On Stranger Tides

[polymorphikos]

I keep hearing a lot of praise for his urban fantasy, but this is the only book by Powers that I’ve read. It’s quite fascinating, set as it is in pirate times around the later life of the infamous Blackbeard. Powers takes the fact that the pirates were in amongst the slaves and the voudoun, and posits that Blackbeard may have been a bocor (if that’s the right word) or voudoun mage. The result is lots of duppies and loas and a Shakespearean puppeteer who gets caught-up in all the magicality going-on.



I was wondering if anyone else had read this and, if so, whether it was fairly representative of the quality of Mr Powers’ work.

[williemeikle]

After watching "Pirates of the Carribean", I believe TP should sue them... they ripped off a lot of his ideas....

To answer your question, OST is more "accessible" than his other work, but if you liked it a lot, try to track down "The Drawing of the Dark" as well... a medieval swashbuckler with beer, vikings, reincarnated warrior kings, more beer, and Merlin.... it's brilliant.

Willie

[Teresa Edgerton]

I liked the book a lot, as I've mentioned elsewhere in a more recent thread, but seeing this old one revived, I'm intrigued by the notion that it could be described as "urban fantasy." The setting isn't urban, the mood and the sensibility aren't anything like any of the books I would categorize as urban fantasy, and it's more like an old-fashioned swashbuckler than anything.

If Polymorphikos is still around (haven't seen him for awhile), I'd love to discuss this with him.

Or you, willie, if you agree with him.

[williemeikle]

Originally Posted by Teresa Edgerton

I liked the book a lot, as I've mentioned elsewhere in a more recent thread, but seeing this old one revived, I'm intrigued by the notion that it could be described as "urban fantasy." The setting isn't urban, the mood and the sensibility aren't anything like any of the books I would categorize as urban fantasy, and it's more like an old-fashioned swashbuckler than anything.

Originally Posted by Teresa Edgerton

If Polymorphikos is still around (haven't seen him for awhile), I'd love to discuss this with him.

Or you, willie, if you agree with him.

I don't think that's what he was saying.... he started "I keep hearing a lot of praise for his urban fantasy, but" ... so he already knew that OST wasn't the same as, say, Earthquake Weather

My favourite Powers is still "The Anubis Gates" ... and that's not urban fantsy either

[zoran]

Originally Posted by williemeikle

After watching "Pirates of the Carribean", I believe TP should sue them...

This was also my first reaction to this movie.