Voice of the Fire
First edition | |
Author | Alan Moore |
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Language | English |
Genre | Historical novel |
Publisher | Gollancz Books |
Publication date | 1996 |
Publication place | United Kingdom |
Media type | Print (Hardcover and paperback) |
Voice of the Fire is the first novel from Alan Moore, comic book writer. The twelve-chapter book was initially published in the United Kingdom in 1996.[citation needed] The narratives take place around Moore’s hometown of Northampton, England,[1] during the month of November, and span several millennia – from 4000 B.C. to the present day.[citation needed] The 2004 edition from Top Shelf Productions features an introduction from Neil Gaiman and colour plates by artist José Villarrubia.[2] A new paperback edition, retaining all of these features, was published by Top Shelf in July 2009.
Plot summary
The story follows the lives of twelve people who lived in the same area of England over a period of 6000 years, and how their lives link to one another’s. Each chapter carries the reader forward in time, but circles around the centre of Northampton, drawing in historical events and touchstones, before finally segueing into metafictional narrative in the closing chapter, as the author himself comments directly upon the previous chapter’s ambiguous closing line, before relating a personal (possibly fictional) anecdote about Northampton which relates a personal experience of local myth, and features an appearance by his daughter, the writer Leah Moore. Throughout, the image of the fire sparks resonates between the tales, while Moore finds a different voice for each character – though most are inherently duplicitous in some manner, leading to a further commentary on the disparity between myth and reality, and which is more likely to endure over time.
References
External links
- 5000 Years Of Solitude Spike Magazine book review
- Voice of the Fire Modern Word book review
- Voice of the Fire SF Site book review
- Deciphering Hob's Hog A blog devoted to making sense of the book's first chapter
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British works
- Mogo
- Sodam Yat
- Swamp Thing
- Watchmen
- Batman: The Killing Joke
- "For the Man Who Has Everything"
- Twilight of the Superheroes
- V for Vendetta
- "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?"
- DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore
Awesome Comics
- 1963
- Glory
- Judgment Day
- Spawn
- Violator
- WildC.A.T.S.
- Spawn/WildC.A.T.S.
- Supreme
- Youngblood
- Voodoo
Comics
- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
- Promethea
- Tom Strong
- Terra Obscura
- Tomorrow Stories
- Cobweb
- Greyshirt
- Top Ten
- Top 10: The Forty-Niners
- Smax
- Yuggoth Cultures and Other Growths
- Neonomicon
- Fashion Beast
- Crossed: +100
- Providence
- Cinema Purgatorio
- Brought to Light
- Big Numbers
- A Small Killing
- From Hell
- Lost Girls
- Dodgem Logic
- Albion
- Marvel Comics
- Fury
- Jester
- Meggan
Moore's prose
- Voice of the Fire
- The Mirror of Love
- Alan Moore's Writing for Comics
- The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases
- The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic
- Jerusalem
- Illuminations
CDs
- Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman
- The Mindscape of Alan Moore
- The Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore
- Show Pieces
- The Show
- Melinda Gebbie
- Leah Moore
- John Reppion
- Steve Moore
- Category
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