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Feb 15, 2013 Benjamin added it

Shelves: audiobook

I've heard for a while now about how great Powers is, how he seamlessly ties together rich history with mythic fantasy: here's a Fisher King story in California, here's Merlin-brewed beer, here's angels in the Cold War. Finally, I broke down and read (heard) my first Powers, and I can say that it fairly lives up to the hype while also being something of a head-scratcher in places.

Here's the basic non-spoiler story: Andrew Hale is a British agent in a hush-hush operation that stretches from befor I've heard for a while now about how great Powers is, how he seamlessly ties together rich history with mythic fantasy: here's a Fisher King story in California, here's Merlin-brewed beer, here's angels in the Cold War. Finally, I broke down and read (heard) my first Powers, and I can say that it fairly lives up to the hype while also being something of a head-scratcher in places.

Here's the basic non-spoiler story: Andrew Hale is a British agent in a hush-hush operation that stretches from before World War II to the 1960s, an operation that has to do with a secret history focusing on magical beings that are variously described as angels or djinn. The story largely focuses on Hale's experiences (Paris and Berlin, 1945; Mount Ararat and the Middle East 1948, 1963); with a strong subplot about his love for the Spanish-born Russian/French agent, Elena Teresa Ceniza-Bendiga; and the related experience of real-life spy Kim Philby and his family's associations with the supernatural.

Powers has a really eye-opening afterword here, where he talks about his research and his self-imposed guideline of not changing any historical facts. It's fascinating to me to hear how close this fantasy cleaves to historical fact--though in cases like this, I always want a companion piece or footnotes to tell me the actual history, as we know it. From a purely puzzle-regarding, cleverness-grading standpoint, that's an impressive feat.

And while most of that historical accuracy fades into the background when read as a novel. I wonder if that's why the book sometimes (often) feels a little overdetailed and overwritten. Some of these details probably give the book an air of verisimilitude (even more important in fantasy, Wells would argue), but some of them seem merely to slow down the reading process and make it clear that this is not just a spy thriller. (I suppose a similar case could be made for the nonlinear jumps in the book, from time period to time period: of course we don't worry about Andrew Hale in 1948 after we've met him in 1963.) In any case, there are times when exhaustive research tips over into exhausting reading.

My other complaint here has to do with the characters and their structural role. Andrew Hale--spoiler--turns out to be half of Kim Philby; and it's explained that Kim got all the love of family/women while Andrew got all the love of country. Which turns all of Andrew's decisions into either pre-ordained (will he shoot his family to save his country? of course he will) or unbelievable (will he sacrifice everything to find his true love? of course he will--but I won't buy it). Similarly, it's not always clear to me what's really motivating this secret war: at some points, Hale's boss seems to have it in for Communism, but at other points, he seems to have it in for the angels themselves. Likewise, one of the most interesting characters is a Russian agent from Armenia who is described as owing allegiance primarily to the fallen angels. What does that mean to him? What sort of world are these people fighting for?

Lastly, while it's clear that Hale is just a pawn here, there are a few too many briefing scenes, where someone higher up in the intelligence system explains to Hale something crucial about the angels or about himself. If you're keeping track, file this under "demonstrating research/cleverness while sacrificing plot urgency and momentum." ...more

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Feb 18, 2017 Jeff Waltersdorf rated it it was amazing

Twisty, taught Cold War spy thriller in the vein of Le Carre, but with a supernatural twist. Tim Powers threads his fictional protagonist Andrew Hale though decades of historical events. The shifting timeframes do add confusion to the story, but overall there is a sense of only understanding a portion of the whole which I expect is intentional.

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Mar 26, 2022 cristian m rated it liked it

Shelves: sff

original mix of spy thriller and supernatural elements. Felt very realistic and the research shows.
the reason for the low rating is mostly the length. Would've been much better at half its word count ...more

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