Customer Reviews

A Soul in a Bottle

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Not only does Tim Powers know how to pull off a great novel (see his latest "Three Days to Never"), he is also a master of the short story. And he does ghosts better than any author I've read. Put those two together and you have "A Soul in a Bottle". This is a "haunting" tale of love, revenge... and old books. Nicely done. The Subterranean Press edition is a very fine volume. I've always been pleased with their work.

`A Soul in a Bottle' is a Tim Powers ghost story. That sentence should send shivers of delight through any Powers' fan, for he is the absolute master of the ghost tale. The ghosts that inhabit his various works of speculative fiction are practically his signature, giving his stories a disturbing, "through the looking glass" quality that set them apart from anything else out there. His ghosts sometimes seem to be the connecting link forming the cosmic glue of the Powers' universe, tying together his widely varied works - they are the brushstrokes of a master. All of which makes me ponder why this Powers' ghost story is so - how shall I say, spiritless?

`A Soul in a Bottle' is more an idea than a story. It is a mere sketch. The editorial review calls it a novella, but that is inaccurate - it is a short story, and not a very long one at that. Why it was sold as a stand alone book (with a mere 82 pages of extra large print) is a mystery, as this story wouldn't even feel finished as part of a collection. Had it been given room to grow, to mature, to stretch out a bit, it may have become another eerie Powers' masterpiece. The elements are there - I can see the ghost of a brilliant idea in it, but it never grows into its potential. Powers shows us the relationship between the protagonist and the ghost, but he never really makes us feel it, and what is the point of a ghost story that you cannot feel?

If you are a Tim Powers fan as I am, you may still want to read this one to glimpse what might have been in this stillborn attempt of a fine idea. Check it out of a library, though, and save your money for Powers next effort.

Theo Logos

More a short story than anything else. It's a good distillation of Powers' style, but leaves out too much character and background. Good twist, but more for the Powers devotee than a casual reader. Go with his full-length novels to get the best sense of Powers' capability with fantasy.

First, a warning -- this is not a novel, or even a novella. This is a short story with a cover. But despite that, "A Soul In A Bottle" perfectly shows us why Tim Powers is one of the best writers you've never heard of. It starts off on a grey, rainy, dreary note, and is gradually illuminated with the light of Powers' haunting, bittersweet writing.

George Sydney makes a living off of used books -- he hunts down rare tomes and then sells them at a profit. And one day he finds a very, very rare book: a copy of poet Cheyenne Fleming's work, but with a sonnet that has never appeared in any other book. And on the same day, George encounters a beautiful young woman... and soon learns that she's the ghost of Cheyenne Fleming.

As he falls in love with her, George begins to search out the details of how Cheyenne really died, and what is tying her to the mortal world. There may be a way to restore her to life, but it would mean changing the past -- and the present.

Tim Powers seems to have a preoccupation with ghosts tied to material objects. You could see it in "The Bible Repairman," and it's the whole point of the story in "A Soul In a Bottle." This ghost story isn't scary, suspenseful or even weird -- instead it's a bittersweet contemplation of love, death and art, with a bittersweet denouement that leaves you thinking.

Powers paints Los Angeles as a grey, rainy place that is full of ground-up dreams, dirty streets and monuments to the celebrity dead. But the place lightens up whenever Cheyenne appears, a vibrant colorful flame even after she's dead. Apparently Powers based her on Edna St. Vincent Millay, and clearly he overflows with personal and professional respect for her.

"A Soul in a Bottle" is only a short story (and can be more cheaply obtained in one of Powers' later collections), but is a sublime little story that leaves you with a little twinge of heartache.

Bookseller George Sydney has always, when going down Hollywood Boulevard, liked to stop at Graumann's Chinese Theater. Once there, he places three pennies on the tile of actress Jean Harlow. The day comes when a mysterious girl notices his ritual, and George is immediately smitten. For days he seeks her out; all Sidney knows of the girl is 'I'm shy.'
In the meantime, shopping for books, George discvers a volume of poetry written in 1968, whose author later committed suicide. Adding to its value is the poet's rarely seen signature.
Finally, we meet a third character, a woman in her seventies, who seems to be watching George and the girl.
Powers is a terrific storyteller, with an evocative style that quickly enfolds the reader. This story held a gothic feel for me. At its end, you are left wondering to whose soul the title is referring. Each day brings choices; we can only pray the ones we make do not cost more than the value of what is gained.
JK Potter's illustrations are a perfect match for the novella. Potter is always superb.
'He crouched beside Jean Harlow's square and carefuly laid one penny in each of the three round indentations below her incised signature,then wiped his wet fingers on his jacket. The coins wouldn't stay there long, but Sidney always put three fresh ones down whenever he walked past this block of Hollywood Boulevard.'

This is literally just a single short story attractively presented in a hard cover book -- you're paying for some drawings that don't add much to the experience. I was slightly annoyed that there was one or two typos, since it can't be that hard to proofread something with as few words as this. If you like Tim Powers, you'll like this, too, but it's not his best short story. If you haven't read his short stories, you're better off with "Strange Itineraries," which more and better stories.

While I like Tim Powers and have read most of his books he must be joking to release an 83! page novella and try to charge $15 for it.