James
Blaylock’s so-called “Christian trilogy” (a poor nomer at best)
is one of fantasy literature’s unheralded, and for most readers
unheard of, classix. Laden with subtle wit and charm, they are
novels for the more discerning reader looking for something beyond
the mainstream. A “Christian trilogy” only in the sense that
each of the three novels uses some element of the Bible to spin a
tale of the fantastical intruding into contemporary American life
(The Last Coin features the coins Judas received for selling
Jesus to the Romans and The Paper Grail posits a unique take
on the “Holy Grail”—read to find the reason for the quotes),
each is, in fact, more humorously irreverent and picaresquely
capering than religiously staid. And they are driven by wonderfully
kooky, off-kilter characters that keep the stories dynamic and
engaging. Looking at a classic Robert Johnson deal with devil
through the lens of 90s money scams, All the Bells on Earth
(1995) is the third novel in the “trilogy”.
The
small, quiet Californian community of Santa Anna is turned upside
down one evening when a madman climbs the tower of the local church,
loosens one of the bells, then vandalizes the hell (pun
intended—don’t’ judge me) out of the church’s sanctuary. The
madman dying in the strangest of ways, his death is impossible not to
be noticed by the small community, including Robert Argyle, a shady
catalog merchant, and his competition, Walt Perkins, likewise a
catalog salesman though one of clearer moral conscience.
Investigating the remains of the madman’s house in the aftermath,
Perkins turns up some very strange evidence, something which Argyle
seems to have known about. Tension between the pair escalating,
Santa Anna may never be a quiet community again.
As
with The Last Coin and The Paper Grail, All the
Bells on Earth is a character-driven story that plays in the
interstices of American culture and with the fringe characters who
populate it. Catalog merchants, pyramid schemes, mobile home
tomfoolery, supposed mystical artifacts, midnight pranks, donut
shops—all form the threads creating the novel’s story. But where
The Last Coin and The Paper Grail were largely cut from
the same mold (good guy vs. bad guy for lack of a better
description), All the Bells on Earth expands its main
character list. Of course one can argue Argyle and Perkins form the
lion’s share of the narrative, but side characters and the nature
of the story’s premise (not to be spoiled here) demand a broader
range of developed characters, which Blaylock delivers. Santa Anna
comes to feel like a populated community and the narrative possesses
a layer of complexity that, while still technically a good vs. evil
production, feels more expansive, though, one might argue, not 100%
necessary. The reverend, Rich, Ivy, Eddie, Nora, and the other
characters give a holistic feel that does not belie boiling the novel
down to a dichotomy of interests.
In
the end, All the Bells on Earth is a solid reason to read
Blaylock. The prose is not the flashiest or most lush (and if I were
pushed in a corner I would say this novel is the least dynamic of the
three “Christian trilogy” books). And many readers looking for
non-stop thrills and action will likely be put off. But for the
reader with patience, a feel for story flow, the love of a sudden,
subtle development, and an interest in quirky characters in small
town life, the novel delivers. Another way of putting this is, All
the Bells on Earth is everything unlike urban paranormal fantasy
being published these days, though I suppose that is the correct
taxonomy…
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