Tim Powers’ The Anubis Gates is one of the best time travel novels ever written. I don’t say that sort of thing lightly. What makes it stand above most of the rest of this particular genre is in Powers’ uncanny ability to find hollowed-out places in the historical records where one is able to pour in a story or three. You are left with the sense that while things might not have turned out the way that he portrayed them (usually a safe bet, since he writes fantasy novels), but they should have turned out that way and there’s no way to disprove it now anyway. This was the first one of his that I read, and I’ve been buying Tim Powers on sight ever since.
And so, adieu to Carter and Lovecraft.
Yep, The Anubis Gates is a great novel, one of the best fantasies ever written. Which is what I expected from reading his earlier book The Drawing of the Dark, which is also one of the best fantasy books ever written.
As opposed to On Stranger Tides, which is one of the best fantasy books ever written, or The Stress of Her Regard, which is one of the best horror books ever written, or Declare, which is one of the best occult spy novels ever written and it kind of defines the genre now, or…
I love The Anubis Gates. And I must rectify the fact there are Tim Powers books I have not yet read.
All true.
When writing the above, I actually started to list more of Power’s great works, but realized it would take too long.
BTW, even his early, lesser works are worth reading.
The Drawing of the Dark – great book
The Anubis Gates – great book
The Stress of her Regard – great book
On Stranger Tides – great book
Declare – have not read, must remedy that
Oh my God YES you must read Declare! Here! http://amzn.to/2oxejBU Download it! We will still be here when you get back!
You absolutely must. Go do.
Best time travel story ever.