Hide Me Among the Graves
Ratings7
Average rating3.4
15
Ratings7
Average rating3.4
From Last Call to On Stranger Tides to Declare to Three Days to Never, any book by the inimitable Tim Powers is a wonder. With Hide Me Among the Graves, it’s possible that the uniquely ingenious Powers has surpassed even himself. A breathtaking historical thriller in which art and the supernatural collide, Hide Me Among the Graves transports readers back to mid-19th century London and features a reformed ex-prostitute, a veterinarian, and the vampire ghost of Lord Byron’s onetime physician, uncle to poet Christina Rossetti and her brother, the painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. A novel that, like all his others, is virtually impossible to pidgeonhole—or to resist—Hide Me Among the Graves is the taut, gripping, and utterly remarkable literary thrill ride that Tim Powers fans have been eagerly waiting for.
Reviews with the most likes.
I didn't know this was a sequel to [b:The Stress of Her Regard 417656 The Stress of Her Regard Tim Powers https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1290918017s/417656.jpg 937457] until I had already started reading.
It's been quite a while since I last read this author – the mid-90s to be imprecise. He's a talented writer and I enjoy his stuff though others I've read by him I've liked better, I enjoyed this one as well. This is sort of a more literate take on a gothic horror story. There's some wonderful imagery throughout. The story takes place in mid-19th century London and its main characters include John Crawford, a veterinarian, Adelaide McKee, a reformed ex-prostitute, Christina Rossetti and her brother Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and a very interesting rogue named Edward Trelawny. These latter three are all real characters from history. At a young age, Christina unwittingly lets loose the vampiric ghost of John Polidori, her uncle and one-time physician to Lord Byron. Polidori, along with some other vampiric spirits are up to no good and Crawford, McKee, Trelawny, and Rossettis have good reasons to vanquish him and his kind. There are occasional bits of action in the story, but too often it tends to get bogged down with the characters discussing their plight.
I didn't realize it until after I'd finished reading the book, but it's a sequel of sorts to the book The Stress of Her Regard which involved vampires, Lord Byron, and the father of John Crawford. I remember that one as a quicker moving tale. (Read it back in 1992). Took me about a month to get through this one. Powers' earlier books, On Stranger Tides and The Anubis Gates are among some all-time favorites of mine.
