Strange Itineraries [Paperback]

Powers is primarily a novelist -- one of our best, too -- not a short-story writer, and this collection of nine stories comprises all his short fiction to date. Still, Tim Powers is Tim Powers, and his slightly strange perspective on the world is such that any fan of _Anubis Gates_ and _Declare_ will want to spend time with this book. A quiet, rainy afternoon would be most appropriate. Most of these stories deal with loss in one way or another, loss of a spouse, loss of oneself, and the settings are ordinary, mostly California, mostly the inland deserts, but the characters are ordinary only on the surface. They tend to be sort of abstract, too, in a Rod Serling kind of way, like "Fifty Cents," in which a guy driving across the Sonora on a personal quest keeps running into hitchhikers that turn out to be himself (sort of) in the past or the future. "We Traverse Afar" is about another guy, also dealing with loss, and a very pointed look at Christmas. In fact, as in his novels, you have to pay attention to Tim's writing because what he has to say is likely to slip right past you otherwise. The most straightforward narrative piece in the volume, "The Way Down the Hill," is also the earliest, written more than twenty years ago, but even it has a strong whiff of Phil Dick about it, not surprisingly, and it will also inevitably bring to mind "All You Zombies." Everyone compares Powers to Dick, of course, and they were friends, but I also see a connection to Fritz Leiber's work from the early `50s. No space opera here, no high fantasy, no universe-straddling plots. Just quiet, thoughtful word-pictures, extremely well done.

Quantum theory, time loops, alternate realities, the supernatural and one special story about a gentle old man whose pants are torn off by the side mirror of a speeding Torina are all included in this remarkable collection of short stories by Tim Powers.

Powers has the writer's skill of placing the utterly unreal into the norms of our day-to-day reality. Another great American writer, Edgar Allen Poe, used this particular skill to great effect with such stories as The Fall of the House of Usher and The Man of the Crowd. The tale begins ordinarily enough and then suddenly jumps, sometime subtly, sometimes not so, and we find ourselves bounding along to alternate realities, witnessing sad spirits in a catholic confessional or attending a strange gathering of immortals. And, incredibly, it all seems quite feasible. This is fascinating reading and extremely entertaining.

What really makes these tales stand out is their credibility, as one can perceive that their contents have been thoroughly researched. The vast majority of these stories' theme is the notion of time itself: where does it begin and does it ever end? Some of his characters are confused at the start but then later, as in the story 50 Cents, the character appears to accept their fate, that they are trapped in time, and this reality will never end, and continue to replay itself like a scratch on a CD.

In the story, Pat Moore, the character begins his day like any other, (except for a chain letter he has received, which if not passed on, could well prove unlucky), a professional gambler, sets out in his beat up Dodge, where he observes a man in a Chevrolet with a sawn-off shotgun, tries to run him off the road. An instant later he sees a woman appear next to him, who claims to be his guarding angel, when the Chevrolet crashes off the road. At first he is shocked, but as the tale unfolds, he puts together the clues, to discover it all has to do with his dead wife. The story becomes more bizarre, yet believable, finally sorting itself out in the end.

The two cleverest stories, Where They are Hid and Night Moves, on face value are outlandish, but are so well constructed, every loose end is tied up nicely, with a hint of irony, that they actually become credible.

This is Tim Powers's only collection of short stories, as he's predominately a novelist. All his novels are award winners and to a certain extent, as other writers have said, he leans towards Phillip K. Dick more than any other America writer. In fact a young Powers met an older PKD where he had nothing but praise for the younger writer.

After reading these exceptionally entertaining short stories, I hope Powers decides to write more short stories, because the one's included in Strange Itineraries are remarkable.

This is a great collection of stories. I especially liked the odd ghost story "Pat Moore." But every story is good or even better. Plus this is cost effective way to get these stories, some of which were only available in expensive limited editions. In all, great reading and a great value!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 11 reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars