Last call

by Tim Powers

479 pages

English language

Published Feb. 24, 1992 by Morrow.

ISBN:: 978-0-688-10732-1

(20 reviews)

One–time professional gambler Scott Crane hasn't returned to Las Vegas, or held a hand of cards, in ten years. But troubling nightmares about a strange poker game he once attended on a houseboat on Lake Mead –– a contest he believed he walked away from a big winner –– are drawing him back to the magical city. Because the mythic game did not end that night in 1969. And the price of his winnings was his soul. And now a pot far more strange and perilous than he ever could imagine depends on the turning of a card.

13 editions

Michael P reviewed Last Call by Tim Powers

Review of 'Last Call' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Continues to be one of my favorite Tim Powers Novels.

jonathan.brodsky reviewed Last Call by Tim Powers

Review of 'Last Call' on 'GoodReads'

4 stars

While this doesn't knock declare off as my favorite tim powers book, this one is more straight forward about his technique. The structure was more bare, closely following campbell style monomyth. There were no allusions about the fact that these were gods operating in vegas.
There was some pretty undigestible homophobia in the book. It was a character flaw, but felt like it was written in the 70s, rather than being set in the 70s.

unsquare reviewed Last Call by Tim Powers

Review of 'Last Call' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This was one of those rare page-turners... after a certain point I just could not put it down, which is why I started in on the second half of the book around midnight tonight and am just now finishing at 6am. This is a book firing on all cylinders - pitch-perfect characterization, a deep and involving mythology, suspense, thrills, and incredible high stakes. Highly recommended, even to people who don't understand poker (like myself).