From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. The nine eccentric, label-defying selections (three written with James P. Blaylock) in Powers's outstanding first story collection offer the same literary pleasures as this World Fantasy Award–winner's novels (Declare, etc.). The eerily atmospheric "Pat Moore," in which numerous Pat Moores collide (some male, some female, some living, some ghosts), is far from your conventional ghost story. "Through and Through" is a brilliant study of a disillusioned priest and his penitents within the confessional. The reader hopes that Bernard Wilkins of "The Better Boy" can keep the worms away from his prize tomato plant, that he can preserve his beloved "inventor pants" and, finally, just stay alive. In "Night Moves," perhaps the volume's finest entry, memories and dreams pervade the hero's life, with a colorful subsidiary cast. These are subtle, suggestive tales for the connoisseur of imaginative fiction.
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Booklist
During a 25-year career that includes several highly praised novels and many awards, Powers has earned a reputation as a reigning master of adult contemporary fantasy. In the first collection of his shorter stories, which includes three collaborations with fellow fantasist James Blaylock, Powers displays his trademark predilection for quirky modern ghost stories and unsettling incursions of oddness into everyday life. "The Way Down the Hill" eavesdrops on a secret meeting of immortals whose carefree lifestyles have insidiously disrupted the lives of mortal children. In "Pat Moore," the author of a chain letter comes face-to-face with the ghosts of those who perished when they didn't act on the letter. "Fifty Cents," written with Blaylock, follows the surreal journey of a man, just out for a weekend spin in the desert, who encounters, among other phantoms, a future version of himself. Whether the subject is disillusioned priests or vengeful spirits, Powers is always ready with a surprise around the next narrative corner. A delight for fans and nonfans alike. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
