Scan barcode
subplotkudzu's review against another edition
3.0
I'm very torn on writing this review. The first time I read Earthquake Weather (when it came out, some 20 years go) I was really impressed. This time through I just could not get traction on it, and it ended up feeling much more disjointed than the other two books in this series.
Last Call was the secret magical history of Las Vegas, and every element in - the poker game, the tarot cards, the fisher king, Lake Mead Bugsy Segal - it flowed from the nature of the story, with the magic used built around the story and the setting.
Expiration Date was a look at the magical underbelly of Los Angeles linked to the history of Edison and Houdini. Again, every element drew from those points, and the story and magic used were both tied to it.
Earthquake Weather is trying to meld the two, while also adding the secret history of San Francisco, and the other two books many of the elements, especially the Winchester House, felt like they were included not because they really fit the story but because they were in San Francisco. The magical logic ends up feeling more ad hoc than organic, and the story feels overstuffed.
It doesn't help that much of the story relies on an a multiple personality disorder character to move forward, which now, to me at least, just screams of being mid 90's trendy. Yes, Powers puts a spin on it with the ghosts, but it's still such a dated thematic reference that it hurt the book for me, at least on this read.
Obviously this is an idiosyncratic review, and probably one I would have discounted 20 years ago, so take it with a big grain of salt.
Last Call was the secret magical history of Las Vegas, and every element in - the poker game, the tarot cards, the fisher king, Lake Mead Bugsy Segal - it flowed from the nature of the story, with the magic used built around the story and the setting.
Expiration Date was a look at the magical underbelly of Los Angeles linked to the history of Edison and Houdini. Again, every element drew from those points, and the story and magic used were both tied to it.
Earthquake Weather is trying to meld the two, while also adding the secret history of San Francisco, and the other two books many of the elements, especially the Winchester House, felt like they were included not because they really fit the story but because they were in San Francisco. The magical logic ends up feeling more ad hoc than organic, and the story feels overstuffed.
It doesn't help that much of the story relies on an a multiple personality disorder character to move forward, which now, to me at least, just screams of being mid 90's trendy. Yes, Powers puts a spin on it with the ghosts, but it's still such a dated thematic reference that it hurt the book for me, at least on this read.
Obviously this is an idiosyncratic review, and probably one I would have discounted 20 years ago, so take it with a big grain of salt.
continuity23's review against another edition
4.0
This is a sequel of sorts to Last Call and Expiration Date, bringing the (previously unconnected) sets of characters from both of these books together with a few new characters. It's not without a few blips, but I really love one of the new characters, and most of the secret history (of wine and Dyonisis) that is particular to this book. The new crop of ghosts are even more entertaining then Thomas Edison, and there is a welcome cameo from Nardie Dinh.
epimetheus_b's review against another edition
3.0
Good setup and resolution but the plot meandered in the middle. If it had been any other author I probably would have abandoned the story halfway.
samjonester's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nigellicus's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
5.0
Almost exactly as if he'd planned it that way, the third Fault Lines volume draws together the first and second in an epic conclusion to the saga. The King Of the West is dad (that's a mis-type, but I'm leavng it in because it looks like a Dad joke, as in hello King Of the West, I'm Dad), murdered by a woman with multiple personality disorder currently languising in a mental hospital under the sinister care of a creepy psychiatrist. Meanwhile the body of the dead king, which shows no sign of decay, has turned up at the home of Cootie, the presumptive heir. This is all very upsetting for everyone involved, but things are only going to get worse as efforts to revive Scott Crane involve various dangers and heavy costs. This is as motley a collection of the lost, the weird and the broken as have ever graced a Powers novel, and the history of wine-growing in America and the msyterious Winchester House and the god Dionysius all play a part in the grueling quest. Grueling for the characters, that is. The reader just goes along with wide eyes and/or ears if they're listening.
jrenee's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
caroreads22's review
I realized after I started reading it was the third in a series. I debated continuing anyway because I was enjoying the story, but I was also going pretty slow. Felt like if I was really invested, I should start from the beginning.
nixnixnixnixnix's review against another edition
2.0
Meh.
The first half was pretty tedious,occasionally punctuated by somewhat fast paced sections. The second half was a much more enjoyable read, but overall there was just too much fluttering about the awesomeness of the realm of magic without actually generating enough interest to make the magic and the background story seem that awe inspiring.
The first half was pretty tedious,occasionally punctuated by somewhat fast paced sections. The second half was a much more enjoyable read, but overall there was just too much fluttering about the awesomeness of the realm of magic without actually generating enough interest to make the magic and the background story seem that awe inspiring.
williemeikle's review against another edition
3.0
EARTHQUAKE WEATHER was, unfortunately a bit of a slog to get through. Powers mashed together the worlds and characters of LAST CALL and EXPIRATION DATE, but although, like all Powers books, it had its moments, there were just too many characters that I didn't care about, and too much time spent with them all bickering while sitting around in a variety of rooms or vehicles. You know that long bit of the AVENGERS movie where they all act like spoiled kids? It's a bit like that, but goes on for longer.
The Fisher King mythology took too much of a back seat to the ghost plot devices for me in this one, and, like EXPIRATION DATE, I felt it suffered because of it. Personally I'd have liked more focus on the Tarot and archetypes to take center stage instead of the bickering characters and multiple real, and ghostly, personalities.
But again, like EXPIRATION DATE, a sub par Powers is still better than most everything else. It's just that my expectations had been set too high after the brilliance of LAST CALL.
The Fisher King mythology took too much of a back seat to the ghost plot devices for me in this one, and, like EXPIRATION DATE, I felt it suffered because of it. Personally I'd have liked more focus on the Tarot and archetypes to take center stage instead of the bickering characters and multiple real, and ghostly, personalities.
But again, like EXPIRATION DATE, a sub par Powers is still better than most everything else. It's just that my expectations had been set too high after the brilliance of LAST CALL.
sheeprustler's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0