British Author Challenge September 2025: Leone Ross & Alan Moore

Leone Ross was more or less a random inclusion. I stumbled across her name when I was looking for contemporary British authors and thought her work sounded interesting.

Works
Popisho (originally This One Sky Day)
Orange Laughter
Come Let Us Sing Anyway
All the Blood Is Red
The Woman Who Lived in a Restaurant (link to free download)

When the history of 20th/21st century comics is written, Alan Moore is going to rate his own (extremely long) chapter. He has written some of the most influential books in the medium, several of which have been (poorly) adapted to film. And since I know not everyone likes comics, he has written novels and short stories, too.

Selected Works
Comics
Watchmen
V for Vendetta
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
From Hell
The Courtyard
Miracleman (Issues 1-16)
Promethea
Halo Jones
The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic

Novels & Short Stories
Voice of the Fire
Illuminations
Jerusalem
The Great When
The Mirror of Love

Note: Alan Moore's comics often have a high level of sex and violence. I can recommend Halo Jones as both a great read and one that's more in the PG/PG-13 range.

And I recommend his prose poem, The Mirror of Love, to everyone. Seriously, go read it. Open Library link

I'd already decided to try his The Great When this month. I did a group read of Jerusalem some years ago and loved it though it's not a book I'd try to read in a month.

>4 avatiakh: I just picked up The Great When from the library.

I picked up The Great When from Audible to read this month.

I am going to be reading my lovely copy of This One Sky Day by Leone Ross for September's challenge.

>7 alcottacre: I'll be reading Come Let Us Sing Anyway because it's available on Kobo Plus.

>8 amanda4242: The only reason that I have access to the Leone Ross book is because I bought it when it was on the Women's Prize longlist back in 2022. Otherwise I would be out of luck as my local library has nothing of hers. I hope we both enjoy our reads!

>9 alcottacre: Fingers crossed that we'll both like our reads!

I have my books ready for this month:

This One Sky Day and Illuminations.

>10 amanda4242: Yep!

>11 PaulCranswick: Paul, I have added This One Sky Day to the September TIOLI Challenge #14, if you would like the shared read there.

>12 alcottacre: That is great Stasia, I will do that.

I finished This One Sky Day last night. My thoughts on the book:

I read this for the British Authors Challenge this month and while I am not sorry I read it, I just wish that I had liked it more. If you do not care for magical realism, stay far away from this book. I can take or leave magical realism - I am also currently reading The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman and liking it much more than this book. There were some things about the Ross book that I really liked: 1) I loved the picture she painted of this Jamaica-like island (Ross grew up in Jamaica) and 2) I loved the way she talks about the magic of her world - I particularly liked Xavier's cooking magic and wish that I had it! There is some beautiful prose in the book (see quote below). My problems with the book were several - I thought it was overlong for what it is. I never related to any of the characters although I came closest with the aforementioned Xavier. The emphasis on sex was over the top for me (this is going to be a complaint about The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois as well - am I getting more prudish as I get older?); Not Recommended (3 stars) Mine

>14 alcottacre: Sorry it wasn't a more enjoyable read for you.

I finished Come Let Us Sing Anyway. While I didn't love it, there were a few stories I thought were very good, and I really liked the rhythm of Ross's writing.

>15 amanda4242: I would like to try more of her work so I will give that one a shot if I come across a copy.

I've started reading The Great When and boy is it dense! I usually don't like it when authors seem to have swallowed a thesaurus, but it kind of works here—probably because Moore actually knows what the words he's using mean.

>17 amanda4242: I'm just over half way and have enjoyed immersing myself in his writing once again. I'm reading it quite slowly as I have a few other books on the go.

OK, I've finished The Great When and it was a highly satisfying read, though probably not everybody's cup of tea.
There's an entertaining review over on GR by Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* which is worth a peruse.

>19 avatiakh: I'm about halfway through. I'm really liking it, but it's definitely not a book I can race through.

That review is spot on!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6934480481

>20 amanda4242: I really enjoy Moore's use of language, I know it isn't straightforward or anything but it has its own charms. The rhyming slangs I can only guess at them most of the time, but he gives you an experience of reading that you don't get from a lot of books.

>21 avatiakh: I've finished, and definitely agree that it's a different experience from the majority of books.

Moore seems intent on not just telling the story, but inundating the reader with the sights, the sounds, and the smells of the world. It's exhausting, but also exhilarating.

>22 amanda4242: Yes, he's well worth the effort.

The October thread is up!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/374254