Events and News From Borderlands Books
----------------------
Upcoming Events
----------------------
Yoon Ha Lee, NINEFOX GAMBIT (Solaris, Trade Paperback, $9.99) on Saturday, April 15th at 3:00pm
SF in SF with authors Jewelle Gomez, Pat Murphy, and Madeleine Robins at The American Bookbinders Museum on Sunday, April 23rd at 6:30pm
Cory Doctorow, WALKAWAY (Tor Books, Hardcover, $26.99) and John Scalzi, THE COLLAPSING EMPIRE, (Tor Books, Hardcover, $25.99) on Thursday, April 27th at 6:00pm
Marie Brennan, WITHIN THE SANCTUARY OF WINGS (Tor Books, Hardcover, $27.99) on Saturday, April 29th at 3:00pm
Airships Triumph event with Robyn Bennis, THE GUNS ABOVE (Tor Books, Hardcover, $25.99) and Megan E. O'Keefe, INHERIT THE FLAME (Angry Robot, Mass Market, $7.19) on Saturday, May 6th at 3:00pm
SF in SF with authors Robyn Bennis, Ellen Klages, and David Levine at The American Bookbinders Museum on Sunday, May 7th at 6:30pm
Sarah Gailey, RIVER OF TEETH (Tor.Com, Trade Paperback, $14.99) on Friday, May 19th at 6:00pm
(for more information check the end of this newsletter)
Coming up shortly, events with Richard Kadrey, Sarah Kuhn, Daryl Gregory, and many others!
-------
News
-------
* Overheard in the Store:
"The Mayo Clinic? I just couldn't trust any clinic named after a condiment."
"No, please --- go ahead and shoutsplain Purim to the room. Sexy."
* The Editor-in-Chief of Strange Horizons has stepped down and will be staying on as a consulting editor. http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/azimuth/editorials/moving-on/
* Astronaut Dr. Kjell Lindgrenhas been chosen as Toastmaster for this year's Nebulas. http://www.locusmag.com/News/2017/03/dr-lindgren-named-nebula-awards-toastmaster/
* The SFPA has voted to change their name from Science Fiction Poetry Association to Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association, while keeping their acronym the same. Voter breakdown here: https://specpo.wordpress.com/2017/03/21/sfpa-gets-a-new-name/
* Borderlands is saddened by the passing of Bernie Wrightson. The television show "The Walking Dead" dedicated their series finale to his memory. http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/the-walking-dead/news/a825139/walking-dead-finale-season-7-dedicated-bernie-wrightson/
* Marvel to follow DC's lead and produce a half-hour sitcom, although instead of focusing on unpowered people like DC's Powerless, it will focus on the young adult superhero group New Warriors, lead by fan-favorite Squirrel Girl. Read all about it here: http://shadowandact.com/2017/04/05/marvels-new-warriors-is-heading-to-freeform-with-straight-to-series-order-the-second-to-do-so/
* "Invader Zim" is coming back to our TV screens! Let the screeching about cupcakes begin! https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/04/invader-zim-will-return-to-tv-soon-ish-with-original-creator-cast/
* An excellent article on Margaret Atwood, science fiction, feminism and dystopias: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/mar/25/dystopian-dreams-how-feminist-science-fiction-predicted-the-future
* Article on the new Netflix Sci-Fi show starring Robert Redford, "The Discovery," and the way the afterlife is explored in the genre. http://junkee.com/the-discovery-review-sci-fi-afterlife/101194
* It started as an Instagram account celebrating black characters in science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and now the creator wants to turn it into a short film studio. More information here: http://www.konbini.com/ng/inspiration/this-instagram-account-celebrates-black-characters-in-scifi-fantasy-and-horror/
* Get your official Bond villain name and location - original sexist Fleming style or Modern take, you choose. https://www.lovereading.co.uk/bond-villain/#
* A column on racism in science fiction in general and Veronica Roth’s Carve The Mark specifically. http://www.idsnews.com/article/2017/03/sci-fi-racism
* If you weren’t able to go to this series because you don’t live in New York or didn’t know about it, there's a list of lesser-known Japanese sf/f films to check out. http://screenanarchy.com/2017/03/beyond-godzilla-highlights-lesser-known-japanese-sci-fifantasy-films-gallery.html
* Marvel executive is backtracking as fast as possible after claiming people do not want female characters in comics. http://www.teenvogue.com/story/marvel-exec-backtracks-diverse-female-characters
* A debate on the current "Ghost in the Shell" movie and charges of whitewashing in Hollywood: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-ghost-in-the-shell-hollywood-whitewashing-justin-chang-jen-yamato-20170406-story.html
* St. Patrick’s Day is long past, but how can you resist a list of 25 important green figures in science fiction? You can’t. http://www.blastr.com/2017-3-17/25-important-green-figures
* Some interesting ruminations on the show "Westworld," the story of Job, and what power might lie in pain. http://jewishjournal.com/opinion/212380/finding-god-in-westworld-the-power-of-pain/
* Ranking the coolest science fiction weapons. Can’t say we agree with the whole list, but there were definitely some things to think about. https://www.inverse.com/article/29268-coolest-science-fiction-weapons-of-all-time-star-wars-star-trek-blade-runner
* Some of our favorite authors are contributing to an-until-now secret "Star Wars" anthology: http://www.tor.com/2017/04/07/a-bunch-of-your-favorite-authors-are-contributing-to-star-wars-from-a-certain-point-of-view/
------------------
Award News
------------------
* The 2017 Hugo Award Nominees have been announced: http://www.theverge.com/2017/4/4/15178480/2017-hugo-award-nominations-science-fiction-fantasy-books
* The winner of the 2016 James Tiptree Jr. Award has been announced, along with the honor and the long list. Congratulations to Anna-Marie McLemore, whose novel WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS took home the prize. The whole list is here: https://tiptree.org/2017/03/anna-marie-mclemore-wins-the-2016-tiptree-award-plus-honor-list-long-list-announcements
* Finalists for The Compton Crook Award, for the best first novel written in 2016, have been announced. http://www.bsfs.org/CCA/bsfsccnu2014.htm
* There are several finalists for the Audie Awards particularly of interest to speculative fiction fans. Check out all the finalists here: https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2017-audies
* The Australian Horror Writers Association has announced the winners of the 2016 Australian Shadows Awards, which celebrate horror and dark fantasy. Check out the winners and nominees here: http://australianhorror.com/index.php?view=191
* The This Is Horror 2016 Awards have announced their winners and runner-ups as voted by members of the website. http://www.thisishorror.co.uk/awards/
* The Carnegie and Greenway Awards for Childrens' books have announced their short lists.
http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/press.php?release=pres_2017_shortlists_announced.html
* The 29th Annual Lambda Literary Awards have announced their finalists for all categories including LGBTQ SF/F/H, which includes some titles speculative fans might have missed this year. Check out all the nominees here: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/features/news/03/14/29th-annual-lambda-literary-award-finalists-announced/
* The 2016 finalists for the AnLab Readers Awards: http://www.analogsf.com/about-analog/anlab-readers-awards-finalists/
* The shortlist of the YA Book Prize has several books of interest to SF/F readers. http://www.thebookseller.com/ya-book-prize
* The longlist for the Bailey's Women's prize also has titles of interest to SF/F fans. http://www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/reading-room/news/announcing-2017-longlist
* The Spectrum Awards for art in science fiction and fantasy have announced their finalists for 2016. http://fleskpublications.com/blog/2017/03/06/spectrum-24-award-nominations/
----------------
Best Sellers
----------------
Borderlands Best-Selling Titles for March, 2017
Hardcovers
1. NORSE MYTHOLOGY by Neil Gaiman
2. NEW YORK 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson
3. THE SKILL OF OUR HANDS by Steven Brust and Skyler White
4. THE WRONG DEAD GUY by Richard Kadrey
5. IN CALABRIA by Peter S. Beagle
6. RUSTY PUPPY by Joe R. Landsdale
7. SEVEN SURRENDERS by Ada Palmer
8. THE COLLAPSING EMPIRE by John Scalzi
9. INFINITY ENGINE by Neal Asher
10. THE EVIL WIZARD SMALLBONE by Delia Sherman
Trade Paperbacks
1. THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM by Cixin Liu, trans. by Ken Liu
2. PASSING STRANGE by Ellen Klages
3. PHANTOM PAINS by Mishell Baker
4. DUSK OR DARK OR DAWN OR DAY by Seanan McGuire
5. THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS by M.R. Carey
6. A CLOSED AND COMMON ORBIT by Becky Chambers
7. THE PAPER MENAGERIE AND OTHER STORIES by Ken Liu
8. STORIES OF YOUR LIFE AND OTHERS by Ted Chiang
9. FELLSIDE by M.R. Carey
10. THE ERSTWHILE by B. Catling
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. MAGIC FOR NOTHING by Seanan McGuire
2. THE NAME OF THE WIND by Patrick Rothfuss
3. THE HANGING TREE by Ben Aaronovitch
4. IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE by Sinclair Lewis
5. ONCE BROKEN FAITH by Seanan McGuire
6. THE GUNSLINGER by Stephen King
7. THE ISLANDERS by Christopher Priest
8. DAY FOUR by Sarah Lotz
9. HUNGER MAKES THE WOLF by Alex Wells
10. END OF WATCH by Stephen King
------------------------------
Book Club Information
------------------------------
The QSF&F Book Club will meet on Sunday, April 9th, at 5 pm to discuss THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL ANGRY PLANET by Becky Chambers. The book for May will be ALL THE BIRDS IN THE SKY by Charlie Jane Anders. 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, April 16th, at 6 pm to discuss THE PLAYER OF GAMES by Iain M. Banks. The book for the following month will be THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL ANGRY PLANET by Becky Chambers. Please contact bookclub@borderlands-books.com for more information.
------------------------------
Upcoming Event Details
------------------------------
Yoon Ha Lee, NINEFOX GAMBIT (Solaris, Trade Paperback, $9.99) on Saturday, April 15th at 3:00pm - We're happy to welcome author Yoon Ha Lee to Borderlands! NPR attempts to summarize the wonderfully complicated plot of NINEFOX GAMBIT here: "In the Fortress of Scattered Needles, a 'calendrical rot' has begun altering the fabric of reality. It is the result of heretical forces allied against this world's rulers, and someone is going to have to go in there and purge the non-conformist thought from the system. Two someones, actually. A living soldier named Cheris with an unlikely facility for mathematics, and Jedao, the centuries-old ghost of a brilliant general and known mass-murderer who lives in her shadow and in her head. I know, right? But stick with me here a minute, because here's where it gets cool. . . ." Please enjoy the excellent review from NPR in its entirety: http://www.npr.org/2016/06/25/482023715/beautifully-alien-ninefox-gambit-mixes-math-and-magic . We hope to see you here to meet the author and check out this mind-blowing novel!
SF in SF with authors Jewelle Gomez, Pat Murphy, and Madeleine Robins at The American Bookbinders Museum on Sunday, April 23rd 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. We're so happy to participate in the Science Fiction in San Francisco reading series! The authors will read a selection from their work, followed by Q&A from the audience moderated by author Terry Bisson. The 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.
Cory Doctorow WALKAWAY (Tor Books, Hardcover, $26.99) and John Scalzi, THE COLLAPSING EMPIRE (Tor Books, Hardcover, $25.99) on Thursday, April 27th at 6:00pm - We're ecstatic that not one, but two amazing New York Times bestselling authors from Tor Books will be at Borderlands! Cory Doctorow and John Scalzi are joining forces to share their latest releases of the near and far future in science fiction. We're absolutely delighted to host them! The authors will share their new books, chat, and sign. Cory's new novel WALKAWAY is ". . .an epic tale of revolution, love, post-scarcity, and the end of death. Fascinating, moving, and darkly humorous, WALKAWAY is a multi-generation SF thriller about the wrenching changes of the next hundred years. . . and the very human people who will live their consequences."
John's COLLAPSING EMPIRE introduces a game-changer, a field that makes faster-than-light travel possible: "Our universe is ruled by physics and faster than light travel is not possible -- until the discovery of The Flow, an extra-dimensional field we can access at certain points in space-time that transport us to other worlds, other stars. The Flow is eternal -- but it is not static. Just as a river changes course, The Flow changes as well, cutting off worlds from the rest of humanity. When it's discovered that The Flow is moving, possibly cutting off every human world from faster than light travel forever, three individuals -- a scientist, a starship captain and the Empress of the Interdependency -- are in a race against time to discover what, if anything, can be salvaged from an interstellar empire on the brink of collapse."
Marie Brennan, WITHIN THE SANCTUARY OF WINGS (Tor Books, Hardcover, $27.99) on Saturday, April 29th at 3:00pm - It's always marvelous to welcome talented local author Marie Brennan to the store. This time, it's a bit bittersweet, because WITHIN THE SANCTUARY OF WINGS is the fifth and final adventure in the critically-acclaimed Memoirs of Lady Trent. "This concluding volume will finally reveal the truths behind her most notorious adventure -- scaling the tallest peak in the world, buried behind the territory of Scirland's enemies -- and what she discovered there, within the Sanctuary of Wings." In the past Marie has brought dragon bones and dressed in Lady Trent's period clothing -- we do hope you'll join us to meet Marie, as it is always a wonderful adventure! Marie will also be displaying some of her photography in the Cafe, so you can check that out too.
Airships Triumph event with Robyn Bennis THE GUNS ABOVE (Tor Books, Hardcover, $25.99) and Megan E. O'Keefe INHERIT THE FLAME (Angry Robot, Mass Market, $7.19) on Saturday, May 6th at 3:00pm - We're happy to welcome two local authors for a double-airship spectacular event! Robyn Bennis' debut novel is THE GUNS ABOVE, a rousing military fantasy adventure about a nation's first female airship captain. Here's the synopsis from the publisher: "They say it's not the fall that kills you. For Josette Dupre, the Corps' first female airship captain, it might just be a bullet in the back. On top of patrolling the front lines, she must also contend with a crew who doubts her expertise, a new airship that is an untested deathtrap, and the foppish aristocrat Lord Bernat, a gambler and shameless flirt with the military know-how of a thimble. Bernat's own secret assignment is to catalog her every moment of weakness and indecision. So when the enemy makes an unprecedented move that could turn the tide of the war, can Josette deal with Bernat, rally her crew, and survive long enough to prove herself?"
We're also delighted to welcome Megan O' Keefe back to the store! Megan's new novel, the third in her Scorched Continent series, and while this book takes place mostly on the ground, there's still plenty of rousing adventure to go around. From the publisher: "Detan Honding is determined to survive this war, even when caught between not one but two besieging armies! After rescuing the renowned engineer Nouli from the clutches of the empire, the valiant rogue has returned to his aunt's city -- to find it under siege by Thratia's army. With Nouli's help, they manage to turn back the tide, at least until imperial forces descend, prepared to hammer the Thratian force against the anvil of the city's walls. Worse yet, the imperial advance is aided by an elite force of dark magicians. His aunt is forced to forge an uneasy alliance with Thratia to keep the city from falling back under imperial control -- but Detan's wary. While Thratia and his aunt bring their forces to bear against the new threat, Detan puts his own plans into motion -- to ensure that when the final blow is dealt, Thratia and her army will find themselves on the other side of the city's walls." We hope you'll join us for this hugely entertaining event!
SF in SF with authors Robyn Bennis, Ellen Klages, and David Levine at The American Bookbinders Museum on Sunday, May 7th 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. We're so happy to participate in the Science Fiction in San Francisco reading series! The authors will read a selection from their work, followed by Q&A from the audience moderated by author Terry Bisson. The 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.
Sarah Gailey, RIVER OF TEETH (Tor.Com, Trade Paperback, $14.99) on Friday, May 19th at 6:00pm - We are thrilled to welcome Sarah Gailey, who will be showing off her debut novella RIVER OF TEETH! The story takes one fantastic truth -- that the US government once considered importing hippos as a source of meat production -- and spins an incredible tale of the Mississippi River overrun by bloodthirsty, feral hippos, and the mercenary cowboys hired to kill them. This is one amazing, rollicking alternate history, and you won't want to miss the chance to meet Sarah Gailey and explore a story of the weirdest Wild South that never was! RSVP here if you do the Facebook thing: https://www.facebook.com/events/1788628484798334/
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 Gobert 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
* * * * * * *
