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A Soul in a Bottle
A first edition of a 1968 book of poems, with a sonnet that appears in no other copy -- a mysterious girl with a special fountain-pen, who needs a special favor -- and an old woman who warns used-book dealer George Sydney that helping the girl he's fallen in love with will mean that he will never have fallen in love. Hollywood Boulevard, with its bars and used-book stores and the legendary Chinese Theater, is the psychic killing ground where Sydney must learn the rules of an old supernatural rivalry -- and choose to save either the woman he loves, or his soul.
83 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
1 person is currently reading
240 people want to read
About the author
Tim Powers
168 books1,754 followersTimothy Thomas Powers is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Powers has won the World Fantasy Award twice for his critically acclaimed novels Last Call and Declare.
Most of Powers's novels are "secret histories": he uses actual, documented historical events featuring famous people, but shows another view of them in which occult or supernatural factors heavily influence the motivations and actions of the characters.
Powers was born in Buffalo, New York, and grew up in California, where his Roman Catholic family moved in 1959.
He studied English Literature at Cal State Fullerton, where he first met James Blaylock and K.W. Jeter, both of whom remained close friends and occasional collaborators; the trio have half-seriously referred to themselves as "steampunks" in contrast to the prevailing cyberpunk genre of the 1980s. Powers and Blaylock invented the poet William Ashbless while they were at Cal State Fullerton.
Another friend Powers first met during this period was noted science fiction writer Philip K. Dick; the character named "David" in Dick's novel VALIS is based on Powers and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Blade Runner) is dedicated to him.
Powers's first major novel was The Drawing of the Dark (1979), but the novel that earned him wide praise was The Anubis Gates, which won the Philip K. Dick Award, and has since been published in many other languages.
Powers also teaches part-time in his role as Writer in Residence for the Orange County High School of the Arts where his friend, Blaylock, is Director of the Creative Writing Department. Powers and his wife, Serena, currently live in Muscoy, California. He has frequently served as a mentor author as part of the Clarion science fiction/fantasy writer's workshop.
He also taught part time at the University of Redlands.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
Most of Powers's novels are "secret histories": he uses actual, documented historical events featuring famous people, but shows another view of them in which occult or supernatural factors heavily influence the motivations and actions of the characters.
Powers was born in Buffalo, New York, and grew up in California, where his Roman Catholic family moved in 1959.
He studied English Literature at Cal State Fullerton, where he first met James Blaylock and K.W. Jeter, both of whom remained close friends and occasional collaborators; the trio have half-seriously referred to themselves as "steampunks" in contrast to the prevailing cyberpunk genre of the 1980s. Powers and Blaylock invented the poet William Ashbless while they were at Cal State Fullerton.
Another friend Powers first met during this period was noted science fiction writer Philip K. Dick; the character named "David" in Dick's novel VALIS is based on Powers and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Blade Runner) is dedicated to him.
Powers's first major novel was The Drawing of the Dark (1979), but the novel that earned him wide praise was The Anubis Gates, which won the Philip K. Dick Award, and has since been published in many other languages.
Powers also teaches part-time in his role as Writer in Residence for the Orange County High School of the Arts where his friend, Blaylock, is Director of the Creative Writing Department. Powers and his wife, Serena, currently live in Muscoy, California. He has frequently served as a mentor author as part of the Clarion science fiction/fantasy writer's workshop.
He also taught part time at the University of Redlands.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 3, 2023
Soul in a Bottle is a Tim Powers ghost story. Powers, of course, is the absolute master of the ghost tale. His ghosts are his signature. They give his stories that disturbing, "through the looking glass" quality that set them apart from anything else out there. His ghosts are the connecting link of his many works, the cosmic glue of the Powers' universe, the brushstrokes of a master.
When I first read this story as a stand alone book I was disappointed with it, and my original review reflected that disappointment. I was expecting more, I think, at least a novella length work with greater character development and complexity. I wasn’t expecting a short story published alone in hardcover. So my initial reaction and review were driven by my unmet expectations rather than by the story itself.
I just finished rereading this tale in Down And Out In Purgatory: The Collected Stories Of Tim Powers. This time I met the story on its own terms and loved it. A typical Powers protagonist (cigarette smoking, alcoholic, rare books fancier) meets cute with a charming young woman whom he is shocked to discover is a ghost with a dark past and unfinished business. She seduces, and he falls under her spell.
”I love you,” she said, her eyes still closed.
“Do you love me? Tell me you love me.”
“Under,” he said in a shaky voice, “normal circumstances, I’d certainly be in love with you.”
“Nobody falls in love under normal circumstances,” she said softly. “Love isn’t in the category of normal things.”
Soul in a Bottle is a chillingly satisfying ghostly romance as only Tim Powers could write it. It’s short and bitter, with an ending twist that is perfect. The fact that Powers states that he was inspired to write this tale because of his obsession with the poet Edna St Vincent Millay earned the story it’s fifth star, as I too have spent a lifetime entranced with the poet.
When I first read this story as a stand alone book I was disappointed with it, and my original review reflected that disappointment. I was expecting more, I think, at least a novella length work with greater character development and complexity. I wasn’t expecting a short story published alone in hardcover. So my initial reaction and review were driven by my unmet expectations rather than by the story itself.
I just finished rereading this tale in Down And Out In Purgatory: The Collected Stories Of Tim Powers. This time I met the story on its own terms and loved it. A typical Powers protagonist (cigarette smoking, alcoholic, rare books fancier) meets cute with a charming young woman whom he is shocked to discover is a ghost with a dark past and unfinished business. She seduces, and he falls under her spell.
”I love you,” she said, her eyes still closed.
“Do you love me? Tell me you love me.”
“Under,” he said in a shaky voice, “normal circumstances, I’d certainly be in love with you.”
“Nobody falls in love under normal circumstances,” she said softly. “Love isn’t in the category of normal things.”
Soul in a Bottle is a chillingly satisfying ghostly romance as only Tim Powers could write it. It’s short and bitter, with an ending twist that is perfect. The fact that Powers states that he was inspired to write this tale because of his obsession with the poet Edna St Vincent Millay earned the story it’s fifth star, as I too have spent a lifetime entranced with the poet.
April 19, 2017
And so ends another incredibly difficult to find short story from Tim Powers, now I will quote here my own mantra that I do not do spoilers and I will leave the detailed reviews to others who know their trade far better than I do.
What I will say is that this is another example of how the myths and ideas presented in the various fault Lines books and "seeped" in to other stories and I for one love it and am infuriated it in equal mixes.
Let me explain - you see in the course of these books we are introduced to all sorts of strange and preternatural ideas and actions (particularly like the ideas of setting traps to catch wandering ghosts) but they are introduced in such a manner as to make them feel normal and even expected.
Then on the other hand you see strange signs and hints and you start to wonder if you have missed something, some sort of introduction to this strange sub world you missed or weren't paying attention to.
Well this is the world that Tim Powers made and this is the world Soul in a bottle resides in, a strange and magical one you are never quite sure what is going on it.
What I will say is that this is another example of how the myths and ideas presented in the various fault Lines books and "seeped" in to other stories and I for one love it and am infuriated it in equal mixes.
Let me explain - you see in the course of these books we are introduced to all sorts of strange and preternatural ideas and actions (particularly like the ideas of setting traps to catch wandering ghosts) but they are introduced in such a manner as to make them feel normal and even expected.
Then on the other hand you see strange signs and hints and you start to wonder if you have missed something, some sort of introduction to this strange sub world you missed or weren't paying attention to.
Well this is the world that Tim Powers made and this is the world Soul in a bottle resides in, a strange and magical one you are never quite sure what is going on it.
November 3, 2023
Falling in love with a ghost is something a lot of us romantic lovers of literature do. You discover a poet who wrote lines 100 years ago, directly to your own heart.
In this contemporary and yet delightfully goth-y twist on a Powers ghost story, the protagonist meets and falls in love with a sometimes corporeal ghost poet in modern day LA. She needs his help to settle a score, and his simple mundane world is turned upside down.
This is a fantastic story from beginning to end on its own merits, but the fact that it is loosely based on a tiny red haired ghost poet who haunts me too made it all the better.
In this contemporary and yet delightfully goth-y twist on a Powers ghost story, the protagonist meets and falls in love with a sometimes corporeal ghost poet in modern day LA. She needs his help to settle a score, and his simple mundane world is turned upside down.
This is a fantastic story from beginning to end on its own merits, but the fact that it is loosely based on a tiny red haired ghost poet who haunts me too made it all the better.
December 17, 2007
A quick novella, with standard Powers tropes -- an alcoholic protagonist who encounters the supernatural. (Spoilers follow.)
Being short, it apparently doesn't have room for the hero to badly injure himself; also, there is no redemption at the end.
Being short, it apparently doesn't have room for the hero to badly injure himself; also, there is no redemption at the end.
February 21, 2021
With type size and illustrations a novelette, but a full book and 83 pages looks good on my reading stats. I saw a review in March'07 F&SF for this and got it. The inside flap tells the entire story except how it ends. George, who looks for under-priced rare books and resells them, is accosted by a girl while doing his ritual of leaving three pennies on the sidewalk. She leaves without a name but saying they'd meet again. He was smitten. That part was really sweet. George later has to make a choice. My suggestion is don't read the inner flap, it's a better reveal if it's a surprise in the story. There is some poetry that is probably integral [I'm not a fan, more on the "it's lame" side], but doesn't totally ruin it by being there. Good, not great. Fast read, extremely fast if I didn't try to make sense of the poems.
April 29, 2015
First, a warning -- this is not a novel, or even a novella. This is a short story with a cover. But despite that, "A Soul In A Bottle" perfectly shows us why Tim Powers is one of the best writers you've never heard of. It starts off on a grey, rainy, dreary note, and is gradually illuminated with the light of Powers' haunting, bittersweet writing.
George Sydney makes a living off of used books -- he hunts down rare tomes and then sells them at a profit. And one day he finds a very, very rare book: a copy of poet Cheyenne Fleming's work, but with a sonnet that has never appeared in any other book. And on the same day, George encounters a beautiful young woman... and soon learns that she's the ghost of Cheyenne Fleming.
As he falls in love with her, George begins to search out the details of how Cheyenne really died, and what is tying her to the mortal world. There may be a way to restore her to life, but it would mean changing the past -- and the present.
Tim Powers seems to have a preoccupation with ghosts tied to material objects. You could see it in "The Bible Repairman," and it's the whole point of the story in "A Soul In a Bottle." This ghost story isn't scary, suspenseful or even weird -- instead it's a bittersweet contemplation of love, death and art, with a bittersweet denouement that leaves you thinking.
Powers paints Los Angeles as a grey, rainy place that is full of ground-up dreams, dirty streets and monuments to the celebrity dead. But the place lightens up whenever Cheyenne appears, a vibrant colorful flame even after she's dead. Apparently Powers based her on Edna St. Vincent Millay, and clearly he overflows with personal and professional respect for her.
"A Soul in a Bottle" is only a short story (and can be more cheaply obtained in one of Powers' later collections), but is a sublime little story that leaves you with a little twinge of heartache.
George Sydney makes a living off of used books -- he hunts down rare tomes and then sells them at a profit. And one day he finds a very, very rare book: a copy of poet Cheyenne Fleming's work, but with a sonnet that has never appeared in any other book. And on the same day, George encounters a beautiful young woman... and soon learns that she's the ghost of Cheyenne Fleming.
As he falls in love with her, George begins to search out the details of how Cheyenne really died, and what is tying her to the mortal world. There may be a way to restore her to life, but it would mean changing the past -- and the present.
Tim Powers seems to have a preoccupation with ghosts tied to material objects. You could see it in "The Bible Repairman," and it's the whole point of the story in "A Soul In a Bottle." This ghost story isn't scary, suspenseful or even weird -- instead it's a bittersweet contemplation of love, death and art, with a bittersweet denouement that leaves you thinking.
Powers paints Los Angeles as a grey, rainy place that is full of ground-up dreams, dirty streets and monuments to the celebrity dead. But the place lightens up whenever Cheyenne appears, a vibrant colorful flame even after she's dead. Apparently Powers based her on Edna St. Vincent Millay, and clearly he overflows with personal and professional respect for her.
"A Soul in a Bottle" is only a short story (and can be more cheaply obtained in one of Powers' later collections), but is a sublime little story that leaves you with a little twinge of heartache.
August 21, 2013
This tiny story is weirdly moving, and I truly mean weirdly.
For those of you who have never been in the book business, the central character would seem odd. He's a book scout. He's the guy who makes a living finding books cheap and selling them to used bookstores at enough of a profit to get buy, but spending his life in bookstores, thrift shops and garage sales, looking for that rare find that will get him a little ahead.
Over a brief period of time he finds two startling things:
1) A pretty and very mysterious woman who is very good at vanishing, and
2) a seemingly unique variant edition of a book of poetry.
As the stories of the two discoveries intertwine in ways that quickly become weirder. the reader is drawn into a story of suicide, or murder, or maybe just poetry written with very unusual ink.
Someone lives. Someone dies. Someone just exists. Who wins? That's a tough call...but now I'm going to have to check to see if there are spots for three pennies on the Jean Harlow handprint slab in Hollywood.
For those of you who have never been in the book business, the central character would seem odd. He's a book scout. He's the guy who makes a living finding books cheap and selling them to used bookstores at enough of a profit to get buy, but spending his life in bookstores, thrift shops and garage sales, looking for that rare find that will get him a little ahead.
Over a brief period of time he finds two startling things:
1) A pretty and very mysterious woman who is very good at vanishing, and
2) a seemingly unique variant edition of a book of poetry.
As the stories of the two discoveries intertwine in ways that quickly become weirder. the reader is drawn into a story of suicide, or murder, or maybe just poetry written with very unusual ink.
Someone lives. Someone dies. Someone just exists. Who wins? That's a tough call...but now I'm going to have to check to see if there are spots for three pennies on the Jean Harlow handprint slab in Hollywood.
April 3, 2012
I wanted to check out Tim Powers and this was the smallest book of his I could find, since he normally tends to turn out 500 volumes. Great story, very moving and very haunting, solid writing too. Good thing the library had this one, can't imagine spending $22 on a book it took me half an hour to read, albeit this is a lovely edition. I shall definitely read more by author in the future. Recommended.
December 12, 2018
Despite the page length, this is more of a short story than a novelette. It's Tim Powers, so it's a ghost story--here it's about love across time. It's not one of his better pieces, but it's worth the read.
September 16, 2011
I'm not saying this wasn't entertaining, but I think Powers is better in long form.
March 30, 2022
This was a two-fold delightful surprise. I just acquired two huge bookshelves and have been cleaning and sorting and relocating books for days. Was surprised to find this slim volume that I didn't recognize. It seems I swept it up in a bundle of books at the last Friends of the Library sale and promptly forgot about it. Let's talk about the physical book for a moment. This is a hardbound, illustrated, short story --it feels like a found treasure. The flourishes and artwork add to the mystique of the tale of a man who falls in love with a beautiful ghost he meets while placing coins on Jean Harlow's star at the Chinese theater. Now, I read this at night, so perhaps I missed something; I think the ending is just a wee bit unclear, but no matter. The ghost has a secret and an agenda. George Sydney must make a fate-filled choice. Clever story, beautiful book. I doubt I'll ever make it to the Chinese theater, but if I were to visit, I would be disappointed not to see a ghost. Loved this encounter!
October 28, 2022
I have to admit that this was a bit of an indulgence, the book itself is beautiful and contains one short story, I bought it second hand and had to wait for it to arrive from the USA. I read it as soon as it dropped through the letterbox, I loved the story which was creepy enough to be a nice bit of October reading, but, as always with the works of Tim Powers, so beautifully written. The illustrations by J. K. Potter are absolutely right for the book. I cannot really understand why this little gem of a book has only garnered 3 and a bit stars, I did not read the previous reviews before writing my own review as I did not want to colour my impression of either the story or the book itself with the opinions of others. Suffice to say I love this little book. The main protagonist is a small time dealer in books and likes a few drinks, what's not to love?
May 7, 2025
This one is short, like REALLY short, not even novella length if you factor in the illustrations. So, in good conscience, I can’t really recommend the purchase of this book unless you’re a serious Tim Powers fan (which, thank God, I am). This is a stand-alone short story that, while not connected with any other books, can be classified as one of his “Haunted Los Angeles” stories. While short, it IS good and is classic Powers. It’s got a noir feel, a ghost of a poet who committed suicide in the thirties (Or DID she?), alternate timelines, and alcoholism. 3.5 stars. Normally I'm not much for his short stories - I'm either not drawn into them or I feel like they'd do better in a longer (more fleshed out) format, but I really enjoyed this one.
March 24, 2019
You can find this story in Powers' Down and Out in Purgatory collection, but this is a nice hardbound edition. It's a great little story about ghosts, love, poetry, and alternate timelines. J.K. Potter's illustrations set the mood nicely. (You can see them here, along with other Potter-Powers illustrations.)
November 11, 2019
Very slim volume - really just a novelette in hardcover. Ghost story. If you like Powers, you'll like this one too.
January 8, 2025
Such a satisfying ending.
June 18, 2009
The story of a lost soul's journey of ressurection staring a used book dealer and a dead poet. A strange and erie little novella which yields intimate reading for the seasoned Angeleno. The overall theme is profoundly intriguing; however, the twist at the end leaves the reader with a lingering feeling of climactic dissonance.
January 2, 2008
A fun little ghost sory, very much in Tim Power's favorite tropes.
May 12, 2008
A short, creepy ghost story, with the quirky, evocative details that make Powers work so compelling.
June 7, 2010
I enjoyed this little story; I just wish it would have lasted longer. I'll have to read some other novels by Tim Powers.
Read
July 28, 2011Good read for a small book.
February 4, 2012
Definitely more of a short story than a book, but it was engaging nonetheless.
January 27, 2013
A 15 minute read but a good one - I think. Beautifully written.
Read
April 1, 2013Fiction P8887s 2006
November 30, 2013
Creepy and effective. I imagine this will stick with me for quite a while.
February 21, 2014
A worthy short read, but not a book that will remain with me. The writing does not distract - neither bad nor exceptionally good - and the story charms.
June 11, 2008
A simple, straightforward ghost story.
Read
May 1, 2017Subterranean Press (2006)
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews