ABOUT THE STORE : NEWSLETTER

DISPATCHES FROM THE BORDER

Events and News from Borderlands Books

June, 2009

Chapter One - Event Information, News, and Special Features

News

* David Eddings, 1931-2009
We're sorry to report the death of prolific fantasy author David Eddings, who passed away June 2nd at the age of 77.  You can read more about his life and work here: <http://sffworld.com/news/614.html>.
 
* Twitter:
In case you missed the news last month, just a reminder that Borderlands has joined Twitter, and you can follow us on two different feeds. <http://twitter.com/borderlands_sf> for general store news, events, and occasional give-aways (so far we've given away advance reading copies and Maker Faire tickets,) and <http://twitter.com/borderlands_new> for notable new arrivals as they show up.
 
* 15 Helpful Tips for New Writers:
Thanks to customer Rennie Saunders for pointing out this helpful article on book promotion for beginning authors: <http://www.writersstore.com/article.php?articles_id=1041&discount=ezine&source=ezine>
 
* Joyce wins O. Henry Prize:
Major congratulations to author Graham Joyce, whose short story "An Ordinary Soldier of the Queen" (originally published in "The Paris Review") has won a PEN / O. Henry Prize.  You'll be able to read the award-winning story soon, because it's included in Graham's upcoming novel HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH DEMONS, which will be published this summer by Night Shade Books.
 
* Try "Plants vs. Zombies" free:
Zombie-aware customer Ken Penn sends the following concerning the game "Plants vs. Zombies": "Since I know that zombie news is a high priority @ Borderlands, here is an exciting new game. . . . there's a free trial here: <http://www.popcap.com/games/pvz#>".  Thanks, Ken!
 
* Stross on Future Gaming:
Ken Penn was also kind enough to send us the link for Charlie Stross' keynote address to a recent Seattle game developer's conference, called "Gaming in the World of 2030": <http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2009/05/login_2009_keynote_gaming_in_t.html>
 
* Share Your Recommendations!
Starting mid-month, Borderlands will have Customer Review forms available, and a big ol' corkboard to post them upon.  Pick up one of these nifty forms, write (neatly!) a short review of a science fiction, fantasy or supernatural title you've read recently, and hand it over to the clerk. (Please be sure to sign the bottom of the form to let us know if we're allowed to reprint your review, (with credit of course) in the store's newsletter.)  We'll look over what you've written, confirm that it's appropriate for posting, and post it on the big bulletin board for everyone to read in a day or two!  And, if we've got space, we'll print it in the store's newsletter.  We reserve the right to refuse to post or print reviews for any capricious and arbitrary reason we like, but we probably won't do that often.  Also, there will be a nifty prize each month for a randomly chosen reviewer, so get writing!

Cafe News

From The Office

I'm in the process of reading a review copy of Joe Abercrombie's new novel, BEST SERVED COLD, which will be published July 29th.  For my money it's even better than his FIRST LAW series and he's managed to hit the balance between grim and funny with more accuracy than before.  For those of you who aren't familiar with his work, Abercrombie writes relatively dark fantasy a la Steven Erikson or Glenn Cook, filled with morally ambiguous characters and situations.  Reading along I found myself thinking of a comment that China Mieville made once about how he neither enjoys nor wants to write "conciliatory fantasy". His feeling is that fantasy as a genre can take on the same sort of tough questions and complex characters that are more usually the domain of science fiction (or even mainstream lit).  I agree with him and furthermore I think that we've been seeing a renaissance of sorts in that type of fantasy writing.  I think that it, perhaps, shows a maturity in the genre and among the readers that, in some ways, parallels the change in Western movies in the 1960s.
 
Prior to the mid-1960s, Westerns were in general hyper-simplified stories of good and often outnumbered people against "bad guys".  The good, by the end of the film, prevailed while suffering some losses and the bad were vanquished.  The good were clean and kind and the bad were dirty and cruel.  And that was that.  Granted there were some exceptions like THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE in 1962 or THE SEARCHERS in 1956 but in general Westerns followed the format unerringly.  But then films like THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY (1966), ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1969) and THE WILD BUNCH (also 1969) presented a Wild West in which the "good" were only moderately distinguishable from the "bad" and morality shifted like sand.
 
These seminal films changed the perception of Westerns and reshaped the genre such that space now existed for films like THE LONG RIDERS (1980), PALE RIDER (1985) and UNFORGIVEN (1992). Even painfully accurate portrayals of the West (i.e. squalid, filthy, violent, ignorant, and amoral) like HBO's DEADWOOD series (2004 to 2006) could now be admitted into the canon.
 
For quite a long time, fantasy that wasn't influenced by the shadow of J.R.R. Tolkien's LORD OF THE RINGS was hard to find.  Though some very fine work shows this awareness of Tolkien (Stephen Donaldson's Thomas Covenant books being a fine example), it was a limiting factor in the field.  Especially since Tolkien's view of good versus evil was very stark and clear-cut.  This view creates a sharply limited set of possible protagonists and plots, much like the Westerns of the 1940s and 1950s.
 
But in the mid-80s Glenn Cook started his Black Company series with THE BLACK COMPANY (1984). This was very different fantasy -- the "heros" were simple soldiers, mercenaries in fact, trying to stay alive in wartime and doing the kind of ugly, brutal things the real soldiers do to stay alive.  On top of that, they were in the service of the "Dark Lord" of their world.  Later in the series we discover that their employer, though probably "evil" by most standards, is fighting to keep an even greater evil imprisoned.  In Cook's world there was _no_ black and white, only a multitude of shades of gray.
 
Alongside Michael Moorcock's Elric novels (which found their real audience in the mid-70s and even then were far ahead of their time), Cook's work was on the forefront of non-conciliatory fantasy and stood there alone until the mid-90s.  But in the past decade we've seen more and more relatively traditional fantasy novels that are almost completely without Tolkien-esque elements and which encompass a much richer and more nuanced view of morality and human character. Steven Erikson's Malazan novels were some of the first but he has recently been joined by fine writers like Richard Morgan (THE STEEL REMAINS) and Patrick Rothfuss (THE NAME OF THE WIND).
 
But without a significant readership, it doesn't really matter how the books have changed.  And that's the complementary part of the shift that I'm talking about.  All the authors I've mentioned in this column are top sellers at Borderlands.  At one time or another we've been hard pressed to keep enough copies in stock to meet demand and there is no sign of the popularity slowing.  So it seems that fantasy readers are developing an appetite for novels in which the traditional elements of fantasy are present but in which there is a much more real-world expression of the complexity of choices and morality.  What excites me the most is that, by accepting this type of work, the readers are giving authors a chance to hold up a mirror to our own world; asking questions and making observations about ourselves rather than just delivering entertainment of the most simplistic stripe.
 
And the authors are taking the opportunity they've been given from Morgan's examination of the aftermath of war and its effects on both society and individuals to Rothfuss' tender yet cynical portrayal of how a hero is made and even Erikson's examination of grief, remorse, and guilt in TOLL THE HOUNDS.  I look forward with anticipation to where the next decade will take us.
 
-Alan Beatts

Top Sellers At Borderlands

Hardcovers
1. The City and the City by China Mieville
2. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
3. In the Stormy Red Sky by David Drake
4. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
5. Empire Unacquainted with Defeat by Glen Cook
6. The Revolution Business by Charles Stross
7. Conspirator by C.J. Cherryh
8. Empress of Mars by Kage Baker
9. Turn Coat by Jim Butcher
10. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
 
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. The City, Not Long After by Pat Murphy
2. Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi
3. Line War by Neal Asher
4. Relentless: The Lost Fleet by Jack Campbell
5. Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick
6. The Devil You Know by Mike Carey
7. Lightbreaker by Mark Teppo
8. The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds
9. Kushiel's Mercy by Jacqueline Carey
10. Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
 
Trade Paperbacks
1. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
2. World War Z by Max Brooks
3. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie tie with
     Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey tie with
     Jack Wakes Up by Seth Harwood
4. Burning Skies by David Williams
5. Palimpsest by Cathrynne Valente

Notes From a DVD Geek

Book Club Info

The Gay Men's Book Club will meet on Sunday, June 14th, at 5 pm to discuss WORLD WAR Z by Max Brooks.  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, June 21st, at 6 pm to discuss BAD MONKEYS by Matt Ruff.  The book for July 19th is A DEEPNESS IN THE SKY by Vernor Vinge.  Please contact Jude at jfeldman@borderlands-books.com for more information.

Upcoming Event Details

China Mieville, THE CITY AND THE CITY (Del Rey, Hardcover, $26.00), DROP-BY SIGNING ONLY, Monday, June 8th at 4:00 pm - We are simply delighted to be able to welcome China Mieville to Borderlands. This is a brief, informal signing, not a reading, but still a great chance to meet this incredible author, get your books signed, and learn about his brand-new novel THE CITY AND THE CITY, which Mieville calls a  sort-of "'triangulation' of eastern European novels, hard-boiled crime fiction and fantasy." We can hardly wait!  Read some of China's thoughts about the book, from the Socialist Worker UK here: <http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=17861>.
 
Seth Grahame-Smith, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES (Quirk Books, Trade Paperback, $12.95), Tuesday, June 9th at 7:00 pm - The classic regency romance -- now with ultra-violent zombie action!  Borderlands is delighted to host Seth Grahame-Smith, who, in cooperation with Jane Austen, presents this mash-up zombie masterpiece for your perusal.  Fiesty young Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace plaguing the quiet village of Meryton, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy.  Can Elizabeth vanquish the flesh-eating undead? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Find out at Borderlands on June 9th!
 
Free Movies from SF in SF at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street: "The Quiet Earth" and "On the Beach", Wednesday, June 10th at 7:00 pm - It's Apocalypse Night for SF in SF films! Free movies! Free popcorn! Cash bar!  Bar proceeds and tips benefits Variety Children's Charity.  Doors at 6:30, first movie starts at 7:00 pm
 
Marie Brennan, IN ASHES LIE (Orbit, Trade Paperback, $14.99), Saturday, June 13th at 1:00 pm - We're pleased to welcome Marie Brennan to the store for a reading!  From Marie's site:"The year is 1666. The King and Parliament vie for power, fighting one another with politics and armies alike. Below, the faerie court has enemies of its own. The old ways are breaking down, and no one knows what will rise in their place.  But now, a greater threat has come, one that could destroy everything. In the house of a sleeping baker, a spark leaps free of the oven -- and ignites a blaze that will burn London to the ground. While the humans struggle to halt the conflagration that is devouring the city street by street, the fae pit themselves against a less tangible foe: the spirit of the fire itself, powerful enough to annihilate everything in its path.  Mortal and fae will have to lay aside the differences that divide them, and fight together for the survival of London itself . . ." You can read an excerpt from the novel here: <http://www.swantower.com/marie/novels/onyx/fire/prologue.html>
 
David J. WIlliams, BURNING SKIES (Bantam Spectra, Trade Paperback, $15.00), Saturday, June 13th at 3:00 pm - David J. Williams' site offers us the following glimpse into his personality: "Descended from Australian convicts, David J. Williams nonetheless managed to be born in Hertfordshire, England, and subsequently moved to Washington D.C. just in time for Nixon's impeachment. Graduating from Yale with a degree in history some time later, he narrowly escaped the life of a graduate student and ended up doing time in Corporate America, which drove him so crazy he started moonlighting on video games and (as he got even crazier) novels. THE MIRRORED HEAVENS was written over six years, and sold to Bantam Spectra in the summer of 2007, along with the rest of the Autumn Rain trilogy.  THE BURNING SKIES is the second book of that trilogy, but has been designed to accommodate readers who (however inexplicably) missed the prequel."  Our last event with David was great fun; you won't want to miss this one.  Find out more about David's news of the MIRRORED HEAVENS future here: <http://www.greateramericanews.com/>.
 
Mark Teppo, LIGHTBREAKER (Night Shade Books, Mass Market, $7.99), Tuesday, June 16th at 7:00 pm - We're delighted to host an event with Mark Teppo, who we know is going to be a sensation! From NightShade Books: "Markham has returned to Seattle, searching for Katarina, the girl who, a decade ago, touched his soul, literally tearing it from his body. But what he discovers upon arriving is dark magick . . . of a most ancient and destructive kind.  An encounter with a desperate spirit, leaping destructively from host to host, sets Markham on the trail of secretive cabal of magicians seeking to punch a hole through heaven, extinguishing forever the divine spark. Armed with the Chorus, a phantasmal chain of human souls he wields as a weapon of will, Markham must engage in a magickal battle with earth-shattering stakes.  Markham must delve deep into his past, calling on every aspect of his occult training for there to be any hope of a future. But delve he must, for Markham is a veneficus, a spirit thief, the Lightbreaker . . . .  From newcomer Mark Teppo comes LIGHTBREAKER, an explosive, action-packed occult thriller combining Western magick, Hermetic traditions, and shamanism.  Beyond good . . . beyond evil . . . LIGHTBREAKER."
 
SF in SF hosts The Brazen Hussies: Lisa Goldstein, Pat Murphy and Michaela Roessner at the Variety Preview Room, 582 Market Street, Saturday, June 20th at 7:00 pm - Thanks to Rina at SF in SF for the following write-up: "Who are the Brazen Hussies?  Three AMAZING award-winning writers of fantasy and science fiction.  In an effort to acquaint more readers with their work, they've overcome their natural tendency to be modest by promoting their work shamelessly, like the brazen hussies they truly want to be.  In addition, the Brazen Hussies want to let people know that today's science fiction and fantasy isn't just for kids, spreading the word that sophisticated, subtle, fascinating, compelling, and topical literature for adults is being published as science fiction. Speculative fiction (aka SF, science fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi, and "what the heck is that you are reading?") is more than just elves. and dwarves, robots and space ships - so much more. If you read science fiction and fantasy when you were a kid, come back and Revisit the amazing worlds you used to love.  And good news . . . there are many more of them now." Cash bar and doors open at 6:00 pm, with bar proceeds benefiting Variety Children's Charity.  Readings begin at 7:00 pm, followed by Q & A from the audience; Rick Kleffel (author of the blog and podcast "The Agony Column" <http://www.bookotron.com/agony/index.html>) will be lending a hand as moderator.  Books will be available for sale courtesy of Borderlands.
 
Jacqueline Carey, NAAMAH'S KISS (Grand Central, Hardcover, $26.99), Saturday, June 27th at 3:00 pm - We are delighted to welcome Jacqueline Carey back to Borderlands!  NAAMAH's KISS starts a brand-new trilogy set in the Kushiel's world. Here's a sneak peek from the book jacket: "Once there were great magicians born to the Maghuin Dhonn; the folk of the Brown Bear, the oldest tribe in Alba. But generations ago, the greatest of them all broke a sacred oath sworn in the name of all his people. Now, only small gifts remain to them. Through her lineage, Moirin possesses such gifts - the ability to summon the twilight and conceal herself, and the skill to coax plants to grow.  Moirin has a secret, too.  From childhood onward, she senses the presence of unfamiliar gods in her life; the bright lady, and the man with a seedling cupped in his palm. Raised in the wilderness by her reclusive mother, it isn't until she comes of age that Moirin learns how illustrious, if mixed, her heritage is. The great granddaughter of Alais the Wise, child of the Maghuin Donn, and a cousin of the Cruarch of Alba, Moirin learns her father was a D'Angeline priest dedicated to serving Naamah, goddess of desire.  After Moirin undergoes the rites of adulthood, she finds divine acceptance. . .on the condition that she fulfill an unknown destiny that lies somewhere beyond the ocean. Or perhaps oceans. Beyond Terre d'Ange where she finds her father, in the far reaches of distant Ch'in, Moirin's skills are a true gift when facing the vengeful plans of an ambitious mage, a noble warrior princess desperate to save her father's throne, and the spirit of a celestial dragon."
 
Ray Garton, BESTIAL (Leisure, Mass Market, $7.99), Saturday, July 11 at 3:00 pm - (Please note: This event was originally scheduled for earlier in the year; July 11th is now the accurate date of the event.)  Join us to meet Ray Garton and check out this sequel to RAVENOUS! From Leisure's website: "Something very strange is happening in the coastal California town of Big Rock. Several residents have died in unexplained, particularly brutal ways, many torn apart in animal attacks. And there's always that eerie howling late at night. . . . You might think there's a werewolf in town. But you'd be wrong. It's not just one werewolf, but the whole town that's gradually transforming. Bit by bit, as the infection spreads, the werewolves are becoming more and more powerful. In fact, humans may soon be the minority, mere prey for their hungry neighbors. Is it too late for the humans to fight back? Did they ever have a chance from the start?"
 
Jay Lake, GREEN (Tor, Hardcover, $26.95), Saturday, July 18th at 3:00 pm - From the book jacket: "She was born in poverty, in a dusty village under the equatorial sun. She does not remember her mother, she does not remember her own name-her earliest clear memory is of the day her father sold her to the tall pale man. In the Court of the Pomegranate Tree, where she was taught the ways of a courtesan…and the skills of an assassin…she was named Emerald, the precious jewel of the Undying Duke's collection of beauties.  She calls herself Green.  The world she inhabits is one of political power and magic, where Gods meddle in the affairs of mortals. At the center of it is the immortal Duke's city of Copper Downs, which controls all the trade on the Storm Sea. Green has made many enemies, and some secret friends, and she has become a very dangerous woman indeed.  Acclaimed author Jay Lake has created a remarkable character in Green, and evokes a remarkable world in this novel. Green and her struggle to survive and find her own past will live in the reader's mind for a long time after closing the book." We're delighted to welcome Jay back to the store and present his new novel -- my favorite of his so far -- GREEN.  Follow the link (and scroll down to "Special Feature") to read customer Chris Hsiang's take on GREEN: <http://www.borderlands-books.com/about_newsletter_05-09.html>.
 
Erin Cashier, Jay Lake, Heather McDougal, and Cliff Winnig, FOOTPRINTS (Hadley Rille, Trade Paperback, $15.95), Saturday, July 18th at 6:00 pm - "Long after our species and all its works have turned to dust, the Moon landing sites will still show evidence of our time here on Earth. Imagine future explorers from among the stars interpreting that. The astronauts' footprints should last longer than the fossils in the Olduvai Gorge have."
--Jay Lake, ca. July 2008.  Join us to meet three contributors to, (and one of the editors of,) this "groundbreaking" anthology from the distinguished small press Hadley Rille!

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

ELSEWHERE by William Peter Blatty (Cemetery Dance, Hardcover, $25.00) - Cemetery Dance says: "This incredible haunted house novel from William Peter Blatty, the legendary author of THE EXORCIST, is disturbing, unsettling, chilling, and laced with a nasty streak of dark humor. ELSEWHERE is a must-have for all fans of dark fiction and sure to become a time-honored classic in the genre."
 
THE WELL by Jack Cady (Centipede Press, Limited Edition (250 copies) Hardcover, $75.00) - From Centipede Press: "Jack Cady's classic novel of evil is brought to new life in an expanded edition.  Built by three generations obsessed with satanic superstition and violence, the house of the Trackers is a monstrous labyrinth of horrors designed to thwart the devil.  This edition of THE WELL features a new introduction by Tom Piccirilli and two of Jack Cady's best short stories, "The Sounds of Silence," and "I Take Care of Things." Also reprinted is Cady's Hugo and Nebula-winning novella "The Night We Buried Road Dog" and a fourth piece, the stunning war novella "By Reason of Darkness."" Signed by Tom Piccirilli.
 
AN EMPIRE UNACQUAINTED WITH DEFEAT by Glen Cook (Night Shade Books, Signed, Limited Edition (250 copies) $49.00, and Trade Hardcover, $24.95) - From Night Shade: "An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat collects all of Glen Cook's short fiction set in the vast world of the Dread Empire, from "The Nights of Dreadful Silence", featuring the first appearance of Bragi Ragnarson, Mocker, and Haroun bin Yousif, to the culture-clashing novella "Soldier of an Empire Unacquainted with Defeat"; from "Silverheels", Cook's first published work of fiction, to "Hell's Forge", a haunting tale of cursed pirates and strange lands, appearing here for the first time.  Also including a detailed introduction and extensive story notes by Glen Cook, AN EMPIRE UNACQUAINTED WITH DEFEAT charts the development of this influential American author and the massive, multifaceted world that he created."
 
MEDICINE ROAD by Charles De Lint (Tachyon, Trade Paperback, $14.95) - From Tachyon's website: "Laurel and Bess Dillard are charismatic bluegrass musicians enjoying the success of their first Southwestern tour.  But the Dillard girls know that magical adventures are always at hand. Upon meeting two mysterious strangers at a gig, the red-headed twins are drawn into a age-old, mystical wager along the Medicine Road.  One day, seeing a red dog chasing a jackalope, Coyote Woman gave them human forms. They became Jim Changing Dog and Alice Corn Hair.  In return, both of them must find true love within a hundred years or their "five-fingered" forms will be forfeit. Alice has found her soul mate, but trickster Jim is unwilling to settle down - until he sets eyes upon free-spirited Bess Dillard. Yet time is running out for the red dog and the jackalope.  In just two weeks they will journey to their reckoning at the Medicine Wheel. Meanwhile, a motorcycle-riding seductress and a vengeful rattlesnake woman are eager to meddle, and Bess and Laurel, caught in a web of love and lies, must find their own paths into the spirit world."
 
THE DREAM OF X AND OTHER FANTASTIC VISIONS by William Hope Hodgson (Night Shade Books, Hardcover, $35.00) - The beautiful fifth volume in Night Shade's Collected Works of William Hope Hodgson series.
 
CASTAWAYS by Brian Keene (Bloodletting Books, Signed, Limited Edition (300 copies) Hardcover, $49.95) - Bound in burlap, this is a truly sensational production.  From Bloodletting: "From award-winning author Brian Keene comes his long-awaited tribute to the master of horror, Richard Laymon. . . . They came to the deserted island to compete on a popular reality television show.  Each one of them hoped to be the last to leave.  Now, they're just hoping to stay alive, because one of them isn't who he seems, and the island isn't as deserted as it appears.  The men will be slaughtered.  The women will be kept alive as captives.  And before it is over, they will turn on each other. Night is falling, the creatures are coming, and rescue is so very far away. . .  Brian Keene's CASTAWAYS . . . Death is the ultimate reality."
 
LIGHTBREAKER by Mark Teppo (Night Shade Books, Mass Market, $7.99) (See event description above.)

New and Notable

THE EMPRESS OF MARS by Kage Baker (Tor, Hardcover, $25.95) - Baker's thoroughly charming novel of a stubborn, free-sprited woman who runs a tavern on Mars.  And, although the novel takes place hundreds of years before the events of the Company books, sharp-eyed readers will recognize this as an installment in the Company history. You can read the original short story that was expanded into the novel here: <http://www.asimovs.com/_issue_0406/empressofmars.shtml>. Recommended by Jude.
 
NIGHT OF KNIVES by Ian Cameron Esslemont (Tor, Hardcover, $25.95 and Trade Paperback, $14.95) - Steve Erikson fans, rejoice. . . the first novel from the co-creator of the Malazan world is now available in a US edition.  GARDENS OF THE MOON has also been re-realesed in trade paperback with a much-improved cover, and (we think) eventually all of the earlier books in the series will be re-released with a unified cover design.
 
SKIN TRADE by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkeley, Hardcover, $26.95) - Volume 17 (!) in the Anita Blake series features Anita's increasingly bizarre sexual adventures as she trails a vampire serial killer in Las Vegas.
 
ONCE DEAD, TWICE SHY by Kim Harrison (Harper, Hardcover, $16.99) - Harrison's first book for young adults begins the story of Madison Avery, whose prom was _really_ killer.  As in, she fled it with a mysterious stranger, survived a car crash, and was then sort-of killed with the stranger's magical sword.   Now Madison's undead-ish, and being followed around by a light reaper, an angel that fights off the dark reapers who would otherwise harvest peoples' souls.  It's kind of inconvenient in high school.  You can read an excerpt here: <http://www.kimharrison.net/OnceDeadTwiceShy.htm>.
 
FALL OF LIGHT by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Ace, Hardcover, $24.95) - A new novel from Nina Kiriki Hoffman is always a reason for celebration. Recommended in advance by Jude.
 
MONSTER by A. Lee Martinez (Orbit, Hardcover, $19.99) - From Publishers Weekly: "Martinez (TOO MANY CURSES) pokes at big-picture questions, like the nature of the universe and the meaning of life, with abundant, zany humor in this charming tale. Monster, who works in cryptobiological containment, first encounters Judy when he rescues her from a yeti that's trashing the frozen foods aisle of the Food Plus Mart. They meet again when trolls infest her apartment. As an incognizant-someone whose mind can't acknowledge magic-Judy soon forgets the bizarre events, but Monster suspects she's somehow involved with the recent uptick in dangerous cryptobiological happenings. When Lotus, keeper of a stone mysteriously linked to Judy, spirits Judy away, Monster attempts to come to her rescue, only to discover that he's in way over his head. Scary monsters and hilarious scenarios embellish a convoluted plot that suggests even night-shift workers might have a destiny."
 
THE CITY AND THE CITY by China Mieville (Del Rey, Hardcover, $26.00) - Please see event write-up above, and a detailed review from customer/i09 reviewer Christopher Hsiang here: <http://io9.com/5271675/get-lost-in-china-mievilles-weirdest-cityscape-yet>.

HOUSE OF SUNS by Alastair Reynolds (Ace, Hardcover, $26.95) - The US hardcover of Reynolds' newest space opera opus.  Read a detailed review here: <http://www.sfsite.com/07a/hs275.htm>.
 
THE UNSEEN by Alexandra Sokoloff - (St. Martin's, Hardcover, $24.95) - The premise of this haunted house novel sounds particularly interesting to me . . . a psychology professor, her colleague and two gifted students try to replicate a series of poltergeist investigation from 1965, not knowing that all the members of the original team ended up insane or dead.   Detailed review here: <http://www.darkscribemagazine.com/reviews/the-unseen-alexandra-sokoloff.html>.
 
MIDWINTER by Matthew Sturges - (Pyr, Trade Paperback, $15.98) - MIDWINTER, according to Matthew Sturges, is "the 'Dirty Dozen' with elves".  What more do you need to know?
 
BURNING SKIES by David J. Williams - (Bantam, Trade Paperback, $15.00) - See detailed event write-up above.

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, Christopher Hsiang

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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DECEMBER, 2005
NOVEMBER, 2005
OCTOBER, 2005
SEPTEMBER, 2005
AUGUST, 2005
JULY, 2005
JUNE, 2005
MAY, 2005
APRIL, 2005
MARCH, 2005
FEBRUARY, 2005
JANUARY, 2005

2004
DECEMBER, 2004
NOVEMBER, 2004
OCTOBER, 2004
SEPTEMBER, 2004
AUGUST, 2004
JULY, 2004
JUNE, 2004
MAY, 2004
APRIL, 2004
MARCH, 2004
FEBRUARY, 2004
JANUARY, 2004

2003
DECEMBER, 2003
NOVEMBER, 2003