Customer Reviews

The Anubis Gates

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the first Tim Powers book I've ever picked up. It definitely won't be the last. 'Anubis Gates' is the best time travel story that I've ever read. I should mention, in the name of honesty, that I haven't read a lot of time travel books, because I am easily irritated by paradoxes that aren't resolved, cliches, and "scientific" explanations that don't make any sense. 'Anubis Gates' has none of these problems. I am in awe of the way that Powers neatly wrapped up every single loose end without making it feel contrived.

'Anubis Gates' takes you back to the early nineteenth century in London, with a quick jaunt to the mid-1600s in the middle of the book. The main character, Brendan Doyle, is a scholar who is researching the biography of the poet William Ashbless, hired to accompany a group of paying passengers back in time from 1983 to see a lecture by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. I was very curious to see how Powers handled the paradox of changing a history that had already happened - and, to be honest, a bit skeptical that he would be able to satisfy me. I was pleasantly surprised. The paradoxes resolve themselves so neatly that it made me pause and think, "maybe this *is* what happened". The thread of Egyptian mythology that ties the story together makes the suspension of disbelief easy, since Powers isn't trying to convince you that the technology for time-travel actually existed in 1983, rather he is relying on a mysticism that has been around for millenia. And the ending was just perfect.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I can't wait to read more of what Powers has written.

When I started reading this book, my first reaction was, "Wow, what great atmosphere!" Egyptian magic, Coleridge, eighteenth-century England, secret societies... atmosphere abounds. But the thing about atmosphere is, it works well for the first half of a book, when the writer can get by with obscure intimations; but eventually, the book has to let you know what's going on -- and that's the point when many atmosphere-heavy books dissolve into an inchoate and incoherent mess. Because while it's easy to throw together a bunch of really cool elements and hint at secret plans and intricate plots, it's a lot harder to tie all those disparate elements up with all those ominous hints; and it's harder yet to make the revealed story live up to its veiled promise.

I stress the difficulty of this task, because it's all the more remarkable that Powers pulls it all off. The time travel, the mysticism, the historical figures -- it all works. When Powers finally pulls the veil away, what's underneath is just as intricate and rich as the reader has imagined -- and it makes perfect sense. That's an impressive trick indeed. This is the kind of book I really enjoy: it's complex enough to rise above the level of fluff, but still possesses the pace, wit, and joie de libre that make fluff so attractive.

After recently posting a review of Crichton's "Timeline" in which I compared the book not too favorably with "The Anubis Gates," I decided to skim through the latter again in order to post a review of it. Well, that lasted about one page, after which I was sucked in again completely and read the thing cover to cover. Wow! Even after repeated readings, Powers' tale of a mild mannered English Professor from 1983 who finds himself marooned in early 19th century Britain still manages to dazzle.

Brendan Doyle, after agreeing to take a mysterious but high paying gig to give a lecture about Samuel Taylor Coleridge, embarks on what was to be a four hour tour to London in 1810 in order to hear Coleridge speak at a pub. Things begin to go awry almost immediately when Doyle is waylaid by a band of Gypsies led by an evil Egyptian sorcerer who is in league with a vivisectionist clown to overthrow the English Monarchy. And then there is the intriguing and astonishing figure of William Ashbless, a minor poet and colleague of Lord Byron and Coleridge whom Powers manages to portray in vivid detail, weaving him convincingly into the fabric of the story. This brief description does little justice to the book, though. Powers' plot and pacing are phenomenally tight, and his characterizations engaging. There are moments of genuine pathos here, interspersed with deliciously macabre scenes. This is a brilliant book that deserves a place at the top of any time travel or science fiction best-of list.

--TR--

Have you ever enjoyed a good time travel story only to find yourself annoyed with the paradoxes introduced by the character's actions? Well, Powers masterfully weaves this tale of a modern day Coleridge expert's exploits and misadventures in 19th century England. There are no potholes or contradictions that Powers did not somehow manage to smooth out and plug snuggly into his storyline. This book will make you flip back and forth from section to section looking for mistakes, but it all works together. After reading this book, I immediately read Last Call and Expiration Date... I'll have to say, although the other two books are entertaining and engaging works, The Anubis Gates is definitely my favorite.

What sets Tim Powers above many others who write in the fantasy genre is his excellent grasp of both history and mythology, and the effortless way that he blends them together to create uniquely fascinating story lines. The Anubis Gates is a fine example of his genius. He combines history of early 19th century and late 17th century London with Egyptian mythology, binds it all together with time travel, and creates a fascinating and fast moving story. He skillfully introduces historical personages such as Lord Byron and Samuel Taylor Coleridge into his story, as well as asides referring to King George III and his madness, and Napoleon and his threatened invasion of England. He also creates an intriguing London underworld of bizarre beggar's guilds and gypsy tribes. He then shows us this world through the eyes of a 20th century academic that is thrust into it almost by accident.
The only flaw in Powers' writing is in his character creation. His characters are serviceable, but are never really rounded out into three dimensional, flesh and blood people that fully engage me into caring for them deeply. They are adequate to serve his powerful, fast moving plot, but don't add much to it. However, once you have been captured by the magic of his plot, you should be able to forgive a bit of flatness in his characters.
The Anubis Gates is original, fast moving and fun. I highly recommend it.
Theo Logos

Tim Powers is, to put it plainly, the best fantasist working in the genre. Period. One read of The Anubis Gates will prove it to anybody's satisfaction; I know it's done so for me. My God, what a book. Simply the ideas of time travel and dopplegangers that Powers puts forth here (not to mention his teriffic eye for Victorian Period detail, and his brilliant, believable characterizations of notable figures of the time) are a delight. Unfortunately, I can't talk too much about the plot without giving it away and ruining the immense pleasure reading this book for the first time will give you. I can speak in generalizations, however -- such as the manner in which Powers' protagonist becomes unstuck in time, which is so pedantic as to be wholly believable; or Powers' expert pacing and timing, which help the novel to tick away like Swiss clockwork; Powers' delicious sense of atmosphere and mood, which add to the Victorian setting just the right flavor of danger and eerie magic bubbling just under the surface of things; Powers' understanding that human beings are frail creatures, especially in the time period he's writing about (when his characters get hurt, man, they HURT!); Powers' impeccable plotting. And it is this last, most of all, that makes The Anubis Gates what it is -- for as fans of the fantasy and science fiction genres know, time travel is very difficult to write about effectively, and only the very talented can make even a conditional success of the job. Powers is one of the best -- rather than leave behind all manner of loose ends and creating more paradox than closure with his story, Powers instead makes sure that everything is tied up by the novel's last line. Everything that happens in Anubis Gates happens for a reason, and nothing, not a moment, is wasted on unnecessary business. Not only is the book's ending completely seamless, it is also a total surprise: you'll think you know what's about to happen, but Powers will (I guarantee) pull the rug right out from under you. The only other artists I know of who were so compltetely able to fool their audience were Cornell Woolrich, Ira Levin, and Alfred Hitchcock; Powers is every bit as good. The Anubis Gates, by reason of its brilliantly-imagined world and Powers' strong, effective characters and plot, is one of the greatest fantasy (or science-fantasy, or whatever the hell you want to call it) novels I've ever read. If you care at all about the genre, you MUST read, not only this book, but everything else by Powers that you can lay your hands on. You owe it to yourself -- and to Tim Powers as well, because as far as I'm concerned he doesn't get anywhere near the recognition he deserves.

Set aside a generous block of time. Sit back and get comfortable. You are about to embark on an incredible adventure, a breakneck ride. And you are in good hands.

The story opens in 1802. Two ancient sorcerers are planning a magical spell to help restore Egypt as an independent world power, by driving out the British. They're in the countryside just outside of London because the spell must be cast from the heart of the British kingdom. Their magic is supposed to open the gates between the present time and the Egyptian underworld. Ancient gods will then burst out in modern (1810) England, suppress all resistance and restore Egypt to its supremacy.

For hundreds of years the sorcerers and their network have been trying to use magic to achieve this aim, but something (they think it is linked with Christianity) is causing the magic to go awry. Over the past eighteen centuries, sorcery has become much more difficult and personally costly to the sorcerer. And despite their best efforts, magic is unpredictable and twisted in its effects. The sorcerers cast their spell, but it apparently doesn't do what it was supposed to do.

Another scene opens in London in 1983. A rich and brilliant man has discovered a way to time travel. He engages an expert on Coleridge (Brendan Doyle) to accompany him and ten other people who have paid a million dollars each to go back in time to the year 1810 to hear a lecture by the famous poet. The trip to 1810 goes smoothly and the travelers hear the lecture. But before Doyle can return with the others, he is kidnapped by the sorcerer.

Doyle soon finds out that the sorcerer isn't his only enemy. Other people from the future are there, and are trying to kill him. While struggling with his two goals -- staying alive and returning to 1983 -- Doyle finds himself up against incredible, colorful, and ruthless characters, whose menace is compounded by the widespread use of magic. Further complicating the story are another time jump (to 1684 and back to 1810); and someone who can do body-switching.

The Anubis Gates keeps you guessing; you are often following it closely so you don't get left behind, and you bump up against some surprising twist. But the pace is not so hectic that it doesn't give you pause to think about other levels to the story. Keeping track of the timelines of characters -- who is from where and when -- leads to thoughts about the nature of identity, and our relation to time. And body-switching seems to become a metaphor for reincarnation.

The Anubis Gates delivers a thoroughly satisfying ride.

Tim Powers is amazing. I don't know how to describe the way he writes except maybe as the literary equivalent of juggling five or seven daggers while riding a mountain bike down a very steep hill and making it look easy. And he does this with a time travel story (what more can you possibly write about time travel, right? Wrong.) The way he uses historical characters and actual events makes you wonder whether this is a true story or not. He seems to know a lot about magic, ancient Egypt not to mention London in the 1800s. There's nothing I didn't like about this book! Even if you're not that much into SF/Fantasy, you will like this one for its story, its style, its realism and its characters.

A note of warning: make sure your copy has all the pages in the right order --- mine had about 30 pages missing in the middle and the few hours it took me to get a replacement copy were *VERY* frustrating. Also, start early in the day, or you'll stay up all night to finish it.

Tim Power's "The Anubis Gates" is one of the books that makes me squeal (ok...maybe not literally) with delight. You know the kind. You read and read, and things are good, but nothing is new, nothing is exciting. Then a friend drops a book into your hands, by someone you've never read before. You start the book, hoping against hope, and within a couple of pages you're hooked.

This is how it happened for me and "The Anubis Gates". A mix of Egyptian mythology and time travel? Heck yeah! Where do I sign up? Aside from a fresh mixture of the known and the unknown, Powers' prose is great fun to read.

It's hard to define "The Anubis gates" genre. Science-fiction? Historical fiction? Techno-fantasy-science-historical fiction? It doesn't matter. Tim Powers has created a story that's so amazing and different that the only comparison I can make is with Neal Stephenson's books.

Brendan Doyle is the Coleridge specialist that's invited to a time travel experience that will change his life. And I mean really change. Trapped in the early XIX century, Doyle will have to overcome a band of gipsies connected with egyptian magicians, street mugglers and beggars governed by a clown that makes experiences with human bodies, and a dog-faced murderer with the hability to... well I don't want to spoil the eventual reader's fun, because a large part of this fun is to disclose the many implications between the unusual characters in the story. At times, it is confusing, and this book clearly requires a commiment from the reader; otherwise the story is filled with such crazyness that the unnatentive reader may loose interest in the book. But, believe me, there's order and method in this crazyness.

Tim Powers seems to me an author blessed with an immense immagination to create different and fantastic stories, and this book is one good example. I was amazed by the size of this adventure. And I'm not talking about physical size, but mental and enjoyment size.

Grade 9.0/10