- Hardcover: 83 pages
- Publisher: Subterranean Press; First Edition edition (January 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1596060751
- ISBN-13: 978-1596060753
- Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13 x 1.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #781,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In this taut, eerie novella from Powers (Three Days to Never), used-book hunter George Sydney finds he can summon a beautiful poet when he discovers a signed volume containing a previously unknown variant of one sonnet. The good news is that he can bring the mysterious woman, Cheyenne Fleming, back to life. The bad news is that if he does, he will never meet her, and the act itself may harm an innocent. Set in Los Angeles, Powers's intricate story shows how Sydney's loneliness and alcoholism leaves him vulnerable to someone (or something) that is not what it appears to be. There are no thin, hairy specters lurking in this tale, and no cold grue to chill one's bones. Its impact is more moral than visceral, evoking the pity and fear that are hallmarks of tragedy. Exquisitely illustrated by J.K. Potter, this slender volume is sure to appeal to epicures of the terrible. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
The ghost and the book,
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: A Soul in a Bottle (Hardcover)
First, a warning -- this is not a novel, or even a novella. This is a short story with a cover. But despite that, "A Soul In A Bottle" perfectly shows us why Tim Powers is one of the best writers you've never heard of. It starts off on a grey, rainy, dreary note, and is gradually illuminated with the light of Powers' haunting, bittersweet writing.George Sydney makes a living off of used books -- he hunts down rare tomes and then sells them at a profit. And one day he finds a very, very rare book: a copy of poet Cheyenne Fleming's work, but with a sonnet that has never appeared in any other book. And on the same day, George encounters a beautiful young woman... and soon learns that she's the ghost of Cheyenne Fleming. As he falls in love with her, George begins to search out the details of how Cheyenne really died, and what is tying her to the mortal world. There may be a way to restore her to life, but it would mean changing the past -- and the present. Tim Powers seems to have a preoccupation with ghosts tied to material objects. You could see it in "The Bible Repairman," and it's the whole point of the story in "A Soul In a Bottle." This ghost story isn't scary, suspenseful or even weird -- instead it's a bittersweet contemplation of love, death and art, with a bittersweet denouement that leaves you thinking. Powers paints Los Angeles as a grey, rainy place that is full of ground-up dreams, dirty streets and monuments to the celebrity dead. But the place lightens up whenever Cheyenne appears, a vibrant colorful flame even after she's dead. Apparently Powers based her on Edna St. Vincent Millay, and clearly he overflows with personal and professional respect for her. "A Soul in a Bottle" is only a short story (and can be more cheaply obtained in one of Powers' later collections), but is a sublime little story that leaves you with a little twinge of heartache.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews) 8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Tim Powers,
By Mister Stanwell - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A Soul in a Bottle (Hardcover)
Not only does Tim Powers know how to pull off a great novel (see his latest "Three Days to Never"), he is also a master of the short story. And he does ghosts better than any author I've read. Put those two together and you have "A Soul in a Bottle". This is a "haunting" tale of love, revenge... and old books. Nicely done. The Subterranean Press edition is a very fine volume. I've always been pleased with their work.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Bottled Powers,
By Theo Logos - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A Soul in a Bottle (Hardcover)
`A Soul in a Bottle' is a Tim Powers ghost story. That sentence should send shivers of delight through any Powers' fan, for he is the absolute master of the ghost tale. The ghosts that inhabit his various works of speculative fiction are practically his signature, giving his stories a disturbing, "through the looking glass" quality that set them apart from anything else out there. His ghosts sometimes seem to be the connecting link forming the cosmic glue of the Powers' universe, tying together his widely varied works - they are the brushstrokes of a master. All of which makes me ponder why this Powers' ghost story is so - how shall I say, spiritless?`A Soul in a Bottle' is more an idea than a story. It is a mere sketch. The editorial review calls it a novella, but that is inaccurate - it is a short story, and not a very long one at that. Why it was sold as a stand alone book (with a mere 82 pages of extra large print) is a mystery, as this story wouldn't even feel finished as part of a collection. Had it been given room to grow, to mature, to stretch out a bit, it may have become another eerie Powers' masterpiece. The elements are there - I can see the ghost of a brilliant idea in it, but it never grows into its potential. Powers shows us the relationship between the protagonist and the ghost, but he never really makes us feel it, and what is the point of a ghost story that you cannot feel? If you are a Tim Powers fan as I am, you may still want to read this one to glimpse what might have been in this stillborn attempt of a fine idea. Check it out of a library, though, and save your money for Powers next effort. Theo Logos 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Short and Complete,
By Harry R. Jordan - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: A Soul in a Bottle (Hardcover)
More a short story than anything else. It's a good distillation of Powers' style, but leaves out too much character and background. Good twist, but more for the Powers devotee than a casual reader. Go with his full-length novels to get the best sense of Powers' capability with fantasy.
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