The Bible Repairman and Other Stories Review
Title: The Bible Repairman and Other Stories
Author: Tim Powers
Date Purchased: 4/21/2014
Price Paid: $1.99
Date Finished: 1/24/2021
Rating: 4/5
When I was a teenager I picked up a copy of The Anubis Gates from the high school library. I don’t remember exactly why I did, but I have a feeling it was a recommendation from one of the teachers at the school whose opinion I respected.
No matter why I picked up that book, I found myself really enjoying Tim Powers. He’s got a way with storytelling that really appeals to me, and his narratives are often haunting and stick with you for years.
Of course, with a collection of short stories I wasn’t sure what to expect -would he be able to weave tales that are of the same quality I’ve come to expect in a much shorter time?
In a word, yes.
But first I’ll talk about Powers for a minute. He’s one of those authors that when he’s on, he is ON and the pages just fly by as you’re reading them. But conversely, when his stuff isn’t that great? Well, it can tend to drag.
Many of Powers’ works are deeply rooted in history. He has a knack for taking historical figures and events, dipping them in a big old supernatural vat, and explaining pieces of this history through a weird lens. Powers at his best makes this absolutely delightful and engaging. When he’s not? It’s a bit of a slog mired in pseudo-history.
So, on to the stories in this collection. Without burying the lede, I greatly enjoyed this collection as a whole. Some of the stories were better than others, but my favorites featured Powers doing what he does best: slowly introducing the reader to the occult nature of the story, thereby gradually bringing understanding into the chaos of the tale.
I would break down some of the stories in more detail, but each one bears a bit of a twist at the end which I don’t want to spoil. Not always a surprise ending, mind you, but often a wrinkle that changes the course of things.
Ranking the six stories in order of my enjoyment:
- The Bible Repairman
- A Journey of Only Two Paces
- Parallel Lines
- A Soul in a Bottle
- The Hour of Babel
- A Time to Cast Away Stones
Unfortunately, the last story on my list is also the final (and longest) story in the book, and suffers from a bit of historical bloat. At least at the beginning…I would have enjoyed it more at half the length.
At the end of the day, I’m glad I read this one and wish I’d queued it up sooner!
Final Thoughts: Definitely worth the read. The longest story is the least smooth, but some of these stories are reminiscent of his best works.