The Knights of the Cornerstone

The author of such California Gothics as The Rainy Season and All the Bells on Earth returns with another whimsical, nostalgic fantasy that seems gentle but then still manages to deliver a sharp-edged punch. Unemployed but comfortable, eccentric Calvin Bryson, a talented but not driven cartoonist, agrees to run an errand for his uncle and cancer-ridden aunt, who reside in the strange little desert community of New Cyprus. Immediately drawn into some sort of bizarre squabble between two groups of unusual people, Calvin soon learns that just about all the town's citizens are Knights of the Cornerstone, keepers of some very interesting relics such as the Veil of Veronica, which might just possibly be the real Shroud of Turin - or something. Their opponents will stop at nothing to acquire the relics and other treasure for their own unsavory purposes. Thrust and parry events escalate rapidly to a full-blown medievalist battle complete with siege engines and other logical but unexpected extremes. Revisiting similar themes as his earlier novel The Paper Grail, Blaylock effortlessly blends gentle fantasy with Knights Templar mythology transplanted to an unlikely but altogether very well-realized place. Calvin is just the sort of aimless, unfocused hero Blaylock prefers, a vessel who can be filled with purpose once a noble quest is shown to be his destiny. Deceptively simple narrative hides some astute observations about people rising to the occasion, doing right by others, the modern world, Time, and the imponderable nature of miracles and who owns them. Knights is a worthy addition to Blaylock's canon of North American magic realist novels peopled by the quirky, well-intentioned folks we might ourselves wish to be.

Calvin Bryson is a relatively reclusive cartoonist who hides away in his Southern California home, spending his days reading quirky books and maintaining his collection of "Californiana." Recently breaking up with his fiance, he receives a letter from his uncle and aunt in New Cyprus, a small town in the desert where the borders of California, Arizona and Nevada meet. They'd like him to come visit, which Calvin is reluctant to at first until he receives a package from his distant cousin in Iowa with the request to bring it to his relatives in New Cyprus. Thus Calvin heads out to deliver the package and learns about the Knights of the Cornerstone, a secret society which his uncle belongs to that collects artifacts and is involved in many other unknown mysteries which Calvin becomes a part of. This book is good, light reading with likeable characters, fast moving action and lots of witty humor. It fits the Blaylock model of writing with its realistic setting sprinkled with fantastical elements. I sense a new series with Calvin and the Knights on the horizon, as I felt there was remaining stories to be told. More description on the Knights would have been nice, but if this becomes a series, the future books could be used for that. Overall, it's nice to have new James Blaylock novel after almost nine years of not having one. If you want an enjoyable book that's not too deep and easy to read, pick up Knights of the Cornerstone.

OK, so he hasn't REALLY been away - but if you know this author, you know he's had a couple of distinct "periods" - whimsy-and-wizardry, steampunk-silliness, contemporary-fantasy, ghosts-of-California. With this novel, Blaylock returns to the contemporary fantasy genre he last visited in 1995 with "All The Bells On Earth." If you enjoy Neil Gaiman or Charles De Lint, if you liked John Crowley's "Little, Big" or "Aegypt," or Blaylock's own "The Last Coin," "The Paper Grail," or "The Digging Leviathan," you're sure to enjoy the adventures of hapless cartoonist Cal Bryson as he finds himself juggling a miraculous artifact, a mystic feud between a secret society of California-desert eccentrics and a killer occultist, and a budding relationship with a shrewd waitress with a keen feel for his foibles.

This is a beautiful piece of fantasy about a man who has fundamentally withdrawn from public life, so to speak, and is seemingly content among his book collections and cartoon drawing. He is asked to deliver an item to his uncle who lives in a rural community fairly cut off, geographically, from casual visitors. Once there, we find wonderful people, the knights of the cornerstone mentioned in the title, who seem to have a sort of lodge in the town. Or are they perhaps genuinely Knights Templars, or something of the sort? What do they protect? This is just such a wonderful book. It made me think of the old Charles Williams books, but this author has more compassion for his characters. Read it if you want to enjoy one of the very best fantasy writers publishing today!

Cartoonist Calvin Bryson knows he retreated from the world by hiding behind his work and Californiana literary collection as his ex-fiancée Elaine reminded him. Now a letter from his Uncle Al Lymon inviting him to visit him and ailing Aunt Nettie arrives. It has been three years since he has visited New Cypress in the desert squeezed by the Dead Mountains and the Colorado River. He also received a package from Warren Hosmer, his ancient cousin several numbers removed, postmarked Iowa to deliver to Uncle Al. Reluctantly Calvin, who prefers to catalogue his Californiana collection, drives to his uncle's abode, the Knights of the Cornerstone. However before arriving at New Cyprus, someone steals the Hosmer package. Upon arrival at the Knights of the Cornerstone, Calvin explains he lost the package, but finds out that was a fake; the real item, the mythical magical artifact, the Veil of Veronica, was delivered to Uncle Al. At the Cozy Diner waitress Donna serves him his pancakes reminding him she kissed him when they were six years old, but this time he wants to initiate the kiss; instead he leaves a cartoon and a psychotic tip. However, he soon realizes that his family back in Iowa and here are embroiled with the Knights fighting their enemies for control of the veil. THE KNIGHTS OF THE CORNERSTONE is an engaging modern day desert (can't say urban) fantasy that sub-genre fans will enjoy even as the story line in many ways is a conventional good vs. bad saga. The reason the audience will relish this novel and want more is Calvin, who in no way comes across as hero material, but unenthusiastically tries although his instincts tell him to flee back to his reclusive lifestyle before he is literally sent to Hell. James P Blaylock provides a fun light read that showcases blood is thicker than water especially when it flows from the body. Harriet Klausner