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Alan Moore
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Illuminations: Stories Kindle Edition

by Alan Moore (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 290 ratings
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From New York Times bestselling author Alan Moore-one of the most influential writers in the history of comics-"a wonderful collection, brilliant and often moving" (Neil Gaiman) which takes us to the fantastical underside of reality.

In his first-ever short story collection, which spans forty years of work, Alan Moore presents a series of wildly different and equally unforgettable characters who discover--and in some cases even make and unmake--the various uncharted parts of existence.

In "A Hypothetical Lizard," two concubines in a brothel of fantastical specialists fall in love with tragic ramifications. In "Not Even Legend," a paranormal study group is infiltrated by one of the otherworldly beings they seek to investigate. In "Illuminations," a nostalgic older man decides to visit a seaside resort from his youth and finds the past all too close at hand. And in the monumental novella "What We Can Know About Thunderman," which charts the surreal and Kafkaesque history of the comics industry's major players over the last seventy-five years, Moore reveals the dark, beating heart of the superhero business.

From ghosts and otherworldly creatures to theoretical Boltzmann brains fashioning the universe at the big bang, Illuminations is exactly that--a series of bright, startling tales from a contemporary legend that reveal the full power of imagination and magic.
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  1. Print length
    450 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Bloomsbury Publishing
  5. Publication date
    October 11, 2022
  6. File size
    3215 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

Illuminatios, Alan Moore,
Illuminatios, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman

Illuminatios, Alan Moore, The Wall Street Journal

Illuminatios, Alan Moore, Rolling Stone

Illuminatios, Alan Moore, Entertainment Weekly

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Mr. Moore's writing is as brilliant as ever-from dizzying wordplay in scene-setting detail to cuttingly succinct summaries . . . As for the stories themselves, there is no shortage of wild invention . . . Fans of Mr. Moore in all his incarnations will love this collection.” ―Wall Street Journal

“Burn[s] with Moore's soaring intelligence and riotous humanity . . . Illuminations, Moore's first collection of short fiction, finds the writer working on a smaller scale but still swinging for the firmament . . . the book showcases all of Moore's strengths as a fantasist . . . Moore has written both a dynamite story collection and a dynamite monster manual . . . Moore's failures are few, his radiances many . . . Remarkable.” ―Junot Diaz, The New York Times Book Review

“Illuminations is a wonderful collection, brilliant and moving . . . Both mind-expanding and cosmic while utterly rooted in our urban reality, written in language that coruscates, concatenates and glitters . . . [It] refuses to leave your head after you've read it.” ―Neil Gaiman, author of AMERICAN GODS and NORSE MYTHOLOGY

About the Author

Alan Moore is an English writer widely regarded as the best and most influential writer in the history of comics. His seminal works include From Hell, Lost Girls and The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. He is also the author of the bestselling Jerusalem. He was born in Northampton, and has lived there ever since.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B093KVGNXG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury Publishing; 1st edition (October 11, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 11, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3215 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 450 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 290 ratings

About the author

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Alan Moore

Alan Moore

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Alan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. He has also written a novel, Voice of the Fire, and performs "workings" (one-off performance art/spoken word pieces) with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD.

Bio and photo from Goodreads.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
290 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ashley
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful read
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2024
Verified Purchase
What a great book, couldn’t put it down.
Wonderful to read his shorts in this format.
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KW
5.0 out of 5 stars Not the First Fictional Treatment of Boltzmann Brains!!!
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2023
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Brilliant---I suppose I'm required to add "of course" (for fans of Alan Moore). Strangely NOT the first treatment of Boltzmann brains in fiction, though; Moore's "The Improbably Complex High-Energy State" is preceded by Damian Stephens's _Morpheus Unbound_ (the last in his "Means of Escape" trilogy), published about a year before _Illuminations_ came out. Wonder if Mr. Moore knew...! Just a factoid for lovers of weird fiction.
3 people found this helpful
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Rory Coker
4.0 out of 5 stars IMPRESSIVE, except for one story
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2023
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Allan Moore is a treasure, whether in traditional print or in the comics medium. Here we have a number of short stories and one short novel, and all satisfy except for one tale recording the "adventures" of a Boltzmann brain in the first split second of the history of the universe. I found it unreadable. You will enjoy everything else... at least I did.
One person found this helpful
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C Perry
3.0 out of 5 stars Overly complicated
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2022
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Some of the stories are very entertaining. Others are written in an overly complicated vocabulary. The longest of the stories goes into great detail in the comic book scene. I'm sure it's good, if you are into comic books. But I couldn't bring myself to finish it.
2 people found this helpful
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brad
5.0 out of 5 stars Alan brings his wit and imagination to short stories
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2022
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After Alan Moore hung up on comics (sad for the world but I agree with his reasoning), he hasn't skipped a beat and continues to illuminate the world with his imagination. These short stories are a treat. Thank you Alan!
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Timothy Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars A+
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2022
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great work from one of our greatest living writers…

i just need 11 more words, your welcome to ignore this
3 people found this helpful
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Zebulynn
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2022
I liked all the stories. "A Hypothical Lizard" was really good. "What We Can Know About Thunderman" really steals the show, though. I appreciate the splendid & sometimes unfortunate history the author has w/ comics. Certainly his knowledge is unrivaled but wow, man. That is definitely one of the best stories I have ever read in my life & I have read quite a bit. I really felt like someone understands my weirdness & all that. Absolutely amazing & I hope Moore will keep writing. Maybe all the comic book stuff was just filler & preparation for his actual calling. 🤔 Any fan of Moores work will not be disappointed & will find something for them in this collection.
2 people found this helpful
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Jim Marquis
2.0 out of 5 stars Is it just me?
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2023
I felt like all the stories (except Thunderman) were hard to follow and thus not that interesting. I liked Thunderman because I enjoy learning about the history of comic books but even that one went on too long. And I think it will completely confuse you if you don't already know about EC Comics, the early incarnations of Marvel and other historical facts.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Bogdan Goncharenko
5.0 out of 5 stars Meet the unexpected and unexplained
Reviewed in Canada on February 5, 2023
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This book is a challenging reading and only for some. If you are looking for vivid images and imagination taking you to the unknown worlds where you meet the unexpected and unexplained, you should try this book.
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Stern
5.0 out of 5 stars Schöne Sammlung von Kurzgeschichten
Reviewed in Germany on January 24, 2024
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Von Alan Moore ist man eigentlich nur gute Comics gewohnt, Hier eine Sammlung von Kurzgeschichten, von denen manche schon einige Jahre auf dem Buckel haben.

Auch im Medium Kurzgeschichte besticht Alan Moore durch Kreativität, Witz und intelligente Twists.
One person found this helpful
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DM SHERWOOD
5.0 out of 5 stars Mind-Blowing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 20, 2023
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Terific Book
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Mr Godot
1.0 out of 5 stars Pompous
Reviewed in France on June 13, 2023
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"How had she missed those half a dozen sturdy trees, or overlooked those scoliotic canes bowed by tomatoes big as stop lights?"

Comme, j'imagine, la majorité des lecteurs, c'est le travail assez unique en tant que scénariste de BD de Moore qui m'a fait m'intéresser à ce recueil de nouvelles de longueurs inégales, et de styles tout aussi inégaux. Malheureusement, ce que j'ai péniblement réussi à me coltiner (les 3 premiers textes) ne m'a pas convaincu. Entre pomposité bouffie de suffisance ("A hypothetical lizard"), SF gonflante ("Not even legend") mais heureusement courte et une ridicule dérive religioso-harlequinesque ("Location location location") qui est juste prétexte à finir sur un gag, j'ai franchement détesté cette chose.
2 people found this helpful
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Rick Limacher
1.0 out of 5 stars Poor writing.
Reviewed in Canada on November 8, 2023
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Reminded me of a script writen by a first year English literature University student.
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