- Hardcover: 418 pages
- Publisher: Subterranean Press; Sgd Ltd edition (30 Sep 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 159606188X
- ISBN-13: 978-1596061880
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"Powers writes action and adventure that Indiana Jones could only dream of."--"The Washington Post"
""Expiration Date" is a minefield of exploding surprises that will have readers convinced that the author has tapped into a more magical reality behind everyday life."--"Publishers Weekly"
""Expiration Date" is fascinating...It'll have you turning pages as much for its sheer inventiveness as for the plot....for the remarkable frisson that sparks from the page, the playfulness of the language."--Charles de Lint, "The M"agazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
""Expiration Date" is a minefield of exploding surprises that will have readers convinced that the author has tapped into a more magical reality behind everyday life."--"Publishers Weekly"
""Expiration Date" is fascinating...It'll have you turning pages as much for its sheer inventiveness as for the plot....for the remarkable frisson that sparks from the page, the playfulness of the language."--Charles de Lint, "The M"agazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
People throw off "shells" of themselves during peak experiences of their lives and ghosts in-between-states feed off these shadows. This book unravels a series of such strange goings-on in Los Angeles and Venice where a host of compelling characters run from their own ghosts.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
I don't know why so many fans & regular readers of Powers are often so down on this book. I thought it was a worthy companion to Last Call, similar in setting but a completely separate novel in it's own right. In this world of ghosts & ghost junkies, the supernatural balance is suddenly rocked by the presence of a great, highly powerful ghost released unwittingly by a teenage boy called Kootie, which he blindly inhales, becoming possessed by it. It is no spoiler to say this ghost is that of Thomas Edison. According to Powers' take on history, Henry Ford contained Edison's last breath on his deathbed inside a glass jar so that he could protect it forever from the fiendish ghost hunters who would be out to get possession of it & ingest it. Over time, Ford was robbed of the jar, and it ended up in the hands of Koot Paraganas' parents, and it was hidden inside a statue of Dante's Inferno. Once the boy releases the ghost in the bottle, this starts the ball rolling for a number of events, as Kootie becomes the object of high rolling ghost hunters, who ingest the ghosts to ultimately not just gain a high, but to gain a twisted sort of immortality. Some of these ghost hunters have been alive so long they have forgotten who they once were, and even how old they are, as the personalities of the ghosts they have greedily inhaled have polluted their very being. (By the way, did you know that ghosts are not just created by death, but when you are born you give off "birth ghost"? Well, you do now).
At the same time, a man called Pete Sullivan is contacted after not hearing anything for several years by his twin sister Sukie, claiming that someone they once worked for is out looking for them. This person is Loretta DeLarava, another ghost junkie who is in fact after the ghost of Pete & Sukie's dead father so she can ingest it. Their father's ghost has just returned from the sea, from inside the belly of a giant, prehistoric fish! So, to avoid being found by this woman, and to protect their father's ghost, they must use a powerful "mask", which is none other than a mummified finger belonging to the great Houdini, along with plaster casts of his hands which Loretta had once stolen from the grave of Houdini, and which Sukie had stolen from Loretta back when working for her.
Anyway, enough about the plot. There is far, far more to it and you are best off just reading it. Typically, real characters are given their own mythos by Powers in this book, and themes & quotes from both Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass are present throughout the entire story, along with references to Jonah and the Whale, and probably far more things I missed due to not being intelligent enough to pick them up first time through! Personally, I really enjoyed Expiration Date, but as others have said, it probably would not be the best place to start if you are new to Tim Powers. Probably The Anubis Gates would be more accessible to begin with.
At the same time, a man called Pete Sullivan is contacted after not hearing anything for several years by his twin sister Sukie, claiming that someone they once worked for is out looking for them. This person is Loretta DeLarava, another ghost junkie who is in fact after the ghost of Pete & Sukie's dead father so she can ingest it. Their father's ghost has just returned from the sea, from inside the belly of a giant, prehistoric fish! So, to avoid being found by this woman, and to protect their father's ghost, they must use a powerful "mask", which is none other than a mummified finger belonging to the great Houdini, along with plaster casts of his hands which Loretta had once stolen from the grave of Houdini, and which Sukie had stolen from Loretta back when working for her.
Anyway, enough about the plot. There is far, far more to it and you are best off just reading it. Typically, real characters are given their own mythos by Powers in this book, and themes & quotes from both Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass are present throughout the entire story, along with references to Jonah and the Whale, and probably far more things I missed due to not being intelligent enough to pick them up first time through! Personally, I really enjoyed Expiration Date, but as others have said, it probably would not be the best place to start if you are new to Tim Powers. Probably The Anubis Gates would be more accessible to begin with.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Hearing that it was a sequel to the superb Last Call, I eagerly anticipated reading Expiration Date. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Powers excels at mixing reality with myth until the boundaries between them begin to blur, but this aspect of his work is sadly absent from Expiration Date. The plot focuses on a young boy, raised as a contender for the position of Fisher King, who accidentally inhales Thomas Edison's last breath and becomes possessed by his ghost. This triggers a chase by a variety of occult types who want Edison's ghost so that they can inhale it for the "ultimate high". So far, so good. However, the nature of the ghosts is never properly explained, and inconsistencies abound. For instance, Edison's ghost thinks and speaks like a normal human, whereas other ghosts are portrayed as mere fragments of consciousness. Why is Edison different? Does this have anything to do with the reason why the "ghost-eaters" want him? This is never explained. Added to this is an unsympathetic main character, a quite ridiculous villain (the fact that she is called "Loretta deLarava" doesn't really help the suspension of disbelief), and a lot of nonsense about "masks". The result is not a good read. There are, however, some redeeming features. The one-armed amnesiac Sherman Oaks is an interesting character, as he slowly begins to realise just how old he is, and the inclusion of Tim Power's trademark secret history, concerning Thomas Edison, Harry Houdini and Henry Ford, is as welcome as ever. On balance, though, this is a book to be avoided. Read something like Last Call or the Anubis Gates to see just how good Tim Powers can be.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
For me it had all the things that appealled in Last Call, Anubis Gates etc. - Great characters, the supernatural and the amazing blend of history and fantasy that keeps me hooked on Tim Powers books.
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