Book Review: Alternate Routes by Tim Powers

in #books6 years ago

Tim Powers is one of my favorite authors of all time. The Anubis Gates, Declare, and Last Call are all absolute faves. He's also one of the nicest people I've ever met, and someone who I enjoyed spending time with on three continents. In recent years, though, I've been less enthused about his work. Three Days To Never (a novel were you can actually find my name in the acknowledgements) was a bit of a let down, and his last two were worse. So it was with a combination of excitement and dread that I picked up his very latest, Alternate Routes.



There's a lot to like about Alternate Routes. Powers is always great when writing about the dark side of Los Angeles, and this novel of ghosts in the freeways, a nasty government agency, and the two people caught in the storm, is full of imagination and great ideas. And Powers is, as always, a meticulous worldbuilder and plot designer. His staple mix of logic and magic is very much present, and the book is a page turner.

But all that said, I had some serious issues with the novel. And this is where I put in a minor spoiler warning. Powers' faith has always informed his work, but has almost never turned the corner to preaching. This novel is problematic on that aspect. Specifically and mostly, there is much made about a certain character's past decision to get a vasectomy. Both the character and - more importantly, the novel - seem to think that decision was a valid reason for that character's wife to become an alcoholic and later take her own life. This all happened long before the novel starts, which is why the spoiler is minor. This condemnation is a major part of the novel, and it really tinted it negatively for me, as someone who is strongly pro-choice. If this is an issue for you, be aware that it is definitely a thing in the novel.

In the whole, I still do recommend the novel. In many ways, it is a return to form. It's not as good as Powers' best - very few things are, to be honest - but it's better than his worst.

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