Declare and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more

Buy New

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
Buy Used
Used - Good See details
Price: £2.69

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
Start reading Declare on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Declare [Paperback]

Tim Powers
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
Price: £7.19 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £1.80 (20%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 1 left in stock (more on the way).
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.
Want delivery by Saturday, 25 May? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £3.59  
Hardcover --  
Paperback £7.19  
Audio, CD, Audiobook --  
Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more.

Book Description

1 Jun 2010
A mesmerising, award-winning, daringly imaginative, multi-levelled thriller for fans of John le Carre or Neal Stephenson

An ultra-secret MI6 codename, a deadly game of deception and intrigue - Dark forces from the depths of history. It is the terrible secret at the heart of the cold war.

Operation: Declare London, 1963.

A cryptic phone call forces ex-MI6 agent Andrew Hale to confront the nightmare that has haunted his adult life: an ultra-secret wartime operation, codenamed Declare.

Operation Declare took Hale from Nazi-occupied Paris to the ruins of post-war Berlin and the trackless wastes of the Arabian desert, culminating in a night of betrayal and mind-shattering terror on the glacial slopes of Mount Ararat.

Now, with the Cold War at its height, his superiors want him to return to the mountain and face the dark secret entombed within its icy summit. Hale has no choice but to comply, for Declare is the key to a conflict far deeper, far colder, than the Cold War itself.

'A brilliant, strange crossbreed of the spy thriller and the supernatural' - China Mieville

Frequently Bought Together

Declare + The Anubis Gates (FANTASY MASTERWORKS) + On Stranger Tides
Price For All Three: £20.37

Buy the selected items together


Product details

  • Paperback: 576 pages
  • Publisher: Corvus (1 Jun 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1848874030
  • ISBN-13: 978-1848874039
  • Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 19.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 172,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Product Description

Review

Tim Powers is a brilliant writer. Declare's occult subtext for the deeper Cold War is wonderfully original and brilliantly executed --William Gibson

Dazzling - a tour de force, a brillant blend of John Le Carre spy fiction with the otherworldly, packed with historical fact, dazzling flights of imagination, and wonderful suspense --Dean Koontz

Philip K. Dick felt that one day Tim Powers would be one of our greatest fantasy writers. Phil was right --Roger Zelazny

About the Author

Tim Powers is a two-time winner of both the World Fantasy and the Philip K. Dick Memorial Awards and three-time Locus Award recipient. He lives in San Bernardino, California.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
From the telephone a man's accentless voice said, "Here's a list: Chaucer...Malory..." Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Espionage and Arcana 17 Nov 2010
By M. Hepworth TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Tim Powers has written a number of novels on the theme of mystical influences behind the real world, and Declare is no exception. Protagonist Andrew Hale joins the British Secret Intelligence Service during WWII, serving against Germany and then in the infant Cold War, confronting increasingly strange events that culminate in some desperate mission on the slopes of Mount Ararat in 1948, codenamed Declare. Flash forward to 1963, and Hale is reactivated and thrown into another desperate attempt to finish Declare. Powers weaves the two timelines expertly, so we gradually discover some of the truth with the young and naive Hale, while following the older and more cynical man into the heart of the mystery.

Declare carefully takes as many true events as it can, inserting Andrew Hale and the mysterious forces he faces into the unexplained spaces between official accounts. A central figure is Kim Philby, real-life KGB double agent who worked for MI6 for 20 years before exposure. Powers also gives us real-life Soviet spy rings in Paris, machinations in Arabia, and post-war Berlin. He never leans too heavily on his intensive research, and it just flows and merges beautifully. Without Wikipedia you'd never be able to tell what is real and what is imagination. Hale is a character in the tradition of John Le Carre - insecure, frightened, and very human. The book depends totally on the reader engaging with him, and thankfully he is one of Powers' best characters.

Powers has never had the success he deserves, and Declare is a perfect example of why he should, but never will. It could have been a blockbuster-style spy novel with pulp monsters and sold well with a cheesy cover, but instead he crafts a Le Carre tale of tradecraft with enigmatic and subtly terrifying mystical forces. It's a brilliantly judged book, immersing you in the world and pressing you on to the conclusion. For me, it is his most successful book, where his obsessions with mystique and period detail meld to the best effect.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Cold War fantasy 29 Jun 2011
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This WWII/Cold War supernatural, espionage thriller was excellent. I've only read two of his books but already I think I'm becoming a Tim Powers fan. I was very impressed by how well the story fit into the gaps between real events -admittedly I've mostly taken the author's word on this, but he seems like a writer who does his research. Declare was intriguing as at first I didn't know quite what was going on (much though I enjoyed The Anubis Gates I did guess a major plot point by the end of the second chapter). The supernatural elements unfolded far more slowly and were initially more subtle. It kept me reading as I wanted to know what was going on.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars John Le Carre meets Dennis Wheatley 1 Jun 2011
By The Emperor TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
This was a fantastic achievement. Powers really is a great writer. This worked superbly as both an espionage novel and as occult/fantasy book.

It was slightly slow at the start and but I soon got into it. There were some slightly jarring elements to it, such as the English main character using American words and some very few slight historical inaccuracies.
However those are about the only criticisms that I can make.

The occult and the supernatural elements are very well done and always leave you wanting to know more. The spy and adventure story parts are also very well thought through.

The research that has gone into this book is very impressive and it doesn't overwhelm the plot.

Maybe the best thing that I can about this novel is that it almost seems believable and plausible.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
I really enjoy faction style books and was looking forward to reading this one. However, I found the plot very confusing and tedious. Such that I gave up half way through the book. Read more
Published 17 days ago by PJS
3.0 out of 5 stars bit of a squib
I gave up with this book - to me didnt flow or catch you like other books i have read. Maybe just me but i struggled with it and didnt finish it
Published 1 month ago by rustic snail
4.0 out of 5 stars Hard work, but worth it
This book is written very much in the Le Carre style of gritty detail, which I find hard work and slightly depressing. Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. Heritage
5.0 out of 5 stars ALL ARABIST MUST READ THIS.
Very easy reading, if you have had an advanced education. Suggest you read THE SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM. T.E. LAWRENCE.
Published 1 month ago by BRIAN TURTON
3.0 out of 5 stars Strange mixture
Yes, strange mixture of mysticism and the hard boiled life of a secret agent. Like John le Carre but with djinns!
Published 1 month ago by Christine Puckering
4.0 out of 5 stars Gotta love Powers?
This isn't his best book by any way but even mediocre Powers is better than most other authors. (Sorry George R.R.Martin fans, you ain't in the same league! Read more
Published 3 months ago by steve broomfield
1.0 out of 5 stars So sad
I really am sad for this review but I just did not like this book.

I am a huge fan of Tim Powers having loved The Anubis Gates, Drawing of the Dark, On Stranger tides... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Reality_
5.0 out of 5 stars superb
one of those books that will stay with me for ever, fantastic action, scary suspense scenes, good amount of history, great character mix, unbelievable fiction, literally travels... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Giacomo
2.0 out of 5 stars Not sure
I'm a fan of Tim Powers's "Drawing of the Dark", but have struggled with his other books. I'm OK with the "real life" elements of this book, and can just about follow the plot... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Thomas Atkins
1.0 out of 5 stars Long winded drivel
I just couldn't make sense of this book. It seems like it's trying to merge two books into one and it doesn't really work. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Parp
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Amazon.co.uk Privacy Statement Amazon.co.uk Delivery Information Amazon.co.uk Returns & Exchanges