ABOUT THUNDERMAN blindsided me as a 240 page novel sandwiched in between these short stories. While I do have a toe dipped in the comic world and was able to recognise and identify with bits and pieces of the experiences described in here, a lot of it was just a dizzying swirl of names, brands, mock-titles and quasi-parodies that left me truly bereft of all desire to continue with the book. Not even the chapter about the porn ocean got me interested enough to continue.
The defining characteristics of Moore's best works are to me incisive commentary about society coupled with a very postmodern, deconstructive view on the medium he's working in. These stories take some swings but don't really contain either of those (maybe Thunderman does underneath the easter eggs but it overwhelmed me so much with its meandering bullshit so I'll never know), and don't feel like anything approaching the work of a seasoned author.