‘The Way Down The Hill’ – Tim Powers.

‘The Way Down The Hill’ can be found in the collection ‘Strange Itineraries’ (Tachyon Press). 

I was pretty shattered, after a sprint through the last hundred or so pages of ‘Empire of Grass’, so fancied something a little shorter but hopefully just as sweet. Luckily for me, I’d already re-discovered my Tim Powers collection and decided that it was time for me to dive back in and have another read. This is going to be a short post by the way, mostly because ‘The Way Down The Hill’ is a very short read but also because it has been a long day and I’m just about done…

So then, how did I find ‘The Way Down The Hill’…?

‘The Way Down The Hill’ is 'The Eternals' writ on a much smaller scale but somehow all the better for it. With the characters more 'present' for the reader; the mysteries become that much more engaging as the players are right there with you not separated by their lack of humanity. It's a simple yet very effective tool to get people on board, it didn't take much for me to keep reading. The mystery is neatly laid out, only for the reader to suddenly realise that it's not the only mystery that we're expected to resolve. There is definitely plenty to ponder on that score the clues are all there if you want to go looking for them. One of those reads where you finish it and find yourself thinking, 'so that's why...'

It's not just that though. By placing us right in the middle of everything, Powers gives us a very up close and personal look at just what it means to be a member of the 'Clan', and just immortal in general. It's a very honest examination and I'd defy anyone who would want this 'gift' not to reconsider after Powers tells us not only the affect that it has on 'Clan' members but also on the 'Ephemeral' base-line humans who unknowingly support their lifestyle, and in one horrifying way in particular, Powers describes the 'Clan' lifestyle as parasitic and that's not far off the truth at all.

The end does play out as you'd expect but it's fun to watch, and slightly unsettling to see our 'hero' stoop to some pretty ugly revenge. People are only human after all and maybe that's where redemption can ultimately lie...

'The Way Down The Hill' was an entertaining and thought-provoking tale and I can't help but wonder how much further it could have gone if Powers had let it have it's head and let be a longer work. I'm still gearing myself up to tackle one of the novels but I can see myself reading the rest of these short stories very quickly if they're all as good.