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skolastic's review against another edition
4.0
I blew right the hell through this one. Not quite as good as I remember it being (hence no five star review), but it's still really, really great.
platyphemus's review against another edition
2.0
Didn't like it!
I saw Anubis Gates on a list and picked it up. I enjoyed it, the prose lacked a certain deftness, but the subject matter was interesting, the world of 19th Century London Society mixed with ancient religions and the seedy underworld got me through it.
This book? I don't know.
This is the paragraph of my reviews where I point out what I liked. Something certainly made me want to know where the story was going. I guess that was pacing? Powers gives the reader just enough of of the characters' motivations mixed in to a bizarre world that was compelling enough for me not to give up. This is the end of that paragraph.
If I drank, and did so in a way that I wanted to get drunk, and needed to have a game to justify the drinking, or make it "fun", I would have the reader drink a beer for every part of this book that reminds you of the American Gods novel. Dead wife come to life? Drink. Troubled middle aged man? Drink. Concerning father figure that can't be figured out? DRINK. A hero's journey, learning the hidden world of old Gods? YES YOU ARE DRINKING. All in time for...fucking Easter? Send your liver my condolences. American Gods came out before this one. For the unlikely person having to choose between the books, go with Gaiman.
This book lacks likable characters. Really, there's nobody. I realized early on that I had no attachment to a character living or dying. It seemed like the protagonist wasn't going to pull off the quest objective, and I was disappointed when I turned out wrong. The world itself really lacks any kind of pull to keep me interested. I wanted to know what happened, mostly just out of a desire for closure.
Also there's child endangerment, which is not done in a way that moves the plot, it's just disturbing. A few times. Also, there is some derogatory use of the word "Queer" by one of the protagonists, and don't worry, he drops an "f" bomb later on, and it's played for...laughs? Or to show how manly this place is? I don't know, it wasn't good use of it, it just seemed hateful.
American Gods. Written before this. Lacking weird homophobia. A clear choice.
It's very unlikely I'm reading the sequel.
I saw Anubis Gates on a list and picked it up. I enjoyed it, the prose lacked a certain deftness, but the subject matter was interesting, the world of 19th Century London Society mixed with ancient religions and the seedy underworld got me through it.
This book? I don't know.
This is the paragraph of my reviews where I point out what I liked. Something certainly made me want to know where the story was going. I guess that was pacing? Powers gives the reader just enough of of the characters' motivations mixed in to a bizarre world that was compelling enough for me not to give up. This is the end of that paragraph.
If I drank, and did so in a way that I wanted to get drunk, and needed to have a game to justify the drinking, or make it "fun", I would have the reader drink a beer for every part of this book that reminds you of the American Gods novel. Dead wife come to life? Drink. Troubled middle aged man? Drink. Concerning father figure that can't be figured out? DRINK. A hero's journey, learning the hidden world of old Gods? YES YOU ARE DRINKING. All in time for...fucking Easter? Send your liver my condolences. American Gods came out before this one. For the unlikely person having to choose between the books, go with Gaiman.
This book lacks likable characters. Really, there's nobody. I realized early on that I had no attachment to a character living or dying. It seemed like the protagonist wasn't going to pull off the quest objective, and I was disappointed when I turned out wrong. The world itself really lacks any kind of pull to keep me interested. I wanted to know what happened, mostly just out of a desire for closure.
Also there's child endangerment, which is not done in a way that moves the plot, it's just disturbing. A few times. Also, there is some derogatory use of the word "Queer" by one of the protagonists, and don't worry, he drops an "f" bomb later on, and it's played for...laughs? Or to show how manly this place is? I don't know, it wasn't good use of it, it just seemed hateful.
American Gods. Written before this. Lacking weird homophobia. A clear choice.
It's very unlikely I'm reading the sequel.
intjosh's review against another edition
4.0
Need to reread. Jung's archetypes, demigods a waste land desert, Texas Hold Em ( published before it was cool), tarot, evil, merely bad, and it earns its happyish ending. Definitely did not understand how a lot of the magic worked, or a bunch of the minor plot points.
paultamborino's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed this a lot, probably would have even more if I knew anything significant about Poker or Tarot.
fredsphere's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this. Many of Powers' familiar obsessions are on display: a drunk loser of a protagonist, a villain chasing immortality by possessing other people's bodies, and a magic system that blends pagan, occult, and Christian elements into a weird hash. Yet, the critic was correct who claimed Powers never writes the same book twice. This particular magic system, involving Vegas-style card games played with antique decks of Tarot cards, is dazzlingly original. One example: a magic poker chip transubstantiates into a communion wafer. That is vintage Tim Powers right there.
Powers puts you in the scenes with his descriptive detail: the sights, sounds, and smells of the Nevada desert, or a casino, or a cheap hotel. The descriptions of strategy in a card game Powers apparently invented are especially impressive. And when a male character, forced to disguise himself as a cross-dresser, notices the feel of his heavy makeup in the creases of his face when he smiles, you begin to wonder if there's anything Powers won't do to research his novels.
My one caveat is that the magic in this novel is so inventive and bizarre, it's hard for the reader to anticipate what will come, or to judge characters' acts of magic. That's okay; one should simply relax and enjoy the show. The ending, despite the unpredictable rules, delivers a good dollop of suspense, and we get a satisfying Gothic ending where the Evil Wizard is destroyed by the very power he has unleashed. My favorite author comes through again.
Powers puts you in the scenes with his descriptive detail: the sights, sounds, and smells of the Nevada desert, or a casino, or a cheap hotel. The descriptions of strategy in a card game Powers apparently invented are especially impressive. And when a male character, forced to disguise himself as a cross-dresser, notices the feel of his heavy makeup in the creases of his face when he smiles, you begin to wonder if there's anything Powers won't do to research his novels.
My one caveat is that the magic in this novel is so inventive and bizarre, it's hard for the reader to anticipate what will come, or to judge characters' acts of magic. That's okay; one should simply relax and enjoy the show. The ending, despite the unpredictable rules, delivers a good dollop of suspense, and we get a satisfying Gothic ending where the Evil Wizard is destroyed by the very power he has unleashed. My favorite author comes through again.
sunsoar25's review against another edition
4.0
I greatly enjoyed the audio production of Tim Powers' Last Call. There's a lot going on, but the main gist of the story is this: A professional gambler realizes he didn't win big at that big poker game 20 years ago, and now he must find away to win back his soul before it's too late. I could also say it's a retelling of the Fisher King legend and about Bugsy Siegel and Las Vegas.
I like the magic system and how well it's woven into the fabric of the story. The magic is elusive, yet always there throughout. The world-building here is spectacular. The leading character and supporting cast all have unique voices and are well-defined, as well.
The only thing that kept me from giving it a full five star rating is that some of the supporting character storylines felt too rushed in the way they were wrapped up, or weren't as satisfying as I expected.
If you like [b:American Gods|4407|American Gods (American Gods, #1)|Neil Gaiman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1258417001s/4407.jpg|1970226] by Neil Gaiman, urban-fantasy, and all things King Arthur related like I do, you will not want to miss this fantastic book!
This review is also available on my blog.
I like the magic system and how well it's woven into the fabric of the story. The magic is elusive, yet always there throughout. The world-building here is spectacular. The leading character and supporting cast all have unique voices and are well-defined, as well.
The only thing that kept me from giving it a full five star rating is that some of the supporting character storylines felt too rushed in the way they were wrapped up, or weren't as satisfying as I expected.
If you like [b:American Gods|4407|American Gods (American Gods, #1)|Neil Gaiman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1258417001s/4407.jpg|1970226] by Neil Gaiman, urban-fantasy, and all things King Arthur related like I do, you will not want to miss this fantastic book!
This review is also available on my blog.
tachyondecay's review against another edition
1.0
I was avoiding this book, and then I decided to read it during my busiest weeks of the term, which in retrospect was a mistake, since it took me two weeks to read! In Ben's reading world, that is an eternity.
This book comes to me courtesy of an ARC of the Subterranean Express edition, which I received when they shipped me The God Engines. I was pleasantly surprised, and I shelved this book to read it when I could get to it. Every time I took it off the shelf and glanced at the back cover, however, I ended up giving it a pass.
Last Call is set in Las Vegas and deals with Tarot, Grail symbolism, ritualistic magic, and manipulation of statistics. None of this stuff really interests me. I lack the ability to get excited about the myths and legends that have arisen out of the culture of mid-twentieth-century America. So I started reading this book with the attitude that I didn't want to like it, probably wouldn't like it, but I should get it over with and read it anyway.
At first, this attitude was mostly vindicated. But then Powers began tossing out little tidbits that piqued my mathematician's curiosity. He presented the poker powers in terms of probability, statistics, and of course, Mandelbrot. That was kind of cool. And for a bit, it was almost enough to make me forget why this book is difficult for me—almost.
But let me say some good things about Last Call now. The dialogue is often good, and many of the characters—random though they seem—are fascinating in their own way. Despite his understandable use of archetypes, Powers never quite succumbs to stock characters and one-dimensional villains. Deep down inside, this is a father-son conflict, and all of the myriad plots and players dance around this central idea.
Most of the characters I liked happen to be on the side of the good guys. I liked Scott, most of the time, and Archie and Ozzie and, of course, Diana, who is kind of badass toward the end there. I didn't like Georges Leon (or Ricky, or whomever you care to call him), nor did Trumbull do much for me. And Al Funo annoyed me in a way that few characters in fewer books have managed to do.
In addition to the characters and the dialogue, I can also praise Powers' writing in general. He knows how to keep the action going, how to advance the story, and how to whet your appetite for more exposition. I can sort of see what other people admire and appreciate about Last Call, even if it does not enchant me in the same way. Owing to my disinterest in the subject matter, reading this book was more of a chore than an enjoyable diversion. I had to tell myself to turn the page, and the story just seemed to keep on going for hundreds of pages more than it needed.
The plot is convoluted and confusing, and I never really get a chance to care about it all that much. This is a story about the fight for survival, but so much of it is spent not knowing what the hell Scott is fighting. I had to force myself to pay attention and try to figure out what was happening; even then, I found myself skimming through some chapters, just sort of hoping it would all work out in the end.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that my reading of this book was far less involved than most books I read, to the point where I did consider putting it aside more than once. I didn't, and maybe that was the wrong decision, or the right decision—I don't very much know. But I doubt this review was very helpful to you, as ambivalent and vacillating as it sounds to me. Last Call registers on my radar as static, just random background noise with very little in the way of intelligible signal.
This book comes to me courtesy of an ARC of the Subterranean Express edition, which I received when they shipped me The God Engines. I was pleasantly surprised, and I shelved this book to read it when I could get to it. Every time I took it off the shelf and glanced at the back cover, however, I ended up giving it a pass.
Last Call is set in Las Vegas and deals with Tarot, Grail symbolism, ritualistic magic, and manipulation of statistics. None of this stuff really interests me. I lack the ability to get excited about the myths and legends that have arisen out of the culture of mid-twentieth-century America. So I started reading this book with the attitude that I didn't want to like it, probably wouldn't like it, but I should get it over with and read it anyway.
At first, this attitude was mostly vindicated. But then Powers began tossing out little tidbits that piqued my mathematician's curiosity. He presented the poker powers in terms of probability, statistics, and of course, Mandelbrot. That was kind of cool. And for a bit, it was almost enough to make me forget why this book is difficult for me—almost.
But let me say some good things about Last Call now. The dialogue is often good, and many of the characters—random though they seem—are fascinating in their own way. Despite his understandable use of archetypes, Powers never quite succumbs to stock characters and one-dimensional villains. Deep down inside, this is a father-son conflict, and all of the myriad plots and players dance around this central idea.
Most of the characters I liked happen to be on the side of the good guys. I liked Scott, most of the time, and Archie and Ozzie and, of course, Diana, who is kind of badass toward the end there. I didn't like Georges Leon (or Ricky, or whomever you care to call him), nor did Trumbull do much for me. And Al Funo annoyed me in a way that few characters in fewer books have managed to do.
In addition to the characters and the dialogue, I can also praise Powers' writing in general. He knows how to keep the action going, how to advance the story, and how to whet your appetite for more exposition. I can sort of see what other people admire and appreciate about Last Call, even if it does not enchant me in the same way. Owing to my disinterest in the subject matter, reading this book was more of a chore than an enjoyable diversion. I had to tell myself to turn the page, and the story just seemed to keep on going for hundreds of pages more than it needed.
The plot is convoluted and confusing, and I never really get a chance to care about it all that much. This is a story about the fight for survival, but so much of it is spent not knowing what the hell Scott is fighting. I had to force myself to pay attention and try to figure out what was happening; even then, I found myself skimming through some chapters, just sort of hoping it would all work out in the end.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that my reading of this book was far less involved than most books I read, to the point where I did consider putting it aside more than once. I didn't, and maybe that was the wrong decision, or the right decision—I don't very much know. But I doubt this review was very helpful to you, as ambivalent and vacillating as it sounds to me. Last Call registers on my radar as static, just random background noise with very little in the way of intelligible signal.
stephybara's review against another edition
Sorry to say, I gave up on this book after 200 pages. There were some interesting aspects to it, but I just didn't care enough to keep reading it.