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James P. Blaylock

A trilogy sets sail with a novel that’s “charming, light-hearted and funny … Feels a little like The Hobbit or The Wind in the Willows” (Fantasy Literature).

James P. Blaylock’s debut 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. Something was definitely amiss.

So Jonathan 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.

If only the return trip were so simple.

“Madcap’s not a word heard much these days, but it’s a great one to apply to the characters and their adventures in The Elfin Ship. From start to finish, Blaylock maintains a high level of inventive goofiness that never lets up. If you want about as great a break as possible from the brutalities and cynicism of much of today’s fantasy, this book is it. ” —Black Gate

JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.

The Balumnia Trilogy

The Elfin Ship

Second in the fantasy trilogy set in “a magical world, magically presented … Having journeyed there, you will not wish to leave, nor ever forget” (Philip K. Dick).

Jonathan Bing, Master Cheeser, has been growing a bit bored in Twombly Town. So it’s no surprise that when Professor Wurzle suggests a trip downriver, Jonathan jumps at the chance. A visit to the Evil Dwarf Selznak’s abandoned castle leads to a treasure hunt but also to the discovery that Jonathan’s old friend the Squire has vanished, and that Selznak may be involved.

Jonathan—accompanied by his wonderpooch Ahab, the Professor, and Miles the Magician—will have to set off to darkest Balumnia, to the city of Landsend, to find the treasure and the Squire. And to make matters worse, Selznak will be there, too …

The delightful sequel to The Elfin Ship by World Fantasy and Philip K. Dick Award–winner James P. Blaylock, The Disappearing Dwarf was first published in 1983.

“If you have any love for Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows, or mouth-watering descriptions of all sorts of food and drink, then these books are for you … It’s filled with Blaylock’s nearly trademarked bits of whimsy … and characters driven by strange monomanias. ” —Black Gate

The Disappearing Dwarf

Third in the Balumnia Trilogy from the author of The Elfin Ship and The Disappearing Dwarf, “a singular American fabulist” (William Gibson, author of Neuromancer).

Jonathan Bing wasn’t the first citizen of Twombly Town to have a run-in with Selznak the Dwarf.

Meet the young Theophile Escargot, aggrieved former citizen of Twombly Town. Divorced, exiled, and humiliated—all for the crime of eating his own pie—he sets off down the Oriel River in search of a fetching barmaid, only to find himself traveling by submarine into fabled Balumnia, where is he is beset on all sides by an evil dwarf, a piratical elf, a stone giant, and an unlucky bag of marbles.

With a little help, Escargot must rescue his true love, save the elves, and—most importantly—redeem his dignity.

Revisit the world of The Elfin Ship and The Disappearing Dwarf, and discover where the adventures began.

“Blaylock crafted a story of engaging characters, cozy settings, and goofy adventures. Escargot is one of the most likable and ridiculous rogues in fantasy. His evolution from layabout and pie-thief to actual hero is terrific. ” —Black Gate

Praise for the Balumnia Trilogy

“A magical world, magically presented … Having journeyed there, you will not wish to leave, nor ever to forget. ” —Philip K. Dick, Hugo Award–winning author of The Man in the High Castle