Aylesford Skull

James Paul Blaylock was born in Long Beach, California, in 1950, and attended California State University, where he received an MA. He was befriended and mentored by Philip K. Dick, along with his contemporaries K.W. Jeter and Tim Powers, and is regarded - along with Powers and Jeter - as one of the founding fathers of the steampunk movement. Winner of two World Fantasy Awards and a Philip K. Dick Award.

Praise for James P. Blaylock:"A singular American fabulist." - William Gibson, author of The Difference Engine"Blaylock is a magician!" - Michael Swanwick"Blaylock's prose is so rich it literally sings!" - Charles de Lint"Blaylock is better than anyone else at showing us the magic that secretly animates our world..." - Tim Powers, author of On Stranger Tides"While many recent novels have picked up the steampunk banner, this one fully delivers, offering action, farce, tender relationships, and prose full of genuine Victorian cadence and flavor." - Publishers Weekly [on The Affair of the Chalk Cliffs]"St. Ives has to be one of the most fleshed out Victorian characters ever written, and I’m sincerely hoping that Blaylock isn’t finished with this scientist adventurer. The Aylesford Skull can easily stand alone without any knowledge of Blaylock’s previous steampunk stories, but you’ll want to hunt down additional St. Ives tales, I’m for certain." – Wired.com