Forced Perspectives
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- Create Date：2021-05-15 10:52:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Tim Powers
- ISBN：198212525X
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Summary
EGYPTIAN DEATH MAGIC IN A HAUNTED LOS ANGELES
Fugitive federal agents Sebastian Vickery and Ingrid Castine， both sensitive to the ghosts that haunt the modern Los Angeles highways， byways， and secret nooks and crannies， are plunged into the supernatural secrets of the vast city and its history—from the fallout of Satanic indie movies of the Sixties， to the unquiet La Brea Tar Pits at midnight， to a haunted sunken city off the coast of San Pedro seeking to rise again。
They may be old hands at dealing with the spirit world， but they have never been in a pursuit so deadly with the stakes so high。 For， if a ghost-addicted Silicon Valley guru has his way， the lost souls of a million Angelenos could be drawn into the creation of a predatory World God guaranteed to bring about the end of life as we know it。 And Vickery and Castine are all that stand between it and California-sized destruction。
About Forced Perspectives:
“One book I’ve been hugely excited about is Tim Powers’s latest， Forced Perspectives， set in the magical underbelly of modern-day Los Angeles。 Powers may be the master of the secret history novel （and one of the originators of steampunk）， but his recent work has really explored the history and magic of Tinseltown in a way no one else can。” —Lavie Tindhar， The Washington Post
“。 。 。 frenetic urban fantasy that playfully blends Egyptian mythology， alternate Los Angeles history， and modern technology。 。 。 。 A cast of unusual side characters 。 。 。 add color and complexity。 This labyrinthine tale of the bizarre and fantastic will grip urban fantasy enthusiasts until the end。”—Publishers Weekly
"。。。moves at jet speed， along unpredictable paths， and resolves in a fully gratifying melee involving almost every major character， living or dead。"—Locus Magazine
About prequel， Alternate Routes:
“Powers continues his run of smashing expectations and then playing with the pieces in this entertaining urban fantasy。 。 。 。 This calculated， frenetic novel ends with hope for redemption born from chaos。 Powers’ work is recommended for urban fantasy fans who enjoy more than a dash of the bizarre。”—Publishers Weekly
“Alternate Routes is both a thrilling mash-up of science fiction， fantasy， and horror and a work of startling moral sophistication。 The horror packs a wallop， and there’s as much in the way of suspense and tension as the reader can bear。 Powers takes us on one hell of a ride。”—The Federalist
About Tim Powers:
"Powers writes in a clean， elegant style that illuminates without slowing down the tale。 。 。 。 [He] promises marvels and horrors， and delivers them all。"—Orson Scott Card
"Other writers tell tales of magic in the twentieth century， but no one does it like Powers。"—The Orlando Sentinel
"。 。 。 immensely clever stuff。 。 。 。 Powers' prose is often vivid and arresting 。 。 。 All in all， Powers' unique voice in science fiction continues to grow stronger。”—Washington Post Book World
“Powers is at heart a storyteller， and ruthlessly shapes his material into narrative form。”—The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
“On Stranger Tides 。 。 。 immediately hooks you and drags you along in sympathy with one central character's appalling misfortunes on the Spanish Main， [and] escalates from there to closing mega-thrills so determinedly spiced that your palate is left almost jaded。"—David Langford
"On Stranger Tides 。 。 。 was the inspiration for Monkey Island。 If you read this book you can really see where Guybrush and LeChuck were -plagiarized- derived from， plus the heavy influence of voodoo in the game。 。 。 。 [The book] had a lot of what made fantasy interesting 。 。 。”—legendary game designer Ron Gilbert
“Powers's strengths [are] his originality， his action-crammed plots， and his ventures into the mysterious， dark， and supernatural。”—Los Angeles Times Book Review
"[Powers’ work delivers] an intense and intimate sense of period or realization of milieu; taut plotting， with human development and destiny 。 。 。 and， looming above all， an awareness of history itself as a merciless turning of supernatural wheels。 。 。 。 Powers' descriptions 。 。 。 are breathtaking， sublimely precise 。 。 。 his status as one of fantasy's major stylists can no longer be in doubt。”—SF Site
"Powers creates a mystical， magical otherworld superimposed on our own and takes us on a marvelous， guided tour of his vision。"—Science Fiction Chronicle
"The fantasy novels of Tim Powers are nothing if not ambitious。 。 。 。 Meticulously researched and intellectually adventurous， his novels rarely fail to be strange and wholly original。"—San Francisco Chronicle
Fugitive federal agents Sebastian Vickery and Ingrid Castine， both sensitive to the ghosts that haunt the modern Los Angeles highways， byways， and secret nooks and crannies， are plunged into the supernatural secrets of the vast city and its history—from the fallout of Satanic indie movies of the Sixties， to the unquiet La Brea Tar Pits at midnight， to a haunted sunken city off the coast of San Pedro seeking to rise again。
They may be old hands at dealing with the spirit world， but they have never been in a pursuit so deadly with the stakes so high。 For， if a ghost-addicted Silicon Valley guru has his way， the lost souls of a million Angelenos could be drawn into the creation of a predatory World God guaranteed to bring about the end of life as we know it。 And Vickery and Castine are all that stand between it and California-sized destruction。
About Forced Perspectives:
“One book I’ve been hugely excited about is Tim Powers’s latest， Forced Perspectives， set in the magical underbelly of modern-day Los Angeles。 Powers may be the master of the secret history novel （and one of the originators of steampunk）， but his recent work has really explored the history and magic of Tinseltown in a way no one else can。” —Lavie Tindhar， The Washington Post
“。 。 。 frenetic urban fantasy that playfully blends Egyptian mythology， alternate Los Angeles history， and modern technology。 。 。 。 A cast of unusual side characters 。 。 。 add color and complexity。 This labyrinthine tale of the bizarre and fantastic will grip urban fantasy enthusiasts until the end。”—Publishers Weekly
"。。。moves at jet speed， along unpredictable paths， and resolves in a fully gratifying melee involving almost every major character， living or dead。"—Locus Magazine
About prequel， Alternate Routes:
“Powers continues his run of smashing expectations and then playing with the pieces in this entertaining urban fantasy。 。 。 。 This calculated， frenetic novel ends with hope for redemption born from chaos。 Powers’ work is recommended for urban fantasy fans who enjoy more than a dash of the bizarre。”—Publishers Weekly
“Alternate Routes is both a thrilling mash-up of science fiction， fantasy， and horror and a work of startling moral sophistication。 The horror packs a wallop， and there’s as much in the way of suspense and tension as the reader can bear。 Powers takes us on one hell of a ride。”—The Federalist
About Tim Powers:
"Powers writes in a clean， elegant style that illuminates without slowing down the tale。 。 。 。 [He] promises marvels and horrors， and delivers them all。"—Orson Scott Card
"Other writers tell tales of magic in the twentieth century， but no one does it like Powers。"—The Orlando Sentinel
"。 。 。 immensely clever stuff。 。 。 。 Powers' prose is often vivid and arresting 。 。 。 All in all， Powers' unique voice in science fiction continues to grow stronger。”—Washington Post Book World
“Powers is at heart a storyteller， and ruthlessly shapes his material into narrative form。”—The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
“On Stranger Tides 。 。 。 immediately hooks you and drags you along in sympathy with one central character's appalling misfortunes on the Spanish Main， [and] escalates from there to closing mega-thrills so determinedly spiced that your palate is left almost jaded。"—David Langford
"On Stranger Tides 。 。 。 was the inspiration for Monkey Island。 If you read this book you can really see where Guybrush and LeChuck were -plagiarized- derived from， plus the heavy influence of voodoo in the game。 。 。 。 [The book] had a lot of what made fantasy interesting 。 。 。”—legendary game designer Ron Gilbert
“Powers's strengths [are] his originality， his action-crammed plots， and his ventures into the mysterious， dark， and supernatural。”—Los Angeles Times Book Review
"[Powers’ work delivers] an intense and intimate sense of period or realization of milieu; taut plotting， with human development and destiny 。 。 。 and， looming above all， an awareness of history itself as a merciless turning of supernatural wheels。 。 。 。 Powers' descriptions 。 。 。 are breathtaking， sublimely precise 。 。 。 his status as one of fantasy's major stylists can no longer be in doubt。”—SF Site
"Powers creates a mystical， magical otherworld superimposed on our own and takes us on a marvelous， guided tour of his vision。"—Science Fiction Chronicle
"The fantasy novels of Tim Powers are nothing if not ambitious。 。 。 。 Meticulously researched and intellectually adventurous， his novels rarely fail to be strange and wholly original。"—San Francisco Chronicle
Reviews
D。 T。
，
Powers is a genius when it comes to mixing historical detail and supernatural shenanigans with nonstop action in a contemporary urban setting。 This time it's another one set on the streets of L。A。 and the areas around Southern California where the impending threat is the summoning of a massive， mind-consuimg Egyptian godhead。 The usual ghosts and spirits and a sprinkling of returning characters make this a very satisfying sequel to "Alternate Routes"and just as hart to put down。 Thoroughly enter Powers is a genius when it comes to mixing historical detail and supernatural shenanigans with nonstop action in a contemporary urban setting。 This time it's another one set on the streets of L。A。 and the areas around Southern California where the impending threat is the summoning of a massive， mind-consuimg Egyptian godhead。 The usual ghosts and spirits and a sprinkling of returning characters make this a very satisfying sequel to "Alternate Routes"and just as hart to put down。 Thoroughly entertaining。 。。。more
PyranopterinMo
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 One of the best 5 stars I've read recently。You can call this book a battle between a group that wants to open a gate to a God/Demon and various people who want to stop them。 You could call this just a fantasy。 Its much richer than that and the story is an almost nonstop roller coaster ride and fun house experience thanks to Powers' writing and knowledge of the L。A。 area and its weird characters。 The opening is to an ancient Egyptian "force" or field。 But there is also an opposing force。 There is One of the best 5 stars I've read recently。You can call this book a battle between a group that wants to open a gate to a God/Demon and various people who want to stop them。 You could call this just a fantasy。 Its much richer than that and the story is an almost nonstop roller coaster ride and fun house experience thanks to Powers' writing and knowledge of the L。A。 area and its weird characters。 The opening is to an ancient Egyptian "force" or field。 But there is also an opposing force。 There is a lot about the energy generated by mindless human activity and remnant- ghosts- of people feeding off this- this is the part of the story that continues the previous book（s。） There are various new peculiar characters such as the entrepreneur and cult leader wanna be who is embedding a powerful banned Egyptian hieroglyphic in coloring books; we have the 60's musician Chronic （pain in the rear，） and the keeper of the flame of a sixties biker gang。 The story gets weirder and weirder as the fiftieth anniversary of the last attempt， Halloween， 1968， approaches。 。。。more
Shaun W
，
Vickery and Castine return with moar ghosts n stuff to try prevent an egragore。
Mark
，
I am a huge fan of Tim Powers， but I feel that worked against me as I didn't quite have that feeling of delightful bewilderment that new readers experience when dropped into his world of seedy， L。A。 noir-ish gritty magic。 It was really fun。 I am a huge fan of Tim Powers， but I feel that worked against me as I didn't quite have that feeling of delightful bewilderment that new readers experience when dropped into his world of seedy， L。A。 noir-ish gritty magic。 It was really fun。 。。。more
Eric Layton
，
Vickery and Castine and numerous ghosts， psychopaths， and other colorful characters。 FUN！ Don't miss it。 :） Vickery and Castine and numerous ghosts， psychopaths， and other colorful characters。 FUN！ Don't miss it。 :） 。。。more
Tyson Mueller
，
"Why did Cecil B。 DeMille really bury the Pharaoh’s Palace set after he filmed The Ten Commandments in 1923？"That's a great hook for a story that the book fails to live up to。 I figured it was a bad sign when in the first chapter a background plot point is described and then the protagonist communicates essentially the same information in conversation to another character。The book has some interesting modern day occult ideas， but they're mixed in with poor plotting and unbelievable characters。 O "Why did Cecil B。 DeMille really bury the Pharaoh’s Palace set after he filmed The Ten Commandments in 1923？"That's a great hook for a story that the book fails to live up to。 I figured it was a bad sign when in the first chapter a background plot point is described and then the protagonist communicates essentially the same information in conversation to another character。The book has some interesting modern day occult ideas， but they're mixed in with poor plotting and unbelievable characters。 On the minor end of complaints， I found it really funny how every time the characters walked or drove to a new location the directions were explained turn-by-turn， as if read off of Google Maps。 。。。more
Soo
，
Notes:Not as strong as the first book but still a weird in the way that I associate with TP's work。 =）Bronson Pinchot's narration was great。 Notes:Not as strong as the first book but still a weird in the way that I associate with TP's work。 =）Bronson Pinchot's narration was great。 。。。more
Ron
，
Vickery and Castine are both back in L。A。 due to shared visions of a dilapidated house。 As soon as they are both at their agreed upon location， a man tries to poison Castine。 And other men tried to kidnap them both。 Once again the duo is on the run， trying to solve an uncanny riddle while staying alive。 But rather than having to die and comeback， all they need to do is stop a madman or two from completing the creation of a mass mind to take over the world。 Nothing too outrageous， right？ Powers m Vickery and Castine are both back in L。A。 due to shared visions of a dilapidated house。 As soon as they are both at their agreed upon location， a man tries to poison Castine。 And other men tried to kidnap them both。 Once again the duo is on the run， trying to solve an uncanny riddle while staying alive。 But rather than having to die and comeback， all they need to do is stop a madman or two from completing the creation of a mass mind to take over the world。 Nothing too outrageous， right？ Powers manages to once again mine the history of Los Angeles weirdness for a story that likely only he could concoct。 So if you read the first go-around， hop on again and enjoy this one as well！ 。。。more
John Willson
，
I love Tim Powers' books， but I only liked this one。 The promise of Egyptian mysteries didn't really pay off。 The ghost thing is less exciting than the premises of some of his other books。 That's alright。 He's exploring new ground instead of retreading old successes， which I appreciate。 I love Tim Powers' books， but I only liked this one。 The promise of Egyptian mysteries didn't really pay off。 The ghost thing is less exciting than the premises of some of his other books。 That's alright。 He's exploring new ground instead of retreading old successes， which I appreciate。 。。。more
Doug
，
If I hadn't read the first book and you handed me， say， a five or ten page sequence at random to read from this book， I could have told you within two or three pages that it was a Tim Powers novel。 Ghosts， Catholicism， secret knowledge， and our everyday lives overlaid with an undercurrent of the supernatural。 For me， the most obvious difference from a lot of his other books is the grounding in historical events gets mentioned at the start and sort of dropped rather than being continually interwo If I hadn't read the first book and you handed me， say， a five or ten page sequence at random to read from this book， I could have told you within two or three pages that it was a Tim Powers novel。 Ghosts， Catholicism， secret knowledge， and our everyday lives overlaid with an undercurrent of the supernatural。 For me， the most obvious difference from a lot of his other books is the grounding in historical events gets mentioned at the start and sort of dropped rather than being continually interwoven into the narrative。 。。。more
Chuk
，
More in the Vickery and Castine series。 Enjoyable mystical mystery with Powers' typical weird 'magic'， more ghosts mostly this time and also some magical hieroglyphs。 I kind of wonder if there will be more。 More in the Vickery and Castine series。 Enjoyable mystical mystery with Powers' typical weird 'magic'， more ghosts mostly this time and also some magical hieroglyphs。 I kind of wonder if there will be more。 。。。more
Kate Sherrod
，
Tim Powers makes ghosts spooky again。 I presume I'd be even more invested in this if I knew the Los Angeles highway system， though。 As it was， pfft - but then comes that scene at La Brea！ Tim Powers makes ghosts spooky again。 I presume I'd be even more invested in this if I knew the Los Angeles highway system， though。 As it was， pfft - but then comes that scene at La Brea！ 。。。more
Andrew
，
And so on to the latest if Tim Powers secret histories and the second following the adventures of Vickery and Castine。 The write up on the cover certainly makes for an interesting and intriguing read although to be honest it may help set the scene it does not give anything away to what is about to happen。Now I have been following the works of Tim Powers for some time now and although it feels so different from the world of the Anubis Gates and the Drawing of the Dark Mr Powers has create a style And so on to the latest if Tim Powers secret histories and the second following the adventures of Vickery and Castine。 The write up on the cover certainly makes for an interesting and intriguing read although to be honest it may help set the scene it does not give anything away to what is about to happen。Now I have been following the works of Tim Powers for some time now and although it feels so different from the world of the Anubis Gates and the Drawing of the Dark Mr Powers has create a style and feel all of his own - one which has flown through a number of books （come on you know what they are） to the point where its almost a world of its own。Now I have to say that I am not familiar with American city geography （hell I struggle with my own country） and as such often get lost - no pun intended - which at times slows me down but in general the story is fast paced and intriguing and I am starting to really enjoy the two main heroes。The question is where will the imagine of Mr Powers take us next - will to be something totally different or are there more tales of Vickery and Castine to be told。 。。。more
Redsteve
，
Forced Perspectives is the first of Tim Powers' novels where， in my opinion， the sequel is stronger than the original。 The story takes place five years after the events of Alternate Routes， and， while it is still set in ghost-haunted Los Angeles， the plot is， for the most part， unrelated to the original story - although Vickery and Castine's visit to （and return from） hell lead to in their involvement in it。 The central story involves the latest in a series of attempts at creating a mass-mind/go Forced Perspectives is the first of Tim Powers' novels where， in my opinion， the sequel is stronger than the original。 The story takes place five years after the events of Alternate Routes， and， while it is still set in ghost-haunted Los Angeles， the plot is， for the most part， unrelated to the original story - although Vickery and Castine's visit to （and return from） hell lead to in their involvement in it。 The central story involves the latest in a series of attempts at creating a mass-mind/godhead and features many more players than in Alternate Routes。 In addition to the ghosts （and ghost-adjacent groups） from the original novel， Forced Perspectives adds Egyptian mythology （and an Egyptian intelligence operative）， a local biker gang （most of whose members are ghosts）， Cecil B。 DeMille's The Ten Commandments， various Southern California cults （past and present）， the La Brea Tar Pits， low-budget movies of the Sixties， and （of course） poetry。 As a change from the original story， none of the "bad guys" seem to have any idea about Vickery and Castine's pasts （"some bum and a woman who works in an office for some transportation agency'） - which results in some serious underestimations of their skill sets。 As if frequently the case with Tim Powers’ sequels he ends up summarizing the the complicated plot and magical system from the previous book – which feels kind of dumb （cutting a ¾ book-length reveal to a page of two just doesn’t have the same impact as gradually discovering it does）， but honestly， this is my only complaint。 4 solid stars。 Many cars are harmed in this story。 。。。more
Bill Ramsell
，
Slightly disappointing， but worth reading。
Dave
，
loved it。 All the great complicated metaphysics you've come to expect from a Tim Powers book。 loved it。 All the great complicated metaphysics you've come to expect from a Tim Powers book。 。。。more
eric h frazer
，
flawless gripping weird talei loved it that this book was a continuation of the last one。 This's book's creep-out elements were more refined with the emphasis being on the main characters and their flaws and heroic efforts。 i couldnt stop reading once i had picked it up。 now i am sad its over。 flawless gripping weird talei loved it that this book was a continuation of the last one。 This's book's creep-out elements were more refined with the emphasis being on the main characters and their flaws and heroic efforts。 i couldnt stop reading once i had picked it up。 now i am sad its over。 。。。more
William Bentrim
，
This seems like it would be a good book， I just can't get into it since the plot seems to depend a great deal on the previous book， Alternate Routes。 For me， this doesn't stand alone well。 It appears like it would be really good if you read the first book， first。 This seems like it would be a good book， I just can't get into it since the plot seems to depend a great deal on the previous book， Alternate Routes。 For me， this doesn't stand alone well。 It appears like it would be really good if you read the first book， first。 。。。more
Carl
，
the 2nd volume in the Vickery and Castine series。 as opposed to the first volume where I thought it was an Urban Fantasy written by Powers， Forced IS a Tim Powers novel that just so happens to be an Urban Fantasy。Powers bring all of his delightful weirdness-es and quirks。 The characters are fuller， the plot crisp。This is more like what Powers fans hoped for in the first installment。 Perhaps that book was him dipping his toe in a subgenre and now he's dived in and owned it。More please and soon。 the 2nd volume in the Vickery and Castine series。 as opposed to the first volume where I thought it was an Urban Fantasy written by Powers， Forced IS a Tim Powers novel that just so happens to be an Urban Fantasy。Powers bring all of his delightful weirdness-es and quirks。 The characters are fuller， the plot crisp。This is more like what Powers fans hoped for in the first installment。 Perhaps that book was him dipping his toe in a subgenre and now he's dived in and owned it。More please and soon。 。。。more
Carolyn
，
Tim Powers is a favorite author， using history to weave a possible alternate history behind real events。 Secrets and occult knowledge make for compelling reads。 This was a sequel to （）， and I don't think I finished it。 The hero was more forgiving towards the female lead than I would have been， to the point of calling him hopelessly naive。 I was frustrated with that aspect of his personality， and li lessened my enjoyment。 Tim Powers is a favorite author， using history to weave a possible alternate history behind real events。 Secrets and occult knowledge make for compelling reads。 This was a sequel to （）， and I don't think I finished it。 The hero was more forgiving towards the female lead than I would have been， to the point of calling him hopelessly naive。 I was frustrated with that aspect of his personality， and li lessened my enjoyment。 。。。more
Tim
，
Tim Powers makes the smart decision to take this sequel in a different direction from "Alternate Routes，" （an alternate route， so to speak — hi-yo！） and it pays off in a rare second book that's even better than the first。"Alternate Routes" featured ghosts rising from California freeways， leaking through at a frayed point between this world and the Labyrinth — the afterworld — and had as its main set pieces two journeys by Sebastian Vickery and Ingrid Castine into that land of the not-living。 It Tim Powers makes the smart decision to take this sequel in a different direction from "Alternate Routes，" （an alternate route， so to speak — hi-yo！） and it pays off in a rare second book that's even better than the first。"Alternate Routes" featured ghosts rising from California freeways， leaking through at a frayed point between this world and the Labyrinth — the afterworld — and had as its main set pieces two journeys by Sebastian Vickery and Ingrid Castine into that land of the not-living。 It would have been easy to send them back there or milk the freeway angle a lot more， but instead "Forced Perspectives" centers around a new threat。 Oh， there are still ghosts， but here we have a group hoping to use Vickery and Castine's special qualities — they closed the afterworld conduit and returned alive， after all — to， with the aid of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics， form an egregore， a group mind in which individuals subsume themselves into a singularity， a godhead， "to make a spiritual kind of Godzilla。" You know， like communism！ Or the Borg！ Also involved in this nefarious plan to engulf individuals into a group-mind soup are odd twin girls kept as a sort of B team if using Vickery and Castine doesn't work; a man from the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities; an actress from a seemingly cursed ’60s movie; the La Brea Tar Pits; the legacy of the ’20s Cecil B。 DeMille silent movie "The Ten Commandments"; the spirit of a never-born girl trapped inside a book; a resourceful boy first seen in "Alternate Routes"; and， of course， more ghosts， both useful to our heroes and nasty。It's wonderful fun， lean like "Alternate Routes" but with an even better plot。 Vickery and Castine play detective in trying to figure out what's going on， and they engage in sharp dialogue that indicates that Powers is again near the top of his game: "Ghosts are idiots。" "True， but they do love to talk。" Amid all the weirdness， there's this exchange between Vickery and Castine: "Say something sane。" "You and I are not normal people。" "That's not sane， that's just true。"This one picks up a year after "Alternate Routes" leaves off， and while there's enough background provided about this world that readers new to Vickery and Castine won't be completely at sea， the first book greatly informs this one， and I'd highly recommend reading "Alternate Routes" first。This is very strong stuff from Powers， and with the author nearing 70 years old at the time of this 2020 publication。 But this new hardcover from Baen Books comes to us with some more lousy cover art （of their five Powers books — two reprints， a short story anthology and the two Vickery/Castine novels — only one has a decent cover）。 This artwork is murky and not at all accurate to anything that happens in the book。 Worse， this printing， rife with typos， is an absolute disgrace。 I wish I'd kept track of them， but there are certainly well more than 30 mistakes — they even misspelled McDonald's！But press on， dear readers。 "Forced Perspectives" is a wonderful story， whatever the package。 。。。more
Henry Lazarus
，
After literally going to hell and back， Ingred Castine returns to L。A。 and meets up with Sebastian Vickery to deal with dreams of an old house。 This time it’s a case of Forced Perspectives （hard from Baen） as someone wants them to join humanity into a single consciousness in a ceremony on Halloween 2018。 The old house was the scene of a previous attempt in 1968。 Soon a millionaire and his henchmen are chasing him， while an Egyptologist is trying to remove the magic from a stolen hieroglyph that After literally going to hell and back， Ingred Castine returns to L。A。 and meets up with Sebastian Vickery to deal with dreams of an old house。 This time it’s a case of Forced Perspectives （hard from Baen） as someone wants them to join humanity into a single consciousness in a ceremony on Halloween 2018。 The old house was the scene of a previous attempt in 1968。 Soon a millionaire and his henchmen are chasing him， while an Egyptologist is trying to remove the magic from a stolen hieroglyph that someone had painted on the walls of Cecil Demille’s Egyptian palace built for the 1928 version of The Ten Commandments。 Tim Powers has lots of fun and action in this sequel。 And plenty of ghosts too。Review printed by Philadelphia Free Press 。。。more
Jim Sanderson
，
Another fun ride with one of my favorite authors。
David Critchfield
，
Thoroughly enjoyable。 Better than its predecessor。
Chris Branch
，
Similar to the first in the series （Alternate Routes）， and the ghostly side of Powers’ unique mythology is still at the forefront。 I enjoyed the historical aspects in this one， even if it departs a bit from the exclusive use of real historical figures。I was less impressed with the continuing emphasis on car chases and gun battles， but this is set in modern LA after all。 A note to the editors at Baen: I saw at least a dozen typos in this edition - seems excessive to me for a professionally publis Similar to the first in the series （Alternate Routes）， and the ghostly side of Powers’ unique mythology is still at the forefront。 I enjoyed the historical aspects in this one， even if it departs a bit from the exclusive use of real historical figures。I was less impressed with the continuing emphasis on car chases and gun battles， but this is set in modern LA after all。 A note to the editors at Baen: I saw at least a dozen typos in this edition - seems excessive to me for a professionally published book。I continue to recommend Powers highly to all readers， and this book is no exception， but I still prefer his earlier books， and I’d suggest those new to his work start with the classics。 For contemporary fantasy， go with Last Call and its “sequels”; for historical: The Anubis Gates， The Drawing of the Dark， On Stranger Tides， or The Stress of Her Regard。 。。。more
Annarella
，
I'm a huge fan of Tim Power and I could rate 5 stars his shopping list。I loved， loved， loved this story and read it as fast as I could。Mr Power is a master storyteller and this story has all the elements that make me love his book。It was an excellent read， highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC， all opinions are mine。 I'm a huge fan of Tim Power and I could rate 5 stars his shopping list。I loved， loved， loved this story and read it as fast as I could。Mr Power is a master storyteller and this story has all the elements that make me love his book。It was an excellent read， highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC， all opinions are mine。 。。。more
Jack
，
Things I Liked:* It was a Tim Powers book， and the fertility of his imagination just amazes me。 I had never heard of an egregore and thought it was a great concept。* The characters were fun and their dialog was done well。* I am very partial to Los Angeles and California settings。Things I Did Not Like:* The detailed exposition of driving around got a bit wearing after a while， and actually slowed the pacing down。
Jeff Miller
，
Five stars because this goes into my reread list。 Not that it is in the highest rank of his novels， but still very enjoyable and so inventive。
David
，
Powers takes us back to his world of LA freeways and ghosts in Forced Perspectives， his follow-up to 2018's Alternate Routes。 He brings back our heros， Vickery and Castine and a few other characters from his earlier book to combat a new threat。 Fun and clever， this book is just another reason Powers is on my immediate buy list。 Powers takes us back to his world of LA freeways and ghosts in Forced Perspectives， his follow-up to 2018's Alternate Routes。 He brings back our heros， Vickery and Castine and a few other characters from his earlier book to combat a new threat。 Fun and clever， this book is just another reason Powers is on my immediate buy list。 。。。more
Michael Davis
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PRIOR TO READING: Impossible to describe how excited I was to find that Powers had a new book coming out TODAY。 It has some of the characters from past stories， and even just a few pages in I can tell it’s going to be stellar。 Cat wait for it all to unfold， and to see what new sorts of weirdness and cross-world travel and communications will come into play。POST-READ: I don’t know if it’s because of the very strange state we all find ourselves in with the COVID-19 situation， and all the “social d PRIOR TO READING: Impossible to describe how excited I was to find that Powers had a new book coming out TODAY。 It has some of the characters from past stories， and even just a few pages in I can tell it’s going to be stellar。 Cat wait for it all to unfold， and to see what new sorts of weirdness and cross-world travel and communications will come into play。POST-READ: I don’t know if it’s because of the very strange state we all find ourselves in with the COVID-19 situation， and all the “social distancing” I’ve been practicing this week， or just that this follow-up to Alternate Routes may not be as exciting as its predecessor， but I finished it today and just sort of went， “Meh。” It was a fun ride， with some of the same likable characters and situations that I enjoyed so much in the first one， and which appear in virtually all of his previous work， but throughout the story I kept thinking everyone was just sort of riding around， staying one step ahead of （or behind） whoever they were interacting with。 That being said， I still feel like there is more to be mined from the relationship between our two protagonists， so hopefully this isn’t their last chapter， and that the next one will live up to my （maybe too high？） expectations。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Forced Perspectives
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Forced Perspectives&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Forced Perspectives&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0