Review Summaries

• Readers value the way the work approaches its subject and the aftertaste it leaves, while some may find it demanding without background knowledge. Its individuality comes through in the portrayal of people and situations.

Reviews

• Not a Steampunk novel

  I bought this under the impression it was a Steampunk novel. It is not. It started out nice but quickly devolved in a messy plot at the end that reminded me of Highschooler fantasy.

• Libro coinvolgente

  È un libro che avevo già letto due volte in russo e l' ho preso in inglese per rileggerlo per la terza volta. Bello, coinvolgente, anche se è un libro tipo fantasy ma tocca degli argomenti profondi sia della antica magia egiziana che della letteratura e delle ricerche letterarie. Molto bello, da avere nella propria biblioteca

• used book matched description

  Shipped promptly and more importantly -- especially for used books on Amazon -- book was exactly as described in both facts and condition. Recommend seller

• Time skimming brilliance

  OK firstly, ive been generous today and awarded 3 books 5 stars... i do wish amazon would move to a percentage system so reviews could be more accurate! With that out of the way, this is a superb time travel book. Everything about it works well for me... great characters, well paced plot and superbly written. Not short on action, and i love the recreations of London from decades and centuries past. It's a shame some of the reviewers found this a tough read, as it is well worth the effort and there are much tougher reads out there in the fantasy genre. For me, this is one of those books that stands out - i than a book a week and so it's easy to forget a lot of them, but this is one i wont, and will certainly read again in the future. I think this is the kind of book that would be perfect for someone looking to spread their wings from Tolkien-style fantasy too, try something different and take a look at this book.

• I hate fantasy novels. This is my favourite novel of all time.

  Forget about the fact that this is written as a fantasy novel. It could as easily have been written as SF novel about time travel. The use of "magic" in the plot requires no more suspension of disbelief than does the existence of advanced alien technology - like time travel machines. The plot just gallops along, a new twist and turn on every page. The characters are vividly drawn. The setting is early 19th century London, and the literary world inhabited by Byron, Keats and Shelley. Tim Powers writes it like the bastard son of Charles Dickens and William Gibson. You won't be just reading about this world; you will be in it. The plot - what is really happening - is revealed to the reader at same rate as to the protagonist. You will find yourself forming the connections at the same rate as he does. Almost every second page there is another reveal - a moment where you go "Aha!, so that's what is really happening". Its almost impossible to put down (I read it in one sitting), it sucks you in big time. And at the end, every single loose end is tied up. You look at it in retrospect, and it is like a Swiss watch movement. Every character and every plot turn is connected and serves a purpose. You will want to read it again straight away just to appreciate how cleverly written it is. One piece of advice, particularly to those new to Tim Powers. Don't be put off by the prologue. Its all swords and magic, you won't have any idea of what is going on, and its very unrepresentative of the book as a whole. The first chapter will take you back into the real world of airplane travel, and academia, and literary conferences, and slowly and almost subtlety draw you into a very different world. The prologue exists for a purpose, but only at the end of the book will you understand how it fits in and why it was necessary. Don't be put off by it. Buy this book. Start reading this book. Just don't plan on doing anything else for the next 8 hours. You will trapped in 19th century London until Tim Powers decides its OK for you leave. This book is a work of genius.

• Incredible and convoluted and magical

  There is absolutely no way to describe the plot in this book. It involves time travel, ancient magic, crazy clowns, werewolves and so so much more. It is an absolutely amazing story with an epic adventure, a little bit of a love story, and so many twists and turns that you hardly can see straight. I think that as long as you enjoy fantasy fiction, this one is a great recommendation.

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