I was in the new books rack at my library the other day, saw “Three Days to Never” and said “hmm”.
I’m about halfway through it now, and ok, I KNOW it’s a blend of reality and sci-fi and I shouldn’t take the “sci” part of that all too seriously.
I’m looking at the book jacket, Googled a bit to see some fan sites, which are what I expected, but I’m kind of wondering why I never heard of this guy before? Has my head been up my ass?
Honestly, I’m alternating between wondering if I missed something 5 pages back and deciding this is the most imaginative book I’ve ever read. Well, ok read “lately”.
I’m enjoying the book when it’s nor losing me, but feeling a little guilty that I am.
I’m confused, is this guy the Asimov of our time, or just another crank?
Tim Powers is easily one of the best contemporary fantasy authors out there. For my money, his best books are The Anubis Gates and Last Call. The first is about time travel, Victorian London, and werewolves. The second is about the supernatural properties of draw poker. If you like spies, you should check out Declare, which features real-life English traitor and Soviet spy Kim Philby as its main villain. What’s particularly interesting about it is that despite the overt presence of the supernatural in the story, the biographical setails of Philby’s life are completely accurate, including the details (such as his pet fox, or “lucky” jacket) which are integral to the supernatural elements of the story. Heavily re-contextualized, of course, but still accurate. If you decide that you like Three Minutes to Never, Expiration Date explores many of the same themes of turn-of-the-century spiritualism and old Hollywood lore in more detail. Plus, one of the major characters is the ghost of Thomas Edison.
Yeah, I agree with Miller regarding Powers’s best books. Although The Stress of Her Regard (Shelley and Keats and vampires and such), On Stranger Tides (Blackbeard and zombies), and Dinner at Deviant’s Palace (post-apocalyptic guitar-playing) are also wonderful.
“Declare” and “Last Call” are his best works, but an earlier work “The Drawing of the Dark” is about beer! how great is that!
Seriously, the guy is a great writer, unique and entertaining. So far none of his works have disappointed.
I loved the concept for that novel, but the execution didn’t quite pay off. It just sort of peters out in the end, instead of leading to a satisfying climax.
Tim Powers rocks! Although not related to me except in the sense that ALL great writers are kindred, he is probably one of the best fantasy writers ever to pick up a keyboard.
I thought it was alright. I thought it needed to be fleshed out a little more, but it had some really strong characters, and I liked the ideas behind it.
Yeah, it’s his third. You can safely skip his first two books. (He’s asked people not to read his first one.)
In addition to checking out Blaylock, you might also want to check out K. W. Jeter, another friend of Powers’. Their writing isn’t at all similar, but the three of them were the ones who came up with the concept of steampunk, and Jeter is arguably the guy who came up with cyberpunk (in the book Dr. Adder).
In addition to his novels, Powers also has a number of chapbooks and collections of short stories, as well as a cookbook that he did in collaboration with Blaylock.
I first discovered Powers through this board, and that alone makes my subscription to this place worthwhile. He’s one of those authors that you can just choose a book at random–any you pick will most likely be a damn good read.
Thank you, Mr Bus Guy, for starting this thread! Tim Powers is one of a very short list of authors that are automatic purchases for me. And, like several of the other responders, I was unaware he had a new book out. He’s not particularly prolific, and his books don’t get hyped very much, so it’s easy to miss a new release.
Yeah, hey my pleasure. I’m closing in on the last third of the one I’m reading, and it’s become one of those books that I can’t wait to get home and read.