James Blaylock

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James Paul Blaylock (born September 20, 1950) is an American fantasy author.

Blaylock is noted for his distinctive style. He writes in a humorous way: His characters never walk, they clump along, or when someone complains (in a flying machine) that flight is impossible, the other characters agree and show him why he's right.

He was born in Long Beach, California; studied English at California State University, Fullerton, receiving an M.A. in 1974; and lives in Orange, California, teaching creative writing at Chapman University. Many of his books are set in Orange County, California, and can more specifically be termed "fabulism" — that is, fantastic things happen in our present-day world, rather than in traditional fantasy, where the setting is often some other world.

He and his friends Tim Powers and K. W. Jeter were mentored by Philip K. Dick. Along with Powers he invented the poet William Ashbless. Blaylock and Powers have often collaborated with each other on writing stories, including "The Better Boy", "On Pirates", and "The William Ashbless Memorial Cookbook".

Blaylock is also currently director of the Creative Writing Conservatory at the Orange County High School of the Arts, where Powers is Writer in Residence.

[edit] Novels

A number of Blaylock's novels are trilogies, sharing common settings, characters or style, but any can be read as individual works.

The "Balumnia" Trilogy

Fantasy with inspiration from Wind in the Willows and The Hobbit, according to the author.

The Elfin Ship (1982)
The Disappearing Dwarf (1983)
The Stone Giant (1989)
The Man in the Moon (2002) Original manuscript of The Elfin Ship, with commentary and additional short story

The "Narbondo" Trilogy

Steampunk-ish — the latter two are set in Victorian England.

The Digging Leviathan (1984)
Homunculus (1986)
Lord Kelvin's Machine (1992)

The "Christian" Trilogy

Present-day fantasy using Christian elements — such as the Holy Grail and the silver coins paid to Judas — without being overtly or self-consciously "religious."

The Last Coin (1988)
The Paper Grail (1991)
All The Bells On Earth (1995)

The "Ghosts" Trilogy

Present-day Californian ghost stories.

Night Relics (1994)
Winter Tides (1997)
The Rainy Season (1999)

Others

Land of Dreams (1987)
The Magic Spectacles (1991) Young adult book
13 Phantasms (2000) Short story collection
On Pirates (2001) Short story collection with Tim Powers
The Devils in the Details (2003) Short story collection with Tim Powers
In For A Penny (2003) Short story collection
The Complete Twelve Hours of the Night (1986) Joke pamphlet cowritten by Tim Powers and published by Cheap Street Press