by Alan Moore (undifferentiated)
First published 2016
In the decaying streets of Northampton, England's former Saxon capital, ordinary residents discover that eternity moves through their neighborhood like a living thing. A baby chokes on a cough drop while celestial beings play snooker with human fate above. Prostitutes and vagrants share space with the ghosts of Oliver Cromwell and Samuel Beckett. An art exhibition takes shape as demons from ancient texts wander the housing projects. In St. Paul's Cathedral, conversations echo through the dome while couples sit on cold church steps through long nights. Above it all, an old man and a dead infant race toward the universe's end through dimensional spaces called the Attics of the Breath. The living and dead of this half square mile navigate between mundane reality and cosmic forces, where petrol puddles reflect the same light as broken dreams. Moore weaves together brutal social realism with children's fantasy, stage drama with science fiction, creating a mythology where the poorest slum becomes a holy city and English itself transforms into a visionary language.
Genres: literary-fiction, fantasy, magical-realism, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: cosmic-horror, found-family
Setting: Northampton, England, St. Paul's Cathedral
Period: 21st Century
1266 pages · Hardcover · Liveright Publishing Corporation