Monday, September 18, 2006
Declare
by Tim Powers
rev. by L. Kapture
In Declare, Time Powers mixes a spy novel with middle eastern folklore and comes up with a winning historical fantasy about Genies and Immortality, and Spies and Communism, The Berlin Wall and Baptism, and Foxes with Ghosts in them.
Kim Philby, the antagonist of Declare, is the historical curiosity of the novel. A real person, Philby spied for the British between 1940 and 1963, when it was revealed that he had been counterspying for the Soviets the entire time. Declare paints an interesting portrait of this non-fictional individual and exploits the most curious parts of his real life. Powers' afterword reveals that Philby did indeed own a fox that smoked cigars and drank whisky. After reading Declare, you might be drawn to read the many biographies and histories written about Philby the spy.
Andrew Hale, the protagonist, seems just as real. A British spy, he carries an unrequited lust for a communist spy that he met in Paris. Hale is intriguing, a man whose emotions are hampered by his conflicting loyalties. Declare is mostly Hale's story, and at some point it becomes clear that the title refers to Andrew Hale's over-arching decisions: He must decide between, and declare his intentions towards, his emotional loyalties, his spiritual loyalties, and his patriotic loyalties.
Declare is powerful reading, pun intended. It is easily one of his more complex, and engaging novels, one of a long chain of curiously evocative historical fantasies. Tim Powers knows how to draw out a mystery. The troubles of his quietly passionate characters engage the reader. The immense scope of Declare, encompassing both history and wonder, human frailty and other-worldly immensity, will interest everyone who cares about the human spirit.
rev. by L. Kapture
In Declare, Time Powers mixes a spy novel with middle eastern folklore and comes up with a winning historical fantasy about Genies and Immortality, and Spies and Communism, The Berlin Wall and Baptism, and Foxes with Ghosts in them.
Kim Philby, the antagonist of Declare, is the historical curiosity of the novel. A real person, Philby spied for the British between 1940 and 1963, when it was revealed that he had been counterspying for the Soviets the entire time. Declare paints an interesting portrait of this non-fictional individual and exploits the most curious parts of his real life. Powers' afterword reveals that Philby did indeed own a fox that smoked cigars and drank whisky. After reading Declare, you might be drawn to read the many biographies and histories written about Philby the spy.
Andrew Hale, the protagonist, seems just as real. A British spy, he carries an unrequited lust for a communist spy that he met in Paris. Hale is intriguing, a man whose emotions are hampered by his conflicting loyalties. Declare is mostly Hale's story, and at some point it becomes clear that the title refers to Andrew Hale's over-arching decisions: He must decide between, and declare his intentions towards, his emotional loyalties, his spiritual loyalties, and his patriotic loyalties.
Declare is powerful reading, pun intended. It is easily one of his more complex, and engaging novels, one of a long chain of curiously evocative historical fantasies. Tim Powers knows how to draw out a mystery. The troubles of his quietly passionate characters engage the reader. The immense scope of Declare, encompassing both history and wonder, human frailty and other-worldly immensity, will interest everyone who cares about the human spirit.
