- Mass Market Paperback: 544 pages
- Publisher: A von books; Reprint edition (1992)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0380715570
- ISBN-13: 978-0380715572
- Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 10.8 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 227 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#155,505 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #90 in Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Card Games > Poker
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Monument to Imagination,
By
This review is from: Last Call (Paperback)
"Last Call" is a book about loss, death, redemption, tarot cards and the Fisher King. It plays out in a vast and mythical Las Vegas that only marginally resembles the one that sits in the Nevada desert. Scott Crane is a man who loses. As a child, he lost an eye. As a young man, he lost his soul in a card game. As an adult, is wife dies and he loses his will to survive. Until he is drawn to Las Vegas, where the last Fisher King died, and learns his is one of four Jacks vying for the right to assume the King's place. It sounds wacky and ridiculous and I'm sure it would fall flat in any hands but those of Tim Powers. But Powers is a master of Urban Magic, at finding mystery in the oridinary and in drawing conclusions from history that might only be inferred by a madman. But once he has cast his eye on a subject and explained it to us, it all makes sense. We wonder why we never saw it before. In typical fashion, Powers has selected Eliot's "The Waste Land" as a sort of working illustration of the story, writing elements that make you stop and think "Oh, ho! Eliot was in on it, too!". Powers uses the poem to good effect, as he has with the Romantic poets in "The Stress of Her Regard" and other works. I don't get excited about many books or many authors, but this is one of the best. Powers is an amazing talent, always satisfying, always fresh and always jaw-droppingly unique.
2.0 out of 5 stars
A review that is against the norm.....,
By
This review is from: Last Call (Mass Market Paperback)
While I can certainly understand that there is a population of readers who thoroughly will enjoy this book and will feel that I am, at best, a poor reviewer. In spite of that, this is far from being my favorite adult fantasy book and is one of the poorer attempts at fiction writing that I have experienced. I think that this book is a contrivance of popular superstitions mixed with a series of improbable characterizations. The book, itself, flows in a jagged and irregular manner going from one unlikely event to the next with little, if any, connections between these events and concludes in a bizzare trio of occurences that could only happen from a mind similar to that of a Stephen King. If you like King, you will love Powers! Like King, however, there is nothing to be gained from the completion of this 500+ page tome; no morals to be learned, no life experiences to be gained, nor not even a memorable character. The mystical world of superstition that they live in is not only incredulous but seems to be sporadically invented as the writing of this book proceded.I truly admire the world of adult fantasies as long as it is both well formulated and that you can learn a life-lesson from it. I am sorry, Mr. Powers, but this novel failed to meet either stipulation.
5.0 out of 5 stars
I loved this book,
By
This review is from: Last Call (Paperback)
This book is indescribable. I have attempted on many occasions to explain the plot of this book to people, but how can you explain that the main tenet is that luck can be won or lost playing poker? It helps if you know a little of the history and origin of tarot and card games, but honestly, how many people (other than me) have that as a hobby? Which makes this a difficult book to sell to others. But in all honesty, you don't need to understand all of the mythology references to enjoy this book. It is a compelling and fascinating look into a world that coexists with our own, just under the surface, but which few can see. I loved that Tim Powers took european myths/archtypes such as the Fisher King and Dianna and moved them to the American West.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
