I have just finished yet another notable novel by the estimable Tim Powers. My thanks to Toni Weisskopf and Baen Books for the gratis copy. Before her annual Baen Road Show at this years ConFinement convention she played Santa Claus, handing out free books to Veterans. Once I saw Tim Power’s name on the cover of The Mills of the Gods, I stopped looking through the offerings, my decision made.
Mr. Powers has long had a penchant for period dramas, placing his fantasies in historical eras peopled with notable writers, poets, and artists. Mills is another such, set in post-WWI Paris, amongst the literati of the Lost Generation. Figures such as Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, and Alice B. Toklas appear and contribute at various points during the plot, though the main characters and the POV lead are, to the best of my knowledge, entirely fictional.
Powers plot involves a secret society, ersatz reincarnation, magical cats, and Classical-Era pagan gods. There is, thematically, a veiled commentary on abortion. I haven’t read all of his books, but this one is the most explicitly Catholic that I recall. Oddly enough, given certain philosophical divergences, Mills reminds quite a bit of the work of Charles Williams.
Mills lacks some of the visceral drive and energy of The Drawing of the Dark or On Stranger Tides, or the scope of Declare. It is a more personal, intimate novel, though it contains enough action to scratch the incurable itch of the inveterate adventure reader, such as myself. D&D players might particularly enjoy the dungeon crawl through the Paris catacombs. If you haven’t read Tim Powers, what are you waiting for? Pass through the Anubis Gates. Declare yourself ready to set sail On Stranger Tides.
But set aside a few bucks. Wednesday, March 25th is the release date of my next novel, Twilight Galaxy: Dekason. I think you’ll like it. I, also, would like to look forward to a royalty check; the job search continues. On that subject, if any of you are writers or artists in need of a contract review, or a small press publisher wanting to brush up the boilerplate, reach out to me. My rates are reasonable.