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ABOUT THE STORE : NEWSLETTER
DISPATCHES FROM THE BORDER
Events and News from Borderlands Books
MARCH, 2005
Chapter One - Event Information, News, and Special Feature
Saturday, March 26th at 2pm, Marc Scott Zicree reading and signing MAGIC TIME: GHOSTLANDS
Sunday, March 27th at 2pm, Frank Robinson presentation on the history of the pulp magazine
Tuesday, March 29th - Sunday, April 3rd, Fearless Tales Genre Fest
Thursday, April 7th - Sunday, April 10th, World Horror Convention
(for more information check the end of this section)
News
Neil
Gaiman (AMERICAN GODS) will hit the road on or about September 20 when his
ANANSI BOYS (William Morrow) is released in the US. According to Gaiman,
he'll jump to Europe for more signings after October 6. Meanwhile,
Gaiman talks a bit about ANANSI BOYS, the MIRRORMASK film with Lisa Henson,
his web journal, and more at Chizine. http://www.chizine.com/neil_gaiman_interview.htm
TWO SMALL PRESS TITLES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED ON A PRE-ORDER BASIS ONLY.
The first will be BERSERK by Tim Lebbon from Necessary Evil Press and will
sell for $50. This new novel will only be printed on a pre-order basis
and the deadline for orders is April 30th. You can place orders by
contacting us anytime before that date and there is no pre-payment requirement.
For more information about the novel check http://www.necessaryevilpress.com/berserk_book.html .
The second title is a collaboration between Brett Alexander Savory and David
Niall Wilson called MY EYES ARE NAILED, BUT STILL I SEE from Delirium Books.
The deadline for orders is also April 30th for this $45 hardcover.
However, unlike BERSERK, we will require pre-payment in full for any orders
for this book. For more information check http://www.deliriumbooks.com/nailed.htm .
From The OfficeThere is a change you may notice at the end of the
book listings in this issue. One of the suggestions made in the recent
survey was that it would be nice to have a list of upcoming titles so that
one could place pre-orders. At the end of the book listings you'll
find a short list of upcoming titles. For now we've kept to small presses
but in the future we may expand it to include more mainstream publishers.
If you have time, let me know what you think of the addition.
Recently I've been thinking about comics, in part because of going to WonderCon
for the first time last month and in part due to two comics I've read recently:
(GRIMJACK, which is reviewed later in this newsletter, and Y: THE LAST MAN,
which I'll review next month). It's really fascinating how they have
changed in my lifetime. I started reading comics in the 70s and continued,
off and on, until the mid 90s. I still read them occasionally, usually
when prompted by my 12-year-old daughter, but it's an infrequent thing.
But, during the time that I was reading them, there were some profound changes
in the style, content, and quality.
In the 70s they were pretty much simple "super hero" stories, entertaining
in their own way but limited. However by the 90s we had comics like
SANDMAN and THE WATCHMEN, which were testing the limits of the form and meeting
(honestly, often exceeding) the bar for genre fiction. Though there
are several factors that contributed to this evolution, one of the major
ones (perhaps _the_ major one) was the demise of the Comics Code. The
Comics Code, which may have been one of the most despicable cases of censorship
in US history, was successful in a major part because it was self-censorship
on the part of the comics industry and also because the majority of people
affected by it (to whit, the readers) were unaware of the details behind
it. Now, not too many years after its end, many people still don't
know much about it or have started forgetting it. Of course, the peril
in forgetting about such embarrassing episodes in the past is the chance
that they may be repeated. In that spirit and if you feel like a laugh
(perhaps a nervous one), follow this link ( http://www.comics.dm.net/codetext.htm
) and take a look at the original text of the code. And while you're
doing that, say a little thank you to companies like First Comics (the original
publisher of GRIMJACK) and DC Comics, who were willing to risk violating
the Comics Code and made the current state of comics and graphic novels what
it is today.
For more information about the Comics Code see ( http://www.sideroad.com/comics/column12.html ) (and following articles) and, for more detail, see ( http://www.psu.edu/dept/inart10_110/inart10/cmbk4cca.html )
Until next month, remember -- "Inclusion of stories dealing with evil shall
be used or shall be published only where the intent is to illustrate a moral
issue and in no case shall evil be presented alluringly nor so as to injure
the sensibilities of the reader." (The Comics Code, General Standards Part
B, section 4)
Best,
Alan Beatts
Owner
Book Club Info
The
Gay Men's Book Club will meet on Sunday, March 13th, at 5 pm to discuss LIGHT
by M. John Harrison. The book for April will be TERMINAL CAFE by Ian
McDonald. Please contact the group leader, Christopher Rodriguez, at
cobalt555@earthlink.net, for more information.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club will meet on Sunday, March 20th
at 6 pm to discuss BEYOND THE BLUE EVENT HORIZON by Frederik Pohl.
The book for April is KINDRED by Octavia Butler. Please contact Jude
at jfeldman@borderlands-books.com for more information.
Upcoming Event Details
Saturday,
March 26th at 2pm, Marc Scott Zicree reading and signing MAGIC TIME: GHOSTLANDS
- We're happy to host, for the first time, author and screenwriter Marc Scott
Zicree for a reading and signing of the third novel in his Magic Time series.
What would happen if one day all the machines stopped working and magic came
back into the world? That's the premise for the Magic Time books and
it's bound to appeal to fans of the Bordertown series and Charles de Lint's
work.
Sunday, March 27th at 2 PM, Frank Robinson presentation on the history of
the pulp magazine. - Modern Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy truly began
with the pulp magazines of the early 20th century. This was where writers
like Lovecraft, Howard, Heinlein, and Asimov got their starts and in many
ways, the history of the pulps is the history of the first half of these
genres.
Though best known as the author of numerous novels (most recently THE DONOR),
Frank is also one of the world's foremost experts on the pulp magazine of
the 1910s to 1940s. He also has one of the finest collections in the
United States. On Sunday he'll be giving an informal presentation on
the history of the pulps as well as bringing some gems from his personal
collection. Don't miss this rare opportunity if you are a collector
(or have ever thought of collecting pulps) or, for that matter, if you are
interested in the history of the SF, Horror, and Fantasy field.
Tuesday, March 29th - Sunday, April 3rd, Fearless Tales Genre Fest - Borderlands
is a proud sponsor of the Fearless Tales Genre Film Festival. In this,
their second year, they'll once again takes over local theaters with indi
Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror films. This year they'll be at
both the Victoria and Castro theaters with a full slate of great films and
discussions. This year's recipient of the Fearless Vision award is
John Landis, who will be on hand Friday evening for a screening of his classic
AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and will be giving a rare on stage interview
followed by a Q & A session. For more information, see ( http://www.fearlesstales.com/site/ ). Thursday,
April 7th - Sunday, April 10th, World Horror Convention - As usual we'll
have a table in the dealers' room at WHC in New York as well as hosting a
party on Friday night. We hope you'll stop by our table and/or our
party and say "Hi" if you're at the convention. For more info check
( http://www.whc2005.org/ ).
Borderlands event policy - all events are free of charge. You are welcome
to bring copies of an author's books purchased elsewhere to be autographed
(but we do appreciate it if you purchase something while at the event), except
for some special events. For most events you are welcome to bring as many
books as you wish for autographs. If you are unable to attend the event,
we will be happy to have a copy of the author's book signed or inscribed
for you. We can then either hold it until you can come in to pick it up
or we can ship it to you. Just give us a call or drop us an email. If you
live out of town, you can also ship us books from your collection to be signed.
Call or email for details.
Chapter Two - Book Listings
Small Press Features
A BLACKBIRD IN SILVER by Freda Warrington (Immanion Press, Hardcover, $28.99
BREEDING DISCONTENT - STORM CONSTANTINE’S "WRAETHTHU MYTHOS" by Wendy Darling
and Bridgette M. Parker (Immanion Press, Trade Paperback, $19.99)
WHORES OF BABYLON by Ian Watson (Immanion Press, Trade Paperback, $20.99)
HERMETECH by Storm Constantine and Bridgette M. Parker (Immanion Press, Trade Paperback, $20.99)
THE FEAR PLANET AND OTHER UNUSUAL DESTINATIONS: THE READER'S BLOCH VOLUME
1 by Robert Bloch and edited by Stefan R. Dziemaianowicz (Subterranean, Signed
and Numbered Limited (750 copies) Edition Hardcover, $40.00)
THE LEGEND OF GRIM JACK by John Ostrander (IDW Publishing, Oversized Softcover
Graphic Novel, $19.99) - I'm so excited that this groundbreaking comic is
now available in a trade paperback format. Originally published in
the early 80s, GRIMJACK was one of the lead titles published by First comics
(for more about the significance of First Comics check out From The Office
in this issue) and I fell in love with it when I saw it. It was (and
still is) in many ways the polar opposite of a "super hero" comic.
John Gaunt, the protagonist, is a scarfaced, 49 year old ex-soldier who works
as a investigator and gun/sword-for-hire in one of the meanest cities in
all the realities - Cynosure, the place when all the various planes and dimensions
meet, a place where guns work some places, magic in others and swords work
most everywhere. Equal parts Hammett, Zelazny, and Bordertown, GRIMJACK
is a real treat. - Recommended by Alan.
FALLING INTO HEAVEN: FOURTEEN TALES OF TERROR by L.H. Maynard and M.P.N. Sims (Sarob, Hardcover, $45.00)
LOW RED MOON by Caitlin R. Kiernan (Subterranean, Signed and Numbered Limited (600 copies) Edition Hardcover, $40.00)
STRANGERS ON THE HEIGHTS by Manly Wade Wellman and edited by Jeremiah Rickert
(Night Shade Books, Hardcover, $25.00) - Contains “Strangers on the Heights”
and “Nuisance Value”. Part of the Lost Wellman series.
GIANTS FROM ETERNITY by Manly Wade Wellman and edited by Jeremiah Rickert
(Night Shade Books, Hardcover, $25.00) - Contains “Giants from Tomorrow”
and “The Timeless Tomorrow”. Part of the Lost Wellman series.
LEVIATHAN 4: CITIES edited by Forrest Aguirre (Ministry Of Whimsy, Signed
Limited Edition Hardcover (100 copies), $45.00) - Signed by all contributors.
THE MAN WHO LOST THE SEA - COMPLETE THEODORE STURGEON, VOL. 10 by Theodore
Sturgeon (North Atlantic Books, Hardcover, $35.00) - The most recent volume
in this series. Foreword by Jonathan Lethem. Contains stories
written between 1957-1960.
YEARS IN THE MAKING - THE TIME-TRAVEL STORIES OF L. SPRAGUE DE CAMP, VOL. 1 by L. Sprague de Camp (NESFA, Hardcover, $25.00)
HOMECALLING AND OTHER STORIES - THE COMPLETE SOLO SHORT SF OF JUDITH MERRILL by Judith Merrill (NESFA, Hardcover, $29.00)
New and Notable
SF and Fantasy
PARADOX by John Meaney (Pyr, Hardcover, $25.00) - Finally in print in the
US, PARADOX is the second novel by this British author whose work I've enjoyed
for years. The following synopsis from SciFi.com gives it an excellent
introduction -
On an alien world in the 35th century, we find the underground civilization
of Nulapeiron. While the inhospitable surface of the planet is being
terraformed—a long process—humanity has filled up many strata below the soil
with a strange society. The topmost levels of the underground civilization
are dominated by Lords and Ladies, who enjoy ease, elegance, intellectual
and hedonistic pursuits. Their elite lives are balanced on the backs
of the hoi polloi who live below them, but also on the functioning of 5,000
Oracles, altered beings who can foresee their future in "truecasts."
The power of prophecy permits perfect control.
Down on one of the lowest levels we encounter our hero, a youth named Tom
Corcorigan. The son of a simple merchant, Tom lives a constrained life,
against the frustrating borders of which his native intelligence continually
pushes. When he is given a mysterious data-crystal by an exotic individual
known as a Pilot, his life is primed for massive changes. For one thing,
the crystal contains the life story of one of the first Pilots from 1,500
years ago, a narrative that plays out in parallel with Tom's life.
At first, the changes the crystal seems to bring are all bad. Tom's
mother is kidnapped by an Oracle, and his father dies. Orphaned, Tom
is sent by a family friend to the Ragged School, several levels below.
There his hard-knock education begins in earnest. One day Tom is framed
for a crime. He loses an arm as punishment, but is taken as a servant into
the household of Lady Darinia, ruler of the entire demesne, or country. (Nulapeiron
is divided into various territorial volumes.) At first a mere kitchen
servant in a living Palace, Tom begins by wit and the patronage of sympathetic
nobles to work his way up the social ladder. After many years full
of adventure and trials, he finds himself at the ultimate rung: entry into
the nobility. Now Tom can use his new status to exact his long-delayed
revenge against the Oracle who ruined his mother.
But what he does not count on is that his newfound method of killing an omniscient
being will appeal to other rebels, who want to start a revolution to bring
Nulapeiron crashing down in chaos. (You can also read the review at
http://www.scifi.com/sfw/advance/07_books.html )
BURNING TOWER by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournell (Pocket, Hardcover, $25.00) - A sequel to THE BURNING CITY.
BERSERKER DEATH by Fred Saberhagen (Baen, Hardcover, $25.00)
MOONSTRUCK by Edward M Lerner (Baen, Hardcover, $24.00)
CUSP by Robert A. Metzger (Ace, Hardcover, $24.95)
ALLIES OF THE NIGHT - CIRQUE DU FREAK VOL. 8 by Darren Shan (Little Brown , Hardcover, $15.99)
ANYWHERE BUT HERE by Jerry Oltion (Tor, Hardcover, $25.95)
KALPA IMPERIAL: THE GREATEST EMPIRE THAT NEVER WAS by Angelica Gorodischer
(Translated by Ursula K. Le Guin) (ibooks, Hardcover, $21.95)
AGAINST THE TIDE by John Ringo (Baen, Hardcover, $25.00)
WOLF BROTHER - CHRONICLES OF ANCIENT DARKNESS VOL. 1 by Michelle Paver (HarperCollins, Hardcover, $16.99)
BONDS OF VENGEANCE - WINDS OF THE FORELANDS VOL. 3 by David B. Coe (Tor, Hardcover, $24.95)
THE GREENSTONE GRAIL by Amanda Hemingway (Del Rey, Hardcover, $16.95)
MISTS OF EVERNESS - WAR OF THE DREAMING VOL. 2 by John C. Wright (Tor, Hardcover, $25.95)
SHADOW OF THE GIANT - ENDER VOL. 8 by Orson Scott Card (Tor, Hardcover, $25.95)
MARKET FORCES by Richard Morgan (Ballantine, Trade Paperback, $14.95) -
Hands down the best book I've read in the last six months. Morgan's
third novel (after ALTERED CARBON and BROKEN ANGELS), is now available in
a US edition. Not a sequel to BROKEN ANGELS, MARKET FORCES paints a
picture of a dystopian future where the corporate standard isn't just to
get to work before your competitors, but to kill them on the way. But
it's much, much more than just a Roadwarrior-esque story of the future of
big business. One of the great strengths of SF is to consider where
we are right now and extrapolate that into the future and ask what the eventual
consequences will be. Without being preachy or simplistic, Morgan asks
about the eventual consequences of first world corporate involvement in the
third world government and the effects on the executives who play that field.
Gritty, suspenseful, funny, and chilling by turns, MARKET FORCES is a great
read. - Highly recommended by Alan, Francis, and Jeremy.
DEADHOUSE GATES - MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN VOL. 2 by Steven Erikson (Tor, Trade Paperback, $14.95)
THE MAGIC GOES AWAY COLLECTION edited by Larry Niven (Pocket, Trade Paperback, $13.00)
ALTERNITIES by Michael P. Kube-McDowell (ibooks, Trade Paperback, $12.95)
THE CONFESSIONS OF MAX TIVOLI by Andrew Sean Greer (Picador, Trade Paperback, $14.00)
COSMOS LATINOS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF SCIENCE FICTION FROM LATIN AMERICA AND SPAIN
edited by Andrea L. Bell (Wesleyan University Press, Trade Paperback, $24.95)
THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPEN by M. John Harrison (Gollancz - B, Trade Paperback, $18.23)
FOSSIL HUNTER - QUINTAGLIO ASCENSION VOL. 2 by Robert J. Sawyer (Tor, Trade Paperback, $14.95)
SUPERFOLKS by Robert Mayer (St. Martin's, Trade Paperback, $12.95) - Originally
published in 1977. Foreword by Grant Morrison.
THE WIND-UP BIRD CHRONICLE by Haruki Murakami (Vintage, Trade Paperback, $15.00)
PASHAZADE - THE FIRST ARABESK by Jon Courtenay Grimwood (Bantam Spectra, Trade Paperback, $12.00) - Finally in print in the US.
A SECRET ATLAS - AGE OF DISCOVERY VOL. 1 by Michael A. Stackpole (Bantam Spectra, Trade Paperback, $15.00)
TRADER by Charles de Lint (Orb, Trade Paperback, $14.95)
THE SECOND SUMMONING - KEEPER’S CHRONICLES VOL. 2 by Tanya Huff (DAW , Mass Market, $6.99)
THE BLIND ARCHER by John Gregory Betancourt (ibooks, Mass Market, $6.99)
THE BURIED PYRAMID by Jane Lindskold (Tor, Mass Market, $7.99)
EMERALD MAGIC - GREAT TALES OF IRISH FANTASY by Andrew M. Greeley, ed. (Tor,
Mass Market, $6.99) - Includes stories by Ray Bradbury, Jacqueline Carey,
Charles de Lint, and others.
GLASS DRAGONS - MOONWORLDS SAGA VOL. 2 by Sean McMullen (Tor, Mass Market, $7.99)
THE KILLING OF WORLDS - SUCCESSION VOL. 2 by Scott Westerfeld (Tor, Mass Market, $7.99)
THE SILENT WAR - ASTEROID WARS VOL. 3 by Ben Bova (Tor, Mass Market, $7.99)
MOONRISE - SNOWFALL TRILOGY VOL. 3 by Mitchell Smith (Tor, Mass Market, $7.99)
THE LAIR OF BONES - RUNELORDS VOL. 4 by David Farland (Tor, Mass Market, $7.99)
HAMMERED by Elizabeth Bear (Bantam, Mass Market, $6.99)
DAYS by James Lovegrove (Millennium - B, Mass Market, $12.59)
ANGEL-SEEKER - A NOVEL OF SAMARIA by Sharon Shinn (Ace, Mass Market, $7.99)
MONUMENT by Ian Graham (Ace, Mass Market, $7.99)
RULE OF EVIDENCE by John G. Hemry (Ace, Mass Market, $6.99)
COUNTING UP, COUNTING DOWN by Harry Turtledove (Del Rey, Mass Market, $7.50)
METALLIC LOVE by Tanith Lee (Bantam Spectra, Mass Market, $6.99)
THE SWORDS OF NIGHT AND DAY by David Gemmell (Del Rey, Mass Market, $7.50)
TIME’S EYE - A TIME ODYSSEY VOL. 1 by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter (Del Rey, Mass Market, $7.99)
Horror
THE LIMITS OF ENCHANTMENT by Graham Joyce (Atria Books, Hardcover, $22.00)
HEX AND THE CITY - A NIGHTSIDE NOVEL by Simon R. Green (Ace, Mass Market, $6.50)
THE ORACLE BETRAYED - ORACLE PROPHECIES VOL. 1 by Catherine Fisher (Eos, Mass Market, $6.99)
DESOLATION by Tim Lebbon (Leisure, Mass Market, $6.99)
RESURRECTION DREAMS by Richard Laymon (Leisure, Mass Market, $7.99)
SHADOWS OVER BAKER STREET edited by Michael Reaves and John Pelan (Del Rey,
Trade Paperback, $14.95) - Sherlock Holmes enters the dark, nightmare world
of H.P. Lovecraft! With new stories from Poppy Z. Brite, Simon Clark, Neil
Gaiman, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Richard Lupoff, Steve Perry, and others!
Featured Upcoming Titles
(These titles have not arrived yet. You may pre-order any
of these books by calling or emailing us. Prices may be subject to
change. Of course, we have many more titles arriving each week . .
. call or email us if you're curious about a particular upcoming title not
listed here.)
SF and Fantasy
THE DEVIL DELIVERED by Steven Erickson (PS Publishing, Signed, Limited Edition
(400 copies) Hardcover, $40, and Signed, Limited Edition (500 copies) Trade
Paper, $16) - This tale of a future, ecologically-ravaged landscape has nothing
whatsoever to do with the Malazan Books of the Fallen.
CRYSTAL SOLDIER by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (Meisha Merlin, Hardcover,
$25.95) - We should be getting signed copies of this title; reserve yours
today!
POSING AS PEOPLE by Orson Scott Card (Subterranean Press) From Sub Press'
site: "This is easily one of the most ambitious projects we've ever
undertaken -- a signed, limited hardcover with four full-length compact discs.
POSING contains three short stories by OSC, the play versions of the stories,
as well as copious introductions and afterwords. If that weren't enough,
the compact discs contain the full performances of the plays as well as a
reading of each short story. All that for only $45."
THUMBPRINTS by Pamela Sargent (Golden Gryphon, Hardcover, $25.95)
WILD GALAXY by William F. Nolan (Golden Gryphon, Hardcover, $25.95)
British Book Watch: We should have copies of Richard Morgan's newest, WOKEN
FURIES, arriving in about a month. We also have British copies of HARRY
POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE on order (both children's and adult covers),
and we'll do our best, but we can't guarantee first editions. Also
forthcoming in the next several months from across the Pond: RESOLUTION by
John Meaney, DARWIN'S WATCH: THE SCIENCE OF DISCWORLD VOL. 3 by Terry Pratchett,
et. al, JUDAS UNLEASHED by Peter F. Hamilton, BAND OF GYPSIES by Gywneth
Jones, BRASS MAN by Neal Asher, FACES OF MIST AND FLAME by Jon George, ANGEL
STATIONS by Gary Gibson, and AFFINITY TRAP by Martin Sketchley.
Horror
DON'T TURN OUT THE LIGHT, edited by Stephen Jones (PS Publishing, Signed,
Limited Edition (150 copies) Hardcover, $90, and Signed, Limited Edition
(500 copies) Trade Hardcover, $50)
GHOSTS AND FAMILY LEGENDS by Catherine Crowe (Sarob Press) - Details forthcoming.
SEA MIST (THE COLLECTED SPOOK STORIES VOLUME FIVE) by E.F. Benson, edited
by Jack Adrian (Ash-Tree, Limited Edition (600 copies) Hardcover, $48.50)
This newsletter is distributed monthly free of charge and may be redistributed
without charge so long all the following information is included.
Dispatches from the Border
Editor - Madeline Ruegg
Assistant Editor - Alan Beatts
Contributors - Jude Feldman, Cary Heater
All contents unless otherwise noted are the property of
Borderlands Books
866 Valencia St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-824-8203
http://www.borderlands-books.com
Comments and suggestions should be directed to editor@borderlands-books.com
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