Last Call (original 1992; edition 1993)

*note to self.copy from Al.

More on the American Gods side of Urban Fantasy than on the de Lint or detective/werewolf/vampire side of Urban fantasy.

I was leery of starting it - despite its numerous award nominations - since I haven't been liking Urban Fantasy lately, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.

Though, I think if Powers had tried to stuff even one more myth into the book, it would have collapsed into a black hole. ( )

Mystical Las Vegas ( )

A complex, masterfully crafted tale based on Tarot, poker, Las Vegas and the Arthurian myth of the Fisher King. These disparate elements find an unlikely resonance together, given Powers' extraordinary story-telling skill. Not disappointing. Powers' characters are archetypal in scope, yet fleshed with depth and subtlety. One can identify elements of the hero's journey in the unfolding plot, making the book a pleasurable topic for study of the mythical structure in fiction.

It's a great idea;
There’s a cyclical battle to become The Fisher King, war waged by violence, gambling and magic. Souls are bought and sold, ghosts become real and the archetypes wait behind the tarot to give you power or drive you mad.

The problem is about half way through the paces starts slowing a bit and by 3/4s the cracks in the plot are starting show. Although don't get me wrong it's still very readable but the direction the plot takes isn't as interesting as I thought it might be, partly because it needs a bit of tightening up but also its starts to get too pat: the ending is unsurprising and seems a bit forced.

However did I mention the world? It's not spelt out in detail (which I love), its chaotic with a blend of religions and magic; tarot cards and ancient gods, chaos magicks and hidden royalty all blended in with the seedy side of crime. There are some great exciting action pieces, some wonderfully eccentric characters and Las Vegas makes a great backdrop.

So I do recommend it, it's worth reading for the idea and none of it's boring, just the end is slightly disappointing.

One for a long journey perhaps? ( )