Tag: James P. Blaylock

By chance (per my normal book buying methods) I saw a listing in early March, 2025 advertising for sale a new James P. Blaylock book. This book was The Invisible Woman, published by PS Publishing in December 2024. With no wallet on hand, I decided to return to that site the following day. The original listing that spurred my interest had by then vanished, so likely another Blaylock fan swooped in and got that book.

I immediately went to the web site of PS Publishing and placed my order, fretting that I’d again waited too long. Blaylock is one of those writers (along with Jack Vance, Tim Powers, Michael Shea, F. Paul Wilson, and Charles de Lint) whose books I won’t hesitate to buy. Vance and Shea now have passed beyond the veil, and Wilson’s stroke means no more new fiction. There are still a few de Lint books that I don’t own, and I hope Blaylock (and Powers) continue to write and publish fiction.

The hardcover edition of The Invisible Woman is limited to 200 copies. A trade paperback edition also exists, for those not fortunate enough to grab one of the hardcovers. I still cannot fathom why Blaylock doesn’t garner more mainstream publications – he used to publish books with Ace, and then Subterranean Press. Has the market for Blaylock’s fiction shrunk so much that a hardcover edition of a new novel now comes down to just 200 copies by a UK publisher? What has happened to the US fantasy market for this to happen? Has the market changed that much, or the fans just up and vanished? I remember reading a comment from another fantasy writer, Charles de Lint, about the changing modern fantasy market a few years ago, so maybe that’s what’s happening here. Their loss, my gain.

I ordered The Invisible Woman on March 5th. Joseph Stalin died on March 5th, something all sane people can celebrate. Other than that date, there is no correlation between Stalin’s death and Blaylock’s book. I received it on March 23rd. The Invisible Woman features the same two main characters from Pennies from Heaven (PS Publishing, 2022), Jane and Jerry Larkin. Jane runs a co-op in Southern California. Jerry now is busy fixing up an inn, having restored their own house. I’m still in the middle of reading the book, savoring every moment. Will this turn into a trilogy, or remain as two books? Not sure. Don’t care. I’ll keep buying anything Blaylock puts out there.

It’s unusual to see a hardcover edition limited to just 200 copies. However, that seems to be normal for PS Publishing out of the UK; they even publish books limited to just 26 copies at times.

In October 2022, they published Pennies From Heaven, a new novel from James P. Blaylock. Since I’m not tuned into all small press releases, I almost missed this book. The moment I saw it mentioned somewhere, I quickly placed an order via the PS Publishing web site. I expected it to be sold out, but a few weeks later received my signed and numbered (#13) copy of the book. There’s also a trade paperback edition, but I went for the hardcover.

Sadly, Blaylock now seems to have a niche audience. I thought mainstream publishers, or even Subterranean Press might be the place to find Blaylock books. Subterranean Press has published quite a few Blaylock books over the years, mostly in the Langdon St. Ives series. Sometimes these are signed, limited editions, sometimes a mix of signed and trade editions.

I’m not sure why this happens, but sometimes Subterranean Press seems to drop authors who they’ve carried for many years. Maybe someone more attuned to the small press market knows more about this. It’s not the first time I’ve seen an author having multiple Subterranean Press books and then suddenly switch to a different publisher. I suppose I need to get on PS Publishing’s mailing list now, in case more Blaylock books are on their schedule.

In Pennies from Heaven, we’re introduced to Jane and Jerry Larkin. The former works at a local co-op, while the latter is restoring their old house. Jerry comes across an old gold coin in the aftermath of an earthquake, which sets in motion a series of events. It seems that many years ago in their town a bank heist took place, and Jerry might have found some hidden treasure. They both come up against a battle-axe of a local woman, who turns out to be far more than she appears. It’s a quintessential Blaylock tale; no hint of the supernatural in this one, mostly weird hijinks and odd characters. The hardcover is sold out by now, but Blaylock fans can still get the trade edition from PS Publishing, or both online from the odd dealer or two.