Reviews

Dinner at Deviant's Palace by Tim Powers

tarabyt3's review against another edition

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3.0

Tim Powers has a rather raw way of writing that is both intriguing and alienating at once for me. The book has aged well enough, but I found a lot of the plot devices to be a bit too convenient. So while it was an interesting read, it was mostly just a fun one for me.

abookishtype's review against another edition

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4.0

I’ve been a fan of Tim Powers for years, ever since I read Last Call and Declare. There’s no one else quite like him in fiction. His books are strange and original and fantastical. Reading them is an immersive experience where you have to learn what’s going on with a minimum of expository text; you learn everything from context. Dinner at Deviant’s Palace is not a new book. It was originally published back in the 1980s. But because it was set in a future, post-apocalyptic version of Los Angeles, it doesn’t feel dated at all. Even early in his career, Powers’ style is still well developed and masterly...

Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley at review consideration.

una_10bananas's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

riduidel's review against another edition

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1.0

[b:Le palais du déviant|209700|Dinner at Deviant's Palace|Tim Powers|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1212509773s/209700.jpg|937394] est un roman de [a:Tim Powers|947|William Shakespeare|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1179017891p2/947.jpg] dans lequel on suit les aventures d’un ancien héros (oui, enfin bon, son boulot n’importait guère, mais il sauvait des jeunes en détresse et, globalement, était apprécié) qui repart pour le souvenir d’un ancien amour.
Pour être clair, c’est sans doute le plus faible des romans de Powers que j’ai lu. Dans ce roman, on retrouve en partie le mélange qui a fait le succès des [b:voies d’Anubis|142296|The Anubis Gates|Tim Powers|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172136827s/142296.jpg|2193115], mais sans beaucoup d’inspiration. En effet, le héros vogue de mésaventure en mésaventure, aussi variées les unes que les autres, mais sans réelle unité.
De plus, le décor post-apocalyptique est pour le moins décevant. Hors un résidu de Los Angeles, il n’y a qu’une morne plaine, évidement radioactive, à se mettre sous la main. Et tout ça pour quoi ? Pour aller sortir une donzelle d’une secte (au début) avant de se rendre compte que ce morceau de terre n’est finallement qu’un rêve incarné, bien malgré le rêveur. Bref, j’ai été bien déçu, et je ne recommande pas cette lecture.

honniker's review

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2.0

This is one of those cases where I thought I was really going to enjoy this book based on the description. Post apocalyptic and a cult? awesome! I finished the book, but had a hard time getting into it. I didn't really enjoy it. It's not that it's a badly written book, or that their are errors and things, it just turned out that I wasn't a huge fan of this book. You might like it, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

joannawnyc's review

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3.0

Shows that Powers had his style down pat quite early on, though it didn't really flesh out till later. Quite enjoyable! Really more of a 3.5, but I rounded up out of sentiment.
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