I figured it was time I finally checked out Tim Powers so I picked up this book as well as several others.
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
Aging soldier of fortune Brian Duffy is hired as a bouncer to defend the Zimmerman Inn in Vienna and its famous beer, the Herzwestern. However, multiple attacks, normal and supernatural, against him on the road and later against the inn convince him that far more is at stake than just keeping the peace in a tavern. Somehow the beer is crucial to the survival of the west from the Turkish hordes as well as being connected to a mysterious Fisher King and dreams of a sword and arm rising from a lake.
Despite multiple action scenes early on, the book starts a little slow until you finally get a sense of the circumstances as well as the stakes. After that it’s pretty fluid though it speeds up and slows down in various places. But I think that makes the story more realistic rather than detracting from it. Characterization was a little weak and the plot was a little predictable, but I liked how Powers set out to write something other than a typical fantasy novel. I liked how he put a twist on several old legends and how the outcome of the battle between the West and the Ottoman Empire ultimately came down to beer. I would definitely recommend this to any fantasy fan.
Final rating: 8/10.
Despite multiple action scenes early on, the book starts a little slow until you finally get a sense of the circumstances as well as the stakes. After that it’s pretty fluid though it speeds up and slows down in various places. But I think that makes the story more realistic rather than detracting from it. Characterization was a little weak and the plot was a little predictable, but I liked how Powers set out to write something other than a typical fantasy novel. I liked how he put a twist on several old legends and how the outcome of the battle between the West and the Ottoman Empire ultimately came down to beer. I would definitely recommend this to any fantasy fan.
Final rating: 8/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment