DISPATCHES FROM THE BORDER
Events and News From Borderlands Books
November 2016
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Upcoming Events
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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
Jason Denzel, MYSTIC (Tor Books, Trade Paperback, $14.99) and Brandon Sanderson, ARCANUM UNBOUNDED: THE COSMERE COLLECTION (Tor Books, Hardcover, $27.99) on Wednesday, November 30th at 5:00pm
Sisters in Crime / Mystery Writers of America Holiday Party on December 10th, 2016
(for more information check the end of this newsletter)
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News
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* Overheard at WFC:
"It has been AGES since I knitted you a uterus."
* The 2017 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award Contest is now open to submissions of stories focusing on manned space exploration in the near future of 50-60 years. There’s no entry fee and you should enter! Check out full details on themes, length and jury here: http://www.baen.com/baenmemorialaward
* The University of Maine in Orono has endowed a Stephen E. King Chair in Literature; a renewable five-year faculty position. https://umaine.edu/news/blog/2016/10/19/umaine-created-stephen-king-chair-literature-ap-reports/
* We are sad to hear of the passing of prolific author Sheri S. Tepper. Her books Grass and The Gate To Women’s Country are considered by many to not only be classics of general science-fiction but feminist science-fiction classics as well. She will be missed.
http://www.locusmag.com/News/2016/10/sheri-s-tepper-1929-2016/
* The Cubs won the World Series, so one of science fiction's most consistent jokes may be lost!
http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/30/13470836/chicago-cubs-science-fiction-world-series-john-scalzi
* A list of the books and movies that inform the conversation about A.I. -- although the list looks a little anemic to us; which classics do you think are missing? http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/26/us/robots-science-fiction-movies-books.html
* Leaked video shows that the government, or at least the Pentagon, acknowledges that our future will resemble a science-fiction dystopia. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/10/bizarre-leaked-pentagon-video-is-a-science-fiction-story-about-the-future-of-cities/
* An article on how the science-fiction genre is really growing in China (although we wonder if it’s just our awareness of it that’s growing): http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1015141.shtml
* For an example of our growing interest and awareness of Chinese science fiction, check out this review of the bestselling contemporary chinese science-fiction anthology INVISIBLE PLANETS, edited by Ken Liu. http://www.avclub.com/review/invaluable-invisible-planets-introduces-world-chin-244991
* The adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s novel ANNIHILATION has not even hit the screen yet, but his next book has already been optioned as well. http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/20/13344490/borne-jeff-vandermeer-movie-adaptation-paramount-annihilation
* A discussion of the TV series Torchwood: the things it did and the legacy it left behind in SF television. http://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/torchwood/259365/torchwood-at-10-what-is-its-science-fiction-legacy
* This may not be about science fiction specifically, but it is about the exclusion of genre writing and the ways in which we decide which genres are worthy of attention. http://www.themarysue.com/romance-novels-not-just-love-stories/
* Looking for something to watch? Why not check this list of 10 underrated TV shows. (We would add The Dresden Files to the list; the show was also more diverse, in terms of main cast, than most of the shows mentioned here:) http://whatculture.com/tv/10-hugely-underrated-fantasy-tv-shows-from-the-last-decade
* The ways in which Westworld is succeeding and where it’s failing in imagination and awareness: a review of the show in the New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/24/the-meta-politics-of-westworld
* Kim Stanley Robinson rips into Elon Musk’s Mars vision. Basically, if his Mars vision was a book? No one would buy it. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-17/why-elon-musk-s-mars-vision-needs-some-real-imagination
* A profile of Yasser Bahjatt, an engineer and Tedx host, about his beliefs in the connections between science and science fiction, integrating Arabian culture and science fiction, what it’s like to have his book pulled from shelves in Saudi Arabia and what he did in response. Great read. http://scifiaddicts.com/yasser-bahjatt-science-fiction/
* A chatbot that helps you find lesser known science fiction movies to watch? We're there! http://venturebeat.com/2016/10/13/how-the-and-chill-chatbot-helped-me-find-more-science-fiction-movies/
* An article about Ted Chiang and his interactions with Hollywood. We can’t wait to see The Arrival, and can think of at least two more stories of his that we wish they would adapt. http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-new-story-in-sci-fi-writer-ted-chiangs-life-hollywood-1478015805
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Award News
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* The Geffen Awards, given by the Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy, have announced their 2016 winners which include Robin Hobb, John Scalzi and more! http://geffen.sf-f.org.il/?page_id=79
* The inaugural Imadjinn Awards, formed to celebrate small press and independently published authors, have been announced. Check out these titles you may not have heard about! http://www.entertheimaginarium.com/2016/10/14/winners-of-film-festival-and-imadjinn-awards-posted/
* The 2016 Gaylactic Spectrum Award for novel has been awarded to Ian McDonald for LUNA: NEW MOON. Check out the short and long list of other novel nominees, plus past winners and nominees here: http://www.spectrumawards.org/2016.htm
* The 2016 World Fantasy Awards were announced. The award for best novel went to Anna Smaill for THE CHIMES. Winners also included Alyssa Wong for the amazing "Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers," which made her the first Filipina to win a World Fantasy Award. Check out all the other winners and nominees here: http://www.locusmag.com/News/2016/10/world-fantasy-awards-winners-3/
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Best Sellers
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Borderlands Best-Selling Titles for October, 2016
Hardcovers
1. THE BLOOD MIRROR by Brent Weeks
2. GOLDENHAND by Garth Nix
3. EVERFAIR by Nisi Shawl
4. GHOSTLAND by Colin Dickey
5. FEEDBACK by Mira Grant
6. DEATH’S END by Cixin Liu
7. CROSSTALK by Connie Willis
8. REJECTED PRINCESSES by Jason Porath
9. THE WALL OF STORMS by Ken Liu
10. INFOMOCRACY by Malka Older
Trade Paperbacks
1. THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM by Cixin Liu
2. THE DARK FOREST by Cixin Liu
3. THE FIFTH SEASON by N.K. Jemisin
4. THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL, ANGRY PLANET by Becky Chambers
5. THE PAPER MENAGERIE AND OTHER STORIES by Ken Liu
6. THE INVISIBLE LIBRARY by Genevieve Cogman
7. TO HOLD THE BRIDGE by Garth Nix
8. THE OBELISK GATE by N.K. Jemisin
9. THE GUNSLINGER by Stephen King
10. MANNERS AND MUTINY by Gail Carriger
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. THE NAME OF THE WIND by Patrick Rothfuss
2. AMERICAN GODS by Neil Gaiman
3. ONCE BROKEN FAITH by Seanan McGuire
4. BREAK THE CHAINS by Megan E. O’Keefe
5. AN ENGLISH GHOST STORY by Kim Newman
6. SHADOWS OF SELF by Brandon Sanderson
7. POSEIDON’S WAKE by Alastair Reynolds
8. ALTERED STARSCAPE by Ian Douglas
9. ZEROES by Chuck Wendig
10. SOLAR EXPRESS by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
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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 and Boris Strugatsky. The book for December will be 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, November 20th, at 6 pm to discuss CENTURY RAIN by Alastair Reynolds. The book for the following month will be THE QUANTUM THIEF by Hannu Rajaniemi. Please contact bookclub@borderlands-books.com for more information.
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Upcoming Event Details
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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!
Jason Denzel, MYSTIC (Tor Books, Trade Paperback, $14.99) and Brandon Sanderson, ARCANUM UNBOUNDED: THE COSMERE COLLECTION (Tor Books, Hardcover, $27.99) on Wednesday, November 30th at 5:00pm - We're always thrilled to welcome Brandon Sanderson to Borderlands! This time 'round, Brandon's touring for ARCANUM UNBOUNDED, a new story collection featuring stories from the Cosmere universe, including tales from Mistborn, Stormlight Archive, Elantris, and more! An all-new 40,000-word Stormlight novella, "Edgedancer," will be only one of the highlights of this must-have volume. Touring with Brandon will be Jason Denzel, founder of the Dragonmount website and author of the excellent fantasy novel MYSTIC, now available in paperback. The sequel, MYSTIC DRAGON, will be available in February, 2017. We hope you'll join us! This event will be first-come, first seated. We'll be giving out (free) tickets as attendees arrive to mark their place in the signing line, and we'll call folks up in groups of 10 or so, so they don't need to wait in line for such a long time. If you miss your numbered group, you can join the next line when you're ready. No purchase is necessary to attend and have books signed, but we always appreciate it if attendees purchase something at the event. Contact us at office@borderlands-books.com or 888 893-4008 if you have questions.
Sisters in Crime / Mystery Writers of America Northern California Holiday Party on December 10th, 2016 - Join us and more than two dozen fabulous local mystery writers for a fun holiday party! There will be light refreshments and the chance to mingle with, and get books signed by, fantastic authors. Don't miss this chance to meet so many writers all at the same time, and enjoy a rousing kick-off to the party season -- we'll be joined by Elin Barnes, Diana Chambers, Nick Mamatas, and many, many more!
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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