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Declare Audiobook
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(4.00) - 1,934 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In his eleventh novel, Tim Powers takes his unique brand of speculative fiction into uncharted territory, instilling the old-fashioned espionage novel with a healthy dose of the supernatural.
As a young double agent infiltrating the Soviet spy network in Nazi-occupied Paris, Andrew Hale finds himself caught up in a secret, even more ruthless war. Two decades later, a coded message draws Professor Andrew Hale back into Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Elements from his past are gathering in Beirut, including ex-British counterespionage chief and Soviet mole Kim Philby, and a beautiful former Spanish Civil War soldier-turned-intelligence operative, Elena Teresa Ceniza-Bendiga. Soon Hale will be forced to again confront the nightmare that has haunted his adult life: a lethal unfinished operation code-named “Declare.” From the corridors of Whitehall to the Arabian Desert, from post-war Berlin to the streets of Cold War Moscow, Hale’s desperate quest draws him into international politics and gritty espionage tradecraft—and inexorably drives Hale, Ceniza-Bendiga, and Philby to a deadly confrontation on the high glaciers of Mount Ararat, in the very shadow of the fabulous and perilous biblical Ark.
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"This is why I read Tim Powers. Everything I like about his writing. After much thought I went ahead and put it on my Supernatural shelf, and certainly there are supernatural elements. But don't expect vampires or werewolves to be running all over. An engrossing, well written book."
— Janice (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Dazzling…a tour de force, a brilliant blend of John le Carré spy fiction with the otherworldly.”
— Dean Koontz -
“Tim Powers is a brilliant writer. Declare’s occult subtext for the deeper Cold War is wonderfully original and brilliantly imagined.”
— William Gibson, New York Times bestselling author -
“Highly ingenious…No one else writes like Powers, and Declare finds him at the top of his game.”
— San Francisco Chronicle -
“[Powers] orchestrates reality and fantasy so artfully that the reader is not allowed a moment’s doubt throughout this tall tale.”
— New Yorker -
“There’s never been a novel quite like Declare…one of the protean Powers’ most absorbing and rewarding creations.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review) -
“Declare is classic Tim Powers, his best novel since Last Call, and possibly his best to date.”
— Locus -
“Powers…an expert fantasy writer, has created a mind-bending mix of genres here, placing his gifts for extreme speculative fiction in service of a fantastical spy story. Daringly imaginative.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“This fine spy novel covering WWII and beyond has great action, great characters (including well known real-life personages such as British turncoat Kim Philby), and a captivating dash of science fiction/fantasy. What lies on Mount Ararat, where Noah’s Ark went to ground as the flood receded? Whatever it is has been fatal to visitors. Simon Prebble provides various British accents and uses his vast skill to enliven fascinating characters from many locales, particularly the Middle East. In particular, he knows how to inject tension and urgency into the plot.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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Nominated for the 2002 Mythopoeic Award
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Finalist for the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award
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Winner of the 2001 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel
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Winner of the 2000 International Horror Guild Award
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Nominated for the 2001 Nebula Award for Best Novel
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Nominated for the 2001 Locus Award Nominee
Declare Listener Reviews
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" A+++ cannot give this book enough love!! "
— Bj, 2/7/2014 -
" Good at times, moved to slowly at spots. Good book, but not a great book. "
— Dave, 1/29/2014 -
" Found a blog that said if you like Neil Gaiman, you'll like Tim Powers. So far, the blog was right. History plus fantasy? Yay! "
— Trisha, 1/24/2014 -
" Would have made a way better Indy movie than the one they churned out last. "
— David, 1/11/2014 -
" An unusual mix of British history, cold-war espionage, and dark fantasy. Powers is one of my favorite authors. He enriches his books with electic historical facts and draws unlikely parrallels between diverse aspects. "
— Scott, 1/9/2014 -
" if you like the intrigue surrounding the Gestapo and the Soviets in World War II, to me, this is one of the best Powers novels. The historical background is carefully done and the spy versus spy aspect is brilliant. "
— Michael, 1/5/2014 -
" Terrific blend of occult and spy novel genres. Powers is consistently very readable. "
— Rick, 1/5/2014 -
" What if Philby, Burgess and Maclean weren't just traitors and Russian spies but were involved in an epic supernatural struggle as well? For me spies and the supernatural are a great combination and Powers can always be relied upon to make an unlikely story work. "
— Dfordoom, 12/9/2013 -
" Occult LeCarre "
— Laetia, 11/11/2013 -
" One of the best Tim Powers books - definitely a slow-starter, but if you can get past the first 50 pages, you'll be richly rewarded!! "
— Jamie, 10/30/2013 -
" Incredibly creepy and awesome book. I felt like I was living the protagonist's life - not cause he resembles me at all, but I was that drawn in. "
— Daniel, 10/28/2013 -
" I have to declare that this book is one of the most boring I've had the misfortune to read 100 pages of this year. "
— Martinxo, 10/5/2013 -
" loved it - not perfect and a few little but glaring things that annoyed me in the writing, but probably the best supernatural/spy novel I've read - absorbing and hugely enjoyable. "
— Tom, 5/7/2013 -
" Very interesting premise. Plotting all over the place and way too long. "
— Stuart, 5/4/2013 -
" I gave up partway through. It's dense British spy work at its least rewarding. There may be great complicated plot threads weaving together, but I couldn't see the pattern for the yarn. Plus I bleeding hate limeys, love. "
— Caroline, 4/13/2013 -
" I really struggled with this book, and only finished out of sheer stubbornness. It's well-researched, and wholly unique, but it is a long, dense read with paragraph long sentences that just wore me down towards the end. I'd be interested to see what spy fiction fans made of it, though. "
— Allan, 11/26/2012 -
" A bit of a rushed ending, but the journey was wonderful. "
— Evan, 8/5/2012 -
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KJW, 2/6/2012
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" Finishing up my spy-fi jag with a reread of one of my favorites. It's still great; excellent espionage, excellent supernatural, all kinds of that awesome Tim Powers trademark slipping through the cracks of history. "
— peaseblossom, 8/24/2011 -
" Found a blog that said if you like Neil Gaiman, you'll like Tim Powers. So far, the blog was right. History plus fantasy? Yay! "
— Trisha, 3/1/2011 -
" As complex and mind-twisty as all of Tim Powers' books, it doesn't disappoint, but it's not light reading. "
— Glasscannon, 2/17/2011 -
" Demons (of a sort), spies, long-lost love, scattered across war-torn Europe and beyond. "
— Justin, 1/5/2011 -
" How to describe a novel filled with spies and magic that's not quite magic? There are double-crosses and triple-crosses and star-crossed lovers. Overall, once you pick up on the novel's pacing, it's a difficult book to put down. "
— Lori, 12/7/2010 -
" Really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't get into it at all. "
— Jay, 9/19/2010 -
" Any book that reads for 100 pages like a Le Carre spy novel before it diverts into the fantastic is a blast. If you don't mind [fantastic elements non-spoiled] and Cold War conspiracies mashed together, this is a book for you. "
— Steven, 9/5/2010
About Tim Powers
Tim Powers is the author of numerous novels, including Last Call, Declare, Three Days to Never, and On Stranger Tides, the inspiration for the blockbuster film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz. He has received the Locus, World Fantasy, and Philip K. Dick awards. He lives in San Bernardino, California.
About Simon Prebble
Simon Prebble, a British-born performer, is a stage and television actor and veteran narrator of some three hundred audiobooks. As one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices, he has received thirty-seven Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie in 2010. He lives in New York.