Night Moves [Hardcover]

Tim with an Introduction by James P. Blaylock Powers (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Axolotl; First Edition edition (1986)
• ASIN: B000I86YK4
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The other side of Tim Powers, January 18, 2001

By 

Anders Monsen (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night Moves (Hardcover)

Fantastist Tim Powers writes very few short stories. He has published over 10 novels, yet only a half-dozen short stories, all now collected in this handsome edition by Subterranean Press. Anyone familiar with Powers knows his penchant for densely plotted, magical stories with a unique bent on history. He has written about poker and the Fisher King, vampires stalking Keats and Shelley, pirates and voodoo, and much more. In Night Moves and Others, Powers gives us a different side of his writing style, yet equally intense as his longer works. The title story is an excellent ghost tale, about a man who dreamed of an imaginary friend called Evelyn, and his parents who fled this ghost from town to town. Two stories are collaborations with another great writer, James Blaylock. Both are urban fantasies; one, a ghost story concerning a man and his dead wife is solemn. The other, entitled "The Better Boy" after a tomato variety, is amusing in the protagonist's desperate battle to save a tomato from garden worms. "The Way down the Hill" is the oldest story in this collection, but perhaps one of the best, about a clan of soul parasite who jump from body to body across many lifetimes. "Where they are Hid" is a marvelous tale, one that can be read several times, each time shedding new light on the events in the story. Although slim in size, this collection is must for any fan of Powers. It includes an introduction by Blaylock, as well as story notes by the author.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A significant collection, July 19, 2001

By 

Fosky Bob "human" (Vacaville, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night Moves (Hardcover)

Tim Powers is most well-known for his fantastic novels ranging from subjects as diverse as Blackbeard the pirate to ghosts haunting Los Angeles. Here, the marvelous and indispensable Subterranean Press collects all six of Powers' short works of fiction.

All of the pieces in this collection are exceptional. Powers is an accomplished fantasist. Two of the stories are collaborations with fellow purveyor of weird fiction, James Blaylock. ....

My favorite stories in this collection are 'Where They Are Hid' and 'The Way Down the Hill'. 'The Way Down the Hill' is a fascinating look at an enclave of immortal beings. This is a story we've seen before in science fiction. It concerns the ethics of being an immortal being and their relationship with humanity. What really interests me in the story is Powers' unique take on the manner of the enclave's immortality. I won't say more for fear of giving the story away.

'Where They are Hid' is a fabulous story. Powers tells us that Philip K. Dick enjoyed reading it before he passed away, which is particularly noteworthy since the story deals with all the normal Dickian tropes; reality, identity and hallucinations. I'm afraid the story is too complex to give a concise description of it here. Suffice it say that it blew my mind.

I recommend this slim collection to all Powers' fans. It's worth buying for the excellent stories and the extras. The introduction by James Blaylock relates a hilarious story about an encounter between Powers and 50 or 60 dwarfs. The collection also contains informative notes on each story (including a humorous Phil Dick anecdote) and a definitive Powers bibliography. Highly recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars Some of the best from one of the best, January 4, 2002

By 

Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Night Moves (Hardcover)

Powers is best known for his "secret history" novels and, unlike most sf authors who started in the `70s, he actually hasn't written all that many short stories -- maybe a dozen, total. He says he takes him as long to outline a short story as it does a novel. But the seven he's published are (naturally) far above average. This small limited-edition volume includes all of them, two in collaboration with his close friend, James Blaylock (who also contributes an Introduction). Not all of them really work for me, but I like "Night Moves," "The Better Boy," and "Where They Are Hid" very much indeed. (The first two were finalists for the World Fantasy Award.) And there's a very welcome Bibliography at the end of the book, listing all of Powers's publications, in all languages.