New Releases by James P. Blaylock

Third in the Balumnia Trilogy from the author of The Elfin Ship and The Disappearing Dwarf, “a singular American fabulist” (William Gibson, author of Neuromancer). Jonathan Bing wasn’t the first citizen of Twombly Town to have a run-in with Selznak the Dwarf. Meet the young Theophile Escargot, aggrieved former citizen of Twombly Town. Divorced, exiled, and humiliated—all for the crime of eating his own pie—he sets off down the Oriel River in search of a fetching barmaid, only to find himself traveling by submarine into fabled Balumnia, where is he is beset on all sides by an evil dwarf, a piratical elf, a stone giant, and an unlucky bag of marbles. With a little help, Escargot must rescue his true love, save the elves, and—most importantly—redeem his dignity. Revisit the world of The Elfin Ship and The Disappearing Dwarf, and discover where the adventures began. “Blaylock crafted a story of engaging characters, cozy settings, and goofy adventures. Escargot is one of the most likable and ridiculous rogues in fantasy. His evolution from layabout and pie-thief to actual hero is terrific.” —Black Gate Praise for the Balumnia Trilogy “A magical world, magically presented . . . Having journeyed there, you will not wish to leave, nor ever to forget.” —Philip K. Dick, Hugo Award–winning author of The Man in the High Castle

A trilogy sets sail with a novel that’s “charming, light-hearted and funny . . . Feels a little like The Hobbit or The Wind in the Willows” (Fantasy Literature). James P. Blaylock’s debut novel The Elfin Ship has become a classic of whimsical fantasy. With echoes of Kenneth Graham and Mark Twain, it’s a gentle, eccentric, and hilarious novel that will delight readers of all ages. Trading with the elves used to be so simple. Every year Master Cheeser Jonathan Bing would send his very best cheeses downriver to traders who would eventually return with Elfin wonders for the people of Twombly Town. But no more . . . First, the trading post at Willowood Station was mysteriously destroyed. Then, a magical elfin airship began making forays overhead. Something was definitely amiss. So Jonathan set off downriver to deliver the cheeses himself, accompanied by the amazing Professor Wurzle, the irrepressible Dooly, and his faithful dog Ahab. It would have been such a pleasant trip, if not for the weeping skeleton, mad goblins, magic coins, an evil dwarf, a cloak of invisibility—and a watch that stopped time. If only the return trip were so simple. “Madcap’s not a word heard much these days, but it’s a great one to apply to the characters and their adventures in The Elfin Ship. From start to finish, Blaylock maintains a high level of inventive goofiness that never lets up. If you want about as great a break as possible from the brutalities and cynicism of much of today’s fantasy, this book is it.” —Black Gate

When a boat-sized shoe and giant spectacles wash up on the shore, three of the town''s orphans - Jack, Skeezix, and Helen - know there''s something fishy going on, and the old ghost in the orphanage attic is inclined to agree. An evil carnival comes to town, run by a sinister gentleman who can turn himself into a crow. A mouse-sized man hiding in the woodwork leaves Jack an elixir that might, just might, allow him to cross during Solstice to another world, a mysterious land of dreams that holds the key to Jack''s past and all their adventures. Land Of Dreams is a phantasmagorical adventure reminiscent of Charles Finney''s The Circus of Dr. Lao and Ray Bradbury''s Something Wicked This Way Comes. REVIEWS: "... a singular American fabulist." -- William Gibson "Land Of Dreams is Blaylock''s best yet - powerful, magical, suspenseful and funny, this novel sails us through the supernatural backwaters of the northern California coast, and none of its readers will ever quite be able to leave its landscape of rotting waterfront towns, and strange songs echoing in from the sea, and vast, unknown cities visible on dubious horizons. Blaylock is the best of contemporary writers, and Land Of Dreams is destined to be one of the field''s classics." -- Tim Powers "Striking, beautifully turned surreal fantasy... Weird, complex, wise, original, delightful: pounce!" -- Kirkus Reviews

Fifteen years ago, on a deserted California beach, Dave Quinn swam out into the winter ocean to save two drowning girls - identical twin sisters. He was only able to save one. Now, years last, he meets Anne, a strugglng artist from Canada. He has no idea she is the child he saved so long ago. And he has no idea that Elinor, the long-dead sister he couldn''t save, has come with her... REVIEWS: "... a singular American fabulist." -- William Gibson "This story of good and evil siblings examines how we all learn to live with who we are, and does so through supple writing and a tense and carefully executed plot... Blaylock combines the supernatural with a deep understanding of contemporary California and human nature, producing a book with appeal for both fantasy fans and readers of realistic fiction." -- Publishers Weekly "Vivid descriptions and deft characterisations... Winter Tides exposes the underbelly of human nature" -- Library Journal "One creepy, creepy book... Blaylock will scare you to death with a minimum of splatter and maximum of tension, Hitchcock-style. I read Winter Tides in one long sitting and found my heart wouldn''t stop racing." -- Woodland Hills Daily News (California)

Southern California - sunny days, blue skies, neighbours on flying bicycles ... ghostly submarines ... mermen off the Catalina coast ... and a vast underground sea stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Inland Empire where Chinese junks ply an illicit trade and enormous creatures from ages past still survive. It is a place of wonder ... and dark conspiracies. A place rife with adventure - if one knows where to look for it. Two such seekers are the teenagers Jim Hastings and his friend, Giles Peach. Giles was born with a wonderful set of gills along his neck and insatiable appetite for reading. Drawing inspiration from the novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Giles is determined to build a Digging Leviathan. Will he reach the center of the earth? or destroy it in the process?

Life as a man of leisure was becoming a bit dull for Jonathan Bing, Master Cheeser, so he welcomed Professor Wurzle''s invitation to visit the empty castle of Selznak, the Evil Dwarf. There they chanced upon a treasure map. Soon Jonathan, his wonderpooch Ahab, the Professor and Miles the magician set off by boat for the location of the treasure - the unknown city called Landsend. But between them and their goal lay the Case of the Missing Squire, the Attack of the Headless Oarsmen, a mysterious witch, some evil goblins - and the Secret of the Purloined Globe.

Dedicated to his work and to his collection of rare books, a reclusive Calvin Bryson finally visits his aunt and uncle in New Cyprus, California, only to discover a town hiding strange secrets and an enigmatic group dedicated to the preservation of holy r

A good deal of controversy arose late in the last century over what has been referred to by the more livid newspapers as The Horror in St. James Park or The Ape-box Affair.... So begins the first chronicle in the long and often obscure life of Langdon St. Ives, Victorian scientist and adventurer, respected member of the Explorers Club and of societies far more obscure, consultant to scientific luminaries, and secret, unheralded savior of humankind. From the depths of the Borneo jungles to the starlit reaches of outer space, and ultimately through the dark corridors of past and future time, the adventures of Langdon St. Ives invariably lead him back to the streets and alleys of the busiest, darkest, most secretive city in the world -- London in the age of steam and gaslamps, with the Thames fog settling in over the vast city of perpetual evening. St. Ives, in pursuit of the infamous Dr. Ignacio Narbondo, discovers the living horror of revivified corpses, the deep sea mystery of a machine with the power to drag ships to their doom, and the appalling threat of a skeleton-piloted airship descending toward the city of London itself, carrying within its gondola a living homunculus with the power to drive men mad....

Those two madmen, Powers and Blaylock are back, with a recently unearthed and touched up short story thought lost to the ages. "Pilot Light" is vintage William Ashbless, complex to the point of incoherence, with a good eighteen footnotes added by the poet refuting and clarifying the changes made by Powers and Blaylock to his sacred words. Also included in this small form hardcover chapbook are an introduction by Powers and an afterword by Blaylock.

Un soir d''orage, Walt Stebbins, honnête citoyen du comté d''Orange, aperçoit une silhouette accrochée au clocher de l''église locale. Au petit matin, le sonneur est tué par la chute d''une cloche et, à peu près au même moment, le saboteur prend feu de manière inexpliquée en plein centre-ville. Et c''est ainsi que commence la terrible bataille que vont se livrer, à la veille de Noël, les forces du bien et du mal dans une petite communauté de Californie dont certains des membres les plus influents jouent avec des forces dont ils ignorent la véritable puissance. Bataille dont Walt Stebbins sera le témoin privilégié. Loin des récits horrifiques qui sont devenus le lot quotidien de la littérature fantastique, James P. Blaylock nous propose une fin du monde qui n''aura pas lieu, un conte de Noël d''une profonde humanité, riche d''enseignements et de sagesse.

Londres, à l''époque victorienne. Par une terrible nuit de tempête, une poursuite effrénée s''achève par un drame dans le quartier des Sept Cadrans. Langdon St. Yves, explorateur audacieux, savant réputé et détective à ses heures, assiste, impuissant, à la perte de l''être qui lui est le plus cher. Le célèbre justicier se laissera-t-il ainsi briser par le destin ? A moins que ... La solution à tous les problèmes de St. Yves se trouve peut-être dans la mystérieuse invention de Lord Kelvin, une curieuse machine aux propriétés illimitées. Une machine temporelle qui pourrait changer le funeste sort d''Alice, bien-aimée de l''héroique aventurier. Mais St. Yves n''est pas le seul à convoiter la machine de Lord Kelvin : l''infâme Docteur Ignacio Narbondo, vivisectionniste félon, et ses acolytes assassins sont prêts à tuer pour se l''approprier. Car la machine permettrait au Docteur de devenir le maître du monde ! Une diabolique course contre le temps s''engage qui emmènera les deux ennemis jurés à travers le passé, à la rencontre de leur avenir.Lauréat du Prix Philip K. Dick et du World Fantasy Award, James P. Blaylock est un talent à part dans l''univers du fantastique américain. Sa caractéristique majeure : l''excentricité. qu''il aborde, comme dans Le Temps fugitif, les thèmes de la science-fiction classique et de la littérature d''aventures policières, ou bien ceux de la fantasy picaresque et du roman surnaturel, il les traite toujours avec un humour loufoque et un sens de l''improviste sans pareil. Amoureux de la littérature anglaise, de Robert Louis Stevenson, William Blake et des grands poètes, cet étrange érudit mérite la découverte.