Text from Subterranean Press:

"When 12-year-old Daphne Marrity steals a videotape of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure from her grandmother's house, neither she nor her college-professor father, Frank Marrity, have any idea that the theft has drawn the attention of both the Israeli Secret Service and an ancient European organization of occultists -- or that within hours they'll be visited by her long-lost grandfather, who also wants that videotape.

And when Daphne's teddy bear is stolen, and a blind assassin nearly kills her father, and a phantom begins to speak to her from a switched-off television set, Daphne and her father find themselves running for their lives through a southern California in which magic and the undead past are dangers as great as the guns of living assassins.

From ancient prophesies about Israel to the secret lives of Charlie Chaplin and Albert Einstein, this breathtaking novel throws a suburban father and daughter into the midst of an ancient supernatural battle."

Published by:

Subterranean Press
William Morrow & Co.

Opinion:

In contrast with the way it's presented in The Anubis Gates, the time travel in this book can change the world - or at least one of the many worlds. Frank Marrity and his daughter Daphne are easy to identify with as the protagonists, and Charlotte makes a cool quirky female with a parallel to Josephine in TSOHR: she starts off in league with the "bad guys" but she's got some good in her; we just have to wait for it to show. Actually, it was the Mossad agent Oren Lepidopt whom I found to be the most well-drawn of the characters. When we were inside his head was when I felt the most like I was in a Powers book. The story begins with a vague sense of unreality, but the fact that Einstein is involved keeps us thinking about physics, and the nature of reality itself. With this contrast, the reader is kept off balance for much of the book, but the details are revealed in a way that's consistent with the material - time is not absolute in this world, and reality itself is not to be trusted. As usual, Powers does an excellent job using real history and depicting the existence of a seemingly supernatural, but plausible world on the edges of our own.

Bottom line: A fascinating and enjoyable read, but it doesn't quite beat out Declare. in my unofficial ranking. This one was worth the wait, but I already can't wait for the next one!

- ccb 09/24/06

Awards

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Reviews

• Washington Post review
• Emerald City review
• Amazon reviews