Walter Mosley: The Tempest Tales (USA 2009)

From the Publisher:
Mistaken for another man, wily Tempest is "accidentally" shot by police. Sent to receive the judgment of heaven he discovers that his sins, according to St. Peter, condemn him to hell. Tempest takes exception to the saint's definition of sin; he refuses to go to hell and explains that he, a poor Black man living in Harlem, did what he did for family, friends, and love.

St. Peter, whose judgment has never been challenged, understands the secret of damnation and heaven's celestial authority -- mortals must willingly accept their sins.

Should Tempest continue his refusal, heaven will collapse, thereby allowing hell and its keeper, the fallen angel Satan, to reign supreme. The only solution: send this recalcitrant mortal back to earth with an accounting angel, whose all-important mission is to persuade Tempest to accept his sins and St. Peter's judgment.

In this episodic battle with heaven and hell for his ultimate destiny, Tempest also takes the reader on a philosophic and humorous journey where free will is pitted against class and race -- and the music of heaven is pitted against the blues.

Walter Mosley: The Tempest Tales. A Novel-in-Stories. Washington Square Press, ISBN: 9781416599494 (June, 2009), 192 p., $14.00.

Walter Mosley: The Tempest Tales (USA 2008)

From the Publisher:
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?

Walter Mosley: The Tempest Tales. Black Classic Press, ISBN: 9781574780437 (June, 2008), 165 p., $19.95.