James Paul Blaylock (born September 20, 1950) is an American fantasy author.
He is noted for a distinctive, humorous style, as well as being one of the pioneers of the steampunk genre of science fiction.
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. His works have also been categorized as magic realism.
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.
Whimsical fantasy inspired, according to the author, by Wind in the Willows and The Hobbit.
The Elfin Ship (1982)
The Disappearing Dwarf (1983)
The Stone Giant (1989)
The Man in the Moon (2002) The original manuscript, initially rejected, from which The Elfin Ship was reworked, with commentary and an additional short story.
The "Narbondo" Series
Sharing the character of villain Ignacio Narbondo; the first is contemporary fantasy set in 1960s California, while the remainder are Steampunk novels set in Victorian England.
The Digging Leviathan (1984)
Homunculus (1986)
Lord Kelvin's Machine (1992)
The Adventures of Langdon St. Ives (2008), Omnibus of Homunculus, Lord Kelvin's Machine, and four related short stories.
The Ebb Tide (2009) Novella ISBN 978-1596062283
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
The Complete Twelve Hours of the Night (1986) Joke pamphlet cowritten by Tim Powers and published by Cheap Street Press
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 Knights of the Cornerstone (2008) ISBN 978-0441016532
The Shadow on the Doorstep (2009) Short story collection