Tim Powers: Difference between revisions

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[[File:tim-powers_112.jpg|frame]]
[[File:tim-powers_112.jpg|frame]]


American science fiction and fantasy writer. His breakout novel was ''[[The Anubis Gates]]'', published in 1983. Other novels include ''[[Declare (Literature)|Declare]]'', ''Dinner at Deviant's Palace'', ''The Drawing of the Dark'', ''Earthquake Weather'', ''Expiration Date'', ''Last Call'', ''[[On Stranger Tides]]'', ''[[The Stress of Her Regard]]'', and ''Three Days to Never''.
American science fiction and fantasy writer. His breakout novel was ''[[The Anubis Gates]]'', published in 1983. Other novels include ''[[Declare]]'', ''Dinner at Deviant's Palace'', ''The Drawing of the Dark'', ''Earthquake Weather'', ''Expiration Date'', ''Last Call'', ''[[On Stranger Tides]]'', ''[[The Stress of Her Regard]]'', and ''Three Days to Never''.


Many of his works show arcane forces at work in the backstage areas of history, revealing the "real" causes and motivations behind historical events.
Many of his works show arcane forces at work in the backstage areas of history, revealing the "real" causes and motivations behind historical events.
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They also tend to be populated by body snatchers, identical twins, clones, time-travelling duplicates, and other kinds of [[Doppelganger]] -- Powers has said in interviews that he finds something powerful and worrying about the idea of meeting a person who looks and acts just like somebody you know ''but isn't'', and many of his works have a scene of that kind. Some of them invert it, with a character meeting a complete stranger who turns out somehow to be somebody they already know; it's not any less creepy that way around.
They also tend to be populated by body snatchers, identical twins, clones, time-travelling duplicates, and other kinds of [[Doppelganger]] -- Powers has said in interviews that he finds something powerful and worrying about the idea of meeting a person who looks and acts just like somebody you know ''but isn't'', and many of his works have a scene of that kind. Some of them invert it, with a character meeting a complete stranger who turns out somehow to be somebody they already know; it's not any less creepy that way around.


Interesting historical note: During the 1970s, Tim Powers spent a lot of time hanging out with [[Philip K Dick]].
Interesting historical note: During the 1970s, Tim Powers spent a lot of time hanging out with [[Philip K. Dick]].
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Works by Tim Powers with their own trope pages include:
Works by Tim Powers with their own trope pages include:
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* ''[[On Stranger Tides]]''
* ''[[On Stranger Tides]]''
* ''[[The Stress of Her Regard]]''
* ''[[The Stress of Her Regard]]''
* ''[[Declare (Literature)|Declare]]''
* ''[[Declare]]''


Other works by [[Tim Powers]] provide examples of:
Other works by [[Tim Powers]] provide examples of:
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* [[Energy Economy]]: In ''Dinner at Deviant's Palace'', the dominant currency in a [[Scavenger World]] L.A. is a high-proof distilled alcohol: useable as a fuel, a disinfectant, or as plain ol' booze, hence much in demand.
* [[Energy Economy]]: In ''Dinner at Deviant's Palace'', the dominant currency in a [[Scavenger World]] L.A. is a high-proof distilled alcohol: useable as a fuel, a disinfectant, or as plain ol' booze, hence much in demand.
* [[Epigraph]]: A recurring feature.
* [[Epigraph]]: A recurring feature.
** In ''Expiration Date'', each section begins with a quote from or about Thomas Edison, and each chapter with a quote from ''[[Alice in Wonderland (Literature)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' or ''[[Alice in Wonderland (Literature)|Through the Looking Glass]]''.
** In ''Expiration Date'', each section begins with a quote from or about Thomas Edison, and each chapter with a quote from ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'' or ''[[Alice in Wonderland|Through the Looking Glass]]''.
* [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin]]: ''Dinner at Deviant's Palace''
* [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]]: ''Dinner at Deviant's Palace''
* [[Eye Scream]]: The protagonist of ''Last Call'' loses an eye in the prologue.
* [[Eye Scream]]: The protagonist of ''Last Call'' loses an eye in the prologue.
* [[Fat Bastard]]: Leo Friend in ''On Stranger Tides'' and Loretta deLarava in ''Expiration Date'' are both described as extremely, grotesquely fat. Also Vaughan Trumbill, [[The Dragon]] in ''Last Call''. The protagonist mistakes Norton Jaybush for a leather beanbag chair at first glance in ''Dinner At Deviant's Palace''
* [[Fat Bastard]]: Leo Friend in ''On Stranger Tides'' and Loretta deLarava in ''Expiration Date'' are both described as extremely, grotesquely fat. Also Vaughan Trumbill, [[The Dragon]] in ''Last Call''. The protagonist mistakes Norton Jaybush for a leather beanbag chair at first glance in ''Dinner At Deviant's Palace''
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* [[Instant Drama Just Add Tracheotomy]]: An emergency tracheotomy performed by a non-professional is a key plot event in ''Three Days to Never''. It's not a neat Hollywood tracheotomy, though, and has serious repercussions.
* [[Instant Drama Just Add Tracheotomy]]: An emergency tracheotomy performed by a non-professional is a key plot event in ''Three Days to Never''. It's not a neat Hollywood tracheotomy, though, and has serious repercussions.
* [[Literary Work of Magic]]: In ''Three Days To Never'', it turns out [[Charlie Chaplin]] worked symbolic imagery into ''City Lights'' as part of a magical ritual to attempt to bring his son back from the dead. An earlier movie he'd worked on but never shown to the public is part of the [[MacGuffin]]; [[Albert Einstein]] had to talk Chaplin out of showing the movie, as the mojo generated by the imagery would likely fry some audience brains.
* [[Literary Work of Magic]]: In ''Three Days To Never'', it turns out [[Charlie Chaplin]] worked symbolic imagery into ''City Lights'' as part of a magical ritual to attempt to bring his son back from the dead. An earlier movie he'd worked on but never shown to the public is part of the [[MacGuffin]]; [[Albert Einstein]] had to talk Chaplin out of showing the movie, as the mojo generated by the imagery would likely fry some audience brains.
* [[Lost Him in A Card Game]]: ''Last Call'' features a particularly twisted variation.
* [[Lost Him in a Card Game]]: ''Last Call'' features a particularly twisted variation.
* [[MacGuffin Title]]: ''The Drawing of the Dark''
* [[MacGuffin Title]]: ''The Drawing of the Dark''
* [[No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine]]: ''Dinner at Deviant's Palace''
* [[No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine]]: ''Dinner at Deviant's Palace''
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