Powers of Two: Into the Real Live Library

“Powers of Two” (2004) is the reprint of Tim Powers’ two earliest novels, The Skies Discrowned and An Epitaph in Rust, originally published by Laser Books. As Powers retells it in his foreword, he and his fellow proto-steampunk friends James P. Blaylock and K. W. Jeter, learned that Harlequin Books (the romance publishers) were trying to branch out into science fiction and were looking for new talent. Powers quickly dropped his current project (a version of his A Dinner at Deviant’s Palace), wrote a few chapters, and sent them off to Laser Press as the new branch was called. They were accepted, he paused college, quickly finished The Skies Discrowned, and became a published author in 1976, while still in his early twenties. He followed up with Epitaph in Rust (the original title), but it was so badly edited that he decided that he would no longer submit work to Laser. The line folded soon after anyway. This corrected edition of both novels is published by the New England Science Fiction Association (NEFSA) on behalf of “Arisia 2004 in honor of their guest Tim Powers”.

The Skies Discrowned is set “In a time when Earth's interplanetary Empire is crumbling . . .On a world where technology has begun to fail . . .When the rightful ruler of the planet has been deposed by renegades . . .One young man embodies the spirit of survival. Frank Rovzar has seen his father murdered most foully in a palace coup. Escaping the deadly Transports, he flees to the only safe place he can think of, Munson Underground, the city beneath the surface of the planet, den of thieves and haven of the damned. Rovzar has only two goals. The first is survival. The second is vengeance. He will have both, he vows, and he embarks on a course that will see him rise from the dregs of society to the very pinnacle of power.” – Google Books.

An Epitaph in Rust is takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth, mostly in the decaying city of L.A. and its surrounding area. “When Brother Thomas tries sky-fishing from the monastery roof he knows he is breaking the law, but the few risks seem a small price to escape the stifling boredom of his cloistered life. What he doesn't understand is why his insignificant brush with the law makes him the object of a massive manhunt and triggers off such a dramatic chain of events. Certainly, he achieves his aim and finds the excitement he craves - but in the process the lives of everyone around him change as well.” – Google Books. What with the presence of mutants and androids this book seems even more sci-fi than Discrowned with its off-world setting.

In these early productions Powers’ themes are already on full display. The move from innocence to initiation, the triumph of skill over power, and the steep price that must be paid for both (it is a rare Powers hero that does lose at least one body part during his adventures). Science Fiction, rather than Secret History, was his mode here, and his writing style might be described as snappy and scrappy as compared to his later, more involved style. Both are good, but quite different. In fact, I was reminded sometimes of early Blaylock, where adventure takes precedence over emotional and psychological insight. But perhaps that is only my awareness of their personal connection raising its cumbersome head. Speaking of which, the shared fictional poet Ashbless gets a mention in each novel. Squee!