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aleanil's review against another edition
5.0
Long, occasionally meandering, but utterly intoxicating look at Kim Philby and an alternate world of djinn and elder powers.
johnwillson's review against another edition
5.0
Declare is an amazing book; literally, it amazes me with its verisimilitude, detail, manifold plot, and stunning revelations that make one's hair stand up.
A British spy in the '40s through '60s navigates the ever-changing demi-monds of World- and Cold-War espionage. He gradually uncovers a most-secret layer of the Great Game in which rogue intelligence bureaus vie to control the primordial spirits of the Earth. That's about as well as I can encapsulate this soaring work into two sentences.
There's tense and gritty spy action complete with double-double-(double-)crosses, a bit of "who was my father" fate opera, doomed romance, geopolitics, and theological terror. It's John Le Carré meets the Old Testament.
This book is perhaps the best example of secret history fiction, a genre that Powers helped to define. Many of the characters were (are) real people. Almost every event portrayed or mentioned in the story really happened, on the dates given in the book. The author studies the period, the people, cultures and conflicts extensively, and then speculates on the "actual" occult and supernatural drivers of it all. The result is a story that transcends "realistic"; it feels REAL, chillingly so.
Another great pleasure of reading this book is the preponderance of quotes and references to other literary works, both by the text and by the characters. Fun for readers, it is also yet another aspect that lends a sense if inevitability to the story: older works have been hinting at it all along.
This is one of the best books I've ever read. It was even more enjoyable on the second read-through. I'm sad there are no sequels (although there are many spiritual successors penned by Powers). I'm sure I'll return to this book again and again.
A British spy in the '40s through '60s navigates the ever-changing demi-monds of World- and Cold-War espionage. He gradually uncovers a most-secret layer of the Great Game in which rogue intelligence bureaus vie to control the primordial spirits of the Earth. That's about as well as I can encapsulate this soaring work into two sentences.
There's tense and gritty spy action complete with double-double-(double-)crosses, a bit of "who was my father" fate opera, doomed romance, geopolitics, and theological terror. It's John Le Carré meets the Old Testament.
This book is perhaps the best example of secret history fiction, a genre that Powers helped to define. Many of the characters were (are) real people. Almost every event portrayed or mentioned in the story really happened, on the dates given in the book. The author studies the period, the people, cultures and conflicts extensively, and then speculates on the "actual" occult and supernatural drivers of it all. The result is a story that transcends "realistic"; it feels REAL, chillingly so.
Another great pleasure of reading this book is the preponderance of quotes and references to other literary works, both by the text and by the characters. Fun for readers, it is also yet another aspect that lends a sense if inevitability to the story: older works have been hinting at it all along.
This is one of the best books I've ever read. It was even more enjoyable on the second read-through. I'm sad there are no sequels (although there are many spiritual successors penned by Powers). I'm sure I'll return to this book again and again.
shogins's review against another edition
3.0
This is so strange. Supernatural spy story seems very up my alley, but this was just a little off my preferences.
algorowara's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
davybaby's review
4.0
Powers is often praised by other fantasy writers, but overlooked by the reading public at large. After finally reading some of his work, I can see the reason for both. Powers writes a fascinating spy story, complete with a machete-thick jungle of spycraft bureaucracy that would make John Le Carre proud. While impressive in its depth, I can see this being a bit much for casual readers.
It also has globe-hopping and a fun interaction with the djinn of Islamic mythology, making them as wondrous and scary as they should be. It's a perfect merging of a classic spy mystery with solid weird fiction, and I'll definitely read more of Powers' work.
It also has globe-hopping and a fun interaction with the djinn of Islamic mythology, making them as wondrous and scary as they should be. It's a perfect merging of a classic spy mystery with solid weird fiction, and I'll definitely read more of Powers' work.
jeregenest's review against another edition
5.0
'Tradecraft meets Lovecraft' is the way Tim Powers describes his latest novel. And he's right. Declare is Powers' wild romp combining a John LeCarr?-style spy novel with his own blend offantasy and horror.
This is definitely my favorite Powers' book since The Stress of Her Regard, and Declare shares much in common with that novel. Instead of vampires, we have djinn straight out of The Arabian Nights; instead of the Romantic poets, the attentions of these creatures are focused on Cold War spies. We get Philby for goodness sake!
Powers sticks to his customary set of rules in Declare: in portraying historical events, he sticks strictly to the known facts, but gives them a slight twist. Did upperclass Englishman Philby betray his country out of misguided idealism, or were his reasons more peculiar? Was Stalin simply a madman, or did his seemingly insane purges of his own intelligence agencies have some arcane purpose? How did an institution built on such shifting sands as the Soviet Union was survive for as long as it did? Powers applies his reverse version of Occam's Razor -- the strangest explanation is the most likely -- to these and other Cold War mysteries, and wow do we the reader have fun in the process.
I'm really intigued by Powers' treatment of the djinn, which are incredibnly awe-inspiring and chilling. Gives me a lot to think about in my own fiction and use of them in gaming.
I was pleased that Mt Ararat was the center of much of the action. There is quite a lot of useful threads about this pivotal mountain.
Like any of Powers works I was left wanting more. Then again, I liked Earthquake Weather, though I do agree with many fans that it was his most superficial novel and that it sometimes got lost and confused.
This is definitely my favorite Powers' book since The Stress of Her Regard, and Declare shares much in common with that novel. Instead of vampires, we have djinn straight out of The Arabian Nights; instead of the Romantic poets, the attentions of these creatures are focused on Cold War spies. We get Philby for goodness sake!
Powers sticks to his customary set of rules in Declare: in portraying historical events, he sticks strictly to the known facts, but gives them a slight twist. Did upperclass Englishman Philby betray his country out of misguided idealism, or were his reasons more peculiar? Was Stalin simply a madman, or did his seemingly insane purges of his own intelligence agencies have some arcane purpose? How did an institution built on such shifting sands as the Soviet Union was survive for as long as it did? Powers applies his reverse version of Occam's Razor -- the strangest explanation is the most likely -- to these and other Cold War mysteries, and wow do we the reader have fun in the process.
I'm really intigued by Powers' treatment of the djinn, which are incredibnly awe-inspiring and chilling. Gives me a lot to think about in my own fiction and use of them in gaming.
I was pleased that Mt Ararat was the center of much of the action. There is quite a lot of useful threads about this pivotal mountain.
Like any of Powers works I was left wanting more. Then again, I liked Earthquake Weather, though I do agree with many fans that it was his most superficial novel and that it sometimes got lost and confused.
garretreece's review against another edition
5.0
Whenever I recommend this to people, I always tell them it's three parts of every WWII era spy novel, two parts Arabian Nights, one part Lovecraft, and a tiny dab of LSD to help make everything make sense. Tm Powers has an uncanny ability to maneuver a tiny sailboat of a book between the vicious reefs of disparate tropes with a poise that leaves the reader stunned. Very highly recommended.
arthurbdd's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent supernatural spy thriller, albeit marred by a tendency to over-explain itself in the latter part of the book. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2016/01/19/declare-if-thou-hast-understanding/
williemeikle's review against another edition
5.0
DECLARE is Tim Powers' take on a British, Le Carre style spy novel, with his own added supernatural twists. And as such, it's a resounding success. What starts in murky waters in the British spy services quickly spirals out into the history and final culmination of a decades long investigation into what might or might not inhabit the high peaks of Mount Ararat, the reasons why the Russians are so interested, and the motives, ulterior mostly, of one of the most famous spies of all.
Powers' decision to weave this tale in and around the known facts of Kim Philby's life in the secret services is a brave one, but having facts and actual events involved serves to anchor the story in reality and allows the flights of fancy and supernatural to feel more rooted. As ever, Powers' narrative is a fractured one, but the aforementioned Philby life story serves as a backbone that holds the whole thing together, even the more outlandish sections.
Powers' way with a sentence is much in evidence, and there are the trademark lyrical flourishes that, in this story even more than some of his others, reminded me much of some of the work of Roger Zelazny.
It's a largish book, near 600 pages in the edition that I read, but I breezed through it , for despite the sometimes dense exposition which shows the depth of research that was undertaken, at its simplest, this is a love story, and what with that, and the added thrill of the Le Carre like machinations, I loved it, and read it in two sittings over two days.
Highly recommended.
Powers' decision to weave this tale in and around the known facts of Kim Philby's life in the secret services is a brave one, but having facts and actual events involved serves to anchor the story in reality and allows the flights of fancy and supernatural to feel more rooted. As ever, Powers' narrative is a fractured one, but the aforementioned Philby life story serves as a backbone that holds the whole thing together, even the more outlandish sections.
Powers' way with a sentence is much in evidence, and there are the trademark lyrical flourishes that, in this story even more than some of his others, reminded me much of some of the work of Roger Zelazny.
It's a largish book, near 600 pages in the edition that I read, but I breezed through it , for despite the sometimes dense exposition which shows the depth of research that was undertaken, at its simplest, this is a love story, and what with that, and the added thrill of the Le Carre like machinations, I loved it, and read it in two sittings over two days.
Highly recommended.
katmarhan's review against another edition
3.0
7/10
Powers can write magical realism, no question. I found this story a bit difficult to follow because the action kept switching back and forth in time. The names and acronyms for the various spy agencies and sub-agencies were somewhat confusing to me as well.
What I loved—Hale’s time in Paris with Elena and the scenes in Berlin, Hale’s relationships with some of his associates in the Middle East and Turkey. What I didn’t love—pretty much every scene with Philby.
Powers can write magical realism, no question. I found this story a bit difficult to follow because the action kept switching back and forth in time. The names and acronyms for the various spy agencies and sub-agencies were somewhat confusing to me as well.
What I loved—Hale’s time in Paris with Elena and the scenes in Berlin, Hale’s relationships with some of his associates in the Middle East and Turkey. What I didn’t love—pretty much every scene with Philby.