Happy birthday to the extraordinary Tim Powers

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Photo by Matt Gush

Best known for crafting intelligent and unique secret histories, Tim Powers first gained acclaim for one of the earliest and finest steampunk novels: The Anubis Gates (1983), which won the Philip K. Dick, SF Chronicle, and Prix Tour-Apollo awards. Many of his other works have also won awards including Dinner at Deviant’s Palace (1985; Philip K. Dick), THE STRESS OF HER REGARD (1989; Mythopoeic Award), Last Call (1992; World Fantasy and Locus), Expiration Date (1995; Locus), Earthquake Weather (1997; Locus), Declare (2000; World Fantasy and International Horror Guild), THE BIBLE REPAIRMAN AND OTHER STORIES (2011; World Fantasy and Locus), and Hide Me Among The Graves (2012; Lord Ruthven).

Cover by Josh Beatman
Cover by Ann Monn

Powers’ novel On Stranger Tides (1987) inspired both the Monkey Island video game franchise and the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Among his other acclaimed works are Three Days To Never (2006), Alternate Routes (2018), More Walls Broken (2019), Forced Perspectives (2020), The Properties of Rooftop Air (2020), Stolen Skies (2022), After Many a Summer (2023), and My Brother’s Keeper (2023).

Cover by Ann Monn

His numerous short stories have been collected in Night Moves and Other Stories (2000), On Pirates (with James Blaylock as by William Ashbless; 2001), The Devils in the Details (with James Blaylock; 2003), STRANGE ITINERARIES (2004), El reparador de biblias (2009; Spanish), THE BIBLE REPAIRMAN AND OTHER STORIES (2011), Down and Out in Purgatory: The Collected Stories of Tim Powers (2017), and Collected Stories (2018).

An accomplished artist, several of his smaller/limited edition publications offer Power crafted covers and interiors. He produced the covers to the James Blaylock chapbooks Doughnuts (1997) and Metamorphosis (2009) as well to his own chapbook The Bible Repairman (2006). Works with interior illustrations include The Silent Rebellion (2015), Selected Doodles (2011), and the Charnel House limited edition of The Stress of her Regard (1989).

All of us at Tachyon wish the amazing Tim a happy birthday. May it be the secret history of your choosing.