All the Bells on Earth (The Christian Trilogy)

“Blaylock is one of the most brilliant of that new generation of fabulist writers: All the Bells on Earthmay be his best book . . . Enthralling” (The Washington Post Book World).   In the dead of night, a man climbs the tower of St. Anthony’s Church, driven by a compulsive urge to silence the bells.   In a deserted alley, a seemingly random victim is consumed by a torrent of flames.   And in the deceptive light of day, a mail-order businessman named Walt Stebbins receives a bizarre artifact—a glass jar containing the preserved body of a bluebird.   Things like this don’t usually happen in a town like Orange, California. Ordinary people don’t expect to face evil—real evil—in their backyards. But as Walt unravels the mystery of the bird in the jar, he learns that the battle between good and evil takes place every day . . .   “An absolute page-turner . . . A terrific novel by a master of the offbeat and the absurd.” —The Washington Post Book World   “In the best tradition of The Twilight Zone, crossed with wacky characters, humor and moments of real love stunningly portrayed.” —Rick Kleffel, The Agony Column   “With acrobatic grace, Blaylock, winner of two World Fantasy Awards, once again walks the dividing line between fantasy and horror—this time, as he relates a deal-with-the-devil story set in suburban Southern California.” —Publishers Weekly   “While juxtaposing subtle humor with grim horror, the author portrays a world in which human virtues become mystic weapons and unlikely heroes grope their way toward salvation.” —Library Journal

Amazon.com Review

This is a homey fantasy, almost excessively so. Doughnuts, family tensions, relatives who arrive in a Winnebago, Christmas decorations, business worries, Uncle Henry's womanizing, and pyramid schemes wrap Walt Stebbins in layers of detail and distraction. Walt runs a small catalog business out of his garage, and he has no notion of a demonic presence in his town until a package is mistakenly delivered to him. The contents are not the inexpensive Chinese toys and novelties he deals in. The nasty-looking pickled bluebird of happiness ("Best thing come to you. Speak any wish.") piques Walt's interest, and he keeps it when he rewraps the box and passes it on to the addressee: the one person in the world Walt loathes, his former friend Robert Argyle. But Walt's keeping back the bluebird of happiness is the best thing that could have happened to Argyle--and the worst thing that could happen to Walt. What price happiness? If you have to ask ...

From Publishers Weekly

With acrobatic grace, Blaylock (Night Relics), winner of two World Fantasy Awards, once again walks the dividing line between fantasy and horror?this time, as he relates a deal-with-the-devil story set in suburban Southern California. Two decades ago, a clergyman masquerading as a satanic emissary duped three businessmen from the small town of Orange into selling him their souls. As soon as one of them spontaneously combusts during the current Christmas season, however, the others scurry to break the deal. It turns out that there exists a good luck charm that can save the soul of one, millionaire malefactor Robert Argyle, but when that charm is accidentally delivered to Walt Stebbins, Argyle's unsuccessful rival in the mail-order business, a chain of misadventures begins in which Walt, his wife, her uncle and an unlikely pair of clergymen all recognize the taint of the devilish deal in their daily lives. Blaylock's gentle satire on "capitalism gone rancid" is supported by his authentic rendering of a small town where the economic reality of having to pay the bills occupies much of people's time. While the author probes the dark side of small-town life, he ultimately celebrates the virtues of simple living, yielding the sort of homey moral one finds in a Garrison Keillor monologue. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In this latest novel by the author of The Paper Grail (Ace, 1992), a small California town becomes a battleground for souls when a desperate businessman attempts to outwit the devil. Blaylock infuses ordinary lives with extraordinary layers of meaning and transforms the everyday problems of his characters into cosmic sorties in the eternal battle between good and evil. While juxtaposing subtle humor with grim horror, the author portrays a world in which human virtues become mystic weapons and unlikely heroes grope their way toward salvation. Recommended for most libraries.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

James P. Blaylock is a creative writing instructor at Chapman University.

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