Rating: 
Summary: Leads this reader back to "Kim"
Review: Tim Powers has a tendency to lash many of his fantasies so securely to known historical facts that the plot and the fantastical elements get lost in a welter of truthful, but exhausting, detail. The classic example of this is The Stress of Her Regard, in which a kind of vampire story is drowned in more than anyone needs to know about the Romance poets. On the other hand, when Powers is willing to freestyle a little more, he is capable of great flights of imagination such as those that powered his modern fantasy Last Call and his immemorial classic The Anubis Gates.Declare is one of Powers's history-bound fantasies, in which Powers challenges himself to create a fantasy in a known historical subject without contradicting any of the historically estalbished facts. However, he avoids many of the pitfalls into which he has stumbled in his prior forays down this road. Rather than wearing his readers down with true biographical details the only real significance of which is how cleverly Powers works them into his own story, he seems to select details for their objective value as points of interest for the reader. Here, we are immersed in details drawn from the world of international espionage from World War II to the middle of the Cold War. Instead of seeing how Powers can work the fact that two historical figures stayed at hotels ten miles away from each other on a certain day into a story, we get to see his protagonist using interesting espionage techniques -- telegraphing information to headquarters from radios hidden in occupied Paris, forming groups of Bedouin nomads for spying missions. This keeps the story moving. And Powers does a better job integrating the fantastical elements of the story, too. The supernatural creatures who, it turns out, had a lot to do with the Cold War turning out the way it did, are fascinating -- awesomely powerful, terrifyingly alien, and fully imagined. Powers manages to work them into history without making them seem small. The supernatural occurrences in On Stranger Tides or Stress of Her Regard seemed reduced in scale as compared to the supernatural beings in regular fantasy novels -- like Powers was fitting them into tiny chinks between established historical facts. But Declare's djinn have a frightening majesty that makes it seem as though history has accommodated itself to them rather than vice versa. Their appearances in Declare are always spectacular. This may well be the perfect Powers "history to fantasy" novel -- eventful, suspenseful, well written (of course), satisfying -- but it still smacks of trickery. This is Powers pulling off the amazing feat of writing a successful fantasy while adhering strictly to minute historical details. This is Powers handicapping himself, and still winning the race. But I still think Powers does better when he does not start himself out at a disadvantage. As much as Declare impressed me, I like Powers better when he gives himself freer rein.
Rating:
Summary: a highly entertaining ride for the reader
Review: The most consistently entertaining clever fantasy confections I've read in years! One of, if not the best of Powers. (And no one gets maimed!) John LeCarre's early story "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", is a veiled tale also, I believe, about Kim Philby. Familairity with "Rielly, Ace of Spies" - Sidney Reilly (the greatest real life spy of all time who came within a day of singlehandedly bringing down the Russian Revolution, and who was the inspiration for James Bond), is helpful. Also "Lawrence of Arabia" and the unexpurgated "1001 Arabian Nights". Let's not leave out the Bible. The story draws on all these subjects and many more. As is stated below , Power's ties real characters and real events and real timeframes to an improbable, but highly entertaining book. A secret History within History of Lawerence of Arabia, Kim Philby, St. John Philby, Djinn, King Solomon, Bedouin tribesman, The Ark on Mt Ararat, the history of the USSR, Lubyanka Prision, Magic, Arabian Nights Fairy Tales and, of course, spies fighting the Cold War. This book is in may ways is complex like Stephenson's Kryptonomicion. A previous acquaintance with many of these subjects makes it all the more delightful, but even without it, the reader in for a great ride!
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