DISPATCHES FROM THE BORDER
Events and News From Borderlands Books
August 2018
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Upcoming Events
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Writers With Drinks (at The Make Out Room, Make Out Room, 3225 22nd St, San Francisco) with authors Laura Antoniou, S.L. Huang, Jack Kaulfus, Hannah Pittard, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, and Marlee Jane Ward, hosted by Charlie Jane Anders! Saturday, August 11th at 7:30 pm
Seanan McGuire, NIGHT AND SILENCE (DAW, Hardcover, $26.00) Saturday, September 8th at 5:00 pm
Rachel Fellman, THE BREATH OF THE SUN (Aqueduct Press, Trade Paperback, $19.00) Sunday, September 9th at 1:00 pm
Nick Mamatas, THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF EVERYTHING (Tachyon Publication, Trade Paperback, $15.95), with guests Meg Elison, Tim Pratt, and Jason Ridler, Sunday, September 9th at 3:00 pm
SANTA CRUZ NOIR (Akashic Books, Trade Paperback, $15.95) event with contributors Susie Bright, Jon Bailiff, Seana Graham, Vinnie Hansen, Dillon Kaiser, Liza Monroy, Micah Perks, & Jill Wolfson, Saturday, September 15th at 1:00 pm
SF in SF (at The American Bookbinders' Museum, 355 Clementina) with authors Sheila Finch, David D. Levine, moderated by Terry Bisson, Sunday, September 16th at 6:30 pm
(for more information check the end of this newsletter)
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News
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* Overheard in the Store:
"I keep forgetting that, in the Mission, Thursday is now Friday, and Friday is now Stupid."
* Borderlands' owner Alan Beatts will be interviewed by Matthew Felix on Facebook Live at 6:00 pm on Sunday, August 26th! Here's some information from the interviewer: "The Matthew Félix On Air video podcast features author Matthew Felix and guests discussing writing, travel, and whatever else piques Matthew's interest, from spirituality to cultural happenings to the outdoors to anything with a good story worth exploring. In this episode, Matthew talks with Borderlands Books' Alan Beatts about Borderlands' history, mission, and the current climate for indie bookstores -- and some of the innovative ways they're adapting for the future." Check it out here, and do remember it's live! https://www.facebook.com/authormatthewfelix/ You'll also be able to catch it later on YouTube https://bit.ly/1MoDsNS or iTunes: https://apple.co/2KAS0AP, or follow the link from Matthew's webpage: http://www.matthewfelix.com
* If you're visiting the Bay Area for the World Science Fiction Convention and will be in San Francisco either before Monday, August 13th or after Monday, August 20th, we'd be delighted to give you a tour of our location-to-be, which is still very much a work in progress. Just email Alan, abeatts@borderlands-books.com, to set up a time.
* Speaking of WorldCon: if you're an author attending the con and we've somehow missed having your books at our booths, we'd be happy to carry them on consignment at the con. We usually do a 60% / 40% split, with the author getting 60% of the cover price. Authors pick up any unsold copies near the end of the con, and we send you a check for sold copies around 30 days after the event. Just find the Borderlands booth at the convention and Jude should be able to assist you.
* A classic article on how the lack of an OB/GYN effectively lead to the crumbling of Star Wars' Old Empire. https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/53d4db/womens-healthcare-star-wars
* Author and Borderlands sponsor Seanan McGuire has written her first X-Men comic, and went back to her childhood comic shop to have the signing, as she vowed to do 30 years ago! https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/x-men-gold-annual-2-writer-seanan-mcguire-returns-to-her-hometown-comics-shop
* Not everyone has a book in them: https://theoutline.com/post/5541/unconventional-wisdom-you-should-not-write-a-book
* Julie Dillon is Kickstarting a collection of her gorgeous speculative art! https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/29/17627590/julie-dillon-science-fiction-fantasy-art-book-kickstarter
* Well, it turns out that sf/f readers make better relationship partners, which we think most of us already knew. https://www.bustle.com/p/sci-fi-fantasy-readers-apparently-make-better-romantic-partners-according-to-a-new-study-9975483
* Krista Ball is curating a database of fantasy novels with LGBTQ+ representation, with the help of Reddit. The latest update is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/8y59dy/lgbtq_database_update_happening_now_details_in/
* "The Darkest Minds" is a highly-anticipated movie about children who develop abilities and a society that seeks to control and use them. Its dystopian themes seem even more relevant now. http://ew.com/movies/2018/08/03/darkest-minds-jennifer-yuh-nelson-political-resistance-movements/
* There are certain months where studios dump films they don't expect to do well. io9 has compiled a list of the coolest sf/f films that were dumped in the month of August. Check it out here: https://io9.gizmodo.com/28-of-the-coolest-sci-fi-and-fantasy-movies-that-got-du-1828025659
* Speaking of sf/f films, why not check out this list of 51 forgotten films from the 90s? You're sure to come across at least one movie you've never seen or heard about. http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/sci-fi/247782/51-forgotten-sci-fi-movies-from-the-1990s
"Heathers" is a great, dark film and the theories about it range from the believable to the utterly bizarre: https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/high-school-hell-how-heathers-predicted-everything-1.3583180
* WorldCon has completely redone their programming after many authors began to pull out in protest over a number of missteps. https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/worldcon-2018-diversity-nominees/
* A comic about intrigue and life at court that isn't about leverage but trust. Check out the review for "Sleepless vol. 1" here. https://www.polygon.com/comics/2018/7/13/17568522/image-comics-sleepless-sarah-vaughn-leila-del-duca
* The first theatre dedicated solely to performing live plays of a fantasy or science fictional nature is opening in Chicago. Road trip! https://www.broadwayworld.com/chicago/article/Otherworld-Theatre-Opens-Worlds-First-Venue-Dedicated-To-Sci-Fi-And-Fantasy-Theatre-20180709
* Wired takes a look back at some of the best costumes they saw at Comic-Con this year: https://www.wired.com/story/cosplay-comic-con-2018/
* "Entertainment Weekly" made a list of 50 books they would love to see adaptations for, and a number of them are of interest to speculative fiction fans. http://ew.com/books/50-books-to-adapt/
* It looks like Legendary Pictures' upcoming adaptation of classic SF novel Dune will only cover the first half of the first book, so it looks like we're in for a two-parter! https://winteriscoming.net/2018/07/30/denis-villeneuves-dune-movie-will-cover-first-half-first-book/
* Sword and sorcery and revenge. . . yup, we're already there. This review of the new series "The Outpost" makes it sound like fun brain candy and we're ready to sign up. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-outpost-review-20180709-story.html#
* Amazon has picked show-runners for their horrendously expensive "Lord of the Rings" TV show and are trying to convince Peter Jackson to let them film on his sets in New Zealand. https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/29/17627056/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-middle-earth-jrr-tolkien-jd-payne-patrick-mckay-writers
* "Buffy" is being rebooted with a more diverse cast, but this article argues that marginalized people deserve their own mythologies, and taking a chance on a new voice is better than rebooting an old one -- which we can't help but agree with. https://www.refinery29.com/2018/07/205026/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-reboot-black-woman-lead
* Aside from 2017's "Okja", most of Netflix's original science fiction movies have not been well received, and if you were hoping "Tau" was going to be different . . . sorry. This article goes into how "Tau" fails and what it has in common with their other releases. https://www.wired.com/story/netflix-sci-fi-tau/
* "The Expanse", one of the best science fiction shows of recent years, was rescued from cancellation by Amazon and the show-runner talks about why it needed to be rescued, and why he would have opted to go straight to streaming in the first place if he had to do it all over again. https://www.criticalhit.net/entertainment/expanse-showrunner-talks-rescued-sci-fi-shows-move-amazon/
* Amazon has optioned another sf/f adaptation: however this one is not based on the written world, but the artwork of Simon Stalenhag. https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/07/17/tales-from-the-loop-series-amazon-studios/
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Award News
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* The Sidewise Awards which celebrate Alternate History have announced their short list of nominees, which include Gregory Benford, Nisi Shawl and Harry Turtledove. Check out the full list here: http://file770.com/2017-sidewise-award-nominees/
* Check out the shortlist for the 2018 Sunburst Awards, celebrating Canadian fantastic literature: http://www.sunburstaward.org/2018-shortlist
* Congratulations to all of the World Fantasy Award Nominees! For the full list of nominees including Peter S. Beagle, Ellen Klages, JY Yang and other great voices, go here: https://www.tor.com/2018/07/25/2018-world-fantasy-award-finalists/
* The 2018 Mythopoeic Award Winners have been announced, including Garth Nix and John Crowley. The full list is on the Mythopoeic blog: https://mythsoc-rohan.blogspot.com/2018/07/2018-mythopoeic-award-winners-announced.html
* The Eisner Awards were held at San Diego Comic-Con, and congratulations to all the winners, but especially to Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda's stunning "Monstress", which took home five awards! Check out all the categories here: https://deadline.com/2018/07/eisner-awards-2018-winners-list-montress-my-favorite-thing-is-monsters-1202430916/
* The winner of the 2018 Arthur C. Clarke Award is Anne Charnock for DREAMS BEFORE THE START OF TIME. Check out the comments from the panel here: https://www.clarkeaward.com/2018-winner/
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From The Office
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Assistant Editor's Note - Alan wrote about five entertaining paragraphs of an office piece before deciding it just wasn't going to happen this month. Between construction on the new building and prep for WorldCon, we're moving as fast as we can just to make sure nothing gets _really_ neglected or messed up. So, look for the return of the Office Piece next month, and thank you for your patience and understanding meanwhile! - Jude Feldman
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Best Sellers
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Borderlands Best-Selling Titles for July, 2018
Hardcovers
1) Competence by Gail Carrgier
2) Noir by Christopher Moore
3) Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
4) Summerland by Hannu Rajaniemi
5) Space Opera by Cat Valente
6) Starless by Jacqueline Carey
7) Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
8) Deep Roots by Ruthanna Emerys
9) Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
10) The Cabin at the End of the Woods by Paul Tremblay
Trade Paperbacks
1) Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, trans by Ken Liu
2) The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
3) Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee
4) All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
5) Freeze-Frame Revolution by Peter Watts
6) Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers
7) Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
8) Walkaway by Cory Doctorow
9) Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
10) Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
Mass Market Paperbacks
1) Who Fears Death? by Nnedi Okorafor
2) American Gods by Neil Gaiman
3) Old Man's War by John Scalzi
4) Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
5) Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
6) Marked by Bendict Jacka
7) Heroine Worship by Sarah Kuhn
8) Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
9) Lock In by John Scalzi
10) Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
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Book Club Information
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The QSF&F Book Club will meet on Sunday, August 12th, at 5 pm to discuss SPACE OPERA by Cat Valente. 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, August 19th, at 6 pm to discuss (Hugo nominee for Best Novel!) SIX WAKES by Mur Lafferty. The book for September will be THE LATHE OF HEAVEN by Ursula K. LeGuin. Please contact bookclub@borderlands-books.com for more information.
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Upcoming Event Details
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Writers With Drinks (at The Make Out Room, Make Out Room, 3225 22nd St, San Francisco) with authors Laura Antoniou, S.L. Huang, Jack Kaulfus, Hannah Pittard, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, and Marlee Jane Ward, hosted by Charlie Jane Anders! Saturday, August 11th at 7:30 pm - Writers With Drinks is the most awesome spoken-word variety show in the world, hosted by Charlie Jane Anders, and we're always happy to participate! The amazing lineup this month includes authors Laura Antoniou (The Killer Wore Leather), S.L. Huang (Zero Sum Game), Jack Kaulfus (Tomorrow or Forever), Hannah Pittard (Visible Empire), Margaret Wilkerson Sexton (A Kind of Freedom), and Marlee Jane Ward (Welcome to Orphancorp). Cost: $5 to $20, no-one turned away for lack of funds. All proceeds benefit local non-profits. Doors open at 6:30 and Borderlands will be on hand to sell books.
Seanan McGuire, NIGHT AND SILENCE (DAW, Hardcover, $26.00) Saturday, September 8th at 5:00 pm - We think the release of a new October Daye adventure is always a great reason for a party, even if Toby wouldn't agree at all! (October Date really, really hates parties, even when they're for her. Particularly when they're for her.) We can't tell you much about this volume because Spoilers!, so we're keeping this write up deliberately vague: suffice to say that things are looking very rough indeed for our varyingly-degrees-of-fae heroine, and her fragile self-made family is fraying badly. Then things get a lot worse. We certainly hope you'll come meet Seanan McGuire, who loves to torment her characters, and join us for revelry, raffles, and stories! Visit Seanan's webpage to find out more about Toby's, and click here to read free short stories set in Toby's world: http://seananmcguire.com/tobyshorts.php
Rachel Fellman, THE BREATH OF THE SUN (Aqueduct Press, Trade Paperback, $19.00) Sunday, September 9th at 1:00 pm - We're thrilled to welcome up-and-coming author Rachel Fellman to the store! Her new release is called THE BREATH OF THE SUN, and check out the amazing synopsis from the publisher: "Lamat Paed understands paradoxes. She's a great mountain climber who's never summited, the author of a tell-all that didn't really tell anything. For years she guided pilgrims up the foothills of the Sublime Mount, leading them as high as God would let them go. And then she partnered the apostate Southern priest Mother Disaine on the most daring, most blasphemous expedition in history -- an attempt to reach the summit of the sacred mountain, the top of God's head. Disaine returned in triumph, claiming to be the first person since the prophet to have summited and lived. But Lamat went into hiding. Now, late in life and exiled from the mountain, Lamat finally tells her story to her partner, Otile. It's the story of why she really wrote her first book all those years ago, how she came to be cast out from the mountain-dwelling Holoh people, and how she fled to the anonymity of the city to hide from her fame. Most of all, it's the story of her bond with Mother Disaine -- the blasphemer, charlatan, and visionary who stole Lamat's life to serve her own purposes -- and what really happened on their last, greatest expedition."
Nick Mamatas, THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF EVERYTHING (Tachyon Publication, Trade Paperback, $15.95), with guests Meg Elison, Tim Pratt, and Jason Ridler, Sunday, September 9th at 3:00 pm - Join us and four fabulous local authors for an afternoon of short readings and conversation! Nick Mamatas is the author of numerous novels and short stories. His newest collection is THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF EVERYTHING, and it "features a decade's worth of crimes, fantasies, original fiction, and the author's preferred text of the acclaimed short novel UNDER MY ROOF". Meg Elison is the author of the Philip K. Dick Award winner BOOK OF THE UNNAMED MIDWIFE, and most recently THE BOOK OF ETTA. Tim Pratt has written just about everything, and his newest novel is a sweet and funny space adventure called THE WRONG STARS. Jason Ridler has published numerous short stories, and now he's working on a fabulous occult detective series, The Brimstone Files; his newest novel is BLACK LOTUS KISS. Don't miss this event -- it's sure to be great fun!
SANTA CRUZ NOIR (Akashic Books, Trade Paperback, $15.95) event with contributors Susie Bright, Jon Bailiff, Seana Graham, Vinnie Hansen, Dillon Kaiser, Liza Monroy, Micah Perks, & Jill Wolfson, Saturday, September 15th at 1:00 pm - From the publisher's website: "Following in the footsteps of LOS ANGELES NOIR. . . [and] SAN FRANCISCO NOIR, this new volume further reveals the seedy underbelly of the Left Coast." What darkness lurks behind the sunshiney facade of paradise just a bit over an hour south of here? Check out this volume of brand-new stories from acclaimed writers, many of whom are local -- we're delighted to welcome editor Susie Bright and the most contributors to one anthology that we've ever had appear here together! Susie will be preparing a "script" of short excerpts for the authors to read, followed by a Q&A and signing. Check out an interview with the editor here: http://www.kazu.org/post/short-fiction-stories-explore-santa-cruzs-seedier-side#stream/0
SF in SF (at The American Bookbinders' Museum, 355 Clementina) with authors Sheila Finch, David D. Levine, moderated by Terry Bisson, Sunday, September 16th at 6:30 pm - (Suggested donation $10.) Doors and bar at 6:00 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. 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. Questions? Email sfinsfevents@gmail.com.
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
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