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ABOUT THE STORE : NEWSLETTER
DISPATCHES FROM THE BORDER
Events and News from Borderlands Books
September, 2009 Chapter One - Event Information, News, and Special FeaturesGene O'Neill, A TASTE OF TENDERLOIN (Apex, Trade Paperback, $13.95) Saturday, September 12th at 3:00 pm
Nalo Hopkinson and Michael Kurland at SF in SF, (at the Variety Preview
Room, 582 Market Street), Saturday, September 12th at 7:00 pm
Mark Van Name, OVERTHROWING HEAVEN (Baen, Hardcover, $25.00), Sunday, September 20th at 3:00 pm
Kirsten Imani Kasai, ICE SONG (Del Rey, Trade Paperback, $15.00), Saturday, September 26th at 3:00 pm
Deborah Beale and Tad Williams, THE DRAGONS OF ORDINARY FARM (HarperCollins, Hardcover, $16.99)
Loren Rhoads, ed., MORBID CURIOSITY CURES THE BLUES: TRUE STORIES OF
THE UNSAVORY, UNWISE, UNORTHODOX AND UNUSUAL FROM THE MAGAZINE "MORBID
CURIOSITY" (Scribner, Trade Paperback, $14.99)
(for more information check the end of this section)
Coming up in the fall, don't miss Greg Bear, Terry Bisson, Katharine
Kerr, Kim Stanley Robinson and many others, plus two very very special
events around the World Fantasy Convention that will bring oodles of
authors including David Coe, Kate Elliot, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., Graham
Joyce, Mary Robinette Kowal, Ellen Kushner, Diana Paxson, Ken Scholes,
Delia Sherman, and Bill Willingham to the store. Stay tuned!
Overheard at the Con
This is a feature that appears periodically, as we attend conventions
and overhear things. The tradition of keeping track of anonymous
overheard bits and bobs started for us at the 2002 ConJose in San Jose,
where trying (or trying not to) fill in the blanks on overheard
conversations made us laugh so much that we made it a tradition.
In this issue we share the newest "overheards" from the World Science
Fiction Convention in Montreal. This year was especially fruitful
for quotes, not all of which could be printed!
1: "I just wondered if he had a function at all."
2: "Ah ha, look at me being tactful! And silent."
"Australians keep New Zelanders around to **** sheep for us!"
"I was the bouncer at a pinball arcade in Ann Arbor, Michigan called The Cross-Eyed Moose."
"People with tattoos on their eyes buy art."
"There are some things I don't mind you doing to my wife. Mutual tattooing is not one of them."
"Attending Comic-Con is like swimming through a sea of human meat."
"You must be a writer because you're dressed so well."
"And now they're swabbing the air conditioner with giant q-tips!"
"If she ends up licking his burger, I'm totally taking pictures."
"I rely upon the meekness of strangers to get me through life."
"Tor has just agreed to buy our new anthology, 'Tales of the Callused [Omitted]'!"
"How do you tip strippers in Montreal?"
"I've got two words for you: shut the **** up!"
"Bauderlaire & tentacles? I think we've got a pitch for the Jane Austen zombie guys."
"Sometimes I think the tool chest of literary criticism is overflowing with cow turds."
To a famous editor: "I really have no interest in putting your foot in my mouth."
"How would history have been changed if Winston Churchill had been Elmer Fudd?"
"When you use bread you don't have to wear a mask."
"People would like to look back on the future fondly."
News
* Thanks to customer and author Stan Heller,
who brought the following to our attention. Cory Doctorow posted
Tuesday on Boing Boing that Spider and Jeanne Robinson need financial
help: "Beloved Hugo-award-winning writer, dancer and choreographer
Jeanne Robinson (wife of Spider Robinson) has cancer, and it has taken
a turn for the worse. Spider Robinson describes their financial
situation as dire ("running on fumes") and so he's asking for cash to
help them get through this. There's lots of ways to give, from bidding
in a charity auction to attending a benefit concert to buying Spider's
books. I've just sent them what I could spare -- Jeanne and Spider have
given me so much pleasure and wisdom over the years, it was an honor. I
hope that some of you who've been touched by them will do the
same." Read the full text, including Jeanne's statement here, and
please do help out if you can: <http://www.boingboing.net/2009/09/08/spider-and-jeanne-ro.html>
* The 2009 Emperor Norton Awards were presented Sunday, August 30th at
the Tachyon Publications 14th Anniversary Party at Borderlands
Books. The awards are presented to Bay Area authors and others,
for "extraordinary invention and creativity unhindered by the
constraints of paltry reason," in memory of Joshua Norton I, Emperor of
the United States of America and Protector of Mexico. Two awards
are presented, one to a single work of science fiction, fantasy or the
supernatural, and the second to any creator, creation, or service
relating to the genres. The "works" award was presented to ALIVE
IN NECROPOLIS by Doug Dorst, and the "creator" award was presented to
Charlie Jane Anders for her various works including "Other" Magazine,
Writers With Drinks, and i09.com.
* Speaking of ALIVE IN NECROPOLIS, appropriately-named bar The Page
hosts a party for this year's One City One Book title (and Emperor
Norton Award winner) ALIVE IN NECROPOLIS by Doug Dorst, complete with
custom "Necropolis" cocktails and free Tarot card readings, Monday,
October 12th at 6:00 pm, 298 Divisidero Street. For more info,
see <http://events.sfgate.com/san-francisco-ca/events/show/88399442-spirits-tarot-the-page-one-city-one-book-one-bar>
* Borderlands has magazines again! After a long periodical drought
caused by switching magazine distributors, the flood has begun.
We once again have "Analog", "Asimov's", "Fantasy & Science
Fiction", "Rue Morgue", and lots more -- and we've added a bunch of
brand-new titles as well, including "The Futurist", "Geek", and
"Wired". Be sure to check out the new offerings the next time
you're in the store.
* We're sorry to announce that Jim Baen's Universe will be closing
after April, 2010. Read the full text of Eric Flint's
announcement here: <http://baens-universe.com/articles/Universe_Closing>
* Our friend Tony Richards is interviewed by The British Fantasy Society: <http://s256537080.websitehome.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6:questions-for-tony-richards&catid=44:nh-interviews&Itemid=29>. Tony also has a new page, a "microsite", at HarperCollins.com: <http://www.harpercollins.com/author/microsite/?authorid=33578>
* Time Out New York brings us these thoroughly charming photographs of
pastoral Goths at the Gothic Charm School Tea Party Picnic, which was
held to celebrate the publication of GOTHIC CHARM SCHOOL: AN ESSENTIAL
GUIDE FOR GOTHS AND THOSE WHO LOVE THEM by Jillian Venters. <http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/own-this-city/76595/gothic-charm-school-tea-party-picnic>
* HBO's upcoming mini-series adaptation of George R.R. Martin's GAME OF
THRONES is slowly taking shape. The Hollywood Reporter has been
slowly announcing casting choices as they're made; so far we've
got Sean Bean as Eddard Stark, Lena Heady as Cersei Lannister, Peter
Dinkladge at Tyrion, and lots more. Feeling cautiously
optimistic? <http://www.movieweb.com/news/NEzxwAzAlVQyDF> You can also follow the developments at Martin's Not-A-Blog: <http://grrm.livejournal.com/>
* A very wild benefit for 826 Valencia (aka "The Pirate Store," aka
"Dave Eggers' Writing Project") will take place Wednesday, September
30th at the AMC Loews Metreon Theater. Tickets are pricey, but you get
to see an advance screening of Spike Jonze's "Where The Wild Things
Are," and there's a fancy VIP shindig at the Contemporary Jewish Museum
afterwards, all for a great cause. All the details can be found
here: <http://www.826valencia.org/wildthings>
* Author Walter Hunt has informed us that his website has been totally
revamped, and he's uploaded a bit of his new-novel-in-progress for your
enjoyment. Check it out here: <http://www.walterhunt.com>
* Iain M. Banks' new novel TRANSITION (in addition to being available
as a hardcover book September 23rd) will be released as a free podcast
(in 15 minute installments) via iTunes. The first installment
became available September 3rd, and new episodes will be released every
Thursday and Saturday for a dozen weeks. <http://www.iain-banks.net/fiction/transition/>
Cafe News
I think my building is opposed to
letting the cafe open. I don't know why this is but it seems to
be sadly and frustratingly true.
It started a fews weeks ago. Jude was helping me move some stuff
around the cafe and part-way through she stopped. She looked up
at the ceiling. And said, "Uh-oh." There is a certain tone
that she uses when she says that. It's a tone that translates
into something like, "By the way, there's a gaping hole in reality and
the dark, elder gods are coming through."
I hate it when she says, "Uh-oh."
I say, "What?" and she says . . . "That ceiling light is full of water."
It was. In fact it looked like a little fish-tank.
Once I stopped screaming, cursing, and kicking things, I quickly
climbed up a ladder and verified that yes, there was a water leak in
the ceiling that had soaked through the brand-new sheetrock and filled
the light with water. I called my plumber, Arjan, and we met, cut
a hole in the brand-new sheetrock, found the leak and fixed it.
An old piece of pipe had given out.
A few days later I was in the basement of the cafe and heard
dripping. I walked over to the wall and there was water running
down the inside of the upstairs wall and dripping down into the
basement. Quite a bit of water. A problem with the repair
we just did, you might think, right?
Wrong. This leak is on the other side of the building from the
first one. More screaming, cursing, kicking and so forth.
To make this even better, I was about to leave for the World Science
Fiction Convention in Montreal. On the bright side, the leak
wasn't causing any damage (the basement is unfinished and empty) so I
could just let it wait 'til I got back.
One of the first things scheduled after my return from Montreal was the
final piece of plumbing installation. Arjan came by and I showed
him the basement leak. He agreed that it actually wasn't a big
deal and so I planned to leave it for a bit. We went upstairs and
put in the final sink. Just as we were finishing that, Jude comes
over from next door and asks if anything we're doing would make water
come out of the ceiling of the bookstore.
Screaming, cursing, kicking, etc. But there was a bright side there as well -- not one book damaged.
That night Jude and I, with some very welcome help from our friend
Nate, cut a huge hole in the ceiling of the store and also tore out a
section of wall. The day after, Arjan came by and fixed both
leaks.
Two old pieces of pipe had given out.
Despite all the commentary by the rest of the building, the work at the
cafe is drawing to a close. I've a bit of painting to do, the
machines need to be installed, bits of things need to be installed,
attached, and otherwise set, and then I'll be calling for the final
inspections. I should have an opening date by the next newsletter.
- Alan Beatts
From The Office
This month's piece is going to be kind of short since I'm working
like mad to get the final paint and other work done on the cafe.
But I thought that, given some announcements and events in the last
month, it would be interesting to follow up on my article from last
month about ebooks.
It seems that someone at Sony has decided to get serious about their
ebooks and readers. And, whoever it is, they're very, very
smart. First off, they have announced three new readers.
One is much like their original reader but with the addition of a touch
screen (which adds note taking abilities to the device) and at the same
price point, $299. The other two readers both break new ground,
albeit in very different ways. The Pocket edition brings the
screen size down to 5" from 6" and the price to $199. That price
is a major watershed for readers, though not the under-$100 price that
people expect will be needed for large scale purchasing by people who
aren't either avid readers or tech-heads. The other reader is the
Daily edition which brings wireless connectivity and an even larger
screen (7") for the premium price of $399. But, this reader can
finally compete with Amazon's Kindle in the area of on-demand, wireless
downloads of books.
But that's not all that Sony has been up to. Last month they also
announced that they were abandoning their proprietary ebook format and
switching to EPUB, which is the book industry standard open
format. Also announced was a deal with Google to make all 500,000
of Google's archived public-domain works available for free download.
But Sony's last move was the icing on the cake -- they've made a deal
with the American Bookseller's Association to make their readers
available to independent bookstores for resale as well as making Sony's
ebooks available at wholesale prices for resale on independent
bookstore ecommerce sites. That means Sony will be able to get
bookstores to act as a sales force for their hardware, which is a move
that Amazon can't even consider.
All in all, Sony is setting itself up as the new power in ebooks.
Also, a number of other businesses are jumping into the market for
ebook readers -- Asus, the manufacturer of low cost netbooks like the
Eee PC has announced that they are going to produce a dual screen
reader and Astak, a British company, is about to ship their 5" screen
reader, the EZReader Pocket PRO, which is notable for its low price
($199).
That's about all I have time for right now but before I go, I've got a
question for you. Is all the stuff about ebook and readers of
interest? If so, there is enough going on in that area right now
that I could write a column about it every month. But, I'm not
sure if there is enough interest on the part of our customers for it to
make sense. What do you think? (I should point out that
something like that would be in addition to my usual column, not
instead of it.)
I hope that the summer has been good to you all and I'll look forward to seeing you around the store.
Best,
Alan
Top Sellers At Borderlands
Hardcovers
1) Fairest of All by Serena Valentino
2) Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
3) Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
4) Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
5) Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson
6) Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
7) The Sunless Countries by Karl Schroeder
8) Sword of the Lady by S.M. Stirling
9) Winds of Dune by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert
10) Grantville Gazette V edited by Eric Flint
Paperbacks
1) Anathem by Neal Stephenson
2) Marsbound by Joe Haldeman
3) The Devil You Know by Mike Cary tie with
Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
4) Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson
5) Lightbreaker by Mark Teppo
6) Skin Deep by Mark Del Franco
7) Cape Storm by Rachel Caine
8) Passage at Arms by Glen Cook
9) The Dragon Never Sleeps by Glen Cook
10) Eifelheim by Michael Flynn
Trade Paperbacks:
1) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
2) World War Z by Max Brooks
3) Red Tree by Caitlin R. Kiernan
4) Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker
5) Desolation Road by Ian McDonald
Notes From a DVD Geek
September is upon us and I've got new
DVDs to recommend. Please ignore all the new Michael Jackson DVDs
hitting the shelves and go directly to the SF/Fantasy/Horror section.
First up is the complete series of the manga-turned-anime "Ah! My
Goddess". Our protagonist is a college student with a hot girlfriend
who is really a goddess, and doesn't know how to behave amongst
humans. Hijinx ensue, and this new 6-disk collection of the
series is the best way to enjoy all the hijinx.
For all you people out there who have been holding off on buying John
Carpenter movies, I have to ask: "What is wrong with you?"
But if you HAVE been holding out, now is your chance to buy a
quadruple feature of some of his best (and one of his worst)
movies. Universal is putting out "John Carpenter: Master of
Fear". It contains "The Thing","Prince of Darkness","Village of
the Damned", and "They Live". For my money, there is only one
clunker in this set, and that's "Village of the Damned". . . but it's
got Christopher Reeve and creepy little kids, so I won't complain too
much. This set comes on two disks, so my guess is it's not loaded
with extras like some of the JC releases are, but "Prince of Darkness"
and "They Live" were pretty bare-boned as single disks, so you probably
aren't missing much, and if you don't already own these movies, you
probably don't care about the extras anyway. But if you don't own
these movies, this is a great chance to pick up JC on the cheap -- $5 a
movie. And let's face it: everybody reading this should own at
least a couple of JC movies. I think there's a rule about that
somewhere.
Getting into more quadruple feature action is Turner Classic
Movies. This month they are giving us both a horror and a science
fiction set. The horror set contains "House Of Wax" (1953), "The
Haunting" (1963), "Freaks" (1932), and "Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde"
(1941). The science fiction set contains "Forbidden Planet"
(1956), "The Time Machine" (1960), "Soylent Green" (1973), and "2001: A
Space Odyssey" (1968). These are better-then-average selections
for discount box sets, and with a per-movie price of $7, they are a
great bargain.
For a classic of a completely different sort, don't miss the 1971
Angela Lansbury/Disney classic "Bedknobs and Broomsticks". It
might not be for everyone, but if you love this movie, this restored,
remastered edition has a heaping of extras. I repeat, don't miss
it.
And leaving the realm of classic, and back to the realm of multi-movie
sets: the first three Amityville Horror movies are collected together
in the "Amityville Horror Collection". Cheesy 70s/80s haunted
house movies, all in one box. It may not be great cinema,
but if the profile of that house ever gave you nightmares, this might
be the box set to have in your collection.
Speaking of cheesy movies that have been repackaged: this month
Universal Pictures is FINALLY (they originally announced it as a May
title but pulled it) releasing a new edition of "Army of Darkness" (The
Screwhead Edition). Now, you might say that "Army of Darkness"
has had a million different editions, and you'd be right. But
EVERY LAST ONE of the Anchor Bay releases of "Army of Darkness" used a
really really really bad, grainy, high-compression version of the
film. It looked like crap. It looked like it was shot on
16mm, and I can tell you. . . I saw this baby in the theater the week
it came out, and it looked glorious.
For a long time, the MGM Japanese DVD was THE disk to get if you wanted
the best picture quality. Well, the North American rights
reverted back to MGM, and they are releasing this on both DVD and Blue
Ray, so the transfer is bound to be the best available.
Now, the bad news is that it is ONLY the "theatrical cut" on the
disk: the "slept until the future" ending is tacked onto the disk as an
alternate ending/bonus material. This is NOT the significantly
longer running time "director's cut" that featured the original ending
and a bunch of other dialogue and bits that were cut from the North
American theatrical edition. So don't throw away your Anchor Bay
Director's Cut DVDs just yet. But for my money, the theatrical
cut was always the tightest/best version of the movie anyway, and I say
that as someone who has owned the original dual disk Anchor Bay
Theatrical and Director's Cut disks since they were first released.
I've watched both versions. . . a lot. Actually, I have to admit
that I even had the laserdisc of "Army of Darkness" for a while
too. Yeah. I'm a geek on so many levels it hurts.
I'm going to sort my "Evil Dead" disks, and move them into my zombie
section, instead of my Bruce Campbell section, while I wait for this
new "Army of Darkness" disk. I'll talk to you next month about a bunch
of Halloween releases, and more stuff, I'm sure.
- Jeremy Lassen jlassen@borderlands-books.com
Book Club Info
The QSF&F Book Club
will meet on Sunday, September 13th, at 5 pm to discuss LIGHTBREAKER by
Mark Teppo. The book for October is FAERIE TALE by Raymond
Feist. 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,
September 20th, at 6 pm to discuss GUN WITH OCCASIONAL MUSIC by
Jonathan Lethem. The book for October is FLOW MY TEARS, THE
POLICEMAN SAID by Philip K. Dick. Please contact
bookclub@borderlands-books.com for more information.
Upcoming Event Details
Gene O'Neill, A TASTE OF TENDERLOIN (Apex, Trade Paperback, $13.95) Saturday, September 12th at 3:00 pm -
From Apex: "Eight stories of dark science fiction and fantasy weave a
path through the underbelly of San Francisco's most notorious district
in TASTE OF TENDERLOIN by Gene O'Neill. Best known for his strong sense
of place and uniquely vibrant characters, O'Neill brings the gritty
underside of the city to life with eight interwoven stories of broken
lives, missed dreams, and all that can go wrong with both reality and
fantasy among the down and out. The city itself opens wide to swallow
all comers with the temptation of its secrets and sins, while O'Neill
brings dignity and humanity to a set of characters often overlooked in
both society and fiction."
Nalo Hopkinson and Michael Kurland at SF in SF, (at the
Variety Preview Room, 582 Market Street), Saturday, September 12th at
7:00 pm - We are very excited to help SF in SF welcome these
authors! Each author will read a selection from their work,
followed by Q&A from the audience moderated by author Terry
Bisson. Authors will schmooze & sign books after in the
lounge. Books available for sale courtesy of Borderlands Books.
Seating is limited, so first come, first seated. Bar proceeds
benefit Variety Childrens Charity - learn more at <http://www.varietync.org/>.
We REALLY encourage you to take BART into the City, or use MUNI to get
here - parking can be problematic in San Francisco, to say the
least. We are less than one block away from the Montgomery St.
station. Trust us - you don't want to be looking for parking and
be late for the event! Phone (night of event) 415-572-1015.
Questions? Email sfinsfevents@gmail.com.
Mark Van Name, OVERTHROWING HEAVEN (Baen, Hardcover, $25.00), Sunday, September 20th at 3:00 pm -
From Baen Books: "Jon Moore grew up in a prison laboratory. When he
escaped with nothing but his body's nanotech enhancements and more
anger than even a long lifetime could wash away, an entire planet died
behind him. Memories of the things he'd done still haunted him;
because of them, he often ended up helping those in need. His
kindnesses frequently didn't work out well. This one really didn't work
out well. It hurled Jon and Lobo, the intelligent assault vehicle
and Jon's only friend, down an accelerating, ever more dangerous
spiral. . . . [In OVERTHROWING HEAVEN] Jon and Lobo take the reader on
a headlong rush through armed enemies and untrustworthy allies and
encounter what just might be the worst danger their partnership will
face: the truth." Don't miss this opportunity to meet Mark Van
Name -- there may even be comedy!
Kirsten Imani Kasai, ICE SONG (Del Rey, Trade Paperback, $15.00), Saturday, September 26th at 3:00 pm -
We are pleased to welcome this author to the store! She shares
the following: "Originally from Colorado, Kirsten Imani Kasai has lived
in places as diverse as Newark, New Jersey, East Hampton, New York,
Bradford and Penzance, England and a windowless cubby beneath the
stairs in a San Francisco flat. . . Kirsten's fiction, reviews and
poetry have appeared in various national magazines and
anthologies." You can read an excerpt from her novel ICE SONG
here: <http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345508812>
Deborah Beale and Tad Williams, THE DRAGONS OF ORDINARY
FARM (HarperCollins, Hardcover, $16.99), Saturday, October 3rd at 3:00
pm - Join us to meet this awesome author duo and discover why
there's nothing in the least bit ordinary about Ordinary Farm, where
Tyler and Lucinda find out that their great-uncle is raising not only
dragons, but griffins, unicorns, and other unlikely creatures.
Loren Rhoads, ed., MORBID CURIOSITY CURES THE BLUES: TRUE
STORIES OF THE UNSAVORY, UNWISE, UNORTHODOX AND UNUSUAL FROM THE
MAGAZINE "MORBID CURIOSITY" (Scribner, Trade Paperback, $14.99) -
Please join us in giving a warm welcome to Loren Rhoads, local author
and editor extraordinaire and the brains, heart and muscle behind
"Morbid Curiosity" Magazine for ten years. MORBID CURIOSITY CURES
THE BLUES is not so much a "best of" book as it is a broad sampling;
how could you choose the best when it's all so good? View the
(incredibly cool) book trailer here: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2euCWtVxFA>, and don't miss this chance to meet Loren and past "MC" contributors!
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). 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 any of the author's available
books 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
BY
BLOOD WE LIVE edited by John Joseph Adams (Night Shade Books, Trade
Paperback, $15.95) - Remember the phenomenally successful LIVING DEAD
anthology, also edited by John Joseph Adams? It's like that, but
with vampires instead of zombies. Flip explanation aside, BY
BLOOD WE LIVE gathers together more than 200,000 words of the best
vampire fiction of the last three decades. Includes stories from
Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, Stephen King, Sergei Lukyanenko, Garth Nix, Anne
Rice, and many, many more.
THE SHADOW OF THE SCORPION by Neal Asher (Night Shade Books, Mass
Market, $7.99) - We've been calling this book the "Ian Cormac origin
story," since it interweaves Cormac's recollections with the novel's
contemporary conflict in a prequel to the Polity novels.
THE WINDUP GIRL by Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade Books, Hardcover,
$24.95) - From Night Shade's website: "Anderson Lake is a company man,
AgriGen's Calorie Man in Thailand. Under cover as a factory manager,
Anderson combs Bangkok's street markets in search of foodstuffs thought
to be extinct, hoping to reap the bounty of history's lost calories.
There, he encounters Emiko. . . Emiko is the Windup Girl, a strange and
beautiful creature. One of the New People, Emiko is not human; instead,
she is an engineered being, creche-grown and programmed to satisfy the
decadent whims of a Kyoto businessman, but now abandoned to the streets
of Bangkok. Regarded as soulless beings by some, devils by others, New
People are slaves, soldiers, and toys of the rich in a chilling near
future in which calorie companies rule the world, the oil age has
passed, and the side effects of bio-engineered plagues run rampant
across the globe. What happens when calories become currency?
What happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits,
when said bio-terrorism's genetic drift forces mankind to the cusp of
post-human evolution? In THE WINDUP GIRL, award-winning author Paolo
Bacigalupi returns to the world of "The Calorie Man" ( Theodore
Sturgeon Memorial Award-winner, Hugo Award nominee, 2006) and "Yellow
Card Man" (Hugo Award nominee, 2007) in order to address these poignant
questions." Publisher's Weekly described THE WINDUP GIRL as a "complex,
literate and intensely felt tale, which recalls both William Gibson and
Ian McDonald at their very best, [which] will garner Bacigalupi
significant critical attention and is clearly one of the finest science
fiction novels of the year." Wow! Recommended by Jude.
GROANING SHADOWS by Paul Finch (Grey Friar Press, Signed and Numbered
Limited Edition (100 copies) Hardcover, $32.60) - From Grey Friar's
website: "Travel with Paul Finch along four twisting trails, any one of
which could lead to your worst nightmare. The decayed seaside
town, where the actions of a depraved sex attacker only hint at the
evil that has wakened. The Cornish island, where a deserted fishing
village stands in memorial to a menace from the mists of time.
The inner city slum, where a derelict church houses something
unspeakable. The grotto in the wood, to which far more than gruesome
memories are attached. . . ."
MINDFUL OF PHANTOMS by Gary Fry (Grey Friar Press, Signed and Numbered
Limited Edition (200 copies) Hardcover, $28.60) - From Grey Friar
Press: "They're everywhere, aren't they? You've got to watch for
them all the time. Phantoms. Many are closer than you
think: in your home, along the street in which you live, at the office,
on holiday, wherever you ply your pastime. And some might even be
behind your eyes . . . 18 tales of the supernatural from a master of
the genre."
THE ROOKIE by Scott Sigler (Dark Overlord Media, Signed and Numbered
Limited Editon (3000 copies) Hardcover, $34.95) - Scott Sigler's at it
again, dominating media by sneaking in the back door. This
awesome self-published novel is so far only available from us and via
Scott's website, and they're going fast. Scott describes the book
thus: "Set in a lethal pro football league 700 years in the future, THE
ROOKIE is a story that combines the intense gridiron action of "Any
Given Sunday" with the space opera style of "Star Wars" and the
criminal underworld of "The Godfather." Aliens and humans alike
play positions based on physiology, creating receivers that jump 25
feet into the air, linemen that bench-press 1,200 pounds, and
linebackers that literally want to eat you. Organized crime runs every
franchise, games are fixed and rival players are assassinated.
Follow the story of Quentin Barnes, a 19-year-old quarterback prodigy
that has been raised all his life to hate, and kill, those aliens.
Quentin must deal with his racism and learn to lead, or he'll wind up
just another stat in the column marked 'killed on the field.'" The
novel even includes an Official Galactic Football League Program bound
in!
OTHER SPACES, OTHER TIMES: A LIFE SPENT IN THE FUTURE by Robert
Silverberg (NonStop Press, Hardcover, $29.95) - The first collection of
Silverberg's autobiographical writings.
New and Notable
ARIEL
by Steven R. Boyett (Ace, Mass Market, $7.99) - How nice to see this
book back in print! I admit to some bias towards this novel, as I
did read it in the '80's, when I, like many others my age, was engaged
in a full-blown love affair with all things "unicorn". But please
don't let the unicorn deter you. . .this is a VERY unusual
post-apocalyptic unicorn book. As if there could be any other
kind. Recommended by Jude. Also check out the long-awaited
sequel, ELEGY BEACH, which is due next month!
DUST OF DREAMS - MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN VOL. 9 by Steven Erikson
(Bantam UK, Hardcover, $36.87)- What can we say about the new Steven
Erikson book, except that we're very excited to have it! The US
edition won't be available until January 2010, and the UK copies we've
got are going fast, so reserve yours right away.
THE QUIET WAR by Paul McAuley (PYR, Trade Paperback, $16.00) - From
PYR's website: "From the teeming cities of earth to the scrupulously
realized landscapes of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, THE QUIET WAR,
an exotic, fast-paced space opera, turns on a single question: who
decides what it means to be human?"
LAMENTATION by Ken Scholes (Tor, Mass Market, $7.99) - Scholes'
critically-acclaimed first book in a projected 5-volume fantasy series
is now in paperback.
ANATHEM by Neal Stephenson (William Morrow, Mass Market, $7.99) - The
book that many people think should have won the Hugo (ahem), now in
paperback.
SWORD OF THE LADY by S.M. Stirling (Roc, Hardcover, $25.95) - Rudi
Mackenzie continues his dangerous trek to find the source of the
Change, but nothing happens the way he expects it to. Rudi's
journey begins in THE SUNRISE LANDS, but if you want to start at the
very beginning, read DIES THE FIRE.
This newsletter is distributed monthly free
of charge and may be distributed without charge so long all the following
information is included.
Dispatches from the Border Editor - Jude Feldman
Assistant Editor - Alan Beatts
Contributors - Jeremy Lassen
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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