Declare by Tim Powers

It makes me angry that books like Dan Brown's novels and the Left Behind series are massively popular, while something as brilliant as Tim Powers's Declare goes unnoticed by the public at large. Declare is a spy thriller with a supernatural twist, involving secret groups, devious plans, dangerous men (and women), political intrigue, magic, and faith, all told in Powers's smart, thoughtful, engaging prose.

Powers specializes in so-called "secret history" narratives -- he heavily researches events, people, and periods that interest him and then crafts a story that is meticulously accurate in its historical details but fills in the gaps, so to speak, with an overarching plot straight from his imagination. In this case, He weaves together the true history of the notorious double agent Kim Philby, Communist Russia, and the English Secret Service, but gives them all a secret motive involving ancient beings and the promise of unlimited power and eternal life.

 And that's not it -- Powers tosses in World War II, Arabic mythology,* Bible stories, Lawrence of Arabia, spycraft, radio technology, and the Heaviside layer (and here I thought it was Cat Heaven). The result is a fascinating story that I did not want to end. Some of Powers's insights on faith and fear had me gasping out loud.  The ending is wonderfully satisfying in a low-key way, befitting a novel which is skeptical of power and might and calls on the characters to decide what they really believe in. I cannot recommend this book enough, and I look forward to rereading it (after I read even more of Powers's work).



*Reading both Declare and City of Brass has made me aware of how limited Western education can be. Like many other literature-loving Americans, I know a whole lot about Greek mythology, English folklore, Germanic fairy tales, and the Christian Bible. But I know almost nothing of Arabic culture and folklore, pre- and post-Islam, and I wonder how much I haven't quite understood in these two novels as a result.