The Anubis Gates

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Macabre.
Review: Tim Powers seamlessly weaves the stuff of nightmares with a Victorian London that is so real that you can almost see the gamins and smell the filth. Anubis Gates draws on many of the old superstitions of sorcery and ancient gods in such a way that the book is nostalgic at the same time as it is exhilarating. It is a refreshing change from "modern" fantasy that often seeks to portray magic as a force that exists only in other lands and other worlds. Magic in Anubis Gates is instead more akin to the occult and the mystical, similar perhaps to The Club Dumas by Perez-Reverte. If you enjoyed one book, you will probably enjoy the other. A.G. is a very fast paced book and Powers' timing is complex and superbly accurate. The way he writes keeps you on your toes throughout the book, and everything in A.G. is there for a reason. He does not gloss details or delve into tangents; it is all one gritty trip though a tale that becomes increasingly macabre as it progresses. Furthermore, the blend of historical characters such as Coleridge and Lord Byron with fiction achieves something of a lasting effect long after the book is finished.

Ultimately, Anubis Gates is not merely another time travel adventure. It is also an idea about how magic could possible exist, and a valid look at where it might come from. Although many of the individual ideas can be found elsewhere in literature, not many books can claim to incorporate so many arcane superstitions into one philosophy. The plot is full of surprises that makes reading the book very entertaining, but makes describing it somewhat difficult. Do not let any reviews spoil the story, because it is that much more enjoyable if you do not know anything about it.

Rating:
Summary: Stay With It, You'll Be Rewarded
Review: This is, currently, the only Tim Powers book I've read. I turned all my friends on to it, and now we're all wondering what Powers book to read next.

The only downside to the Anubis Gates is the overwhelming sense of depression you may feel at the main character's plight about 1/3 of the way through the book. It's pretty bleak, and I believe this may have turned off many other readers. I expressed some concern about this to a friend of mine who said; "Don't worry, things are never as bad as they first seem in Tim Powers novels." That's especially true here.

The other reviews explain the basic plot and give you some idea what to expect. Something they gloss over is the web of plot threads the author very carefully weaves throughout this book. Half the characters are really the other half from different points in time, or clones of other characters, or clones of themselves. By the last third of the book, you'll be quietly whispering 'whoah' every ten pages or so.

The book reads quickly, isn't dense or taxing, and invites you to guess at what's going on. Powers intentionally throws characters at you like tennis balls, hoping you'll lob back some interesting guesses at who they *really* are. Because certainly, no bald madman wheeling his legless way around 18th century London can be just some random dude.

There is, I warn you, one pretty meaningless sequence where the plot suddenly shifts to Cairo. The shift is necessary, it is felt, because it resolves much of what's going on, but while there the main character takes on yet another life and personality and *career* in the space of three pages. Don't hold this against the book, though. Give it a shot.

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Summary: A must have for any English History/ Sci-Fi Fan!
Review: I cannot express enough my thorough enjoyment of this novel. An incredible ammount of twists and turns keep you on your feet, all of them plausible and never seen coming. This is easily the best Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Time Travel book I've ever read!

Rating:
Summary: Better the second time around
Review: .... It did win the Phillip K. Dick award for science fiction and help put Tim on the literary map, but when I read it, I didn't like it that much. It involves time travel and body switching, and there were a few moments where I lost track of what year it was and who the characters where. But there are many good moments in it.

I picked it up and read it a second time recently, and enjoyed it much more thoroughly. Knowing what's going on allowed me to appreciate all the subtleties, and forshadowing. And this time I didn't get mixed up. I used to think that it could either be trimmed down in size, or expanded to fit two books, but now I'm satisfied with it.

Rating:
Summary: An amusing romp through literary space-time
Review: Powers sat down to write a book with the following thought in his head: "How can I write a time-travel book about Lord Byron, Egyptians, and the ever-popular horrific clown?" The Anubis Gates is the result. The plot is neatly stitched together, and you'll find yourself flipping back a few pages, mumbling sagely, "Yep, that sure did happen back in Chapter Three," as well as being mildly freaked out by the malformed sorcerous freaks of 19th century London. What's the upshot? It's all a lot of fun, but nothing is terribly new or original. The clever knitting together of the plot is probably its best feature, but outlines do not a novel make. I read through it, laughed, shuddered just a teensy bit, and then neatly alphabetized it on my shelf. I probably won't read it again, but I didn't mind traveling around in time with Tim just once.

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Summary: THE BOOK OF HYPE
Review: My sister got this book for me and from reading the back cover I thought that I would really enjoy reading it. The idea of having Lord Byron and other weird characters was really appealing. Furthermore, Tim Powers was a friend of the late Philip K. Dick, a man whom I respect and admire. So I thought I was in for a good read. Boy was I wrong. The story started out slow, but I must say that it was different in that they were going back in time to meet someone. Personally, this story reminds me of Timeline by Michael Crichton, but the big difference is this: I finished reading Timeline, I didn't finish the Anubis Gates.

Rating:
Summary: Seamless
Review: Tim Powers is, to put it plainly, the best fantasist working in the genre. Period. One read of The Anubis Gates will prove it to anybody's satisfaction; I know it's done so for me. My God, what a book. Simply the ideas of time travel and dopplegangers that Powers puts forth here (not to mention his teriffic eye for Victorian Period detail, and his brilliant, believable characterizations of notable figures of the time) are a delight. Unfortunately, I can't talk too much about the plot without giving it away and ruining the immense pleasure reading this book for the first time will give you. I can speak in generalizations, however -- such as the manner in which Powers' protagonist becomes unstuck in time, which is so pedantic as to be wholly believable; or Powers' expert pacing and timing, which help the novel to tick away like Swiss clockwork; Powers' delicious sense of atmosphere and mood, which add to the Victorian setting just the right flavor of danger and eerie magic bubbling just under the surface of things; Powers' understanding that human beings are frail creatures, especially in the time period he's writing about (when his characters get hurt, man, they HURT!); Powers' impeccable plotting. And it is this last, most of all, that makes The Anubis Gates what it is -- for as fans of the fantasy and science fiction genres know, time travel is very difficult to write about effectively, and only the very talented can make even a conditional success of the job. Powers is one of the best -- rather than leave behind all manner of loose ends and creating more paradox than closure with his story, Powers instead makes sure that everything is tied up by the novel's last line. Everything that happens in Anubis Gates happens for a reason, and nothing, not a moment, is wasted on unnecessary business. Not only is the book's ending completely seamless, it is also a total surprise: you'll think you know what's about to happen, but Powers will (I guarantee) pull the rug right out from under you. The only other artists I know of who were so compltetely able to fool their audience were Cornell Woolrich, Ira Levin, and Alfred Hitchcock; Powers is every bit as good. The Anubis Gates, by reason of its brilliantly-imagined world and Powers' strong, effective characters and plot, is one of the greatest fantasy (or science-fantasy, or whatever the hell you want to call it) novels I've ever read. If you care at all about the genre, you MUST read, not only this book, but everything else by Powers that you can lay your hands on. You owe it to yourself -- and to Tim Powers as well, because as far as I'm concerned he doesn't get anywhere near the recognition he deserves.

Rating:
Summary: Best time travel story I've ever read.
Review: Not only has Tim Powers created a well written and very entertaining book, but he has also managed to create a time travel story without logical contradictions where the reader can still be suprised! Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: High expectations may have ruined it for me.
Review: Having read Expiration Date and Earthquake Weather, I expected Anubis Gates to be as good as those two. I had also heard from a few different people that it was Powers' bets book. So perhaps that is why I wasn't as happy with it as his other books.

The thing that initially turned me off about the book were the two groups of beggars in London. They seemed entirely unrealistic, and I had come to think of Powers as a writer that can do fantasy that is plausible in the real world. However, many aspects of this book seemed implausible to me.

I did like his spin on time travel, however. Its nice to read a book featuring time travel that isn't all about going back and fixing things. That was a positive aspect.

All in all I thought this was a decent book. I may have enjoyed it more if I didn't have such high expectations for it. If you've never read Powers, you'll probably enjoy it immensely, because it does have his characteristic depth and imagination.

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant surprise.
Review: I was never a fan of time travel. What's more, I was never a fan of fantasy (with the exception of Tolkien). So, naturally, I felt reluctant and skeptical to pick up this book, which promised both fantasy and time travel. Thankfully, I got over that and... five pages into it, I was hooked. In fact, I was hooked so bad, I'd forsaken all of my other hobbies and interests (even the Internet) until I finished the book.

Tim Powers is one heck of a writer, and that goes for his every trait. Creating believable characters, environments, or cooking up one roller-coaster of a plot, he can do it all. He blends fantasy and science fiction in a seamless, fun way that made me feel like I was ten again and reading the timeless works of Herbert Welles and Jules Vern.

This book is a rare gem. Read it. If something doesn't make sense, have patience. It will all come together eventually, and you'll be more than amazed.