Books In Brief (3).

Declare, by Tim Powers (Morrow, 528 pp., $25)

The tradition of "Christian fantasy" is a long and honorable one, with J. R. R. Tolkien, Russell Kirk, and C. S. Lewis being three of the best-loved practitioners. Lewis's That Hideous Strength is an acknowledged influence on American fantasist Tim Powers, whose latest novel, the Cold War spy thriller Declare, is a worthy addition to the genre.

Andrew Hale is an agent for SOE, Britain's most secret intelligence agency. Over the course of the novel it becomes evident that the Cold War is being waged not merely on the physical plane, but on the spiritual one as well. The Soviet Union is protected by Machikha Nash ("our stepmother"), one of many bloodthirsty djinn spirits who later turn out to be fallen angels. A colony of such beings lives high on Mt. Ararat, and the Soviets seek to establish contact with them, while Hale and SOE attempt to thwart their efforts. As in Powers's previous novels, fictional events are intertwined with meticulously researched historical fact; here, traitor Kim Philby is a primary character.

Hale starts his journey as a Communist and atheist, but ultimately finds himself drawn to the Catholic Church, his spiritual renewal coming about for much the same reason as that of Father Karras in William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist: His horrific glimpses of supernatural evil lead him to a firm belief in the existence of transcendent good.