Tim Powers - Strange Itineraries - Comment.

 

Quantum theory, time loops, alternate realities, the supernatural and one special story about a gentle old man whose pants are torn off by the side mirror of a speeding Torina are all included in this remarkable collection of short stories by Tim Powers.

Powers has the writer's skill of placing the utterly unreal into the norms of our day-to-day reality. Another great American writer, Edgar Allen Poe, used this particular skill to great effect with such stories as The Fall of the House of Usher and The Man of the Crowd. The tale begins ordinarily enough and then suddenly jumps, sometime subtly, sometimes not so, and we find ourselves bounding along to alternate realities, witnessing sad spirits in a catholic confessional or attending a strange gathering of immortals. And, incredibly, it all seems quite feasible. This is fascinating reading and extremely entertaining.

What really makes these tales stand out is their credibility, as one can perceive that their contents have been thoroughly researched. The vast majority of these stories' theme is the notion of time itself: where does it begin, and does it ever end? Some of his characters are confused at the start but then later, as in the story 50 Cents, the character appears to accept their fate, that they are trapped in time, and this reality will never end, and continue to replay itself like a scratch on a CD.

In the story, Pat Moore, the character begins his day like any other, (except for a chain letter he has received, which if not passed on, could well prove unlucky), a professional gambler, sets out in his beat-up Dodge, where he observes a man in a Chevrolet with a sawn-off shotgun, tries to run him off the road. An instant later he sees a woman appear next to him, who claims to be his guarding angel, when the Chevrolet crashes off the road. At first, he is shocked, but as the tale unfolds, he puts together the clues, to discover it all has to do with his dead wife. The story becomes more bizarre, yet believable, finally sorting itself out in the end.

The two cleverest stories, Where They are Hid and Night Moves, on face value are outlandish, but are so well constructed, every loose end is tied up nicely, with a hint of irony, that they actually become credible.

This is Tim Powers's only collection of short stories, as he's predominately a novelist. All his novels are award winners and to a certain extent, as other writers have said, he leans towards Phillip K. Dick more than any other American writer. In fact, a young Powers met an older PKD where he had nothing but praise for the younger writer.

After reading these exceptionally entertaining short stories, I hope Powers decides to write more short stories, because the one's included in Strange Itineraries are remarkable.