Review Summaries

• Readers praise the inventive premise and dense world-building, while the ending and final resolution divide opinion.

Reviews

• Powers is always inventive and doesn't fail to disappoint in this venture into post apocalyptic fiction. The atmosphere is entrancing and the journey of the main character gives the reader a chance to explore the strange and magic infused world he's built with remnants of our own. True, there are some formulaic aspects of the story, but Powers is also a master of subtly bringing intriguing concepts into his stories, and here he does not disappoint. I can't say anymore without spoiling the tale. A fast-paced, exciting and atmospheric read, definitely give it a try.

• One of Tim Powers’ rare SF stories and a true delight. A post apocalyptic California but a story that is still heavy on character development. Definitely one of my favourites that I revisit periodically.

• This early Powers reads and feels like vintage Philip K Dick... A quirky, post-apocalyptic novel which sees Powers playing with the sort of novel ideas that makes him such a readable author. My only complaint is that this Kindle edition is littered with typos - spelling mistakes, or a word which is correctly spelt but clearly the wrong word. Like a spell checker reading thee for the. It makes for a frustrating read and really isn't acceptable when you're paying top dollar. This is the third early Powers I've bought on Kindle because I have problems holding paperbacks these days. Every one was poorly proof-read. Why? I assume that someone must proof the paperbacks before they go to print so why not give Kindle readers the same consideration.

• Well, Tim Powers' 1985 Philip K. Dick Award winning "Dinner at Deviant's Palace" is certainly different. Not only is it really weirdly interesting, it's even different from most of Powers' other books. In general, his stories are based on actual historical events where he applies twists between the recorded facts. In this book, he's produced a future dystopia novel and added a lot of his kind of twists. It's really well done. A bit of a warning, though: the main character is not exactly a pleasant person. There's a very good reason for this, so bear with it. Also, he tends to suffer a bit of damage, so that's a bit disconcerting, too. Still, I rate the book at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5.

• Taking a post-apocalyptic setting as its backdrop we have a novel heavy with mysticism and religious zealotry. The hero is a washed up alcoholic musician called back into a redemption business that is difficult to describe but is tantamount to soul saving. The story gets a little stretched at times, a little incongruous perhaps but Powers strength is in his storytelling and whilst you might be wondering sometimes just what is going on with the mutants, the flying blobs of vampiric haemoglobin you just have to know whats going to happen. If you like Powers you'll like this.

Purchase links