James P. Blaylock - Zeno Agency Ltd.

THE AYLESFORD SKULL now available in Russia!

Posted on Tuesday, October 8th, 2019

THE AYLESFORD SKULL by James P. Blaylock is available now in Russia! Published by Аркадия as Джеймс Блэйлок: Айлсфордский череп, here’s the synopsis…

Профессор Лэнгдон Сент-Ив, блестящий, хотя и немного эксцентричный ученый и изобретатель, наслаждается семейной жизнью в роскошном поместье: играет с сыном и дочкой, ходит с женой на рыбалку, планирует вволю полетать на собственном дирижабле и мечтает завести слона. Но его злейший враг, доктор Игнасио Нарбондо, не дремлет. Он уже задумал новое злодейство. И если некроманту-вивисектору удастся осуществить задуманное, улицы разрушенного Лондона заполнят духи умерших людей! Пока же Нарбондо занимается разграблением могил, устраивает взрывы, а заодно похищает сынишку Сент-Ива, Эдди. И профессор бросается в погоню…

Аркадия has also published the first two novels in the series in Russia: Гомункул and Машина лорда Келвина.

The third novel in Blaylock’s fan-favourite Langdon St. Ives steampunk series, it is published in the UK and US by Titan Books. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

It is the summer of 1883 and Professor Langdon St. Ives brilliant but eccentric scientist and explorer is at home in Aylesford with his family. However a few miles to the north a steam launch has been taken by pirates above Egypt Bay, the crew murdered and pitched overboard. In Aylesford itself a grave is opened and possibly robbed of the skull. The suspected grave robber, the infamous Dr. Ignacio Narbondo, is an old nemesis of Langdon St. Ives. When Dr. Narbondo returns to kidnap his four-year-old son Eddie and then vanishes into the night, St. Ives and his factotum Hasbro race into London in pursuit…

Titan has also published the other novels in the series: HOMUNCULUS, LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE and BENEATH LONDON.

‘James P Blaylock has been underpublished on this side of the Atlantic, a state of affairs Titan are addressing with THE AYLESFORD SKULL… Blaylock throws in all the furniture of the genre: derring-do and cliffhangers, a vivid portrayal of Victorian London, a gallery of grotesque characters and the obligatory airship, but the strength of the novel is his rendering of St Ives caught between his love of the chase and his commitment to family.’ — Guardian

‘St. Ives has to be one of the most fleshed out Victorian characters ever written, and I’m sincerely hoping that Blaylock isn’t finished with this scientist adventurer. THE AYLESFORD SKULL can easily stand alone without any knowledge of Blaylock’s previous steampunk stories, but you’ll want to hunt down additional St. Ives tales, I’m for certain.’ — Wired.com

‘I never found it less than gripping. In fact I sped through it in just two sittings. I especially enjoyed the way Blaylock split his heroes up and had them all working vaguely towards the same end, while having no clear idea where the others were, or what they were up to. Even so, he managed to keep a tight control on who was where and when, so that the action ties up properly in the end… Narbondo is deranged, as all such villains should be. His plot to overthrow the throne and government would leave even the likes of Fu Manchu speechless. Off-the wall doesn’t cover it… The climactic scenes are spectacular to say the least, and I found it hard not to visualise it in terms of a Hollywood Blockbuster.’ — British Fantasy Society

‘This is steampunk at full power and it’s a heady, thrilling read as a result. Packed with high adventure, mad science and derring do, THE AYLESFORD SKULL is a perfect place to start the Langdon St Ives books and, with Titan re-releasing the other books in the series, there’s plenty to keep you and St Ives busy. Which is, I suspect, just how he likes it.’ — SFX

Cover Reveal: Машина лорда Кельвина by James P. Blaylock

Posted on Monday, May 27th, 2019

Today, we wanted to share with you the cover for the Russian edition of James P. Blaylock‘s LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE! Published by Аркадия as Машина лорда Кельвина, we don’t yet have a synopsis just yet.

The novel is published in the UK and US by Titan Books, and here’s the English-language synopsis…

Within the magical gears of Lord Kelvin’s incredible machine lies the secret of time. The deadly Dr. Ignacio Narbondo would murder to possess it and scientist and explorer Professor Langdon St. Ives would do anything to use it. For the doctor it means mastery of the world and for the professor it means saving his beloved wife from death. A daring race against time begins…

Аркадия has also published the first novel in the series, Гомункул (HOMUNCULUS).

Titan Books also publishes HOMUNCULUS, THE AYLESFORD SKULL and BENEATH LONDON.

Here are just a few of the reviews LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE has received…

‘Blaylock allows us to see the mundane world through new eyes, to perceive the familiar as strange, and therefore exciting.’ — Charles de Lint

‘Nerve-wrenching, deeply moving, and sparked with comic touches… brilliantly achieved.’ — Locus

‘St. Ives’s journey through time is very well handled, at once playful and thoughtful’ — Publishers Weekly

James P. Blaylock reflects on Life, Family and more in excellent Orange Coast Magazine Article

Posted on Thursday, May 23rd, 2019

‘Back in the mid-1980s, when my wife, Viki, and I had been living in downtown Orange for 10 years, I decided to build a treehouse out of redwood fence lumber in a Fuerte avocado tree that sat in the corner of our backyard. I was well past 30 at the time, and the tree was probably twice my age and 40 feet high. We had two young sons, John and Danny, and so it might seem that I wanted to build the treehouse for them — and I did — but I also wanted to build it for me. Anything worth doing has a number of solidly good reasons for getting done. And in any event, a treehouse is its own excuse…’

So begins an essay by James P. Blaylock, reflecting on life, family, neighbourhood, and memories. The piece was published in Orange Coast Magazine back in June 2018. You may have seen us Tweet about the article, but we just wanted to take this opportunity to share it again here. It’s a great example of Blaylock’s writing, and we thought it would be of interest to fans of his novels.

James is the author of the Langdon St. Ives series of novels and novellas, published by Titan Books and Subterranean Press.

Blaylock is also the author of a number of other novels, available as eBooks via the JABberwocky eBook Program, some of which were also published by Subterranean Press.

What does HOMUNCULUS look like in Russia?

Posted on Monday, February 18th, 2019

Above you can see the cover for a new Russian edition of James P. Blaylock‘s critically-acclaimed, Philip K. Dick Award-winning, classic steampunk novel HOMUNCULUS! The first novel in the author’s Langdon St. Ives series, it is published by Аркадия as Гомункул. Here’s the synopsis…

Викторианская эпоха, затянутые туманами улицы Лондона. В тусклом небе проплывает ведомый скелетом в истлевшем костюме загадочный аэростат. Ужасные тайны, скрытые на его борту, силятся раскрыть сбитые с толку члены Королевской академии наук, корыстный проповедник Армагеддона, изувер-вивисектор с обезумевшим подручным, лишенный совести миллионер и… пестрая компания поборников истины, ведомая ученым-изобретателем Лэнгдоном Сент-Ивом. Сумеет ли «существо из бутылки», в незапамятные времена прибывшее на Землю, уберечься от хищных лап злодеев?

HOMUNCULUS and the other novels in the series are published in the UK and US by Titan Books (covers at the end). Here’s the English-language synopsis…

It is the late 19th century and a mysterious airship orbits through the foggy skies. Its terrible secrets are sought by many, including the Royal Society, a fraudulent evangelist, a fiendish vivisectionist, an evil millionaire and an assorted group led by the scientist and explorer Professor Langdon St. Ives. Can St. Ives keep the alien homunculus out of the claws of the villainous Ignacio Narbondo?

Here’s some of the aforementioned critical acclaim that HOMUNCULUS has received…

‘… the fastest, funniest, and most colorful and grotesquely horrifying novel that could ever be written about Victorian London.’ — Tim Powers

‘… every page is crammed with evidence of Blaylock’s feverishly Gothic imagination. Think Charles Dickens by way of Mervyn Peake and M. John Harrison, and you’ll have some notion of what’s in store. The wheels of the plot spin manically fast, but at the same time the weight of description makes everything feel as if it’s happening in slow motion. That might sound like a criticism, but the effect is strangely impressive and nightmarish. A steampunk Titus Groan.’ — Starburst

‘I absolutely love this book. I picked it up and, although I was initially a little sceptical of the idea of a ghostly airship, I soon became completely absorbed into the deep and exciting story… easy to read as a stand alone novel and due to this fact, even though I haven’t read the prequel book I could easily keep up with the wide variety of characters and plot lines… Imagery is used once more, to blow any reader’s mind completely out of their perceived realms of possibility. I couldn’t help but fall in love with the portrait of London that Blaylock has once again moulded with terrific use of words. I am now used to zoning out of the real world and into the fantasy world of Professor St.Ives, as this seems to happen whenever I pick up one of Blaylock’s novels… be prepared to be lost in the wonderful world of Langdon St.Ives.’ — Nerd Cabinet

‘I found HOMUNCULUS entertaining, with its cast of Victorian characters and ingenious contraptions making me smile. It’s a book that makes you cheer for the good guys and will give your imagination a great workout.’ — SF Crowsnest

James P. Blaylock takes Langdon St.Ives to the RIVER’S EDGE…

Posted on Wednesday, October 4th, 2017

James P. Blaylock‘s latest Langdon St. Ives novella is out now! Published by Subterranean Press, here’s the synopsis…

The body of a girl washes up on a mud bank along the edge of the River Medway amid a litter of poisoned fish and sea birds, casting an accusing shadow upon the deadly secrets of the Majestic Paper Mill and its wealthy owners. Simple answers to the mystery begin to suggest insidious secrets, and very quickly Langdon St. Ives and his wife Alice are drawn into a web of conspiracies involving murder, a suspicious suicide, and ritual sacrifice at a lonely and ancient cluster of standing stones. Abruptly St. Ives’s life is complicated beyond the edge of human reason, and he finds himself battling to save Alice’s life and the ruination of his friends, each step forward leading him further into the entanglement, a dark labyrinth from which there is no apparent exit.

Subterranean Press has also published four other Langdon St. Ives books: THE EBB TIDE, THE AFFAIR OF THE CHALK CLIFFS, THE RING OF STONES and THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF LANGDON ST. IVES.

The Langdon St. Ives novels are published by Titan Books: HOMUNCULUS, LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE, THE AYLESFORD SKULL and BENEATH LONDON.

James P. Blaylock’s RIVER’S EDGE is out now!

Posted on Monday, September 4th, 2017

James P. Blaylock‘s latest Langdon St. Ives novella, RIVER’S EDGE is out now! Published by Subterranean Press, here’s the synopsis…

The body of a girl washes up on a mud bank along the edge of the River Medway amid a litter of poisoned fish and sea birds, casting an accusing shadow upon the deadly secrets of the Majestic Paper Mill and its wealthy owners. Simple answers to the mystery begin to suggest insidious secrets, and very quickly Langdon St. Ives and his wife Alice are drawn into a web of conspiracies involving murder, a suspicious suicide, and ritual sacrifice at a lonely and ancient cluster of standing stones. Abruptly St. Ives’s life is complicated beyond the edge of human reason, and he finds himself battling to save Alice’s life and the ruination of his friends, each step forward leading him further into the entanglement, a dark labyrinth from which there is no apparent exit.

Subterranean Press has also published four other Langdon St. Ives books (as well as select other novels): THE EBB TIDE, THE AFFAIR OF THE CHALK CLIFFS, THE RING OF STONES, and THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF LANGDON ST. IVES.

The four full-length novels in the series are published by Titan Books: HOMUNCULUS, LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE, THE AYLESFORD SKULL and BENEATH LONDON.

James P. Blaylock takes us to the RIVER’S EDGE…

Posted on Thursday, July 27th, 2017

This September, Subterranean Press will publish RIVER’S EDGE, a new Langdon St. Ives novella by James P. Blaylock. Here’s the synopsis…

The body of a girl washes up on a mud bank along the edge of the River Medway amid a litter of poisoned fish and sea birds, casting an accusing shadow upon the deadly secrets of the Majestic Paper Mill and its wealthy owners. Simple answers to the mystery begin to suggest insidious secrets, and very quickly Langdon St. Ives and his wife Alice are drawn into a web of conspiracies involving murder, a suspicious suicide, and ritual sacrifice at a lonely and ancient cluster of standing stones.

Abruptly St. Ives’s life is complicated beyond the edge of human reason, and he finds himself battling to save Alice’s life and the ruination of his friends, each step forward leading him further into the entanglement, a dark labyrinth from which there is no apparent exit.

Subterranean Press has also published three other Langdon St. Ives books: THE EBB TIDE, THE AFFAIR OF THE CHALK CLIFFS, THE ADVENTURE OF THE RING OF STONES and THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF LANGDON ST. IVES. The Langdon novels are published in the UK and US by Titan Books.

LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE out today in France!

Posted on Wednesday, February 15th, 2017

Today, Bragelonne publishes James P. Blaylock‘s second Langdon St. Ives novel, LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE! Published in France as LA MACHINE DE LORD KELVIN, here’s the synopsis…

Dans les rouages mystérieux de l’incroyable machine de Lord Kelvin réside le secret du temps lui-même. L’abject docteur Ignacio Narbondo serait capable de tuer pour mettre la main dessus, et le célèbre inventeur et explorateur Langdon St. Ives ferait n’importe quoi pour l’utiliser. Pour l’un, cela revient à dominer le monde, et pour l’autre, la fantastique machine représente le moyen de sauver sa bien-aimée des portes de la mort… Qui des deux hommes obtiendra gain de cause le premier?

Une trépidante course contre le temps commence dès maintenant!

Bragelonne have also published the first novel in the series, HOMUNCULUS.

LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE is published in the UK and US by Titan Books. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Within the magical gears of Lord Kelvin’s incredible machine lies the secret of time. The deadly Dr. Ignacio Narbondo would murder to possess it and scientist and explorer Professor Langdon St. Ives would do anything to use it. For the doctor it means mastery of the world and for the professor it means saving his beloved wife from death. A daring race against time begins…

Titan Books has also published the other novels in the series. Here’s the reading order: HOMUNCULUS, LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE, THE AYLESFORD SKULL and BENEATH LONDON.

LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE arriving soon in France!

Posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2017

James P. Blaylock‘s second Langdon St. Ives novel, LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE will be available in France from February 15th! To be published by Bragelonne as LA MACHINE DE LORD KELVIN, here’s the synopsis…

Que feriez-vous si vous pouviez remonter le temps ?

Dans les rouages mystérieux de l’incroyable machine de Lord Kelvin, réside le secret du temps lui-même. L’abject docteur Ignacio Narbondo serait capable de tuer pour mettre la main dessus, et le célèbre inventeur et explorateur Langdon St. Ives ferait n’importe quoi pour l’utiliser. Pour l’un, cela revient à dominer le monde, et pour l’autre, la fantastique machine représente le moyen de sauver sa bien-aimée des portes de la mort…

Une trépidante course contre le temps commence dès maintenant!

The novel was first published in France in 1995, as LE TEMPS FUGITIF. Bragelonne published the first in the series — HOMUNCULUS — last year.

LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE is published in the UK and US by Titan Books. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Within the magical gears of Lord Kelvin’s incredible machine lies the secret of time. The deadly Dr. Ignacio Narbondo would murder to possess it and scientist and explorer Professor Langdon St. Ives would do anything to use it. For the doctor it means mastery of the world and for the professor it means saving his beloved wife from death. A daring race against time begins…

Titan have published all of the novels in the Langdon St. Ives series so far.

Langon St. Ives Novellas available in the UK!

Posted on Wednesday, December 14th, 2016

James P. Blaylock‘s critically-acclaimed Langon St. Ives novellas have been made available in the UK for the first time! Joining a growing number of Jim’s back catalog of novels, they are published as eBooks through JABberwocky eBook Program, they are available through most UK e-tailers. Here are the details…

THE EBB TIDE

Deep beneath the quicksands of Morecambe Bay lies a shifting graveyard of lost things, long sunk to the sea bottom. Pursued by the nefarious Dr. Narbondo, Langdon St. Ives and his stalwart companions descend beneath the sands in a diving chamber, and amid the debris of human bones and the wreckage of human lives, they search for an alien device, which, in the wrong hands, could change the course of human history and provide Narbondo with the means to enslave mankind…

THE AFFAIR OF THE CHALK CLIFFS

Deep within the cavern-riddled chalk cliffs above the English Channel there brews a threat to the very sanity of the people of Britain. A startling madness infects the members of the Explorer’s Club in London, the debacle coinciding with the disappearance of Alice St. Ives and the murder of the lighthouse keeper at Beachy Head. Langdon St. Ives sets out to rescue his wife and to stop the accelerating train of events hurtling he and his friends into a dark tunnel of madness and death.

THE ADVENTURE OF THE RING OF STONES

A strange message summons Langdon St. Ives and his companions to the Half Toad Inn in Smithfield, London, and along with the eccentric but fabulously wealthy Gilbert Frobisher, they set out for an uncharted island in the Caribbean, carrying a map that promises a treasure that beggars description. What they find – a terrible, pagan god from the depths of the ocean – leads them back to London, carrying within the hold of Frobisher’s steam yacht a fearsome, tentacled menace that threatens to devastate London.

Here are just a couple of reviews that these novellas have received…

‘Slight but enjoyable novella… A battered old map, possibly drawn by St. Ives’s long-missing companion, Bill Kraken, displays the location of a strange object that plunged to earth years earlier. Hilario Frosticos, longtime nemesis to St. Ives, is also in pursuit, and a series of amusing feints and counterfeints culminates in a frantic race to an underwater grotto. New readers will have no trouble getting oriented…’ — Publishers Weekly on THE EBB TIDE

‘While many recent novels have picked up the steampunk banner, this one fully delivers, offering action, farce, tender relationships, and prose full of genuine Victorian cadence and flavor.’ — Publishers Weekly on THE AFFAIRS OF THE CHALK CLIFFS

‘Fans of Blaylock will recognize and savour his trademark whimsy… an homage to the adventure tales of the Victorian era that were the inspiration for contemporary steampunk writing.‘ — Steampunk Canada on THE ADVENTURE OF THE RING OF STONES

‘Has it all: pirates, experimental scientific equipment, double crosses, truly evil bad-guys, shoot-outs on land and the high seas, mythical beasts or not so mythical, coded diaries, erupting volcanoes, uncharted islands, murder, and lots and lots of mayhem. There’s also steadfast loyalty, sacrifice, and true friendship. Who could ask for more in a novella? Well, okay, a great story with interesting characters; but that’s a given — especially, if you’ve read other stories with St. Ives and his friends… A page turner from beginning to end and one that will have you engrossed until the final page.’ — SF Revu on THE ADVENTURE OF THE RING OF STONES

The Langon St. Ives novels have been published by Titan Books in the UK and US, and so far include: HOMUNCULUS, LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE, THE AYLESFORD SKULL and BENEATH LONDON. The novels have been published in translation in select other territories.

SHADOWKINGS and THE ELFIN SHIP on sale!

Posted on Friday, November 4th, 2016

James P. Blaylock‘s and Michael Cobley‘s debut novels are on sale at the moment, discounted through Kobo! Both books are published through the JABberwocky eBook Program.

Blaylock’s THE ELFIN SHIP is the first in the author’s Balumnia series, sometimes referred to as the Cheeser series. Here’s the synopsis…

James P Blaylock’s 1982 début 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: Jonathan knew something was definitely amiss.

So he 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.

Of course, the return trip was not so simple.

Blaylock’s other two Balumnia novels, THE DISAPPEARING DWARF and THE STONE GIANT, are also available.

‘A magical world, magically presented… having journeyed there, you will not wish to leave, nor ever to forget.’ — Philip K. Dick

Jim’s latest novel is BENEATH LONDON, the fourth book in his fan-favourite Langdon St. Ives steampunk series, published by Titan Books.

SHADOWKINGS is the first novel in Michael Cobley’s series of the same name. Here’s the synopsis…

For one thousand bright and fortunate years the Khatrimantine Empire had guaranteed peace and benevolence. Then came the vast hordes of the Mogaun, driven by an evil deity, the Lord of Twilight, corrupter and devourer.

The unprepared Khatrimantine armies could not stand against the brutal might of the invaders, not even with the help of the Empire’s spirit/magical guardians. Yet at the very pinnacle of his triumph, the Lord of Twilight made a fatal mistake, shattering his essence into five parts: five lost souls destined to become the Shadowkings.

Now, sixteen years after the invasion, Mogaun warlords and petty despots squabble amid the ruins. Yet ancient powers are stirring and the Empire’s last valiant defenders are gathering their strength, hoping that one decisive strike can reverse their long, bleak decline. But the forces of Night know well the dance of might, and match them step for step.

The other two novels in the series, SHADOWGOD and SHADOWMASQUE, are also available.

‘There is plenty here to keep any fans of high fantasy happy. The familiar elements are here, but don’t worry about them feeling borrowed or contrived. Cobley has presented his own fantasy world and characters, well rounded, fully explored and absorbing.’ — Eternal Night

‘… unconventional high fantasy trilogy… [Cobley] has taken traditional sword and sorcery to some new and perhaps uncomfortable places… an unusually dark and claustrophobic piece of work…’ — Infinity Plus

Michael’s latest novel is ANCESTRAL MACHINES, a fourth (stand-alone) novel set in his Humanity’s Fire universe. It is published by Orbit Books.

Blaylock’s THE AYLESFORD SKULL Out Tomorrow in US MMPB

Posted on Monday, August 29th, 2016

Tomorrow, Titan Books publishes the mass-market paperback edition of James P. Blaylock‘s critically-acclaimed THE AYLESFORD SKULL. It is the third novel in the author’s fan-favourite Langdon St. Ives steampunk series. Here’s the synopsis…

It is the summer of 1883 and Professor Langdon St. Ives brilliant but eccentric scientist and explorer is at home in Aylesford with his family. However a few miles to the north a steam launch has been taken by pirates above Egypt Bay, the crew murdered and pitched overboard. In Aylesford itself a grave is opened and possibly robbed of the skull. The suspected grave robber, the infamous Dr. Ignacio Narbondo, is an old nemesis of Langdon St. Ives. When Dr. Narbondo returns to kidnap his four-year-old son Eddie and then vanishes into the night, St. Ives and his factotum Hasbro race into London in pursuit…

Titan has published Blaylock’s four Langdon St. Ives novels in the UK and US: HOMUNCULUS, LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE, THE AYLESFORD SKULL and BENEATH LONDON.

Here is just a sample taken from the many great reviews the novel has received…

‘James P Blaylock has been underpublished on this side of the Atlantic, a state of affairs Titan are addressing with THE AYLESFORD SKULL (£7.99), the first of three titles by one of the founders of the steampunk genre… Blaylock throws in all the furniture of the genre: derring-do and cliffhangers, a vivid portrayal of Victorian London, a gallery of grotesque characters and the obligatory airship, but the strength of the novel is his rendering of St Ives caught between his love of the chase and his commitment to family.’ — Guardian

‘St. Ives has to be one of the most fleshed out Victorian characters ever written, and I’m sincerely hoping that Blaylock isn’t finished with this scientist adventurer. THE AYLESFORD SKULL can easily stand alone without any knowledge of Blaylock’s previous steampunk stories, but you’ll want to hunt down additional St. Ives tales, I’m for certain.’ — Wired.com

‘This is steampunk at full power and it’s a heady, thrilling read as a result. Packed with high adventure, mad science and derring do, THE AYLESFORD SKULL is a perfect place to start the Langdon St Ives books and, with Titan re-releasing the other books in the series, there’s plenty to keep you and St Ives busy. Which is, I suspect, just how he likes it.’ — SFX

‘From start to finish a truly immaculate story… an amazing, gripping and brilliant read… a piece of art. James P. Blaylock has created a truly magical story, where most authors who write steampunk go for a direction of a more bold and brash steampunk setting, he takes on another route by writing a more-or-less common story but elevating it with hints of steampunk and a supernatural aspect… It is a great story fully accented by enough hints of steampunk and magic.’ — Fantasy Book Review (Book of the Month)

‘Populated by pirates, elves, and leviathans, the book is no mere battle of good versus evil; it’s a triumph of imagination over greed.’ — LA Magazine

Two New Blaylock French Editions

Posted on Friday, June 17th, 2016

This week, Milady published the French edition of James P. Blaylock‘s THE LAST COIN. Published as LE DERNIER DENIER, here’s the synopsis…

Judas. Un prénom à jamais entaché du symbole de la trahison. Ainsi, à l’image de son célèbre homonyme, Judas Iscariot a lui aussi trahi les siens en vendant une information capitale pour 30 deniers d’argent.

Si cet événement s’est déroulé voici 2 000 ans, celui qui en récoltera les pièces à l’époque actuelle bénéficiera de l’immortalité. Afin d’y parvenir, Jules Pennyman s’est lancé dans cette quête depuis 200 ans. Et il est prêt à tout pour y parvenir, même aux pires ignominies.

Les époux Vanbergen, situés dans un recoin paisible du sud de la Californie, risquent de l’apprendre à leurs dépens…

THE LAST COIN is available as an eBook, via the JABberwocky eBook Program. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Two thousand years ago there lived a man who sold some valuable information for a fee of thirty silver coins. Is name was Judas Iscariot, and he is no longer with us. The coins, however, still exist — and still hold an elusive power over all who claim them.

Like Andrew, whose attempts at innkeeping bring in stranger business than he ever expected. And Aunt Naomi, whose most prized family heirloom is a silver spoon — with a curiously ancient-looking engraving. And especially old Mr Pennyman, who is only five silver coins short of immortality…

Milady have also published Blaylock’s NIGHT RELICS in French. Here’s the synopsis for LES RELIQUES DE LA NUIT…

La Californie ce n’est pas seulement Hollywood. Non, c’est aussi des canyons désertés, où la nature peut suivre son cours.

Et c’est cet endroit perdu et esseulé que choisit Peter Travers pour y acheter une cabane à la réputation sinistre. En effet, on la prétend hantée… Et, c’est peut-être bien à raison puisque, chaque nuit, une voix plaintive vient habiter ses nuits…

NIGHT RELICS is also published as an eBook by JABberwocky. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Blaylock’s Night Relics is a chilling novel of unearthly emotional power, a ghost story that pushes beyond the classic form. It is the tale of a man haunted by the ghosts of the human heart — both real and imagined — where lost memories and lost loves whisper on the wind. It is a perfectly captured nightmare.

Blaylock’s most recent books have been the critically-acclaimed Langdon St. Ives steampunk novels and novellas, published by Titan Books and Subterranean (respectively).

New eBook Editions of Blaylock’s BALUMNIA Trilogy Available in France

Posted on Monday, May 23rd, 2016

James P. Blaylock‘s classic Balumnia fantasy trilogy, is now available in eBook in France. Published by Milady, the trilogy includes THE ELFIN SHIP (LE VAISSEAU ELFIQUE), THE DISAPPEARING DWARF (LE NAIN QUI DISPARAISSAIT) and THE STONE GIANT (LE GÉANT DE PIERRE). Here’s the synopsis for the first novel…

Rien ne va plus à Havreville. Les jouets enchantés et les pains d’épices fabriqués par les elfes risquent de manquer cette année à Noël! Le maître fromager Jonathan Bing, accompagné par le professeur Wurzle et le jeune Dooley, a pour mission de descendre en radeau le fleuve Oriel jusqu’à la cité portuaire de Maremme et de déjouer les forces maléfiques à l’origine de ce problème d’approvisionnement.

The trilogy is available in English as eBooks, published via the JABberwocky eBook program. Here’s the English-language synopsis for the first novel…

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: Jonathan knew something was definitely amiss. So he 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. Of course, the return trip was not so simple.

James Blaylock’s latest novel, BENEATH LONDON is published by Titan Books. It is the fourth novel in his critically-acclaimed Langdon St. Ives steampunk series.

Blaylock’s RAINY SEASON is a Best of Orange County!

Posted on Wednesday, April 6th, 2016

James P. Blaylock‘s classic novel RAINY SEASON has been included in a list of ten essential novels that showcase the literary side of Orange County! The list, compiled by Orange County Magazine, is included in their April issue.

Here’s the synopsis for RAINY SEASON…

It’s a gray, wet winter in southern California, and Phil Ainsworth is alone. The sudden death of his young wife has left him shaken, and he gets eerie sensations as he roams around the big, old house he inherited from his mother. He’s sure he’s seen people snooping around his property, by the old well that, in this wet weather, always seems ready to overflow. How much is real and how much is in his head? That’s the question.

A late-night phone call brings more bad news: Phil’s sister has died, leaving her ten-year-old daughter Betsy an orphan and naming Phil as guardian. It seems like a bad time to bring a child into this unhappy house, but Phil had always promised he’d take care of Betsy — and now she’s all the family he has left.

What he can’t know is that Betsy is a very special child. She has the ability to sense the powerful emotions of the past, to hear voices of the dead, and to see the uncanny powers that are closing in around this house…

RAINY SEASON is available in eBook in the UK via Gollancz’s SF Gateway, and in the US via the JABberwocky eBook Program. It is also available as an audiobook from Audible. Please contact for further rights information. Here’s just a handful of the great reviews the novel has received since its original publication, in 1999…

‘Blaylock allows us to see the mundane world through new eyes, to perceive the familar as strange and therefore fascinating — for what it is as well as for what it might be.’ — Charles de Lint

‘The central conceit of this elegant, accomplished contemporary ghost story is that fuentes–springs in which children have been ritually drowned — are portals of inexact time travel. Ambitious plotting and characterization augment Blaylock’s (WINTER TIDES) lush language (ripples in a well “cast a hundred shifting shadows… crisscrossing in geometric confusion”). This is one ghostly tale that stands on very solid ground.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘[A] seamlessly produced… intriguing and absorbing work from a major talent.’ — Kirkus

‘Blaylock continues to extend his range, this time with a novel of quiet — but not entirely psychological — horror. Blaylock constructs what might be described as a leisurely page-turner: one wants to find out what comes next but doesn’t feel compelled to rush onward to do so. Fans of horror in general — especially those who don’t demand a high body count — as well as dedicated Blaylock fans will be well pleased.’ — Booklist

‘The author of WINTER TIDES continues to display an uncanny talent for low-key, off-kilter drama, infusing the modern world with a supernatural tint. Blaylock’s evocative prose and studied pacing make him one of the most distinctive contributors to American magical realism. Recommended for most libraries.’ — Library Journal