sockpuppet

So I'm intrigued by what about Simmons turns you off? I know, for me, one thing that really bugs me about him is that he - like so many scifi/fantasy authors - really REALLY needs an editor. I've worked my way through his newest The Terror as well as the Ilium/Olympos pairing. They're both good, but HUGE. With more details than I need - I mean, character development and tension building is great obviously. But at some point, both of those books just felt like i was spinning wheels for long portions of the plot.

Tim Powers is the bees knees. I've only read Expiration Date, but I love how he develops his own urban fantasy tropes - rather than just relying on older mythos, he invents his own modern/pantheistic madness. He strikes me as very Neil Gaiman and China Mieville in that manner.

You're right, but I don't think he's that particularly clever. He left some huge openings in his argument, but whenever you address them it's just ignored. I've come to realize that it's just a waste of time unless you're engaging for entertainment purposes. And it's not that entertaining to me at the moment.