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availle's review against another edition
4.0
The opening takes time, but the book gets a lot better after 100 pages or so.
sisteray's review against another edition
5.0
Man this book is a knock out!
Great characters. Fun adventure. Taught writing, with some nice surprises. I love the supernatural noir style.
Great characters. Fun adventure. Taught writing, with some nice surprises. I love the supernatural noir style.
ashconklin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mparker546's review against another edition
5.0
Continues to be one of my favorite Tim Powers Novels.
fancybone's review against another edition
2.0
An interesting concept of how magic works, but the story just dragged on and on, and I eventually gave up on it. It's not objectively bad, but it just didn't grab me, and eventually began to feel like homework.
craftingrama's review against another edition
1.0
I'm not sure which was worse the book or the narrator . I couldn't finish just couldn't stand it anymore
libram's review against another edition
3.0
The length of time it takes me to read a book is usually a direct reflection of how much I enjoyed it. This thing took me a loooong time, and yet I still enjoyed it. Even though it was slow in the middle, the premise was extremely interesting to me. Despite my on-again off-again dislike of the protagonist, the whole thing came together really well.
mikespeegle's review against another edition
4.0
Would've rated it five stars if there hasn't been a sudden spate of homophobic dialogue in the final act.
johnwillson's review against another edition
4.0
Scott's life is tough, but it's not terrible as long as he doesn't play cards, as long as the jacks, queens and kings don't know where he is. But now he learns that he may have wagered his soul in that weird poker game 20 years ago, the last game he ever played. This master gambler will have to take up the cards again, and throw everyone he loves into the pot, in order to save them.
Tim Powers builds an amazing supernatural world beneath all the old superstitions surrounding games of chance, blends in mythology, and spices the mix with the sordid side of Las Vegas. Sounds great, right? I love what Powers does, but I have to say, it doesn't hold together as well in this novel as in some of his others. By halfway through a good fantasy novel, the reader should feel fairly comfortable in their understanding of that construct's mechanics. But even in the last chapters of Last Call, I felt all at sea, like there was no logic to the wider magical world, like the author was just inventing rules as he needed them.
It doesn't finish as strongly as it starts, but it's still an enjoyable read. Unless you're specifically looking for a book about gambling, I'd recommend [b:Declare|190554|Declare|Tim Powers|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1436628634s/190554.jpg|937379] over this one.
Tim Powers builds an amazing supernatural world beneath all the old superstitions surrounding games of chance, blends in mythology, and spices the mix with the sordid side of Las Vegas. Sounds great, right? I love what Powers does, but I have to say, it doesn't hold together as well in this novel as in some of his others. By halfway through a good fantasy novel, the reader should feel fairly comfortable in their understanding of that construct's mechanics. But even in the last chapters of Last Call, I felt all at sea, like there was no logic to the wider magical world, like the author was just inventing rules as he needed them.
It doesn't finish as strongly as it starts, but it's still an enjoyable read. Unless you're specifically looking for a book about gambling, I'd recommend [b:Declare|190554|Declare|Tim Powers|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1436628634s/190554.jpg|937379] over this one.