Nobody’s Home by Tim Powers (book review).
I’m not sure what I was expecting from Tim Powers with another story in ‘The Anubis Gates’ reality with a novella called ‘Nobody’s Home’. After all, there’s no time travel, no characters that I can remember and I’m not entirely sure what was going on, especially as the back cover explains more than the contents which I never see as a good sign.
Jacky Snapp is a lady in 19th century London disguised as a young man, complete with moustache, to rescue Harriet from a ghost who can see her. The ghost is called Nobody, hence the title. The story turns into more dialogue than story and waiting for something to happen.
Not as complex as ‘The Anubis Gates’ but I haven’t read any Tim Powers in a few decades now but one of us has changed. It might be making the difference between writing a novel or short fiction but there’s far too much emphasis on dialogue than event not helped by nothing sinking in. It would have helped had I cared for the fate of the characters.
If you’re up to date with Powers, then you’ll adapt but not if you haven’t read him in some time. If you’ve read any of his current books, then if this is a style change, then you’ve adapted to it already.
GF Willmetts
December 2014
(pub: Subterranean Press. 86 page deluxe hardback. Price: $35.00 (US). ISBN: 978-1-59606-670-0)
check out website: www.subterraneanpress.com