In for a Penny

by James P. Blaylock

This mesmerising collection from World Fantasy Award-winner James P. Blaylock offers seven brilliant excursions into one of the most idiosyncratic imaginations of our time. Highlighted by the acclaimed novella, "The Trismegistus Club" - a brilliant riff on the antiquarian ghost story - In for a Penny goes from strength to strength, taking us deep into the heart of a quirky, deeply engaging fictional world that no one but Blaylock could have created.Other high points include "Home Before Dark," which chronicles one man's first few hours in the afterlife. Its thematic companion, "Small Houses," recounts an aging widower's last few hours on earth. Both stories constitute deeply felt, lovingly detailed farewells to the things and places of this world.In "The other Side," a minor precognitive episode leads the hero to an obsessive fascination with the hidden mysteries of the universe. In "His Own Back Yard," a story worthy of the great Jack Finney, a middle-aged man finds himself stranded in the haunted territory of his childhood. The blackly funny "War of the Worlds" uses a bowling ball and the imminent end of Life As We Know It to illuminate the fault lines in a modern marriage. Finally, in the wonderfully imagined title story, the single-minded pursuit of treasure - of something for nothing - leads Blaylock's protagonist to a harrowing confrontation with his own worst self.Startling, funny, eccentric, and often unexpectedly moving, the Blaylockian worldview shines forth with undiminished vigor in this marvellous collection, which shows us ourselves - and the world around us - from a wholly unique perspective.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories

175 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2003

About the author

James Paul Blaylock is an American fantasy author. He 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. 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.

Reviews

[Theo Logos · Rating 5 out of 5]

In For A Penny is a collection of stories about magic as it happens between the cracks of ordinary lives - baffling, gentle, sad magic - magic that could easily be overlooked by all but those obsessive or weary enough to stop and notice. Here are stories of harried fathers, distressed husbands, and lonely widowers who experience the inexplicable in the small details of their lives. Each feels honest and real in its own quiet, unobtrusive way. Each is a gem.

I'm guessing that these stories will be appreciated most by those over forty rather than under it. Those past fifty will likely find even more that will resonate. If you have lived long enough to appreciate the crap shoot of life's twirl-a-wheel of serendipity and disappointment, then this is a collection that you should enjoy.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a quite delightful collection of short stories about past and present and death.
Some of these little tales bring a yearning for past memories and reflections.
Obviously they have a sort of supernatural element to them but they are probably poignant most to people over 50 years of age,when they,like me, start to think where have the years gone?
Never having read anything by the author before this little collection I will be remidying this in the near future. He has a gift of light humour and a beautiful gift for prose.