Timothy Thomas Powers (born February 29, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author. His first major novel was The Drawing of the Dark (1979), but the novel that earned him wide praise was The Anubis Gates (1983), which won the Philip K. Dick Award, and has since been published in many other languages. His other written work include Dinner at Deviant's Palace (1985), Last Call (1992), Expiration Date (1996), Earthquake Weather (1997), Declare (2000), and Three Days to Never (2006). Powers has won the World Fantasy Award twice for his critically acclaimed novels Last Call and Declare. His 1987 novel On Stranger Tides served as inspiration for the Monkey Island franchise of video games and was partly adapted into the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film.
Several of Powers' novels depict historical events being influenced by occult or supernatural factors. Regarding his 2001 novel Declare, Powers stated, "I made it an ironclad rule that I could not change or disregard any of the recorded facts, nor rearrange any days of the calendar – and then I tried to figure out what momentous but unrecorded fact could explain them all."
Powers was born in Buffalo, New York, but has lived in California since 1959. Powers has described himself as a practicing Catholic. He studied English Literature at Cal State Fullerton, and earned his B.A. in 1976. It was there that he first met James Blaylock and K. W. Jeter, both of whom remained close friends and occasional collaborators; the trio have half-seriously referred to themselves as "steampunks" in contrast to the prevailing cyberpunk genre of the 1980s. Powers and Blaylock invented the poet William Ashbless while they were at Cal State Fullerton.
Another friend Powers first met during this period was noted science fiction writer Philip K. Dick; the character named "David" in Dick's novel Valis is based on Powers. When Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was retitled Blade Runner to tie-in with the movie based on the novel, Dick dedicated it to Tim and Serena Powers.
Powers' first major novel was The Drawing of the Dark (1979), but the novel that earned him wide praise was The Anubis Gates, which won the Philip K. Dick Award, and has since been published in many other languages.
Powers also teaches part-time in his role as Writer in Residence for the Orange County High School of the Arts and California School of the Arts in San Gabriel Valley in the Creative Writing Conservatory, as well as Chapman University, where Blaylock taught. He also taught part-time at the University of Redlands.
Powers and his wife, Serena Batsford Powers, currently live in Muscoy, California. He has frequently served as a mentor author as part of the Clarion science fiction/fantasy writer's workshop.
The Skies Discrowned (1976), published by Laser Books, ISBN 0373720289. Revised and republished in 1986 as Forsake the Sky by Tom Doherty Associates, ISBN 0812549732.
The Drawing of the Dark (1979)
The Anubis Gates (1983): Philip K. Dick Award winner, 1983; Locus Fantasy Award nominee, 1984; BSFA nominee, 1985
Dinner at Deviant's Palace (1985): Philip K. Dick Award winner, and Nebula Award nominee, 1985. Dave Langford's review for White Dwarf #92 stated "Sizzling entertainment: but the sudden triumph over alien omnipotence doesn't quite convince."
On Stranger Tides (1987): Locus Fantasy and World Fantasy Awards nominee, 1988 Disney incorporated elements of the novel into the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film.
The Stress of Her Regard (1989): Locus Fantasy and World Fantasy Awards nominee, 1990 and winner of the 1990 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award.
Last Call (1992): Locus Fantasy and World Fantasy Awards winner, 1993
Expiration Date (1996): World Fantasy Award nominee, 1996; 1996 Nebula Award nominee
Earthquake Weather (1997): BSFA Award nominee, 1997; Locus Fantasy Award winner, 1998
Declare (2001): World Fantasy Award winner and Locus Fantasy nominee, 2001; 2001 Nebula Award nominee
Powers of Two (2004): Re-release of The Skies Discrowned and Epitaph in Rust.