James Paul Blaylock (born September 20, 1950) is an Americanfantasy author.^[1] He is noted for a distinctive, humorous style, as well as being one of the pioneers of thesteampunk genre of science fiction. Blaylock has citedJules Verne,H. G. Wells,Robert Louis Stevenson,Arthur Conan Doyle andCharles Dickens as his inspirations.^[2]

He was born inLong Beach, California; studied English atCalifornia State University, Fullerton, receiving an M.A. in 1974; and lives inOrange, California, teaching creative writing atChapman University. He taught at the Orange County School of the arts until 2013. Many of his books are set inOrange County, California, and can more specifically be termed "fabulism" – that is, fantastic things happen in our present-day world, rather than inhigh fantasy, where the setting is often some other world. His works have also been categorized asmagic realism.

He and his friendsTim Powers andK. W. Jeter were mentored byPhilip K. Dick. Along with Powers, Blaylock invented the poetWilliam 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 previously served as director of the Creative Writing Conservatory at theOrange County High School of the Arts until 2013, where Powers has also been Writer in Residence.^[2][3]

He has been married to his wife, Viki Blaylock, for more than 40 years. They have two sons.

Blaylock's short story "Thirteen Phantasms" won the 1997World Fantasy Award for best Short Fiction.^[4] "Paper Dragons" won the award in 1986.^[5]Homunculus won the Philip K. Dick award in 1987.^[6]

This list isincomplete; you can help byadding missing items.(November 2024)

Whimsical fantasy inspired, according to the author, byThe Wind in the Willows andThe Hobbit.

1. The Elfin Ship (1982)
   • The Man in the Moon (2002) – The original manuscript, initially rejected, from whichThe Elfin Ship was reworked, with commentary and an additional short story.
2. The Disappearing Dwarf (1983)
3. The Stone Giant (1989)

Sharing the character of villain Ignacio Narbondo;The Digging Leviathan and its sequelZeuglodon are contemporary fantasies set in 1960s California, while the remainder aresteampunk novels set inVictorian England.

• Ignacio Narbondo
  • The Digging Leviathan (1984)
  • Zeuglodon (2012; sequel toThe Digging Leviathan)
• Langdon St. Ives
  1. Homunculus (1986)
  2. Lord Kelvin's Machine (1992)  – Expansion of the eponymous 1985 novelette.
     • "Lord Kelvin's Machine" (1985, novellete)  – Expanded into a novel in 1992.
  3. The Ebb Tide (2009)
  4. The Affair of the Chalk Cliffs (2011)
  5. The Aylesford Skull (2013)
  6. Beneath London (2015)
  7. River's Edge (2017, novella)
  8. The Gobblin' Society (2020, novella) (ISBN 978-1-59606-948-0)

• "The Ape-Box Affair" (1978)
• "The Idol's Eye" (1984)
• "Two Views of a Cave Painting" (1987)
• "The Hole in Space" (2002)
• The Adventure of the Ring of Stones (2014, novella)
• "Earthbound Things" (2016)
• "The Here-and-Thereians" (2016)

All short fiction (except for the noveletteLord Kelvin's Machine) and two novels have appeared in two collections bySubterranean Press:

• The Adventures of Langdon St. Ives (2008)  – Omnibus ofHomunculus,Lord Kelvin's Machine, and the stories "The Ape-Box Affair", "The Idol's Eye", "Two Views of a Cave Painting", "The Hole in Space".
• The Further Adventures of Langdon St. Ives (2016)  – Omnibus ofThe Ebb Tide,The Affair of the Chalk Cliffs,The Adventure of the Ring of Stones, and the new stories "The Here-and-Thereians" and "Earthbound Things".

• Paper Dragons (1985, novelette)
• Land of Dreams (1987)

Present-day fantasy usingChristian elements, such as theHoly Grail and thethirty pieces of silver paid toJudas.

• The Last Coin (1988)
• The Paper Grail (1991)
• All the Bells on Earth (1995)

Present-day Californian ghost stories.

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

• The Magic Spectacles (1991) – Young adult book.
• The Knights of the Cornerstone (2008) (ISBN 9780441016532)
• Pennies from Heaven (2022)

• 13 Phantasms (2000) – Short story collection.
• On Pirates (2001) – Short story collection with Tim Powers.
• In for a Penny (2003) – Short story collection.
• The Devils in the Details (2003) – Short story collection with Tim Powers.
• Metamorphosis (2009)
• The Shadow on the Doorstep (2009) – Short story collection.

• The Complete Twelve Hours of the Night (1986) – Joke pamphlet co-written by Tim Powers and published byCheap Street Press.
• "Home Sweet Home" and "Postscript to Home Sweet Home" (2012) – Nonfiction essays included inA Comprehensive Dual Bibliography of James P. Blaylock & Tim Powers (ISBN 9780976748601).

• "Review: The Ring of Stones" – Heck, Peter (February 2015). "On Books".Asimov's Science Fiction.39 (2): 108.

• James P. Blaylock - Official website
• Website and discussion forum about Blaylock's writing
• James P. Blaylock at theInternet Speculative Fiction Database
• Interview with Blaylock regarding his novel 'The Aylesford Skull' and a reading of his story "The Pink of Fading Neon"

• 1950 births
• Living people
• 20th-century American male writers
• 20th-century American novelists
• 21st-century American male writers
• 21st-century American novelists
• American fantasy writers
• American male novelists
• California State University, Fullerton alumni
• Chapman University faculty
• Novelists from California
• Steampunk writers
• World Fantasy Award–winning writers
• Writers from Long Beach, California
• Philip K. Dick scholars

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from March 2024
• Incomplete lists from November 2024