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Tim Powers was another of the triumvirate of authors initially associated with steampunk (The third being Blaylock). I started reading Powers recently, as the Anubis Gates is sometimes considered steampunk. The Stress of Her Regard is not steampunk, however, but rather what is termed Secret History. Powers uses the real documented lives of historical figures, such as Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats, weaving them together and providing a supernatural story which fits within the established historical record. In this story, great literary figures such as Byron and Shelley have relationships with supernatural beings identified as vampires (John Polidori, a contemporary of Byron and a character in this book, wrote a short story called “The Vampyre” which is the first known vampire story written in English). However, unlike the beautiful shiny vampires from Anne Rice (The Vampire Chronicles 1973) , Stephanie Meyer (Twilight 2005), or L.J. Smith (The Vampire Diaries 1991), the vampires in The Stress of Her Regard are ancient stone spirits. Powers weaves a powerful tale, and this work has considerable literary merit. Powers clearly did extensive research into mythology and history to write a fantastic book. While tween vamp fans probably won’t be interested in this story, but those familiar with the literature of the Romantic period should enjoy it. I’ll likely reread this novel again before the 2011 Renovation Worldcon, where Powers will be a Guest of Honour. ( )

Have you ever wondered why romantic poets lead such tragic lives? Why did they have such poor constitutions? Why did they drink too much? Why did all their loved ones die so tragically? This novel provides the reason, vampires. Seems we have been living with them since the Earth was first formed. They are called the nephelim, a stone based life form that feeds on human blood. Our hero Crawford accidently marries into the “neffy” family by placing a wedding ring on the finger of a statue. The creature kills his wife and then begins passionate erotic nightly visits that leave him weak and feverish. He flees toward the Alps to find a cure and meets Percy Shelley and Lord Byron who are also afflicted by these creatures. Their lives become intertwined as they travel through Italy looking for the only way to be released from the beings poisonous regard.

Like all of the books I have read by Tim Powers, this is an adventure story that puts all of the characters in deep peril. They travel from England through Europe and they endure many physical and mental hardships. It is also a story about addiction. They all become addicted to the vampires for different reasons; to feel loved, to write poetry, through despair. Once addicted, they deny it and make excuses and conveniently forget what has happened. Even when the vampires kill their loved ones their will is too weak to give up whatever the creatures provide.

The story is well researched. The historical characters are well constructed and the author adheres to the actual stories of the many tragedies in their lives. The story opens with the fateful night when Byron, Shelley, Mary Shelley, and Polidori are challenged to write a ghost story. Polidori and Mary Shelley take up the challenge with one writing the first vampire story and the other writing “Frankenstein.” ( )

This is not ‘easy’ fantasy; this is dense, intricate work more akin to ‘hard’ science-fiction in its approach to its subject matter. If you are easily befuddled by sentences such as “This phantom and the sphinx evidently each existed at specific intensities of the time-slowing they’d been experiencing—each of the apparitions only became visible or invisible as a viewer approached or receded from its characteristic point of the time spectrum,” you’re going to find Stress a grind of a read. Stress also defies easy categorization, being at any one time a historical fiction, a fantasy, a vampire novel, or all three at once. It brings in elements of Egyptian, European, and Middle Eastern mythology, resulting in a sometimes-breathtaking literary epic of scope and grandeur.

Read the rest of the review here. ( )

Another Powers "shadow history" in which 19th century Europeans - particularly several famous writers - are haunted by extradimensional creatures and struggle to throw them off. Well-told, but similar in form to several of his other novels. Full review here. ( )

Byron, Shelley, Keats, vampires (well, lamia). What more could you want? ( )