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The Tempest Tales By Walter Mosley ( Black Classic Press )
Release Date: 2008-05-07
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Product Description
Tempest Landry, an everyman African American, is “accidentally” killed by a cop. Denied access to heaven because of what he considers a few minor transgressions, Tempest refuses to go to hell. Stymied, Saint Peter sends him back to Harlem, where a guiding angel tries to convince him to accept Saint Peter's judgment, and even the Devil himself tries to win over Tempest’s soul. Through the street-smart Landry, Mosley poses the provocative question: Is sin for blacks the same as it is for whites? And who gets to decide?
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 Heaven, Hell and Harlem in between
Although a very quick read, this is exactly my kind of novel. That is, an entertaining tale woven with philosophical and spiritual explorations. Mosley has created a memorable cast to guide you through his message. You will live their ultimate highs and deepest woes, using believable everyday language, even as the fate of the cosmos hangs in the balance.
The book begins at the gates of Heaven, but the remainder is set mostly in Harlem. As mentioned in other reviews, race, racism and poverty weigh heavily into the discussion, and you briefly get the impression that Mosley is prepared to justify almost any ill on these grounds.
Don't be fooled. While significant to the plot and characters, these phenomena serve truly as metaphors for really any number of pressures, injustice, and the human condition at large.
The main character, Tempest, is uniquely subjected to the enormity of Heaven and hell. Thanks to a technicality of free will, Tempest has both sides telling him they require the ultimate sacrifice of his very soul. In the meantime, all about him, the everyday pain of poverty and desperation continue taking their toll, adding to his conundrum but also fueling his fires.
This is the brilliance of the book. The struggles of Tempest are the struggles of all of us. Trying to balance the rigidity that often accompanies organized faith, avoiding the corruption of materialism, all the while witnessing pain, mortality and unpunished evil in our world - Tempest rails against these entrapments while searching for a balance he can live with (in his case, literally).
Mosley somehow manages to bring a tongue-in-cheek humor to this epic struggle. Tempest describes his wife and girlfriend with equal affection. His accompanying angel, Joshua, sustains his mortal form with an accounting job and gets sick during tax season. The characters will stay with you after you put this book down.
This book definitely made me want to read more Mosley. I'm appreciating it more and more as I write this review!
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 Interesting concept; poorly executed
While I am a long time admirer of Walter Mosley's other works of fiction, I can not recommend this book to even his biggest fans. I found The Tempest Tales is a big disappointment.
The concept was certainly interesting, but the writing and character development were poor. I was bored reading it (Mosley repeats himself throughout the book) and almost did not finish.
Bring back Easy Rawling, Fearless Jones, and the other rich characters Mosley has treated us to in the past!
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 Will hell be his keeper? ( antisharj )
Tempest Landry, Is a man in the wrong place at the wrong time with doing things he shouldn't he shot down by mistake.He shows us how he is not going to hell and how he fights to show that he is not a sinner. I love how angel come in and take over and how his life chance. A good reading its different.
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The Wages of Sin ( tangerine588 )
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
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Tempest Tales
Excellent! Great page turner that confronts the Heaven vs hell as never before. I hope to hear more from the cagey and witty Tempest.
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