Download Free Audio Last Call (Fault Lines #1) Books

Describe Based On Books Last Call (Fault Lines #1)

Title	:	Last Call (Fault Lines #1)
Author	:	Tim Powers
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	Special Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 544 pages
Published	:	December 1st 1996 by William Morrow Paperbacks (first published April 1st 1992)
Categories	:	Fantasy. Fiction. Urban Fantasy. Science Fiction. Horror. Science Fiction Fantasy. Speculative Fiction

Last Call (Fault Lines #1)

Tim Powers

Paperback | Pages: 544 pages

Rating: 4.07 | 5848 Users | 448 Reviews

Interpretation In Favor Of Books Last Call (Fault Lines #1)

In a word... (roughly translated, it means your naughty bits are fired up, tingly, and ready to rumble.) In more than a word... Last Call is my new favoritest book by Tim Powers. From a brain stimulating perspective, this produced a a significant amount of tingle by skillfully stroking a number of literary pleasure points. You know what I mean? First, I love the way the magical elements are woven credibly into the fabric of the story. They are, simultaneously, both elusive and omnipresent throughout the narrative. The magic saturates the story and blankets the characters, but it’s just outside the vision of “the rest of the world.” Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, one of my favorite fantasy novels, does this very well, as do books like Moonheart and Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint. Last Call pokes the bull squarely in its eye as well. Second, the magic system itself was smart, suave and tethered extremely well to the story. It also felt unique and internally credible, which is always important for this kind of story. Powers employs an elaborate, complex system of magic based on TAROT cards, with each of the tarot figure representing powerful, mythical “archetypes” through whom magical abilities can be channeled by those with the requisite skill. Third, the tie-in between the tarot-based magic system and professional poker was brilliant and made wild, wonderful sense within the context of the story. The standard 52 card poker deck is a derivation of the larger tarot deck minus some 22 cards known as the Major Arcana. Thus, all of the hopes, dreams, fears and other intense emotions invested by people while playing cards, even with these “diluted, reflections” of the more powerful tarot, create magical energies that can be drawn upon by those with magical ability. Again...brilliant. Finally, setting the book in my hometown of Vegas was a real treat for me, and likely added a bit to my overall happy. Plus, I gotta toss props to Timmy because he got every single geographical reference in the book correct. I know that may seem like a “lil bitty” thing, but it shows that he was conscious about getting the details right, and as a reader I really appreciated that. Tim cares about us and it shows. PLOT SUMMARY: As with most of Tim Powers’ books, Last Call is set up as a secret history, in which he uses real life historical figures and related events and creates an “alternative explanation” for such events being motivated by supernatural/magical considerations. Case in point: Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was not just a famous gangster. He was also a powerful magician and the avatar of the mythical archetype known as the Fisher King. Bugsy’s motivation for constructing the Flamingo Hotel and creating the foundation for today’s Sin City was to create a place of power where all of the energies created through gambling could be drawn upon to sustain him. Enter Georges Leon, the current avatar of the Fisher King who assumed the role after defeating and destroying Bugsy through a clever and complicated series of actions which, FYI, I thought was handled incredibly well. Now Georges is obsessed with his own mortality and has devised a really NEATtastic skill to keep himself young and spry (not to mention safe). Georges has acquired that ability to instantaneously transfer his consciousness into another body, permanently destroying the personality of the inhabitee. The catch: the inhabitee has to be one of his children. Enter Scott Crane (fka Scott Leon, Georges youngest son). When Scott was a tyke, Georges tried to pull the old “body snatcher” routine on Scott just as Georges had already done to Scott’s older brother. Well Mama Leon had had just about enough of that, thank you very much, and stopped the ceremony with a .44 magnum shot to Georges potty pole which completed ruined ALL of his luggage (the hanging bag and both carry ons). Scott and his mom then disappeared themselves leaving Georges with no Scott and no ability to make himself any more babies. However, keep in mind that Georges is one smart hombre and I’m sure he’ll think of something. Flash forward to 1989…and…… That’s all the set up I want to give because I don’t want to spoilerfy any of the good stuff for you. Everything above takes place in the Prologue of the book (with a few contextual details filled in so they make sense). The rest of the book is a combination of: (1) a gathering of some amazing characters, both magical and not, as they converge on Vegas to try and seize power from the King; and (2) Georges trying to hunt down and dispose of his competition so he can remain in power with the help of mysterious and dangerous card game known as ASSUMPTION…I told you he would think of something. THOUGHTS: Uh...Sploosh!! This was terrific and is one that I know I will read again at some point because the amount of information and detail that Powers pours into the story is substantial. The characters, including those representing “archetypes,” are interesting and well drawn. The dialogue is outstanding and the plot, though convoluted and very complex, is engaging as can be. It's excellent. But the real show stealing is the world-building and the tie-in between tarot lore, Arthurian legend and various mythologies. It was FantastiGASMness itself…. I only had two gripes with the book that kept me from giving it 5 stars. First, while the ending was satisfying and not exactly a letdown, it wasn’t the earth-shattering, toe curling climax that I was expecting. Second, I was a little disappointed with how a few of the supporting characters had their plot lines tied up in a less than exciting way. I thought it was a bit rushed and it felt like Tim was doing little meatball surgery towards the end. Upon a re-read, these gripes may go away but they do hold the book back just a tad. Still, an amazing book and one that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! Definitely 4.5 stars!! OR….again….in a word:

Identify Books Concering Last Call (Fault Lines #1)

Original Title:	Last Call
ISBN:	038072846X (ISBN13: 9780380728466)
Edition Language:	English
Series:	Fault Lines #1
Literary Awards:	Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (1993), World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (1993), Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Adult Literature (1993)

Rating Based On Books Last Call (Fault Lines #1)

Ratings: 4.07 From 5848 Users | 448 Reviews

Critique Based On Books Last Call (Fault Lines #1)

Summary: Reminded me of a mash-up of early Stephen King and Neil Gaiman... I loved it!I'm running miles (and miles!) behind on my reviewing, but I have to say something about this book - so let's bullet point: - I thought it was a fantasy/thriller based on poker. - I hadn't read any Tim Powers before and I found it hard to get psyched about the concept - It won me over pretty damn quick. - It's excellent - really, truly, I was a fool for not reading it sooner!Let me get one hang-up off my chest

I loved this. Many of Powers' familiar obsessions are on display: a drunk loser of a protagonist, a villain chasing immortality by possessing other people's bodies, and a magic system that blends pagan, occult, and Christian elements into a weird hash. Yet, the critic was correct who claimed Powers never writes the same book twice. This particular magic system, involving Vegas-style card games played with antique decks of Tarot cards, is dazzlingly original. One example: a magic poker chip

Last Call is the second book I've read by Tim Powers, with the first being Anubis Gates. I enjoyed Anubis Gates a bit more, as the central time travel conceit was better suited to my interest than the Tarot/poker focus of Last Call. However, I must say that knowing nothing about poker or Tarot did not significantly detract from my enjoyment of the book.If I had to liken Last Call to any other book that I've read, it would have to be Neil Gaiman's American Gods (though I believe Last Call was

I have wild respect for Tim Powers as an author. His books are complex, effortless blends of rigorous historical research with wild fantasy speculation which have always inspired me, and they contain complex webs of symbolism which would be postmodern if they weren't clearly tethered to a central meaning (here, for example, a sword presented by a turtle from Asian mythology in the shape of a poker chip turns into the wafer from the Eucharist and is broken and eaten to allow the moon goddess's

A Tarot card game where people's bodies are the stakes (called Assumption) forever changes Scott Crane's life. The Fisher King needs new bodies every 20 years to occupy, and obtains them through a magical Tarot card deck, playing Assumption over tamed water (Lake Mead). The stakes have been raised (and weirdly altered) by the fact that Scott Crane is also the biological son of the Fisher King (unknown to both at the time). I didn't get my head around how the card game works, probably because I'm

Like this one nearly as much as Powers's "On Stranger Tides" and more than Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" (similar subject matter).Powers does a lot of research. Obsessively immerses himself in whatever is available on a time and/or place that interests him, and then goes looking for the gaps in the facts. He runs screaming from Occam's razor and fills the void with the most complicated and far-fetched "possibilities". I love it.Here, he looks at Vegas, from the early days to the early 90s (when

I wanted to like this book much more than I didthere was much in it that appealed to me, but as with Powers The Anubis Gates, I found myself somewhat underwhelmed. Much of this reaction will be due to my lack of familiarity with both tarot and (especially) poker. I fooled around with tarot cards in my late 20s, but never really committed myself to learning the art. And I think the kids at the back of the school bus tried to teach me poker during my high school years, but that was many decades