DISPATCHES FROM THE BORDER
Events and News From Borderlands Books
October 2016
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Upcoming Events
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Litquake LitCrawl, Phase 2 with Alex Dolan, Janet Dawson, Daryl Gregory and Eliot Fintushel on Saturday, October 15th at 7:15pm
Litquake LitCrawl, Phase 3 with Skye Allen, Chaz Brenchley, and Becky Chambers on Saturday, October 15th at 8:30pm
Kristen Cast and P.C. Cast, THE SCENT OF SALT AND SAND (Diversion Publishing, Trade Paperback, $9.99) on Sunday, October 16th at 3:00pm
SF in SF with authors Garth Nix and Helene Wecker (at the American Bookbinders Museum, 355 Clementina, San Francisco) on Sunday, October 16th at 6:30pm
Drop-by signing with Jeff Johnson, EVERYTHING UNDER THE MOON (Soft Skull Press, Trade Paperback, $15.95) on Wednesday, October 19th at 6:00pm
Borderlands Sponsors' Open Mic on Friday, October 21st at 7:00pm
Brent Weeks, THE BLOOD MIRROR (Orbit, Hardcover, $28.00) on Tuesday, October 25th at 6:00pm
Jewelle Gomez, THE GILDA STORIES 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION (City Lights Publisher, Trade Paperback, $16.95) on Sunday, October 30th at 3:00pm
Maria Alexander, SNOWED (Raw Dog Screaming Press, Trade Paperback, $14.95) on Sunday, November 6th at 3:00pm
Chris Roberson, FIREWALK (Night Shade Books, Hardcover, $24.99) on Saturday, November 12th at 2:00pm
Megan E. O'Keefe, BREAK THE CHAINS (Angry Robot, Mass Market, $7.99) on Sunday, November 13th at 1:00pm
Mary Robinette Kowal, GHOST TALKERS (Tor, Hardcover, $24.99) on Sunday, November 13th at 3:00pm
SF in SF with authors Nick Mamatas and Rick Wilber (at the American Bookbinders Museum, 355 Clementina, San Francisco) on Sunday, November 13th at 6:30pm
CYBER WORLD (Hex Publishers, Trade Paperback, $14.99) event with Richard Kadrey, Aaron Lovett, Josh Viola, Isabel Yap, and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro on Saturday, November 19th at 2:00pm
Dan Wells, EXTREME MAKEOVER: APOCALYPSE EDITION (Tor Books, Hardcover, $27.99 and Trade Paperback $17.99) on Saturday, November 19th at 5:00pm
Richard Lupoff, WHERE MEMORY HIDES: A WRITER'S LIFE (Bold Venture Press, Trade Paperback (Black & White Edition), $22.95, and Trade Paperback (Collector's Color Edition), $49.95) on Sunday, November 20th at 3:00pm
(for more information check the end of this newsletter)
And stay tuned for more amazing authors including Brandon Sanderson in November before we take our holiday event hiatus!
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News
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* Overheard in the store (and elsewhere):
"What surprises you the most about the way the future has turned out?"
Robert Silverberg: "That I am still here!"
"Twitter: it helps us badger people into hiring our friends."
* You'll probably be hearing a lot more about an ill-conceived, poorly-written, and thoroughly over-reaching California law, AB 1570 (signed in early September and supposed to go into effect in January of 2017) that would require dealers to provide insanely detailed "Certificates of Authenticity" for ANY autographed item over $5 that they sell. The item doesn't even have to be autographed by a celebrity or person of note, just "autographed". So that means this would apply not only to any $7.99 mass market paperback signed by Seanan McGuire, Neil Gaiman, or Brent Weeks that we sell when the authors are not on the premises, for example, but the law is so poorly written that it would also apply to Green Apple Books selling textbooks with the student's signature in them, or a grandmother's collection of hand-written recipes, if she happened to sign them. The bookseller would need to provide a customized Certificate of Authenticity for these items, or expose themselves to the possibility of extremely expensive litigation.
Obviously independent booksellers are watching this carefully. Eureka Books posted a long and passionate statement detailing just some of the myriad potential problems with the law: http://eurekabooksellers.com/california-just-made-it-harder-to-sell-your-signed-books-and-art/ We urge you to contact your local California representative (you can find them here: http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/) and ask them to demand the rewriting, or better, the repeal of this law, which DOES NOT APPLY to the very worst offenders of the type of fraud it seeks to combat (Ebay and Amazon, among others), and could have a severe impact on independent bookstores, including Borderlands.
* The highly-anticipated Netflix superhero series Luke Cage premiered and the incredible response caused a Netflix outage for several hours, but that still doesn’t mean we’ll see him on the big screen. http://sciencefiction.com/2016/10/03/mike-colter-doubts-luke-cage-fellow-defenders-will-show-marvels-movies/
* On the importance of Indigenous science fiction: author Drew Hayden Taylor on why he writes the novels he does. Listen to the interview here: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/schedule-for-thursday-october-6-2016-1.3793660/drew-hayden-taylor-writes-indigenous-sci-fi-he-craved-as-a-kid-1.3793678
* Producer Allen Bain talks about optioning Allen Steele’s Coyote series and the need for optimistic science fiction. (And we know this is not the point of the article, but the fact that his company has also optioned Octavia Butler's DAWN made us very excited!) http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/26/13064692/allen-bain-steele-interview-coyote-optimistic-sci-fi-tv
* The Museum of Science Fiction is kickstarting an amazing-sounding anthology called CATALYSTS, EXPLORERS & SECRET KEEPERS: WOMEN OF SCIENCE FICTION. Check out more information on how you can donate or contribute here: http://io9.gizmodo.com/be-a-part-of-the-museum-of-science-fictions-awesome-fir-1787464196
* Thirteen very different science fiction authors including Madeline Ashby and David Brin talk about how "Star Trek" influenced their lives and their work. http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/10/12847342/science-fiction-authors-star-trek-influenced
* It may not be a universal translator yet, but it's a start -- if it works. http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2016/09/28/wearable-translation-device-promises-science-fiction-future-almost.html
* Have the burning desire to know how exactly the gory chestburster scene from "Alien" came to be? Who doesn't? Check out the video here! http://mashable.com/2016/10/07/art-of-the-scene-alien-chestburster/#0qj6HiVdoOqs
* An excellent essay on the history of women and computers, and a fascinating analysis of how AIs are gendered. http://www.themarysue.com/women-are-computers/
* It's the current list of reasons why humanity has not made contact with aliens yet. It always lists the same reasons, but we can never stop ourselves from looking. http://sciencefiction.com/2016/09/30/top-10-reasons-havent-met-aliens/
* An extensive analysis of women in science fiction that goes beyond the Hugos to tie in science fiction's historical "women's problem" -- a great read. http://theconversation.com/friday-essay-science-fictions-women-problem-58626
* The podcast Uncertainty Principle has done a two-parter focusing on Where Science Fiction meets Science Fact: http://futurism.com/science-fiction-exploring-the-future-through-art/ and How Science Fiction has Changed Through the Decades: http://futurism.com/how-has-science-fiction-changed-over-the-decades/
* One of the earliest science fiction works was written in the 1600s by a duchess. We'd never heard of this book before and now we want to read it so badly! http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/one-of-the-earliest-science-fiction-books-was-written-in-the-1600s-by-a-duchess
* This webcomic Barrier by Saga author Brian K. Vaughan sounds half "horrifying alien monsters" and half "horrible human monsters". Here's a thorough review from io9. http://io9.gizmodo.com/barrier-is-a-science-fiction-comic-that-america-needs-r-1786541394
* A post-apocalyptic movie called "Riot Girls"? You honestly didn’t need to tell us any more, but the details sound amazing and we want it now. http://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/jovanka-vuckovic-directing-riot-girls-1201853543/
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Award News
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* The fifth annual Copper Cylinder Awards, for Canadian literature of the fantastic, has announced its two winners - Silvia Moreno-Garcia's SIGNAL TO NOISE and Leah Bobet's AN INHERITANCE OF ASHES. More information here: http://coppercylinderaward.ca/2016-winners
* The Hugos at World Con 75 in Helsinki will be a trial for a new category, Best Series. Details here: http://www.locusmag.com/News/2016/09/hugo-awards-trials-best-series/
* The David Gemmell Awards announced their winners for 2016: http://www.gemmellawards.com/
* The British Fantasy Awards have also announced their 2016 winners: http://www.britishfantasysociety.org/british-fantasy-awards/winners-of-the-british-fantasy-awards-2016/
* Catherynne M. Valente wins the very first Eugie Award for short fiction, named in remembrance of author Eugie Foster. http://www.eugiefoster.com/eugieaward
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From The Office
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It's been a while since I wrote something for this newsletter (just been too damn busy of late -- mostly in a good way) and I hope that the following won't be a disappointment to you. Because it's got nothing to do with our field, or books at all. In fact, it treads very close to my self-imposed restriction about not talking about politics.
But, all that aside, I've got some information that it is important to me to get spread around and, for reasons that you'll hear about in a moment, it's been surprisingly hard to get people to listen. Curious? Then please read on.
I've never served in the armed forces, either in the US or elsewhere, but I've worked with and for a lot of veterans. On top of that, I've numbered many of them among my friends. Something that has been a huge source of frustration and disgust for me over the years is how damn hard it can be for veterans to get access to the benefits that they deserve, especially health care. When I was in my teens and 20s I used to go with my friend Maureen to wait at the VA in Palo Alto for her doctors appointments. She had been discharged from the Marine Corps (she was one of the very first women to work in Marine Intelligence, which we always joked was one of the biggest oxymorons in history) after a catastrophic car accident while on-duty. The resulting injuries left her with chronic pain and memory problems for the rest of her life. One of the reasons that I'd go with her was that when the pain was especially bad she couldn't drive. We used to wait for hours and hours at a stretch to see a doctor. On top of that there were constant problems with her eligibility for health care. To be fair, the doctors and other staff did their best but the whole system was inefficient and over-loaded. It is, to this day, one of the worst health-care systems I've seen in the US.
I've heard about that sort of experience from many other vets that I've known. But, if the process of getting care was difficult, then the process of signing up in the first place was unbelievable. As of a few years ago, that signup process involved a very long paper form that had to be filled out completely and accurately. Then that form was sent off to a single office, in Atlanta, where an understaffed office manually reviewed the forms, manually checked them against an ancient database and then, if everything was correct and worked properly, then manually entered information into yet another, ancient database.
In short, it was exactly the sort of Kafka-esque process that arises when the paper-pushing side of the US Military and the paper-pushing side of the Federal government spend one drunken night together and then have a really ugly baby. Delays of over a year were not uncommon and, if the forms weren't filled out properly, it could be over a year before the applicant ever heard about it.
However, that whole process has changed recently due to a project that my friend John worked on. John is one of our sponsors and he's working with the United States Digital Service <https://www.usds.gov>. Until John mentioned it, I'd never heard of the USDS but it's pretty neat. Basically it is an organization put together by the current administration designed to attract top level technical experts from the private sector, pair them with government administrators and then ask them to sort out some of the technical and IT problems that interfere with the government providing services to the public. They've done some great work since 2014 when they started and it makes me feel pretty proud that at least four of our sponsors are working with them right now.
John is part of the group of programmers and project managers who were tasked with fixing the slow and outdated processes at the Vetrans Administration. As a result of their work, it's now possible to sign up for Vetrans health benefits on-line and the process is fast. Really fast. So much so that now, instead of wait times of more than a year, the web site now reads, "How long will it take to process your application? Less than one week. If more than a week has passed since you submitted your application and you haven’t heard back, please don’t apply again. Call 1-877-222-VETS (8387), then press 2."
Neat huh? But why the hell am I telling you about it?
John and I were talking some weeks ago about the whole project and he said that one of the big problems they've had is that not enough people are using it. It seems that many veterans just didn't believe that things could possibly change. Even a vet who worked with John didn't really believe it until John showed him. The phrase, "Same shit, different day" is part of the essential fabric of the military and almost no place more so than in the minds of veterans dealing with the VA. So, the problem is that people out there who should be signing up just don't believe that there is any point; plus, the credibility of the VA is about as low as it can get.
And that's the reason that I'm telling you about it. I would like you to spread the word to anyone you know who's a veteran, anyone you know who's married to a vet, has a family member who's a vet, and so on. John is working on getting a better outreach program going on the VA side but I said I'd do what I could myself and that I'd ask you to do the same.
Because this stuff is really important. Regardless of what you think of the orders given to our military by our government (and by our past governments) or what you think about war and warfare, the veterans who have served our country and our government deserve to be treated with care and respect. They were willing to serve the government that we elected by placing their lives and health at risk doing an ugly, dangerous job. Further, I believe our obligation of care and respect goes double for the women and men who were injured or crippled doing that job.
So, please get the word out however you can. Online signup is here - https://www.vets.gov/healthcare/apply/. People can also sign up by phone at 1-877-222-8387 Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EST). And, of course, there is still a paper form but, really, why go through all that?
Thank you,
Alan
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Best Sellers
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Borderlands Best-Selling Titles for September, 2016
Hardcovers
1. NINTH CITY BURNING by J. Patrick Black
2. THE LAST DAYS OF NEW PARIS by China Mieville
3. DEATH’S END by Cixin Liu
4. WAYPOINT KANGAROO by Curtis C. Chen
5. EVERFAIR by Nisi Shawl
6. EVERY HEART A DOORWAY by Seanan McGuire
7. VELVETEEN VS. THE SEASONS by Seanan McGuire
8. HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD PARTS 1 & 2 by Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling, and John Tiffany
9. TOO LIKE THE LIGHTNING by Ada Palmer
10. INFOMOCRACY by Malka Older
Trade Paperbacks
1. TRAVELER OF WORLDS: CONVERSATIONS WITH ROBERT SILVERBERG by Robert Silverberg and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro
2. WHEN THE BLUE SHIFT COMES by Robert Silverberg and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro
3. THE OBELISK GATE by N.K. Jemisin
4. THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM by Cixin Liu
5. THE INVISIBLE LIBRARY by Genevieve Cogman
6. THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL, ANGRY PLANET by Becky Chambers
7. MECHANICAL FAILURE by Joe Zieja
8. THE DARK FOREST by Cixin Liu
9. HEROINE COMPLEX by Sarah Kuhn
10. THE BALLAD OF BLACK TOM by Victor Lavelle tie with PEOPLE OF COLO(U)R DESTROY SCIENCE FICTION edited by Nalo Hopkinson and Kristine Ong Muslim
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. ONCE BROKEN FAITH by Seanan McGuire
2. FIX by Ferrett Steinmetz
3. AURORA by Kim Stanley Robinson
4. FLEX by Ferrett Steinmetz
5. ZEROES by Chuck Wendig
6. AMERICAN GODS by Neil Gaiman
7. THE NAME OF THE WIND by Patrick Rothfuss
8. POSEIDON’S WAKE by Alastair Reynolds
9. THE AERONAUT’S WINDLASS by Jim Butcher
10. ROSEMARY AND RUE by Seanan McGuire
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Book Club Information
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The QSF&F Book Club will meet on Sunday, November 13th, at 5 pm to discuss ROADSIDE PICNIC by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky. The book for December will be THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM by Cixin Liu. 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, October 16th, at 6 pm to discuss BLINDSIGHT by Peter Watts. The book for the following month will be CENTURY RAIN by Alastair Reynolds. Please contact bookclub@borderlands-books.com for more information.
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Upcoming Event Details
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Litquake LitCrawl, Phase 2 with Alex Dolan, Janet Dawson, Daryl Gregory and Eliot Fintushel on Saturday, October 15th at 7:15pm - Litquake LitCrawl, Phase 2, "Thrills, Chills, Zen, and Trains" with Alex Dolan, Janet Dawson, Daryl Gregory and Eliot Fintushel! -- We are delighted to once again take part in one of the most exciting literary events in San Francisco - the LitCrawl. This is a three-hour pub-crawl-style literary event with dozens of venues and hundreds of authors, all taking place right here in the Mission District.
Litquake LitCrawl, Phase 3 with Skye Allen, Chaz Brenchley, and Becky Chambers on Saturday, October 15th at 8:30pm - "From Inside Your Head, to Under the Sea, to Beyond the Stars", with Skye Allen, Chaz Brenchley, and Becky Chambers. Join us to travel to previously unimagined worlds and explore mind-blowing new concepts, without even leaving the building!
Kristin Cast and P.C. Cast, THE SCENT OF SALT AND SAND (Diversion Publishing, Trade Paperback, $9.99) on Sunday, October 16th at 3:00pm - We're delighted to welcome the talented mother-daughter duo Kristin Cast and P.C. Cast to Borderlands to talk about THE SCENT OF SALT AND SAND, a new novella in Cast's thrilling Escaped series. Here's the synopsis from Kristin's website: "The Sirens are on a mission: to escape Tartarus and rebuild their kingdom in the bay city of San Francisco. They aren't monstrous by nature, but the line between good and evil blurs when their very existence is in danger. Melody Seirina has always been different. When it is her turn to hunt, as all Sirens must do, she meets Dean, and sees a target who will allow her to fulfill her purpose. What she doesn't count on is falling in love -- a love that could destroy them both. The romance and the tension heat up as Kristin and P.C. Cast, co-authors of the House of Night series, team up again to bring their magic to the world of The Escaped, raising the stakes for the mortal realm to a fever pitch." Don't miss these two amazing authors!
SF in SF with authors Garth Nix and Helene Wecker (at the American Bookbinders Museum, 355 Clementina, San Francisco) on Sunday, October 16th at 6:30pm - (Suggested donation $10. Tickets are available here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2642279) Doors and bar at 5:30 pm, event begins at 6:30 pm. 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. Books available for sale courtesy of Borderlands Books. Seating is limited, so first come, first seated. Bar proceeds benefit the American Bookbinders Museum. Phone (night of event) 415-572-1015. Questions? Email sfinsfevents@gmail.com.
Drop-by signing with Jeff Johnson, EVERYTHING UNDER THE MOON (Soft Skull Press, Trade Paperback, $15.95) on Wednesday, October 19th at 6:00pm - We're happy to host an informal signing with Jeff Johnson; tattoo artist, musician, and writer! Jeff's new novel is a supernatural noir starring an unforgettable, believably complex and vicious hundred-year-old criminal werewolf half-breed named Gelson Verber. Check out the kick-ass Kirkus review here: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jeff-johnson/everything-under-the-moon/ We hope you'll stop by to meet and chat with Jeff and pick up a copy of EVERYTHING UNDER THE MOON!
Borderlands Sponsors' Open Mic on Friday, October 21st at 7:00pm - Borderlands' sponsors are an intelligent, talented, and diverse group of people, and many of them are writers! We're hosting another Open Mic Night for sponsors, giving them a chance to share short stories, flash fiction, an excerpt from a longer work -- almost any type of writing, in any genre. All we ask is that the readings are kept short -- five minutes or less -- so as to allow as many readers as possible the opportunity. The really fun thing about open mic nights is that each reader brings fresh surprises and you never know what's coming up next. We hope you'll come by to check out your talented friends and fellow customers! (Please note: This event is open to the general public, but only sponsors may read.)
Brent Weeks, THE BLOOD MIRROR (Orbit, Hardcover, $28.00) on Tuesday, October 25th at 6:00pm - (Release date exclusive!) We are thrilled to welcome back New York Times bestseller and Borderlands Sponsor Brent Weeks on the very day his latest installment of the Lightbringer series lands in stores. Brent has delighted past Borderlands audiences with his grace and humor, giving each attendee a memorable night filled with impassioned reading, quirky anecdotes and personal musings. Borderlands will have plenty of books on hand for signing the night of the event, but if you are not in one of the only seven cities on his tour, please contact us for direct shipping options and we'll get a signed copy in your hands. In association with Orbit books, a few lucky audience members will be chosen as Blackguard Captains, receiving priority seating and special swag courtesy of Brent and Orbit. To enter the drawing, go here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd-MIDCvQTjM86r53AO7AwyiyB7ZzTvNJ3wAzHgs5E0z90fqw/viewform The following was released as a quick summary for the fourth in the Lightbringer series: "Stripped of both magical and political power, the people he once ruled told he's dead, and now imprisoned in his own magical dungeon, former Emperor Gavin Guile has no prospect of escape. But the world faces a calamity greater than the Seven Satrapies has ever seen. . . and only he can save it. As the armies of the White King defeat the Chromeria and old gods are born anew, the fate of worlds will come down to one question: Who is the Lightbringer?"
Jewelle Gomez, THE GILDA STORIES 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION (City Lights Publisher, Trade Paperback, $16.95) on Sunday, October 30th at 3:00pm - We're thrilled to welcome author, activist, and playwright Jewelle Gomez! From her website: Jewelle's "fiction, essays, criticism and poetry have appeared in numerous periodicals. Among them: The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, The Village Voice; Ms Magazine, ESSENCE Magazine, The Advocate, Callaloo and Black Scholar. Her work has appeared in such anthologies as HOME GIRLS, READING BLACK READING FEMINIST, DARK MATTER and the OXFORD WORLD TREASURY OF LOVE STORIES. She has served on literature panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council and the California Arts Council." However, Jewelle is probably best known for her unforgettable, immortal vampyr character Gilda, and we're absolutely delighted to be showcasing the 25th Anniversary edition of THE GILDA STORIES! You can read an excerpt from one of the newer Gilda stories here: http://www.jewellegomez.com/new_gilda.html
Maria Alexander, SNOWED (Raw Dog Screaming Press, Trade Paperback, $14.95) on Sunday, November 6th at 3:00pm - We are delighted to welcome Maria Alexander back to the store! Maria is, according to her website, "a produced screenwriter, published games writer, virtual world designer, award-winning copywriter, interactive theatre designer, prolific fiction writer, snarkiologist and poet." She's also the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of MR. WICKER. Now Maria's back with a creepy urban fantasy novel featuring a young adult protagonist that looks amazing! Here's the description: "Charity Jones is a 16-year-old engineering genius who's much-bullied for being biracial and a skeptic at her conservative school in Oak County, California. Everything changes when Charity's social worker mother brings home a sweet teen runaway named Aidan to foster for the holidays. Matched in every way, Charity and Aidan quickly fall in love. But it seems he's not the only new arrival: Charity soon finds the brutally slain corpse of her worst bully and she gets hard, haunting evidence that the killer is stalking Oak County. As she and her Skeptics Club investigate this death and others, they find at every turn the mystery only grows darker and more deadly. One thing's for certain: there's a bloody battle coming this holiday season that will change their lives -- and human history -- forever. Will they be ready?" We hope you'll join us to meet Maria and check out SNOWED!
Chris Roberson, FIREWALK (Night Shade Books, Hardcover, $24.99) on Saturday, November 12th at 2:00pm - Join us to welcome New York Times bestselling author and co-creator of the comic book-turned hit TV show iZombie, Chris Roberson! We're eagerly awaiting Chris's new supernatural crime thriller FIREWALK. Check out the description from the publisher's website: "Izzie Lefevre was the newest investigator for the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit when she first came to Recondito, a coastal city that's been shrouded in mystery and legend for centuries. Local law enforcement had requested the Bureau's assistance in hunting a sword-wielding serial killer who'd left a dozen mutilated bodies in his wake. Patrick Tevake was a local homicide detective assigned to the taskforce, and together he and Izzie managed to track down and stop the killer before he claimed another victim. Five years later, Izzie and Patrick remain haunted by what the killer said before he fell in a hail of gunfire. Izzie’s ancestors were "mambos," voodoo priestesses who claimed to communicate with the dead and protect the faithful from evil spirits. Patrick's Polynesian great uncle told stories of Recondito's supernatural menaces that lurk in flame and shadow. The killer's last words have brought up a past both Izzie and Patrick thought they'd long since left behind, and neither has been able to shake the feeling that their case was never completely solved . . . ."
Megan E. O'Keefe, BREAK THE CHAINS (Angry Robot, Mass Market, $7.99) on Sunday, November 13th at 1:00pm - We're delighted to welcome local author Megan E. O'Keefe, who will be showing off volume two in her Scorched Continent series! The first book, STEAL THE SKY, is a awesome romp with airships and magic, and BREAK THE CHAINS looks to be even more fun. Here's the description from the publisher's website: "A year has passed since Detan set the skies above Aransa on fire, and the armies of Aransa's new dictator Thratia are preparing to knock on the door of his aunt's city, Hond Steading . . . . As the city that produces the most selium -- that precious gas that elevates airships and powers strange magic -- Hond Steading is a jewel worth stealing. To shore up the city's defenses, Detan promises his aunt that he'll recover Nouli, the infamous engineer who built the century gates that protect the imperial capital of Valathea. But Nouli is imprisoned on the Remnant Isles, an impervious island prison run by the empire, and it's Detan’s fault. Detan doesn't dare approach Nouli himself, so his companions volunteer to get themselves locked up to make contact with Nouli and convince him to help. Now Detan has to break them all out of prison, and he's going to need the help of a half-mad doppel to do it." We hope you'll join us!
Mary Robinette Kowal, GHOST TALKERS (Tor, Hardcover, $24.99) on Sunday, November 13th at 3:00pm - We're always thrilled to host the amazingly talented Mary Robinette Kowal! Mary's new novel is a very different historical fantasy from her previous books, but just as good. Here's the description from Mary's website: "Ginger Stuyvesant, an American heiress living in London during World War I, is engaged to Captain Benjamin Harford, an intelligence officer. Ginger is a medium for the Spirit Corps, a special Spiritualist force. Each soldier heading for the front is conditioned to report to the mediums of the Spirit Corps when they die so the Corps can pass instant information about troop movements to military intelligence. Ginger and her fellow mediums contribute a great deal to the war efforts, so long as they pass the information through appropriate channels. While Ben is away at the front, Ginger discovers the presence of a traitor. Without the presence of her fiance to validate her findings, the top brass thinks she's just imagining things. Even worse, it is clear that the Spirit Corps is now being directly targeted by the German war effort. Left to her own devices, Ginger has to find out how the Germans are targeting the Spirit Corps and stop them. This is a difficult and dangerous task for a woman of that era, but this time both the spirit and the flesh are willing . . . ." Do not miss this opportunity to meet the author and hear about this extraordinary book!
SF in SF with authors Nick Mamatas and Rick Wilber (at the American Bookbinders Museum, 355 Clementina, San Francisco) on Sunday, November 13th at 6:30pm - Suggested donation $10, no one turned away for lack of funds.) Doors and bar at 5:30 pm, event begins at 6:30 pm. 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. Books available for sale courtesy of Borderlands Books. Seating is limited, so first come, first seated. Bar proceeds benefit the American Bookbinders Museum. Phone (night of event) 415-572-1015. Questions? Email sfinsfevents@gmail.com.
CYBER WORLD (Hex Publishers, Trade Paperback, $14.99) event with Richard Kadrey, Aaron Lovett, Josh Viola, Isabel Yap, and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro on Saturday, November 19th at 2:00pm - We're delighted to welcome these contributors to the fabulous new anthology CYBER WORLD! CYBER WORLD features cybernetics, neuroscience, nanotech, genetic engineering, hacktivism, transhumanism, and so much more that proves the "world of tomorrow" is already here. We hope you'll join us to meet some of today's most talented cyberpunk visionaries! The book even includes a bonus CD soundtrack. Check out the awesome book trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ulli7T-xPE&app=desktop and RSVP here if you do the Facebook thing: https://www.facebook.com/events/1795228790690567/
Dan Wells, EXTREME MAKEOVER: APOCALYPSE EDITION (Tor Books, Hardcover, $27.99 and Trade Paperback $17.99) on Saturday, November 19th at 5:00pm - We're always excited to host Dan Wells, the amazing author of I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER and so many other fantastic works! Dan's newest novel, praised to the stars by Seanan McGuire, is, according to the publisher, "[e]qual parts corporate satire, scientific thriller, and apocalyptic nightmare, EXTREME MAKEOVER tells the story of a health and beauty company that accidentally creates a hand lotion that can overwrite your DNA." The chief scientist working on the project realizes that something has gone horribly wrong and wants to destroy the formula, but the NewYew company "thinks it might be the greatest beauty product ever designed -- and the world's governments think it might be the greatest weapon." You can see the cover reveal for EXTREME MAKEOVER, and a clip from the upcoming I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER movie here! http://www.tor.com/2016/03/18/cover-reveal-for-dan-wells-extreme-makeover/ We hope you'll join us in welcoming Dan Wells!
Richard Lupoff, WHERE MEMORY HIDES: A WRITER'S LIFE (Bold Venture Press, Trade Paperback (Black & White Edition), $22.95, and Trade Paperback (Collector's Color Edition), $49.95) on Sunday, November 20th at 3:00pm - We're thrilled to welcome local legend Richard Lupoff, showing off his autobiography WHERE MEMORY HIDES! From the book: "In half a century of publishing books and short fiction under his own name and at least six pen names, Richard A. Lupoff has spun some of the strangest fables, written a respected biography of Edgar Rice Burroughs, won a Hugo and has been nominated for multiple Nebula Awards." Dick Lupoff is a treasure trove of stories, both fictional and not. We hope you'll join us to hear highlights from the story of his incredibly full and fascinating life!
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 - Na'amen Tilahun
Assistant Editor - Jude Feldman
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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