The Anubis Gates

Little did I know when I sat down to read Tim Powers’ The Anubis Gates I would find myself fondly recollecting Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, a novel I read in high school. Other than the time period, the two really don’t have much in common story wise, but the plot in The Anubis Gates was just so outrageous I couldn’t help but make the connection.

The Anubis Gates, of course, is grounded in the laws of science fiction and fantasy rather than reality. Beginning among magicians in the 19th century, the novel quickly jumps back to the present day of 1983 where we meet our protagonist, Brendan Doyle, who is essentially an expert on all things literature. It would be a hopeless endeavor to attempt to summarize the entire novel, so for simplicity’s sake let’s just say someone discovers time travel is possible and Doyle gets stuck in 1810. Considering how much he knows about the time period, one would assume he’d be totally fine. However, with the existence of magic, all is not as it seems.

Doyle, perhaps the unluckiest man on the planet, is constantly thrust into unfavorable situations, reduced to begging in the streets of London on his good days, and yet every time he thinks he finds a way to escape, everything he knows is overthrown once again. I found this incredibly fascinating as the novel demonstrates great historical insight, fully immersing the reader into the world of 1810, while seamlessly injecting the fantastical elements such as a magical cult and a body-switching werewolf. These elements go on to explain various mysteries once posed by history, like how Lord Byron was seen in both Egypt and London during the same time period, while also serving as an obstacle to Doyle, the man who thought he knew everything.

Doyle, thinking quite logically, takes history at face value. Therefore, when things don’t go according to his plan, he begins questioning the nature of his reality, wondering if he didn’t just go back in time, but to a different universe as well. While this frequently confuses our poor protagonist, it provides an addition layer of intrigue and, at times, comedy for the reader, as we are able to connect the dots before Doyle does. Nonetheless, the universe has a way, and sooner than later Doyle is right back experiencing the reality he remembers, albeit with slight modifications. Although he assumed something must have been recorded wrong when he waited endlessly for William Ashbless to show himself in London, Doyle would go on to learn that he is, in fact, William Ashbless, and thus was in London when he knew him to be. In this sense, his knowledge of history and subsequent expectations of it gets in his way more often than not, in addition to changing the lens through which he sees the world in such a way that limits the possibilities for change and revelation. Nevertheless, his many errors reflect the idea that one’s assumptions may always be subverted regardless of what you thought you knew.

By the end of the novel, after Doyle is tricked once more by the assumption of his death, he goes out in search of a new life, this time unaided by the foresight of time travel. At first, the mysteriousness of the unknown is a scary one, as he knows not what he may face. However, it is also incredibly liberating. I would imagine that knowing your own destiny is simultaneously reassuring and constraining, for although there is always the question of how events may occur, you’d still feel tied to your fate. Certain events simply would occur regardless of how you may try to avoid them. In this way, knowing your future effectively eliminates the guise of free will we cling to. Thus, for Doyle, the prospect of the unknown opens up a wealth of possibilities, both good and bad, and frees him to explore his future. So just as Doyle ventures into his new life unsure of his next step, so too is the reader left unsure of where life may take him. In any case, it will at least be exciting.