"Explaining quantum mechanics to Blackbeard the Pirate" Topic

I just finished Tim Powers' "On Stranger Tides", and it is a terrific book.
What more could you want? Pirates, zombies, a damsel in distress, magic, the Fountain of Youth, a deranged one armed English philosopher, voodoo…

Powers knows his pirates. He is known for being a stickler for historical accuracy. I get the impression that he went through Captain Johnson's "Notorious … etc… Pirates" for colorful characters, and packs quite a few of them in here.

I truly wish that Disney had taken this book as its inspiration, instead of an amusement park ride. I can see Bloom as Jack Shandy, Johnny Depp as Philip Davies (for whom the role must be greatly expanded), Rush as the deranged philosopher, Keira as Beth… Throw in Jack black as Friend, and John Rhys-Davies as Blackbeard while you are at it.

Plot? We don' need no stinkin' plot synopsis. Suffice it to say that a young man from Europe comes to the New World and enters a Brave New World. Never ran across THAT plot before, have we?
Magic affects iron and vice versa.
It is very well done.

This is the third home run in a row I have seen Powers hit. "Declare" was an interesting mix of cold war espionage and magic (Did you know that Kim Philby could summon djinns and efreets?).
"The Drawing of the Dark" was a fun mixture of Saving the West, the Fisher King, Arthur, Vikings and beer.

The topic title comes from a discussion that the deranged philosopher has with Blackbeard on the nature of magic. You see, magic taps into the Uncertainty Principle on a sub-atomic level… This to me is hilarious, and very Socratic. All knowledge is already contained within the human mind, and to access it, all we need do is ask the proper questions.

Obviously I must read this book. Thanks for the inspiration – I have been looking for something lately.

I'd be interested to find out if you have read any of China Mieville's Bas-Lag novels. Not at all historical, but the characterization and breadth of his imagination is fantastic. In his books magic is often closely linked to probability, including some very different concepts on probability-bending machines and weaponry, time expansion, and my personal favorite, golem-ry as an art and science.

If you haven't read them, I would forewarn you that Mieville's themes often include heavily political undercurrents. Still, they are worth it even if you disagree with his take for the world he creates.

I haven't read any of them, but they sound interesting.

Spoilers!!!

A few tidbits from the Bas-Lag/New Crobuzon novels-

In Mieville's The Scar, one character wields a "Might-Sword" which, wired into the flesh of the user, allows a skilled swordsman to merge with the full range of possible strikes and guide the sword to that strike with the most probable success of a kill. In the same novel, several characters seek a probability rift where they can mine possibilities.

Glad you liked "On Strange Tides" John. It is one of my favs from Mr. Powers. I recommend "The Stress of Her Regard" for a very different take on vampires and the historical characters involved are Shelly and Lord Byron. Great book!

Powers is now on my "Buy without hesitation" list.
I am looking for "Anubis Gate" next at my FLBS.

But, first, I have to read Jim Butcher's "Furies of Calderon", which I already bought, since I loved the Dresden Files books.

Anubis gates is very good. He had one set in post-atomic-war California that was a bit weak.

But what has he written *recently*? We are talking about stuff that's over a decade old here. I think Drawing of the Dark was early 80's.

Well, I think most authors would be proud to have novels like 'On Stranger Tides' or 'The Anubis Gates' in their repetoire.

Speaking of obscure historical fantasy novels, though, you might also try to find Barry Hughart's 'A Bridge of Birds' and its two, not quite as good but still fascinating sequels.

I very recently read "The Anubis Gates" and reccomend it highly. I'll have to look into these other Tim Powers books – the man hooked me with that first home run.

Made me want to run some Mordheim-ish skirmish games in some sort of fantastic Victorian London, it did…