Hide Me Among the Graves: A Novel

From Last Call to On Stranger Tides to Declare to Three Days to Never, any book by the inimitable Tim Powers is a wonder. With Hide Me Among the Graves, it’s possible that the uniquely ingenious Powers has surpassed even himself. A breathtaking historical thriller in which art and the supernatural collide, Hide Me Among the Graves transports readers back to mid-19th century London and features a reformed ex-prostitute, a veterinarian, and the vampire ghost of Lord Byron’s onetime physician, uncle to poet Christina Rossetti and her brother, the painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. A novel that, like all his others, is virtually impossible to pidgeonhole—or to resist—Hide Me Among the Graves is the taut, gripping, and utterly remarkable literary thrill ride that Tim Powers fans have been eagerly waiting for.

Locus

“[A] breathtaking achievement, the complexity of which a review can only begin to capture...[A] powerful work.”

Entertainment Weekly

“[I]nternational metaphysical intrigue involving time travel, Jewish mysticism, and Albert Einstein. . . . [I]t all somehow works in Powers’ wily storytelling logic. B+.”

Denver Post

“[An] intense, downhill-race of a story . . . the summer sleeper hit of 2006.”

San Francisco Chronicle

“[THREE DAYS TO NEVER] contains so many genuine pleasures . . . plenty of action, humor and unexpectedly touching human drama. . . . [a] welcoming entry point to [Powers’s] singular fictional universe.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“A writer of extraordinary imaginative powers.”

Library Journal

“A wild and wooly romp-fun.”

Booklist

“Almost despite its wonderful weirdness, this thriller moves at a frantic clip . . . [the] very outlandishness [of Powers’s metaphysics] makes the story all the more compelling.”

New York Times Book Review

“Endlessly inventive . . . You might finish this overstuffed novel still unsure about the connection between Einstein and astral projection, but if you give in to Powers’s imaginative leaps and relentless pacing you may find that a mere quibble.”

San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

“For those who have never read Powers before, THREE DAYS TO NEVER might be a welcoming entry point to his singlular fictional universe.”

Rocky Mountain News

“Grade: A . . . Powers never fails to reward readers with fascinating and believable tales that take them just beyond the edges of reality. Combining historical fact, science-fiction and thriller pacing, THREE DAYS TO NEVER is worth the wait. . . . Savor THREE DAYS TO NEVER.”

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Machiavellian . . . [A]n astonishingly sophisticated and engrossing narrative.”

Publishers Weekly (starred review) on HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES

“[A] stellar supernatural thriller.…Powers works an impressively original variation on the vampire theme....The meticulous attention to historical and literary detail grounds the story solidly in its period and enhances its imaginative reach.”

Library Journal on HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES

“The nonstop action of this diverting steampunk thriller will attract many readers.”

Booklist on HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES

“In this fast-paced nail-biter... the breakneck pace and labyrinthine plot pull us through history, mythology, mystery, and horror with [Powers’] signature creative verve. ”

NPR.org on HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES

“It would be a serious mistake to dismiss Hide Me Among the Graves as something less than art....It’s a smart, exciting and perfectly constructed novel, and it’s hard as hell to put down.”

boingboing.com on HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES

“[A] fine example of the work of a much-beloved author, and a spooky ride through Victorian London to boot....Powers’s work engages with something prerational that is buried deep, deep in our brains, and that won’t be bullied into submission by mere reason. ”

Library Journal

“A fascinating exploration of the fine line between inspiration and insanity, this horror/historical fiction/adrenalin blend will make your flesh creep and your heart pound.”

From the Back Cover

London, winter of 1862, Adelaide McKee, a former prostitute, arrives on the doorstep of veterinarian John Crawford, a man she met once seven years earlier. Their brief meeting produced a child who, until now, had been presumed dead. McKee has learned that the girl lives—but that her life and soul are in mortal peril from a vampiric ghost. But this is no ordinary spirit; the bloodthirsty wraith is none other than John Polidori, the onetime physician to the mad, bad, and dangerous Romantic poet Lord Byron. Both McKee and Crawford have mysterious histories with creatures like Polidori, and their child is a prize the malevolent spirit covets dearly.Polidori is also the late uncle and supernatural muse to the poet Christina Rossetti and her brother, the painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. When she was just fourteen years old, Christina unwittingly brought Polidori's curse upon her family. And when Polidori resurrects Dante's dead wife—turning her into a horrifying vampire—and threatens other family members, Christina and Dante agree that they must destroy their monstrous uncle and break the spell. Determined to save their daughter, McKee and Crawford join forces with the Rossettis, and soon these wildly mismatched allies are plunged into a supernatural London underworld whose existence goes beyond their wildest imaginings.

About the Author

Tim Powers is the author of numerous novels including Hide Me Among the Graves, Three Days to Never, Declare, Last Call, and On Stranger Tides, which inspired the feature film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. He has won the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award twice, and the World Fantasy Award three times. He lives in San Bernardino, California.

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