Expiration

Let me just say that I am a true fan of nearly all Bruce and Stan's work, so it came as no surprise to me that I thoroughly enjoyed their take on making the most of one's life. The main ideas stressed within the covers are positivity, inspiration, Divinity, and setting goals for oneself. Going through all the majorly important areas of one's life -- career, relationships, finances, Spiritual Walk, goals, etc. -- they manage to help you cope with changes, including disappointment. I've found this work has helped me cope with some difficult transitions and has given me a completely new perspective on exactly what success means. Check out this book if you need a fresh view of things. You will not be disappointed.

I purchased this book at very low time of my life, and let me just say that it totally rejuvenated me! Bruce and Stan are two amazinlgy talented authors with a knack for focusing on positive. After reading "Real Life", I set goals for myself, searched for mentors, starting reading the Bible and praying more, and became more in touch with my spirituality. If it hadn't been for their inspiring words, I'd probably still be in my miserable state right now. You owe it to yourself to at lear give this book a chance. Read it! You will not be disappointed!

I read Last Call, and thought it was wonderful; if I ever go to Las Vegas, I'll be sure to watch the patterns the smoke makes around the poker table. The Tarot imagery was great, and the entire book was just one big cool concept.

I read Expiration Date, and thought the ghost-chasing and eating plots were wonderful, especially since so much of it derived from known eccentricities.

And then, comes Earthquake Weather, where the protagonists from each novel meet and work together to raise the King of the West from the dead, along with a host of new characters.

It's not a bad novel at all; that's why it gets four stars. As usual, Powers writes very well, with good characterization and intelligent plotting.

My issue with it is...it's a team-up book, like Spiderman Vs. Superman. Part of the fun is the learning experience of the main characters, as they figure out what the heck is going on and how to survive. We see that from the main character, but then we have the characters of the previous two novels, who should know what to do...but don't. Somehow, that aspect bothered me far more than I'd've thought.

It's still a good novel, but I'm pretty sure it could've been better.

I've read my Powers all out of order so far. I began with _Earthquake Weather_, moved into _Last Call_, went on to _The Anubis Gates_ and have now finished _Expiration Date_. I guess of all of them, I like EW the least.

Which is not to say that I didn't enjoy it. I think that Powers is one of the most (if not *the* most) creative, inventive and possibly mad fantasy writers working today. It's rarely that I read a writer who really makes me say "How on earth did he think of *that*?"

Powers creates a plot centering around the ghost of Thomas Edison, the idea that ghosts can be inhaled for their essence, and complicated ideas about magic and superstition. Somehow he makes this plot feel almost inevitable-- it never feels odd for the sake of odd.

So why is it my least favorite? I think that it's largely an issue of comparison. For all that the premise in this book is highly believable, it's not quite as real to me as the Last Call world. There are a few too many characters and there are almost places where some of them feel as though they're driving the plot. But largely it's because I don't quite believe the motivation where deLarava is concerned-- I find her one of the weakest of the Powers characters and I have trouble buying her eventual character arc.

Still, any Powers is more worth reading more than the best book by almost anyone else.

Tim Powers is one of the reasons that I had so much trouble in college. It was his ON STRANGER TIDES that distracted me from at least a complete day of classes. I remember reading ON STRANGER TIDES quite vividly, spending an 8 hour stretch curled up in a chair in the graduate library of the University of Texas, vicariously living the life of a pirate. Most of Powers' other novels have had the same hold on me, with the possible exception of THE STRESS OF HER REGARD, which I found somewhat slow and dull.

I'm happy to say that EXPIRATION DATE is much more like ON STRANGER TIDES and THE ANUBIS GATES. Powers' trick of the trade is the incorporation of historical figures in wildly fantastical yet internally plausible plots. When this works, the reader learns something about the period and personalities while also being entertained. When Powers is at his best, the reader may think some of the fantastic parts *are* history.

What if ghosts lingered on, and could be "attracted" by conundrums and disorder, could be absorbed by the living who are then "revitalized"? What if certain people's ghosts were stronger--people like Harry Houdini and Thomas Edison, who knew that their ghosts would be desired by the greedy living? These are Powers' concepts and he plays them perfectly, establishing the rules as he establishes the characters, always remaining consistent within his world. What Powers has done here is invent his own system of magic, as if he were writing a new role-playing system, then working within those rules as he role plays the characters toward the plot conclusion.

Aside from the mechanics, Powers' strength also lies within his character portraits. In this long novel he handles at least five major protagonists and a dozen supporting cast, each a well-drawn individual. If there is anything of fault in EXPIRATION DATE, it is the lack of anything more than an incredibly entertaining, fun story. But is that a lack or just Powers' entire intention? In any case, if you want a piece of entertainment that doesn't treat you like a seven-year-old, you can't do any better than Powers or EXPIRATION DATE.