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samjonester's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
songwind's review against another edition
5.0
There were so many ways that this book was amazing.
The premise itself, that there is a secret magical kingship of the American West, is intriguing and fun.
Powers' writing is powerful (hah!), spare and beautiful. He had a solid handle of literary devices like foreshadowing, allusions, self references, irony, etc.
The characters were all well developed. Strange, broken, messy wonderful humans.
The inclusion of concepts from psychology, mythology and folklore was excellent. Close enough to real world "canon" to feel legitimate, but different enough to evoke a feeling of alieness. Similarities between disparate elements were played up or skewed to be closer, resulting in a world spanning magical cosmology, whose edges are all we can see.
This magical landscape is harsh and unforgiving. That in itself is not a positive or negative, but Powers keeps it consistent. There's never a feeling that the MCs are getting an easy pass for the sake of the story, or because they're The Chosen Ones or whatever.
I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of the Arthurian story of the Fisher King, poker, and Tarot - all things I'm interested in in a general way. Other things, like the Mandelbrot set, mob history, Alexis Carrol's "immortal" chicken heart, and Eliot's "The Wasteland" add to the texture.
The story had a good balance of tension, mystery and moments of wonder.
I enjoyed it immensely. Bronson Pinchot did an admirable job as narrator as well.
The premise itself, that there is a secret magical kingship of the American West, is intriguing and fun.
Powers' writing is powerful (hah!), spare and beautiful. He had a solid handle of literary devices like foreshadowing, allusions, self references, irony, etc.
The characters were all well developed. Strange, broken, messy wonderful humans.
The inclusion of concepts from psychology, mythology and folklore was excellent. Close enough to real world "canon" to feel legitimate, but different enough to evoke a feeling of alieness. Similarities between disparate elements were played up or skewed to be closer, resulting in a world spanning magical cosmology, whose edges are all we can see.
This magical landscape is harsh and unforgiving. That in itself is not a positive or negative, but Powers keeps it consistent. There's never a feeling that the MCs are getting an easy pass for the sake of the story, or because they're The Chosen Ones or whatever.
I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of the Arthurian story of the Fisher King, poker, and Tarot - all things I'm interested in in a general way. Other things, like the Mandelbrot set, mob history, Alexis Carrol's "immortal" chicken heart, and Eliot's "The Wasteland" add to the texture.
The story had a good balance of tension, mystery and moments of wonder.
I enjoyed it immensely. Bronson Pinchot did an admirable job as narrator as well.
beeare's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nigellicus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
5.0
Of all Tim Power's books I think this is the one that can be safely called his tour-de-force. A magnificent concatenation of tarot, Arthurian myth, chaos theory, the highs and lows of gambling, the glitter and glitz and dead-eyed exhaustion of Las Vegas, secret and not-so-secret histories involving the ganster Bugsy Siegel, and a collection of misfits and loser and degenerates, some of whom are our protagonists.
After young Scott Crane escapes his father's intention to core him out and take over his body, he's found and adopted by a canny gambler with an eye for the magical undercurrents that swirl around card games. Years later he takes part in a strange game on a lake, which causes his foster father to take his foster sister and abandon him. Now a debt is being called due, and it looks like he's pretty much doomed. His wife dies, he seeks solace in alcohol, and has visions of awesome powers under the surgface of reality. In an effort to get his life in some sort of order, he goes back to poker playing, but that in turn sets off an alarm that makes the Fisher King aware that one of his jacks is back in play, and like the others he is being drawn back to Las Vegas and another game on the lake where the King will finally take what's his.
It's just an amazing, sprawling, twisting and turning story, held together with a meticulous mythology that fits almost seemlessly with reality. The seamy glamour of Las Vegas never seemed so shiny or so dangerous.
Great, laconic, wry narration and subtle voice work by the reader.
After young Scott Crane escapes his father's intention to core him out and take over his body, he's found and adopted by a canny gambler with an eye for the magical undercurrents that swirl around card games. Years later he takes part in a strange game on a lake, which causes his foster father to take his foster sister and abandon him. Now a debt is being called due, and it looks like he's pretty much doomed. His wife dies, he seeks solace in alcohol, and has visions of awesome powers under the surgface of reality. In an effort to get his life in some sort of order, he goes back to poker playing, but that in turn sets off an alarm that makes the Fisher King aware that one of his jacks is back in play, and like the others he is being drawn back to Las Vegas and another game on the lake where the King will finally take what's his.
It's just an amazing, sprawling, twisting and turning story, held together with a meticulous mythology that fits almost seemlessly with reality. The seamy glamour of Las Vegas never seemed so shiny or so dangerous.
Great, laconic, wry narration and subtle voice work by the reader.
cla202's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Original and imaginative.
elizas's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
scheu's review
5.0
The story of Last Call explodes in the beginning in Big Bang fashion only to coalesce in the end as the major and minor characters come together for a conclusion that is not only inevitable but truly fated. You will not love the protagonist; I expected more reviewers to take issue with the (not explicit) incest angle, but I saw it coming. Anyone familiar with Tarot imagery - or with a penchant for ritual magic - will get more out of the story. It felt a lot like TED Klein's The Ceremonies, and I loved that one.
I do see how the story would bore some readers, though.
I do see how the story would bore some readers, though.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
Former professional poker player Scott Crane's life is falling apart, having just lost his wife and been on a beer binge, when aspects of his past have come back to haunt him. Specifically, a bizarre card game twenty years before where he may have lost his soul. But what do his foster father and foster sister have to do with it? And why is everyone trying to kill him?
Last Call is really hard to summarize accurately. You could say it was about a man who lost his soul and tried to win it back. Or you could say it was a modern retelling of the Fisher King legend. Or a story about Bugsy Siegel and the rise of Las Vegas. Or you could say it was all of those things and more.
The story started slow, establishing what had happened before and giving the reader hints at the magic Powers was working. That portion reminded me of Neil Gaiman's American Gods and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light, both books about ancient gods or archetypes in the modern world. Once the two thirds mark was passed, the book kicked into high gear and the suspense level sky-rocketed. The last one hundred pages flew past. The characters were well developed, even the villains and supporting characters.
While I didn't think it was as good as The Anubis Gates, it was at least as good as Three Days to Never. Tim Powers fans and fans of Gaiman and Zelazny should give this one a read.
Last Call is really hard to summarize accurately. You could say it was about a man who lost his soul and tried to win it back. Or you could say it was a modern retelling of the Fisher King legend. Or a story about Bugsy Siegel and the rise of Las Vegas. Or you could say it was all of those things and more.
The story started slow, establishing what had happened before and giving the reader hints at the magic Powers was working. That portion reminded me of Neil Gaiman's American Gods and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light, both books about ancient gods or archetypes in the modern world. Once the two thirds mark was passed, the book kicked into high gear and the suspense level sky-rocketed. The last one hundred pages flew past. The characters were well developed, even the villains and supporting characters.
While I didn't think it was as good as The Anubis Gates, it was at least as good as Three Days to Never. Tim Powers fans and fans of Gaiman and Zelazny should give this one a read.