Tim Powers
Las Vegas is a fantastical city in the Nevada desert. It is the setting for Last Call, a mythic Fantasy that revolves around the Tarot and legend of the Fisher King. Georges Leon is the current King. He tries to maintain his throne by destroying his sons. The mother saves the youngest son, Scott, by throwing him onto a boat passing by on a trailer. Scott is raised by the wizard Ozzie and comes back to challenge his father for the throne to get revenge. The throne is decided by playing poker with magical Tarot cards. Scott gets help from various people including the ghost of Bugsy Siegel. This book has a dark edge, but is filled with good characters and a memorable story.
Expiration Date takes place in Los Angeles of the 1990s. This is a ghost story with Mr.Powers unique ideas about them. Koot Parganas is a young boy who steals a small vial containing the ghost of Thomas Edison. He later is possessed by the ghost, which gives him strange powers, and this makes Koot a target of dark things. Various strange allies help him along the way. The author wrote an entertaining tale of ghosts in a contemporary setting.
In his next book, Earthquake Weather, Mr. Powers brings back characters from the last two books mentioned for a new story. The theme of the Fisher King is visited again when Scott Crane, the King of the West is assassinated by a ghost possessed woman. Loyal followers move Crane's body to a protected home where Koot Hoomie lives. Koot is thirteen and suffers from a wound that won't heal. He should become the next King, but he is too young. There is a race to restore the King of the West because California is slowly being destroyed by earthquakes, riots, fires and floods. This novel is an intricate blend of plot and characters from previous
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