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.

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.

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

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

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

“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. ” - Booklist on HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES

“Powers has notably refined his novelistic skills. His set pieces are no less spectacular and his plotting no less kinetic, but the prose is more measured and less overripe than in those earlier works, the characters more complex and conflicted, the action more tightly focused....this is his best novel in years.” - Locus 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. ” - boingboing.com 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.” - NPR.org on HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES

“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.” - Library Journal

“[A] stellar supernatural thriller.…Powers works an impressively original variation on the vampire theme, and makes the Rossetti’s crusade extremely poignant through the revelation that they are their most creative only when under the vampire’s malignant influence. The meticulous attention to historical and literary detail grounds the story solidly in its period and enhances its imaginative reach.” - 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.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) on HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES

“The nonstop action of this diverting steampunk thriller will attract many readers.” - Library Journal on HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES

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

“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.” - Rocky Mountain News

“Machiavellian . . . [A]n astonishingly sophisticated and engrossing narrative.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“It would be a serious mistake to dismiss Hide Me Among the Graves as something less than art. It’s literary fiction in two senses of the word. First, it’s a fascinating fictionalized look at some of England’s most interesting authors - not just Polidori and the Rossettis, but also the long-underappreciated Trelawny. Second, it’s written impeccably. Powers is a master of suspenseful plotting, and his descriptions of the gaslighted streets and underground tunnels of 19th-century London are awesomely creepy....Above all, though, Hide Me Among the Graves is just pure fun. Powers knows how to temper terror with humor, and he knows something that a lot of adventure writers never learn: Without well-rounded, fully realized characters, it doesn’t matter how good your concept is. It’s a smart, exciting and perfectly constructed novel, and it’s hard as hell to put down. Let the kids have their overwrought, sullen romances - Hide Me Among the Graves is a vampire novel for readers who still believe in the power, and the joy, of great literature.” - NPR.org on HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES

“[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.” - San Francisco Chronicle

“A writer of extraordinary imaginative powers.” - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“A wild and wooly romp-fun.” - Library Journal

“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.” - Booklist

“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.” - New York Times Book Review