Science Fiction & Fantasy Award Winning Book Group discussion

This month’s pick is Dinner at Deviant's Palace by Tim Powers. It won the 1986 Phlip K. Dick Award, and was a nominee for the Nebula Award in 1985 ( Ender’s Game won) and the Locus Award in 1986 (The Postman won).

Other 1986 Philip K. Dick Award nominees included:
Emprise by Michael P. Kube-McDowell
Knight Moves by Walter Jon Williams
The Remaking of Sigmund Freud by Barry N. Malzberg
Terrarium by Scott Russell Sanders
Timeservers by Russell Griffin

I regret to say I haven't read any of the nominees. As always, beware of spoilers!

Amazingly, I don't think I've even heard of any of the nominees!

None of the book nominees are familiar to me although I have heard of the author Walter Jon Williams. Looking forward to this one. I've almost made this pick a couple of times myself but held off.

I've just started and I'm enjoying being thrown in the deep-end of an unfamiliar world!

I am enjoying it so far. I have read reviews that it is different from his other works, but I haven't read any (though I have meant to) to be able to compare. I'll be interested to know what others think. I like the faster pace and fantastic elements. It's fun.

I've read The Anubis Gates and I like this one much better so far. The Anubis Gate felt a bit more YA and was more fantasy than SF.

Both had great pacing and were very adventurous.

Nick, Anubis gates has been in my TBR pile for years. But I am enjoying this one.

Is anyone else getting 60s/70s noir vibes from this? The plot line of love-bombing cult is tied up in (view spoiler)[drugs and gangs (hide spoiler)] reminds me of Tarantino's Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, or Inherent Vice.

About halfway through and enjoying it so far. Pretty sure I'll end up liking The Anubis Gates much better though. Starting to get the idea that Powers doesn't fit in a small niche. His stories go all over the place. I picked up Declare and Last Call in a used book store and they all seem very different.

Nick wrote: . . . reminds me of Tarantino's Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, or Inherent Vice.

I haven't seen either of those so I can't comment on that. But I do see what you're getting at and I agree.

It does also remind me of Parable of the Sower with it's dystopian LA, a journey and a little dash of religion.

I lived in SoCal until recently so it's been fun to recognize the street and place names and picture his journey in my head.

Nick wrote: . . . reminds me of Tarantino's Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, or Inherent Vice.

I love Once Upon A Time In Hollywood - and, yes, I agree. I wouldn't have thought of it until you said it.

I have been comparing it to Earth Abides, which is about a man surviving in a dystopian California, but very simple with no paranormal aspects. It was a more realistic regression of society, but less fun.

I feel like I have missed quite a few of the references to the current names of places and things.

Deb wrote: "I feel like I have missed quite a few of the references to the current names of places and things."
I don't know the area at all so it took me an embarrassingly long time to realise Ellay was L.A.! D'oh!

Jon wrote: "I lived in SoCal until recently so it's been fun to recognize the street and place names and picture his journey in my head."
Yes, I love doing that with books set in London!

Finished it. It was ok. I was surprised (view spoiler)[ that the bad guy was a space rock. Haha! (hide spoiler)]

Every time that I read the title or say it in my head my brain says 'Deviant's Place'. I've written it down that way several times. Even when I see the book cover here on Goodreads my brain reads it as Place not Palace. Really weird.

I really liked it. It was fun, quirky, a lot going on. I didn't expect the ending. Endings.

Did you know there is a song called Dinner at Deviant's Palace - by Cradle of Filth. Creepy backwards song. LOL.

Also found an interesting web overview of the book at the website tvtropes.org under Literature/DinnerAtDeviantsPalace. Never saw this site before, but it is interesting. (No idea that they did books as well as TV.)