The Works of Tim Powers

JackalCast has posted a podcast of an interview with Tim Powers. He was in conversation with Stephen Nelson at Renovation, the 69th World Science Fiction Convention. You can find it here to listen to the whole chat.

Alison Flood of guardian.co.uk talked to Tim Powers about On Stranger Tides and other topics. He gets chatty about his next book and he explains how he builds his fantastic tales from 'real-world lumber'.

Tim sent along this summary of his new novel. It may be called Hide Me Among the Graves or Blood Between Us. HarperCollins has scheduled the book for next year.

In the winter of 1862, London veterinarian John Crawford learns that his interlude with a prostitute seven years earlier has produced a daughter. The now-reformed ex-prostitute, Adelaide McKee, has recently learned that their lost daughter is still alive—but that the girl's life and soul are in peril from a vampiric ghost whose murderous attention McKee drew in her bad old days.

The vampire ghost is John Polidori, Lord Byron's one-time physician and uncle to the poet Christina Rossetti and her brother, the painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, both of whose works are supernaturally aided by the influence of Polidori. But when Polidori horribly makes a resurrected vampire of Dante's wife, and threatens other family members, the Rossettis know that they must find a way to destroy their monstrous uncle, even though it means the end of their best work.

Thrown together with Crawford and McKee, who hope to find and save their fugitive daughter, the Rossettis find themselves plunged into a supernatural London underworld they never suspected. Each of the mismatched four, and the Artful-Dodger-like daughter too—in the midst of shootings and narrow escapes and supernatural warfare — must ultimately choose between stressful life and the unholy immortality that Polidori offers.

The novel sweeps from high London society to the grimmest slums, from the elegant salons of the West End to the pre-Roman catacombs under St. Paul's cathedral, and ultimately reveals a supernatural revenge plot against England that has been brewing since the queen of the native Iceni was killed by the Roman governor Suetonius in 60 AD.

Publication of Secret Histories creeps nearer, as does TP's appearance of guest of honour at this years Eastercon LX in Bradford. I originally thought that holding the book off from appearing before 2009 might be a mistake, but in actual fact I've been glad of the extra time, as it has allowed me to refine and perfect the design and layout of the thing.

Recently PS Publishing very kindly agreed to produce advanced reading copies - forty were printed up a few weeks ago, in glorious, rich full colour and on glossy 130gsm stock and, even though I say so myself, they look quite stunning. They've now been distributed to the trade and review community and we can only sit back and await the verdict.

Of course, now this thing is actually "out there" as it were, I'm officially crapping it! But, if this first review is anything to go by, it's just possible that I may not have just wasted the last eight years of my life!

Jonathan Strahan Reviews Secret Histories on his blog, Notes from the Other Side of the World.

Here's a fun thing – my best friend Russell, video maestro over at Maytree Media has kindly come up with this little trailer for Secret Histories…

Watch Tim Powers Bibliography in News Online  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

If this little movie piques your interest, Secret Histories is now available for pre-order at the PS Publishing web site so scoot on over there now and get your order in before all copies are spoken for. And of course, the book will be officially launched at this year's Eastercon, where Powers is to be guest of honour. As April approaches, there'll be further news on Secret Histories, so do check back regularly for further updates.

Powers has written the introduction to a new edition of A. Merritt's classic fantasy, The Ships of Ishtar which is being published this coming May from Piazo's Planet Stories imprint. Here's the blurb...

"Explorer John Kenton returns from a lifetime of wanderings and the wreckage of World War I to discover a mysterious block of Babylonian basalt containing a crystal model of an ancient ship—the Ship of Ishtar!

Science fiction legend Abraham Merrit was a giant of the early 20th century, inspiring the lush language and mystical subjects of authors like H.P. Lovecraft, C.L. Moore, Clark Ashton Smith, and others. In his day he was among the most famous authors in America, with his books selling millions of copies, but today he is mostly forgotten. Planet Stories presents the triumphant return of a true master of fantasy, A. Merritt!"

Further to my announcement back in July 2007, there's a little more (but not much!) news on the forthcoming Powers release from Charnel House Books which now has a confirmed title... tantalising stuff, eh? Click on the ad text below to go directly to the publisher's web site, where you can register your interest in this title prior to pre-orders opening.

Secret Histories, my book about Tim Powers (yes, that book! the one I've been writing for about a hundred years!), which is being (aptly) described as a "bibliographic cornucopia" is at long last available for pre-order direct from the PS Publishing web site. Hoorah! The book is available in three states - but hurry, because availability is very limited indeed...

• Ultra Deluxe three volume edition - Limited to only twenty six copies.
• Slipcased two volume edition - Limited to only two hundred copies.
• Numbered signed single volume edition - Limited to 1000 copies.

So, you've followed those links and ordered, right? No? Well, if you need any further persuasion, here's the official marketing blurb on the project...

A book that essentially redefines the term 'bibliography', Secret Histories has been nearly ten years in the making and brings together an astonishing range of Powers ephemera - a huge treat and a remarkable resource for both fans and collectors alike.

As well as a complete, illustrated reference of every Tim Powers book published to date, Secret Histories offers an extraordinary insight into the stories behind the stories, collecting together in a single volume Powers material previously seen only in private collections.

Here - in print for the very first time - you'll find poetry, drawings, research and plotting notes, novel outlines, early drafts, out-takes and an excerpt from the author's unpublished 1974 novel, To Serve in Hell.

Supporting these riches are story notes and commentary by Powers himself and you'll also find articles and essays from collaborators, friends and renowned Powers aficionados including Dean Koontz, Jim Blaylock, China Miéville, Karen Joy Fowler, John Bierer, John Berlyne and William Ashless. Powers: Secret Histories is an unprecedented bibliographic tribute celebrating the work of a truly extraordinary writer.

This deluxe, slipcased, lettered edition includes two additional volumes and is a package to rival any lettered Powers edition released thus far...

The first is an incomplete and previously unpublished novel written by Powers in the early seventies entitled The Waters Deep, Deep, Deep. Only available as part of this package, The Waters, Deep, Deep, Deep will be signed by Powers and will feature unique cover art and internal illustrations by him, as well as both an introduction and afterword.

The second - and this is a doozy!!! - is a full colour facsimile edition of the original handwritten manuscript of The Anubis Gates, complete with doodles, crossings out, dog-eared corners and even coffee stains! Only twenty-six copies of this facsimile, signed by Powers and individually lettered, will be available as part of this deluxe three book, specially slipcased edition... and if you're after one of these , you need to get in there quickly at the PS Publishing web site!

So, there you have it - I'll post more news on this project over the next few months - possibly including preview downloads and sneak peaks at some of the incredible artwork both by Powers and Dirk Berger, specially commissioned for the project. Watch this space!

Rhae Lynn, editor of the prestigious Berkeley Poetry Review has been in touch to let us know that their latest issue (#39) contains three Powers poems, along with a brand new (and extremely interesting) interview with the author. The poems have all been published previously, but only in collectable or hard-to-find volumes, so it's great that the BPR is making them more widely available. The poems are Negation which appeared previous in Nine Sonnets by Francis Thomas Marrity (Subterranean Press 2006), Checklist, which was one of the Cheyenne Flemming poems issued as an insert in the numbered state of A Soul in a Bottle and I've Seen You Looking Better, a much older Powers poem dating from the mid seventies and which has hitherto only been printed in Poetry Fullerton 3, copies of which are extremely rare.

Copies of Berkeley Poetry Review are available via their web site or this eBay seller link (the proceeds from which go directly to the publisher).

Powers has provided the cover art and an introduction to a new James P. Blaylock project (first mentioned here in the Late July 08 News Round Up - this 64 page chapbook is being published by Subterranean Press and features three new stories by Blaylock written in collaboration with some of his creative writing students.

Metamorphosis is now available for preorder - follow this direct link to Amazon.com to get your copy now, and help this web site in the process!

Our friends at Subterranean Press have been keeping Powers very busy recently. Their edition of Subterranean : Tales of Dark Fantasy has now been released, featuring what I think is the best Powers short in some time, The Hour of Babel. In addition to this, proofs of the forthcoming Subterranean Press edition of The Fisher King Trilogy (comprising Last Call, Expiration Date and Earthquake Weather) have now been released to reviewers and book buyers and so expect to see (glowing) reviews of these titles appearing on your favourite review sites over the coming weeks.

Due to be released in September 2008, you can now pre-order copies (and help this site in the process) via these direct links to Amazon... Last Call, Expiration Date, Earthquake Weather.

Powers has also contributed to two James P. Blaylock projects that Subterranean have in the pipeline.

In the first of these, Powers has provided an introduction to The Adventures of Langdon St. Ives, a collection of Blaylock's seminal steampunk stories including the entire text of Homunculus, along with The Anubis Gates, considered one of the first true modern day steampunk novels.

I love Blaylock's work and thoroughly applaud Subterranean for bringing these wonderful mad-cap adventures back after far too long out of print.

Due out in November, you can pre-order a copy of The Adventures of Langdon St. Ives by following the direct link to Amazon.

The second of these Blaylock projects has only just been announced on the Subterranean Web Site - Metamorphosis is a collection of three stories co-authored by Blaylock and some of his writing students. Powers will be providing illustrations for this project and there will also be an afterword by William Ashbless. More on this in due course.

Finally, for this round up, here's a bit of footage recently uploaded to YouTube of Powers taking part in a panel on Lovecraft at the Oslo SF Festival last October.... enjoy!