2012 World Fantasy Award Winner
In his first new collection since 2005, Tim Powers, the master of the secret history, delves into the mysteries of souls, whether they are sacrificed on the pinnacle of Mount Parnassus or lodged in a television cable box.
With two new stories and short fiction only previously available in limited editions, the cornerstone of the collection is a postscript to his harrowing novel of the haunting of the Romantic poets, The Stress of Her Regard. After Byron and Shelley break free of the succubus that claimed them, their associate, Trelawny, forges an alliance with Greek rebels to reestablish the deadly connection between man and the nephilim.
Meanwhile, in a Kabbalistic story of transformation, the executor of an old friend's will is duped into housing his soul, but for the grace of the family cat. A rare-book collector replaces pennies stolen from Jean Harlow's square in the Hollywood Walk of Fame—and discovers a literary mystery with supernatural consequences. In a tale of time travel between 2015 and 1975, a tragedy sparked by an angel falling onto a pizza shop is reenacted—and the event is barely, but fatally, altered.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
September 1, 2011 -
Formats
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781616960735
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781616960735
- File size: 2225 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Publisher's Weekly
August 29, 2011
Terrible choices face the protagonists of six poignant pieces by historical fantasist Powers (On Stranger Tides). Some must learn to release their ghosts, like the eponymous contractor who customizes Bibles by removing unwanted passages. Others learn to hold on, like the twin who has to deal with the return of her smothering sister’s spirit in “Parallel Lines.” The alternative is to be stuck in the past by traumas that not even time travel can unravel, as in “The Hour of Babel.” Characters aren’t daunted by the Nephelim (“A Time to Cast Away Stones,” coda to 1989’s The Stress of Her Regard), a notorious artist seeking a second chance (“A Soul in a Bottle”), or the sorcerous last will of a college friend (“A Journey of Only Two Paces”), but Powers makes them face the scariest challenges of all: the hidden desires of their own hearts.
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Formats
- OverDrive Read
- EPUB ebook
subjects
Languages
- English
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