When Michael Crawford discovers his bride brutally murdered in their wedding bed, he is forced to flee not only to prove his innocence, but to avoid the deadly embrace of a vampire who has claimed him as her true bridegroom. Joining forces with Byron, Keats, and Shelley in a desperate journey that criss-crosses Europe, Crawford desperately seeks his freedom from this vengeful lover who haunts his dreams and will not rest until she destroys all that he cherishes. Told in the guise of a secret history, this long-awaited tale of passion and terror is finally back in print after over 20 years.
The Stress of Her Regard
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.60
Trade in The Stress of Her Regard for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.60, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Special Offer until June 30, 2013: Receive an additional £5 promotional Gift Card, when you trade-in at least £10 worth of books. Learn more
|
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
"Good serious fantasy doesn't come much better than "The Stress Of Her Regard"." "--Oxford Times"
From the Back Cover
THE MORNING AFTER THE NIGHT BEFORE
Dr Michael Crawford wakes to a bed soaked by carnage and the impossibly savaged body of his bride. He flees England to escape the hangman's noose. His only hope lies with the most notorious poets of the age: Keats, Shelley and Byron.
Slowly they bring Crawford to a terrible understanding of the force that damns him as surely as it protects him. For Crawford has another, secret, bride who rules the hours of his sleep. She is as beautiful as she is evil. She is an ancient power that threatens to ravage the lives of each of her lovers.
A masterful blend of the poetic and the grotesque, the real and the imagined, this transfixing novel displays Tim Power's mastery of the genre at his most ambitious best.
"The best fantasy writer to appear in decades"
THE GUARDIAN
"Great ambition and intensity . . . a complex and satisfying novel"
INTERZONE
"Good serious fantasy doesn't come much better than 'The Stress of Her Regard'"
OXFORD TIMES
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Daniel Cann
Format:Paperback
This highly acclaimed 1989 novel by Tim Powers has been re-released as a "prequel" to the recently published Hide Me Among the Graves. Having read and generally enjoyed "Graves" I was eager to see for myself what the fuss was all about regarding the first book.
It is lengthy at over 500 pages, but, I can happily report, it was well worth it. With the original premise of following the poets Byron, Keats and Shelley and blending their exploits with fiction, Powers has pulled a master-stroke in the genre of horror/fantasy.
This Gothic novel is descriptive, atmospheric, gripping, gory, chilling and utterly compulsive. Unlike its sequel, the characters here are exciting and charismatic. You really feel for the main character of Michael Crawford and the terrible predicament he finds himself in.
A story that has vampires, nephelim, living statues and a supernatural curse as the reasons for literary greatness gets my vote! This is about enjoying talent, but at a great personal cost.
Lyrical, ambitious, sprawling and epic, "The Stress of Her Regard" sees horrific events taking place against the backdrop of some of the most beautiful and picturesque parts of Europe: a neat juxtaposition.
This is about outcasts living in forced exile in Europe, being stalked by ancient mythical creatures. Frantic and fast-paced, the desperation leaps off the page.
Its only faults are some anachronisms: English and Irish 19th century poets would not use American slang and terms of phrase for example, exclaiming "Goddamit!" repeatedly. Also, they would not describe autumn as "the fall."
Nonetheless, this is an excellent novel and fully deserves the plaudits it already has, and it should enjoy new fans and a wider readership this second time around.
It is lengthy at over 500 pages, but, I can happily report, it was well worth it. With the original premise of following the poets Byron, Keats and Shelley and blending their exploits with fiction, Powers has pulled a master-stroke in the genre of horror/fantasy.
This Gothic novel is descriptive, atmospheric, gripping, gory, chilling and utterly compulsive. Unlike its sequel, the characters here are exciting and charismatic. You really feel for the main character of Michael Crawford and the terrible predicament he finds himself in.
A story that has vampires, nephelim, living statues and a supernatural curse as the reasons for literary greatness gets my vote! This is about enjoying talent, but at a great personal cost.
Lyrical, ambitious, sprawling and epic, "The Stress of Her Regard" sees horrific events taking place against the backdrop of some of the most beautiful and picturesque parts of Europe: a neat juxtaposition.
This is about outcasts living in forced exile in Europe, being stalked by ancient mythical creatures. Frantic and fast-paced, the desperation leaps off the page.
Its only faults are some anachronisms: English and Irish 19th century poets would not use American slang and terms of phrase for example, exclaiming "Goddamit!" repeatedly. Also, they would not describe autumn as "the fall."
Nonetheless, this is an excellent novel and fully deserves the plaudits it already has, and it should enjoy new fans and a wider readership this second time around.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
"The Stress of Her Regard" is a marvelous and well-researched work of historic fantasy based on the lives of several of the great Romantic poets (Keats, Byron, Shelley). Their muses are real, but they are no kindly Greek goddesses. They are obsessive and jealous supernatural creatures that have co-existed with humans for centuries, inspiring but untimately destroying their lovers/victims. Michael Crawford, the novel's hero, attempts to uncover the history of these vampire-like beings in an effort to find a way to free himself and others from their grasp. "The Stress of Her Regard" is a thrilling work that manages to be both intellectual and action-packed.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By sally_80
Format:Mass Market Paperback
A dark book about a man who inadvertently `marries' a statue - and a rather jealous one at that!
While not quite on a par with "On Stranger Tides" (but then, what is?) this is still a good read and with all the usual Powers' descriptive excellence and the mixing of fictional characters with historical ones. It starts off atmospheric and eerie enough but doesn't seem to keep up that level of gothic horror. Also, although there's humour and some well-drawn characters, it's not as memorable as "The Anubis Gates".
All the same, it's another solid offering from Powers and better by far than all those `sucking up ghosts' novels he went on to write.
While not quite on a par with "On Stranger Tides" (but then, what is?) this is still a good read and with all the usual Powers' descriptive excellence and the mixing of fictional characters with historical ones. It starts off atmospheric and eerie enough but doesn't seem to keep up that level of gothic horror. Also, although there's humour and some well-drawn characters, it's not as memorable as "The Anubis Gates".
All the same, it's another solid offering from Powers and better by far than all those `sucking up ghosts' novels he went on to write.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
A book that seems to use as it's basis that soom of the last centuries darker poetry, was a fanciful version of the truth. Well written, absorbing, but in many ways original, it ties together many legends with great ease. For many pages i felt as confused as the main character, and needed to find the answers. I ended up reading it all in one sitting and at 500+ pages, that took a while. But well worth the time
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Marigolduser
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
An alternative view of the lives of the romantic poets. A vampire fantasy that fits beautifully with the facts that are known about the extraordinary lives of Keats, Byron and Shelley. It is compulsive reading and the European setting is well drawn. There is one aspect of the book that stops me giving it 5 stars and instantly broke the spell that was cast by the otherwise well written narrative. Every now and again (actually, quite frequently in places)one of the very British poets would come out with some very American word or phrase that was completely incongruous. This book really should be overhauled by a British editor because this issue really blights an otherwise excellent book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
The idea behind this book, famous figures from history dealing with supernatural creatures is clever and the creatures themselves are well developed and supported by a range of historical links that make them seem plausible.
Where this book falters is in the execution. The story takes ages to get going and rather dumps the reader in the middle of things without really explaining what's going on or what all the strange terms bandied about mean. The book is further spoiled by the complete unlikeableness of the historic poets (Byron, Shelley & Keats) and the ineffectiveness of the lead character, Michael Crawford, who never really drives the plot, merely tags along behind one or other the poets.
The book does pick up in the final third but still moves at a somewhat glacial pace as Crawford and various poets traipse back and forth across Italy.
If you're into your romantic poets then you might get more of a kick out of this book, but I won't be coming back to this book anytime soon.
Where this book falters is in the execution. The story takes ages to get going and rather dumps the reader in the middle of things without really explaining what's going on or what all the strange terms bandied about mean. The book is further spoiled by the complete unlikeableness of the historic poets (Byron, Shelley & Keats) and the ineffectiveness of the lead character, Michael Crawford, who never really drives the plot, merely tags along behind one or other the poets.
The book does pick up in the final third but still moves at a somewhat glacial pace as Crawford and various poets traipse back and forth across Italy.
If you're into your romantic poets then you might get more of a kick out of this book, but I won't be coming back to this book anytime soon.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 59 reviews
4.1 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Tedious and disappointing
Tim Powers is one of my favourite authors, and three of his books feature in my all-time Top Ten, but this isn't one of them. It's slow, boring, and incredibly depressing. Read more
Published 4 months ago by MR PAUL JOHNSON
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Stress of Her Regard
Michael Crawford is on his way to get married. During a drunken evening with his friends he places the wedding ring on the finger of a statue, which he later finds he is unable to... Read more
Published 10 months ago by S Riaz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Romantic Powers
A wonderful book about the younger Romantic poets with an ingenious "what really happened behind the scenes" twist.
Published on 3 Jun 2008 by ensj
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Fantasy > Historical
- Books > Fiction > Historical
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
