The Fisher King Trilogy by Tim Powers
The Fisher King Trilogy is a series of novels that follow the journey of Scott Crane, the son of a corrupt gangster, as he navigates a mystical realm in the American West. Drawing inspiration from the Arthurian legend of the Fisher King, the trilogy explores themes of redemption, power, and the struggle against familial legacy. Each book is set in a different season, with "Last Call" in spring, "Expiration Date" in autumn, and "Earthquake Weather" in winter, symbolizing the cyclical nature of life and challenges.
In "Last Call," Scott battles to reclaim his identity and life, which were overshadowed by his father's dark influence. The second installment, "Expiration Date," introduces Koot Hoomie Parganas, a young candidate for the Fisher King position, who becomes entwined with the ghost of Thomas A. Edison while confronting his own demons. The final book, "Earthquake Weather," culminates in a quest to revive Scott after his murder, as other characters grapple with internal and external conflicts. Together, the trilogy weaves a rich narrative that blends magical realism with deep emotional and spiritual undercurrents, offering a multifaceted exploration of loss, legacy, and the quest for personal and collective salvation.
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The Fisher King Trilogy
First published:Last Call, 1992; Expiration Date, 1996; and Earthquake Weather, 1997
Type of work: Novels
Time of work: 1990-1995
Locale: Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada
The Story
The Fisher King trilogy chronicles the apotheosis of Scott Crane, the son of a corrupt gangster who rules a mystical realm of nebulous boundaries in the American West. Scott and his father, Georges Leon, possess magical powers that are explicitly associated with those of the Fisher King of Arthurian legend. Scott must challenge his father and assume the kingship of the West in order to save what has become a political, financial, architectural, and spiritual wasteland. Dramatizing the stages of the symbolic life of the Fisher King, each novel is set in a different season: Last Call in spring, Expiration Date in autumn, and Earthquake Weather in winter.
In Last Call, Scott attempts to reclaim the life his father stole from him. As a child, Scott was nearly turned into a soulless vessel by Leon, who uses black magic in the pursuit of longer life. Saved by his mother, Scott fled and was adopted in Los Angeles by Ozzie Crane. His legacy is the loss of one eye, a casualty of the Page of Swords card in an evil tarot deck hurled by his father. Scott becomes an avatar of the Page of Swords, also known as the One-Eyed Jack (the Jack of Hearts) and the crown prince of the King of Hearts (the Fisher King). Years later, Scott symbolically loses his life to his father again, this time in a card game called assumption, a variation of poker played with Leon’s tarot deck.
Later, at the age of forty-seven, Scott loses his beloved wife and the life they shared. Joined by his friend Archimedes “Arky” Mavranos, Ozzie Crane, and his foster sister Diana, Scott defeats his father, reclaims his life, and becomes the new Fisher King.
Expiration Date introduces Koot Hoomie Parganas, an eleven-year-old candidate for the position of Fisher King, who accidentally sets free the curmudgeonly ghost of Thomas A. Edison in Los Angeles. Pursued by a one-armed madman called Sherman Oaks (after the name of a Los Angeles suburb) and Loretta deLarava, a ghost-obsessed documentary producer, Koot navigates the dangerous streets of an unfriendly city with Edison’s help.
Koot’s story is interwoven with that of Pete Sullivan, busy fleeing ghosts of his own as he finally returns to Los Angeles. After witnessing the death of their father years before, Pete and his twin sister grew up in that city and began working for deLarava. The siblings eventually realized that deLarava planned to capture the ghost of their father, and they parted ways, always running from the past. However, Pete is drawn back to the city to seek absolution from his father’s ghost and a resolution to the mystery surrounding his murder.
Earthquake Weather opens with the murder of Scott Crane. Janice Cordelia Plumtree, host to multiple personalities, surrenders herself to the authorities as the assassin after suffering possession by a ghost. Joined by Sid “Scant” Cochran, a vineyard worker marked with a scar on his hand from Dionysus, Janice seeks to restore Scott to life. Arky Mavranos and Diana follow magical guidance and take the king’s body to Pete Sullivan and Koot. The two groups join in a quest to bring Scott back to life or to replace him with a new Fisher King, racing against time to save the failing Kingdom of the West.