Begging comparisons to Tolstoy and Joyce, this magnificent, sprawling
cosmic epic (Guardian) by Alan Moore--the genre-defying, groundbreaking,
hairy genius of our generation (NPR)--takes its place among the most
notable works of contemporary English literature. In decaying Northampton,
eternity loiters between housing projects. Among saints, kings,
prostitutes, and derelicts, a timeline unravels: second-century fiends wait
in urine-scented stairwells, delinquent specters undermine a century with
tunnels, and in upstairs parlors, laborers with golden blood reduce fate to
a snooker tournament. Through the labyrinthine streets and pages of
Jerusalem tread ghosts singing hymns of wealth and poverty. They celebrate
the English language, challenge mortality post-Einstein, and insist upon
their slum as Blake's eternal holy city in Moore's apotheosis, a fourth-
dimensional symphony (Entertainment Weekly). This brilliant . . .
monumentally ambitious tale from the gutter is a massive literary
achievement for our time--and maybe for all times simultaneously
(Washington Post).