Rating: Summary: A strong narrative Review: Though Powers is always interesting, he has a tendency to get so lost in his own ideas that he wanders aimlessly around in them without keeping the story moving. Here, by spending little time explaining and lots of time moving the complex plot forward, Powers creates an effect that sweeps one along in the narrative. True, it means the reader starts out completely confused, but by letting us pick things up as we go, Powers does something important he frequently neglects to do: he actually goes somewhere. That's why I'm calling this his best work since that timeless classic, The Anubis Gates.
Rating: Summary: Powers should avoid series Review: Tim Power's unique characters and great story concepts shine through in this fun to read adventure. The characters from two of his previous works Last Call and Expiration Date come together in this tale to reincarnate Scott Crane the dead fisher king. The new characters, two of them psychiatric patients, Sid Cochran and Janis Plumbtree, are extremely interesting. The idea of Janis (aptly named) Plumbtree as a person with multiple personalities that can harbor ghost in her is a great concept.I enjoyed this book more than Expiration Date but not as much as Last Call. The three book series is a must read for any true fan of the fantasy genre.
Rating: Summary: Powers Delivers Again Review: Tim Power's unique characters and great story concepts shine through in this fun to read adventure. The characters from two of his previous works Last Call and Expiration Date come together in this tale to reincarnate Scott Crane the dead fisher king. The new characters, two of them psychiatric patients, Sid Cochran and Janis Plumbtree, are extremely interesting. The idea of Janis (aptly named) Plumbtree as a person with multiple personalities that can harbor ghost in her is a great concept. I enjoyed this book more than Expiration Date but not as much as Last Call. The three book series is a must read for any true fan of the fantasy genre.
Rating: Summary: Powers should avoid series Review: Tim Powers is a masterful novelist. He shares an immortality obsession with the late Roger Zelazny, but with diverse and interesting historical context. However, he is best when he writes novels with diverse and seperate plotlines. The Drawing of The Dark, Anubis Gates, and On Stranger Tides had common themes, but stood alone and as a result, the intricate plot was resolved in each book. In this series, he has become so intricate that the story looses impact. Series are popular because many modern fantasy authors cannot seem to finish a complex tale in a single book (or want to milk a concept). Powers CAN write without resorting to such means, and simply writes better books when he does so. This series has simply gone on too long with the same plot line and characters. I look forward to his next effort and hope it is more like the novels addressed above.
Rating: Summary: Quite weak, in comparison Review: Too much exegesis. Too much boring talk about revolvers and their various types of ammunition. Not enough of the kinds of characterization that has made Powers. The weakest effort yet. Go read "Anubis Gates" or "Dinner At Deviant's Palace," or, if you can find a copy, "The Drawing of the Dark." Or even "Last Call"; it's a far stronger book.
Rating: Summary: Tim tugged hard to pull it together Review: Using a bit of stich-witchery, Mr. Powers mended and brought together the most vibrant characters of his previous two books. It was a long road to travel. The two new main characters of this book seemed very desperate and disparaging to me. It wasn't until the last hundred pages that they were given any real merit, even by previous characters. It made for a hard read, and even harder to hope for a good outcome for them. Then again, Mr. Powers sets a mood that makes the book worth really reading. The book does work wonders, and raises a billion more questions than it answers. I want more and more from Mr. Powers. In fact, I hope he is typing right now....
Rating: Summary: Do your background first Review: when I first picked this novel up, it was just too confusing to follow. After re-reading Last Call and expiration date, I found it an excellent read. So if you haven't read one of the others in the last year or so, backtrack, re-read them, THEN read Earthquake.
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