James Chalk, Fair Buyer of Lightning: or; Peace is a Pile of Mint

by Tim DeMoss

James Chalk is an apothecary in the fictional Clover Country, where alchemy is both possible - and illegal. A healer, a heretic, a man of ambition, forced daily to ask and answer two

Where is the line between magic and medicine?

And - who will draw it?

90 pages, Paperback

Published October 29, 2025

Reviews

[F.C. Shultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

DeMoss has built such a rich world that pulls you in from the first page. I couldn’t put it down and read it all in one sitting. I put a big emphasis on how a book ends, and this one delivers. Looking forward to gifting this to my friends for many years to come!

[Daniyal Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3

Churches move the goalposts to help their cause but not everything is as it seems. Didn’t expect it to end the way it did at all but my distrust of the church blinded me to believe that anyone who doubts the church is probably a better person


Favorite parts: The priest trying to save face about taking the finders draught and James and the priest interaction about it. The ending

[Lars Markson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully quick read set in a well-developed world. The characters are few but full. The story is calm, punchy, interesting, and left me wondering.

[Fabio Cerpelloni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this tiny little book. The speedy pace of the story, the dialogues, and the atmosphere of the places the author created made me forget about the world outside. This is a little gem that says more than any longer stories I've read. Meaningful, original, and well-written.