Customer Reviews

The Tempest Tales

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and a horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup."

Psalms: 11:6

Walter Mosley's latest book, "The Tempest Tales", is "[d]edicated to the memory of Langston Hughes". The story, in form and content, pays homage to Jesse B Semple, the great character created by Langston Hughes in his Simple Stories. The Early Simple Stories (Collected Works of Langston Hughes) and The Later Simple Stories (Collected Works of Langston Hughes)

Set in Harlem, Tempest Landry is gunned down `accidentally' by the police for a robbery he did not commit. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. As the story opens we see him standing in a terminally long line, waiting for St. Peter to pass judgment. Tempest is a bit upset, to say the least, when St. Peter advises Tempest that his sins outweigh his good deeds and he is condemned to damnation. But Tempest does not go quietly. He refuses to accept the judgment and this causes no end of consternation in heaven. No soul has ever refused to accept St. Peter's judgment and Tempest soon finds out that he cannot be compelled to damnation without his consent. The rules, such as they are, require that Tempest accept the judgment that has been passed on him. St. Peter decides to send Tempest back down to earth along with a guardian angel who is is tasked with the job of convincing Tempest to accept St. Peter's judgment. Tempest (now in another soul's body) and the guardian angel end up back in Harlem. The rest of the story focuses on the relationship between Tempest and the guardian angel.

Mosley does a great job presenting Tempest as a man tasked with defending his life. St. Peter and the guardian angel live with a moral compass that it fixed, sure, and not subject to earthly claims of relative good an evil. In heavenly terms, good and bad are moral absolutes and not subject to bargaining or mitigation. But Tempest, basically on trial for his immortal soul, does a magnificent job of arguing, or trying to explain, to his angel that life on earth, particularly life for a black man in Harlem, creates enough magnetic or social `interference' to render that moral compass less than an absolute guide to sin or salvation. What Mosley does here, and to great effect, is to look at a man's life from an earthly perspective, where decisions are not nor perhaps cannot always be made in terms of absolute good and evil. Mosley manages to do this without slipping into the sort of moral relativism that makes excuses for any bad choices made by people here on earth. He does not advocate absolute relativism as a superior concept to moral precepts of right and wrong. My impress was that Mosley suggests that when we take the measure of a man's life that we look beyond a mere ledger of rights and wrongs.

"Tempest Tales" would not have worked if Mosley had not created such fine characters. Tempest, his angel and the characters that people "Tempest Tales" are painted with depth and nuance. Mosley is a fine, entertaining writer and "Tempest Tales" was yet another Mosley story that I found hard to put down. As noted earlier, "Tempest Tales" is something of homage to Langston Hughes. Its Harlem setting and the type of characters that populate the book really do evoke the wonderful stories of Hughes. Mosley, however, does not slavishly imitate Hughes the way an Elvis impersonator might don a white jump suit and do a third-rate note-by-note, gyration-by-gyration impersonation of the old Elvis. Rather, Mosley has created characters and created dialogue that are unique to Mosley and not pale imitations of Simple and his friends. That seems to me to be the best sort of homage. Highly recommended. L. Fleisig

First, a short story... I was at the 2008 L.A. Festival of Books just walking around minding my own business and I see a booth that is selling books. Nothing unusual because that is what they are there for. What WAS unusual was the book that they were pulling out of a box. A cover with a silhouette of a Black man with wings, hey I know that cover!! It's Walter Mosley's new book cover. Now I start to wonder... then I look over and there is Walter Mosley signing his new book!!!!

Are you KIDDING ME!?!?! Here I am just enjoying the UCLA campus, being around other book lovers, all the delicious eye candy, and I see a freaking literary ICON!! I. Freaked. Out!! So you know I had to buy and book and get him to sign it and that is exactly what I did!! That was an unexpected treat for me and everyone else that was in L.A. that day. Anyway... on to the book....

`Tempest Tales' was a very short but VERY powerful book. Tempest is a man who is sent to Heaven after he is murdered by the police. Once there St. Peter tells him that he needs to go to Hell. Tempest says "no". Never in the history of Heaven as anyone EVER said "no". Thus begins the tale. Tempest is sent back to Earth with an accounting angel to show him that he is a sinner and therefore must accept the judgment of Heaven. Tempest is pretty hard-headed and uncommonly bright, and gives the angel a run for his halo.

The underlying philosophical question in this book is: are the sins of the poor, oppressed, and Black the same as the White and well off? Tempest says no, the angel says yes, and their arguments really make this book exceptional. There are more than a few things in this book that will raise your eyebrows because you'll be thinking "no way" or "how is that possible". One of the most shocking yet entertaining twists is when "Bob" shows up. I won't tell you who "Bob" is but your body will catch goose bumps when you find out.

This book won't make or break how you feel about Heaven, Hell, or God but it will cause you to think. Good vs. Evil. Fiction and Philosophy. Man vs. God. Mix those up and you get this truly very splendid book.

Tempest Landry was at the wrong place at the wrong time when he was fatally shot and killed by the police. Which was a mistake of identity.

Standing in line to be judged by the man upstairs. Tempest discovers his sins and explains that he did what he did for the love of his family and friends. He is condemn to hell by St. Peter. Not taking his fate lightly he refuses to be sentence to eternal damnation.

Three years later, Tempest reappears back on earth in another body not recognized by his friends and family. Also sent with him is the accounting angel Joshua who is there to monitor his progress and to help reexamine the circumstances of his past life. Constantly, debating over the issues of right and wrong, Joshua tries to get Tempest to admit that he is a sinner and deserves damnation, but he is not giving in. He brings in a 3rd party name Bob who represents Lucifer and the story gets really interesting.

The Tempest Tales is a novel that I couldn't put down. Its gives you a glimpse of the after life and a sense of what you can expect. Also you will get the do's and don'ts of having eternal life and/or damnation. This is my first read of Mr. Mosley's work. He is an excellent writer, and I will be reading more of his books in the future.

Tangerine, Reviewer
Reader's Paradise Book Club

I love Walter Mosley's novels. This one was good, but not quite what I expected. I think I thought it would be more of a Devil and Daniel Webster-type story, but it was much deeper. It brought up a lot of questions concerning sin, race, sex, and social status. I wish the story had been longer, so that the reader could have gotten to know the characters better. I just felt like something was missing.

This is my third Mosley book (I've read both of his science fiction books) I throughly enjoyed this book!!! On the surface you would believe it is just a cute story about a dead man not willing to go to Hell even though St. Peter commands that he go, but as you think about what you are reading you begin to see that it is more about the injustices of Racism, poverty and the overall political scene in America from a Black man's point of view. My only criticism (and it is a stretch by far) is that is is such a small book that I read in 2 days and now I'm left wanting more. One could take the position that the ending leaves much to be desired, but for me I think the ending is purposely left opened ended because there (I hope) will be more Tempest tales.
Walter Mosely is the type of Author that all writers should aspire to write like. He writes with intelligence, purpose and fun all rolled into one. I loved this book!!!!!

Tempest Landry is a man in the middle of a tug of war between an angel ("Joshua Angel") and the devil. Tempest is unjustly killed--murdered in his view--and rejects St. Peter's judgment that he is to be sentenced to hell for his (unrelated) sinning. When Tempest refuses to go to hell, he's sent back to earth to rethink his refusal. Huh?

The story plays out more like a story of the child who refuses a spanking, and the parents give the child a time out instead of a spanking. "Now, child, think about how you "deserve" your punishment... " Any parent knows that no "bad" child is going to admit he or she has done anything deserving of a spanking. It strains credulity and common experience to believe that Tempest is the first "sinner" of all time to say "no" to judgment when my 5 year old grandson comes up with better arguments on a regular basis...

I've enjoyed other stories about angels coming to earth: "The Horn Blows at Midnight" with Jack Benny (a box office flop, however), "Here Comes Mr. Jordan," (with the remakes "Heaven Can Wait" and "Down to Earth"), " and the serious "City of Angels." This story, in some ways, is not unlike the "B" movie, "Ghost Dad" where the protagonist meets an untimely death and humorously attempts to re-enter his life as a sometimes material, sometimes immaterial spirit. I liked "Ghost Dad" better!

So there are no clear cut rules of heaven, hell, and any rules we find appear to be made up as the reader goes along. How can Tempest be "dead" when he is walking around in a new flesh and blood body and affecting the living souls around just like before he was shot umpteen times? Where'd he get the new body from? How is he going to review his life and accept St. Peter's judgment while he walks around earth living his life again in a new body? There are no convincing incentives for Tempest to do anything either way and therefore his new life (and this story) stagnates.

However, the devil, who is given the name Basel Bob (read "Beelzebub") is no effective antagonist, but an impotent foe, easily fooled and not the "adversary" (Satan) of religious thought. We have therefore a failure of "drama" in that there is no conflict between the characters. Tempest is never in any real danger from beginning to end from either the devil from hell or the angel from heaven.

For Langston Hughes fans (of which I am one), there is only a faint similarity to the Jesse B Semple essays, but only in having been written as a series of loosely connected essays.

Finally, despite the use of the name "St. Peter", there is no real similarity to the Christian faith where salvation is free to the true believer and all a man's sins are washed away by the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It appears to be unintended irony that the name "Joshua" actually means "God saves" because Joshua makes no attempt at any time to help Tempest find any salvation. God is conspicuously absent from this story, but that's somewhat typical of these tales about angels. For the true believer, the Christian faith is about good news for the sinner who is saved. Tempest Tales are sorely lacking of the religious joy contained in such folk songs as "Ain't that Good News"--

"I got a robe in that kingdom - ain't that good news? ...
I got shoes in that kingdom - ain't that good news? ...
I got a crown in that kingdom - ain't that good news? ...
I'm gonna lay down this world
I'm gonna shoulder up my cross
I'm gonna carry it home to my Jesus -
ain't that good news, my Lord, ain't that good news?

In the Tempest Tales there's no "robe," no "cross" and no "crown" for anyone in Tempest's universe and even his J. Angel appears to be clueless about that!


Barry C. Boykin

Tha author lost me early on in the book. He attempts to cover so many controversial ethical problems that it all leads to confusion. There is a quick and superficial focus on religion, sin and redemption, race relations, national conflicts. Sometime he attacks relativism. On other occasions he stresses the need to adhere to old fashioned morality, but comes down hard on narrow condemnation of bad behavior.

I soldiered on to the end, but was unimpressed with the style and the content.
My previous experience with Moseley books was more satisfying.

I have been a long-time fan of Walter Mosley's work starting with his Easy Rawlins' series. As a huge science fiction buff, I loved his "47". I thought that I would love everything written by Mr. Mosley until I read "The Tempest Tales". I found it too preachy for my taste. I am not a church-going type of person, so I had a difficult time following the Biblical references. I did not care about the characters at all. The storyline was interesting at moments, and at other times I had a hard time following it. I will stick with his Easy Rawlins' series and his new Leonid McGill series.

Usually I review nonfiction business and career books in the "Bud's Books column on my ezine. However, I just read a great novel by Walter Mosley, and I felt compelled to feature it in the latest edition and to post it here.

The Tempest Tales is the story of Tempest Landry. As the story begins, Tempest is mistaken for another man and shot and killed by the police. When he gets to the Pearly Gates, Saint Peter sentences him to hell for his sins. However, Tempest takes exception with Saint Peter's definition of sin. He refuses to go to hell and explains that his "sins" are merely things he had to do - for his family, friends and love - and to survive.
Tempest gets sent back to earth - with an angel, whose job is to convince him to accept his sins and his judgment of eternal damnation.

This is when it gets interesting. Tempest and the angel spar over the notion of right and wrong. Tempest does his best to convince the angel that acts, in and of themselves, are neither good not sinful. They must be viewed in context. The angel is very perplexed by the notion of shades of gray. Things are black and white in his world.

I like this book for a couple of reasons. First, like all Walter Mosley books, it is well written. Second, it makes an important point about human relations. No one should presume to judge another human being until he or she has stood in the other person's shoes.

In my new book, "Straight Talk for Success", I point out that successful people, among other things, are interpersonally competent. If you want to become interpersonally competent, you need to develop empathy for your fellow human beings.

Things that may seem strange to you, might be perfectly logical from another's perspective. In The Tempest Tales, Walter Mosley takes you for in interesting and enjoyable ride as he goes about proving this point.

If you're the kind of person who doesn't read fiction thinking that it is a waste of time, pick up and read a copy of The Tempest Tales. You'll see that helpful career and life success messages can, and often do, come in novels.

I'm not a very spiritual or religious person. In fact, I'm more likely to refer to the Bible as a collection of well told stories than an actual doctrine to live my life by. Having that said, I found Tempest Tales to be an enjoyable read; though the ending was disappointing.

Tempest Tales tells the story of Tempest Landry, a black man who is "accidentally" killed by New York's finest. Upon meeting Saint Peter, Tempest is denied access to heaven because of a long list of sins he committed during his life. Tempest refuses to go to hell, arguing that the sins that he committed were not sins but simply necessary evils because he was a black man born in Harlem; in other words, he had no choice. Until this point, no soul has refused eternal judgment. So Saint Peter sends Tempest back to Harlem, where a accounting angel tries to convince him to accept Saint Peter's judgment. The story that ensues is philosophical and thought provoking. Is being a man of color born into poverty an automatic set back to receiving heavenly rewards? Is sin for blacks the same as it is for whites? These are the questions asked by Tempest of his accounting Angel throughout the novel and I have to say, a lot of them are questions that I've asked myself. Not based on a racial discussion but on the big sin/ little sin discussion. When I was growing up, my grandmother was always sure to make me understand that there is no such thing as a big sin or a little sin; "a sin, is a sin, is a sin" she used to say. But being a precocious little brat, was never willing to accept this definition.

"What about the man who kills someone in self defense, or kills someone to protect his family? Will he go to hell for that?"

"And the man who steals because he's hungry or because he can't provide for his children? Does he go to hell too?"

I realize now this was my childish way of searching for logic in something that isn't based on logic, but faith; which is a still a strange concept for me.

Over all, I found the novel entertaining but the ending was a bit of a letdown. I was expecting a grand epiphany; something that would make me say, AHA! I was right! I didn't get that satisfaction. It felt like Mosley was treading the thin line between blasphemy and art and I thought it would have been braver to end the novel a different way. Even considering that, I would recommend this novel as a good, thought provoking read.