Customer Reviews

Earthquake Weather

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I'll say this now, if you're sitting here shopping for new books and you've heard a little bit about this Tim Powers guy and you want to give him a shot because everyone says he's really good (and he is) and this is the book that you want to use as an introduction to him . . . you're doomed. There's just no good way to put it. For the newcomer, unless they're really good at reading between the lines, this book is going to come across as impenetrable. Not that it isn't good, but new readers are going to feel like they've missed something. Powers doesn't do many sequels to his books, most of his stuff is standalone, but this time he decided to merge some threads from other novels. In the novel prior to this Expiration Date, he introduced some urban fantasy stuff about ghost swallowing and the general rules about haunts and so on, as well as introducing Koot Hoomie and his adopted parents, Pete Sullivan and Angelica. Meanwhile in the now classic (and written some time ago) Last Call, Powers told the story of Scott Crane and how he became the Fisher King, the ruler of the West Coast (and so on and so forth). So this novel is basically a sequel to both those novels as Powers rams the two plotlines together. What happens is that Scott Crane is murdered by a woman apparently possessed by ghosts and Kootie is tapped to be the next king. However he's too young and not really prepared for it and so one of the Crane's loyalists, Arky, comes up with a plan to restore him to life. Confused yet? What follows then is a narrative that seems both ponderous and breakneck as new characters start to mingle with old, with two new catalysts for the plot, Janis Plumtree (the murderer) and Sid Cochran, who just lost his wife and has some history with the god Dionysus. Plumtree is supposed to be possessed but is mostly just someone with Multiple Personality Disorder, constantly switching from one to the other (in a way that reminded me of Crazy Jane from Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol run, except that Plumtree's don't have superpowers). The two of them meet in a mental hospital, but escape due to a convenient earthquake and from there hook up with the rest of the cast. It's hard to review this book without describing most of the setup of the plot because if I don't I feel like I'm losing context but at the same time there just seems to be no way around it. Powers' streamlining of the two earlier books is neat and fairly seamless but all the fancy stuff just seems to come at the expense of his normally complex plotting and we're left with something turgid, with the characters lurching from one scene to another. As long as you keep a handle on the main plot, you're all right but once sideplots start getting dragged in things start getting confusing since it's hard to say how relevant they are. Plus, a lot of the plot seems to consist of "plot coupons" where the characters have to gather special objects that will help them for no other reason than the plot requires it. Some of this confusion might be because I haven't read Last Call in years (or Expiration Date, though that was sooner), so that the stuff with the god Dionysus isn't too clear and I really wasn't clear what significance Armentrout had to the plot, except he was somebody to chase the other characters around (and that mannequin thing was weird), and I really don't know who half the other nameless people who were chasing the cast around were, either. Basically this is a book where you just have to "go with it" and hope that it will all make sense by the end and Powers is enough of a professional to keep things moving adequately so that you don't spend too much time worrying about the stuff that just doesn't seem to work. But while his other books felt tighly constructed and taut, this one has a more rambling feel to it and suffers a little bit for it. Not that there aren't bright spots, the relationship between Cochran and Plumtree (and her several personalities) is cute, the constant barrage of nifty ideas about ghosts is always fun, and I like how Powers does urban fantasy effortlessly, so that you could believe all this magic stuff is going on right alongside the "real world". The down side to all of this is that instead of getting a dazzling book (which is what we're used to) we get something that's merely "good". And as an introduction to the world of Tim Powers, it's terrible, but as a nice continuation of the lives of characters we've already met, it does that well and for longtime readers it might be worth it just for that.

Let me preface this by saying that I generally avoid reading fantasy. I've never read Lord Of The Rings and I bet I never will. But some fantasy will entertain my skeptical, scientific, hard-to-shut-off-the-BS-filters mind. Tim Powers' Fisher King trilogy is one such set of fantasy novels. First, there's Last Call, which introduces Scott Crane and future-telling poker hands. Second, there's Expiration Date, where the ghost of Thomas Edison leads Koot Hoomie Parganas through a hellish version of Los Angeles. The final book in this [as described by the author] loose trilogy is Earthquake Weather. What a wild ride! All of the important characters are back from the first two novels [which is why you should read those first - each of the first two can stand alone, but this one reads better if you know the backstory of the first two]. This novel introduces three (if the Janis character only constitutes one character) important new characters: Janis Plumtree, a person with multiple personalities and the murderer of Scott Crane, Fisher King of the American West; Dr. Armentrout, a psychiatrist in desperate need of healing himself and a frequent companion to Long John Beach [Sherman Oaks from Expiration Date]; and Sid 'Scant' Cochran, a recent widower with the mark of Dionysius on his hand. From various locations in southern California, the characters, both old and new, converge on San Francisco and the possible resurrection of Scott Crane. Be ready to hit the reference books; this novel requires knowledge about a wide range of things - all the way from Androcles to Zinfandel. Yes, the story can get confusing, even when you've read the first two novels. If I could give fractional ratings, this novel would rate more than 4 stars, but less than 5 stars. Even though they are not easy reads, Earthquake Weather and the preceding two novels are well worth the effort.

I picked this up, as a hardcover, thinking, "Hey, I liked Powers, I'll try him again." I didn't realize at the time that it was a sequel. I didn't know, until just recently, that this was the *3rd* book in the loose trilogy that started with "Last Call," which I loved, followed by "Expiration Date." Even having the background of having read "Last Call," I *still* found this book very hard to get into, and hard to follow, at the outset. It wasn't until well into it that things started making more sense. It was worth the wait, sure, but I did get frustrated at the beginning.

On the whole, this focused less on Tarot (part of my initial interest in "Last Call"), and the Las Vegas mythos, having basically diverged into the mystical operations of the need for a new Fisher King. We see many of the same characters from "Last Call," but I'm not sure I like how they've 'grown up,' as this is set about 20 years later, as the cycle continues. I really need to read the 2nd book, I guess, to tie the two together, perhaps that's why I wasn't as thrilled by this book. My advice: READ THEM IN ORDER! Without the story background from the prior tales, I'm not sure how much fun/sense this would make for the first-time reader.

I *did* enjoy the scenery in this tale, as I have with other of his works. From the California vineyards to the Winchester Mystery House, I had a good time thinking about the magic and mystery presented as plausible, and of how an unseen ghost world might continue to be all around us.

I loved his previous two books -- Last Call and Expiration Date -- but found Earthquake Weather, where the ghost gobbling and Fisher King storylines have been merged, heavy going at times. Set in the American West, this book still manages some classic Powers moments and should still be read if you're a fan.

Ensure you read Last Call and Expiration Date first - both are highly recommended. If you don't really enjoy them, you'll probably want to give this one a skip.

The first book I read of his was the equally masterful Expiration Date, which was a fascinating urban fantasy thats very unique story is continued here. This book is great, and I would recommend it to anybody willing to try a strange kind of fantasy where magic can really happen, ghosts haunt the living, and Bacchus is still the god of death as well as wine. But I also suggest you read Last Call first though, since Scott Crane and his friends allude to things that happened in the previous book continuously, which was really confusing to me. Basically, if you liked Expiration Date (and have looked over Last Call first)than this one's for you.

Earthquake weather can best be described as a "sequel" to the author's previous Last Call and Expiration Date; particularly in the sense that one should not even bother to try and read it without having finished the other two. Unfortunately, rather than returning to the rich vein of modern mysticism that worked so well in Last Call, Powers buries an interesting premise under page after page of mind-bending self-reference. (Witness the "houdini-hands" phenomenon, a barely explained plot point from Expiration Date that repeatedly inserts itself into the story.) I began the trilogy with no expectation or preconception, was fascinated by the first volume, confused by the second, and frankly annoyed by this final installment. To those readers new to Powers - finish Last Call and walk away. You'll be glad you did.

This is the first Tim Powers book I've ever read. His style of writing is eclectic and although this book did not live up to the expectations I had, I'm willing to give him another try. I found the plot to be completely confused. Perhaps if I had read the previous books in this series I might have enjoyed it more. In fact, I think with this book it is a must since I had no idea what was happening or why nor was I very interested by the end. Mr. Powers penchant for getting off the track of the story were by and large indulgent and unnecessary and added to the problems I had in finishing the book. In fact, there were several times I simply put the book down and started another. The funny thing is however is that even though I disliked this book, I did come back to it. This must be a testament to the excellence of his writing, although I cannot pinpoint why.

Last Call was a terrific book, Expiration Date was OK, Earthquake Weather disappointing. Powers has so many interesting ideas and follows his nose down many fascinating paths that I want to love all of his books. However, by the end of Earthquake Weather, I was bored with ghosts, the fisher king, tarot, psychiatry, bacchus and the whole bunch. This is a shame, since I have loved almost everything else I've read of his and any trouble I have had getting them has always been well worth it.

Powers has really hit his stride. Last Call was brilliantly engrossing, and Expiration Date perhaps a bit of a letdown to many (not to me), but Earthquake Weather fulfills all the promise of the first two books and then some. (BTW, don't try to read this without reading the first two.) Powers is unmatched in creating a "real" world where fantastic things happen, and they happen a lot in this book. Sit back and enjoy the author's mastery of the off-kilter. When I finished it, I was moved to go back and reread the first two volumes all over again..... Powers, like Jonathan Lethem, is comfortably inhabiting the house Philip K. Dick built, and each is adding new wings. I eagerly await his next offerings.

I expect great things when I pick up Powers. I've read most of his novels, including hard to find ones like The Drawing of the Dark and Dinner at Deviant's Palace. I expect to learn about some area of mythology while being swept up in the new world he synthesizes from the material. I consider Last Call and The Anubis Gates to be two of the best fantasy books of the last 15-20 years. But it took me three months to force my way through Earthquake Weather. All the parts were there, but it couldn't hold my attention for more than a few pages at a time. Maybe I'm tired of the sameness of Powers's characters and plots, or maybe there was a decent 450-500 page book buried here. Maybe it's because I live in the Bay Area and the sense of place didn't ring true. [e.g. I don't know anyone here that refers to freeways with the definite article. That's an LA thing...] I don't know. I hope there's more enthusiasm in his next effort.