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ABOUT THE STORE : NEWSLETTER

DISPATCHES FROM THE BORDER

Events and News from Borderlands Books


June, 2008

**Cafe news and a request**


As you might have heard, I've been trying to open a cafe / coffee house next door.  It's been a very slow process but we're moving forward pretty quickly now.  But, I need to get special permission from the Planning Commission to move on to the next step.  And that's where my request comes in.

Due to the size of the space (1500 sq. feet) and the city zoning ordinances, I have to get what's called a "conditional use" permit.  Basically that means that I have to go to the Planning Commission and ask them to let us have a business that serves food to-go and that is over 1000 square feet (that size is the break point in between an automatically permitted "small self service restaurant" and the conditionally permitted "large fast food restaurant" -- and no, I have no idea why they call it that instead of a "large self service restaurant"). 

Though I don't really expect that there will be any problem with getting this permit, it pays to be safe -- especially when dealing with the city administration.  One of the things that will help me get a positive decision is names on a petition.  So, if you'd like to see Borderlands Cafe open (sometime this century) please come by the store and ask to sign the petition.  We don't need much, just your name, signature and zip code.  And don't worry if you don't live in the neighborhood.  For that matter, don't worry if you don't even live in San Francisco.  All signatures help and signatures from people from out of town are great since they show that the cafe would attract people to SF.

And on the topic of folks who live out of town, if you can't come by the store (either because you've just got too much to do or you live far from San Francisco) you can still help.  Just email me <abeatts@borderlands-books.com> a letter addressed to the San Francisco Planning Commission saying that you think a cafe is a "good thing".  If you would, please include your city (and country, if you're outside of the US) of residence and anything else that you think sounds good.  If you happen to be an author or publisher, mentioning how supportive we are of you and how we've hosted events for you or your authors might be a nice touch.  In general I'm looking for emails that suggest that Borderlands is a "good" business and that a cafe that we open would be an asset to San Francisco.

The hearing is on June 26th so, if you're going to sign the petition or send an email, please do so sooner rather than later.

Finally, if you feel really passionate about this and have some free time, you are welcome to come to the planning meeting.  You might not be called on to speak (and if you don't want to speak, I promise you won't have to) but the show of support is likely to sway the Commission.  The meeting is sometime after 1:30 pm on Thursday, June 26th at City Hall in room 400.  I should have a more specific time by Monday, the 23rd.  If you're going to come to the meeting, give me a call or drop me an email to let me know and I'll let you know as soon as I find out the specific time.

Thanks so much and now on to the rest of the newsletter,
Alan

Chapter One - Event Information, News, and Special Features

SF in SF presents free movies "Jason and the Argonauts" and "Army of Darkness," at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street, Wednesday, June 11th starting at 7:00pm

Sneak Peak at "The Listener" with playwright Liz Duffy Adams of Crowded Fire Theatre, Saturday, June 14th from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Jacqueline Carey, KUSHIEL'S MERCY, (Grand Central, Hardcover, $26.99) Saturday, June 21st at 3:00 pm

Carol Emshwiller and Pat Murphy are guests of SF in SF at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street, Saturday, June 21th at 7:00 pm

SF in SF presents free movies "Spirited Away" and "The City of Lost Children," at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street, Wednesday, July 9th starting at 7:00pm

Borderlands Night at Evil Dead the Musical! (at the Campbell Theatre in Martinez), Friday, July 11th at 10:30 pm

Jay Lake, ESCAPEMENT, (Tor, Hardcover, $25.95) Saturday, July 12th at 3:00 pm

Jay Lake and Susan Palwick are guests of SF in SF at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street, Saturday, July 12th at 7:00 pm

Naomi Novik, VICTORY OF EAGLES, (Del Rey, Hardcover, $25.95) and Eldon Thompson, THE DIVINE TALISMAN (Eos, Hardcover, $25.95) Tuesday, July 22nd at 7:00 pm

Harry Turtledove, THE MAN WITH THE IRON HEART, (Del Rey, Hardcover, $27.00) Saturday, July 26th at 3:00 pm

Apocalyptic Novel Double Feature - Michael Louis Calvillo, I WILL RISE (Lachesis, Trade Paperback, $16.50) and Gabrielle S. Faust, ETERNAL VIGILANCE (Immanion Press, Trade Paperback, $21.99) Saturday, July 26th at 5:00 pm

David J. Williams, MIRRORED HEAVENS, (Spectra, Trade Paperback, $12.00) Sunday, July 27th at 3:00 pm

Kelley Armstrong, THE SUMMONING (HarperCollins, Hardcover, $17.99) and Melissa Marr, INK EXCHANGE (HarperTeen, Hardcover, $16.99) Monday, July 28th at 7:00 pm

David Weber, BY SCHISM RENT ASUNDER (Tor, Hardcover, $25.95) Saturday, August 2nd at 3:00 pm

(for more information check the end of this section)

And stay tuned for Fall, when we'll host Greg Bear, Kevin J. Anderson & Brian Herbert, and many others!

Overheard in the Store

Will Return Next Month.

News

*We have a mural.  The fine folks at the Precita Eyes Mural Project <http://www.precitaeyes.org/> have been working on a huge mural on the side of our building near the park for the past few weeks.  They're finished now and it looks just great.  Next time you're by the store, go around the side of the building and take a look.  You might also manage to spot the Borderlands staff member who's in the mural.

*We are sorry to report the passing of beloved author Robert Asprin, who died May 22nd at his home in New Orleans' French Quarter.  Asprin was best known as the creator of the MythAdventure series and the editor of the Theives' World books.  An obituary from Everything New Orleans can be found here: <http://www.nola.com/obituaries/t-p/index.ssf?/base/obits-33/1211779298168830.xml>, and memorials from the MythAdventures site here: <http://www.mythadventures.net/memorials01.html>.

*We also regret to report the death of Rory D. Root, co-founder and longtime sole proprietor of Comic Relief: The Comic Bookstore in Berkeley.  Rory died on May 19th, following complications from surgery.  He was a real character and a force of nature, and the community is poorer for his loss.  Comic Relief's site has a lovely memorial: <http://www.comicrelief.net/>.

*Free Couch:  So, after ten years, we're going to move on and give away the small couch that's in the used book section at the store.  To be honest, even though it has fond memories for me and it has grown on me, I never liked that couch very much.  If you have a need for it (or just have many pleasant memories of sitting on it while pinned in place by Ripley), please drop an email to office@borderlands-books.com and it's yours.  I'll even deliver it (within San Francisco).  Mostly I'd like it to go to a good home and I'd rather one of our customers get it than put it on FreeCycle.  Thanks - Alan

*Congratulations to Lee Thomas, whose novel THE DUST OF WONDERLAND has won the LAMBDA Literary Award in the science fiction category.  For a complete list of the winners, see <http://www.lambdaliterary.org/awards/current_winners-2007.html>

*The next time you are in the store, be sure to pick up a copy of the free Pulse magazine from Spectra.  It contains a short excerpt from the new George R.R. Martin novel, A DANCE WITH DRAGONS (which finally has a release date of September 30th, 2008, hallelujah!,) a thoughtful article on the use of cliche in fantasy by Scott Lynch, new fiction from Catheryne M. Valente, an excerpt from IRON ANGEL by Alan Campbell, an essay on the origins of modern science fiction by Elizabeth Bear, and much more.

From The Office

Hi, I'm From Amazon and I'm Here to Help

This is the third in a series of articles about current changes and trends in the book business.  The last one looked at Borders Books and Music's financial woes and the possible consequences for authors and readers.  The final article in this series will take a look at eBooks and the possible effects of that technology.  This installment is going to consider Amazon.com's recent business moves and where that might lead the book business and the book-loving public.

Last month I started with a long disclaimer about my built-in bias as an independent bookseller when it comes to chain stores.  I need to mention something like that this month as well but not as strongly.  Compared to Borders and Barnes and Noble, many booksellers are even more upset about the effect that Amazon has had on their business, but I'm not one of them.  Amazon started the same year as Borderlands and many times since then I've pointed out that what Amazon does is very different from what we do.  I think that, in general, ecommerce is a great thing.  I shop on the internet with some frequency (though not for goods that I can buy from a local business) and I think that the overall effect of ecommerce has been positive.  But shopping on-line is no substitute for actually going into a store, picking out what you want, and walking out the door with it.  And this goes double for book-shopping.  When it gets down to it and no matter how hard Amazon and other vendors have tried -- browsing on-line is deeply unsatisfying.  So, although Amazon does compete with my shop, I have enough faith in the unique qualities that my physical store offers that I don't bristle and shake my head when I see an Amazon box being delivered.

And what's Amazon been up to recently?  Quite a lot, actually.  I'll run down the list in no particular order.

1.  Unbox.  Like Apple and Netflix, Amazon is getting into the digital distribution business.  Unbox is their movie download service.  According to reports, it works pretty well but, like Netflix's offering, it is lagging behind the leader -- Apple.  Right now movie downloads are more experimental since the whole system is hampered by glacialy slow speeds due to bandwidth limitations but, as "final mile" (the last segment between central stations and individual computers) speeds increase this is going to be a big money business

2.  MP3 Downloads.  Also lagging behind Apple but not doing too badly, Amazon is the #2 music download service (based on some third party figures, Amazon is selling around 10% as much music as Apple - not too bad considering that they don't have anything like iTunes or the iPod).

3.  eBooks.  Although they started this after the previous two lines, Amazon has gone after the electronic book market in a big way.  In such a big way that they're manufacturing their own ebook reader, the Kindle.  Amazon also owns MobiPocket, who manufactures the most popular multi-platform ebook reading software.  MobiPocket also sells ebooks from their website.

4.  Printing.  Amazon owns BookSurge, one of the biggest print-on-demand printers in the world.  Print-on-demand is a system where a book, rather than being printed in large numbers and stored until it's sold, is saved as an electronic file.  When the book is ordered, the file is sent to a big machine that incorporates multiple printers and an automatic binder.  Net result is file goes in one end and printed book comes out the other.  A clever (but expensive) system, and it allows books to stay "in print" indefinitely.  Though it is mostly used by smaller publishers, some of the big New York publishers use print-on-demand for slow-selling or older titles.

5.  Audio Books.  Amazon also own Brilliance Audio and Audible.com.  Brilliance produces audio books and Audible is a major site for downloading audio books.  Interestingly, Audible is Apple's main audiobook supplier for the iTunes store.

6.  Web Services.  Amazon has started selling time on their computer servers in a very clever fashion.  As you might guess, Amazon has some very serious server computers to support their business.  Much of the time these servers aren't being used at anything like full capacity.  So Amazon is renting out web-servers.  Many of the companies that are using this service are doing so for . . . yup, you guessed it -- ecommerce.

With a list of stuff like that it's obvious that Amazon has more than one iron in the fire (as you would expect from a company of that size) but the overall picture is that they're taking a big step from being a merchant (i.e. buying goods from manufacturers and selling them to the general public) to being a manufacturer in their own right as well as providing support services for other manufacturers.  At the same time, Amazon is "flexing" its muscles in relation to its suppliers.  Here are two examples --

They informed all the publishers who list their books for sale on Amazon that, if the publisher produces their titles using print-on-demand, they must use BookSurge as their printer.  They plan to extend this policy across the board to all publishers, a move which the head of one of the major houses called "outrageous".

In the ebook arena, Amazon has set the price for downloaded books for the Kindle by fiat in most cases.  The prices that they've set, though reasonable based on the costs of ebooks compared to physical books, are in many cases _much_ lower than that of the physical counterpart (i.e. $9.99 compared to $21.99 for the bestseller The Last Lecture).  Publishers are not very happy about that but they are playing along, in part because Amazon is their second biggest customer (Amazon's North American sales in 2007 were $4.63 billion compared to B&N's $5.16 billion while Borders accounted for only $3.8 billion).

I fear that Amazon is acting like the scrawny and slightly odd kid at school who has a growth spurt over the summer and then comes back to school as a real bruiser and a bully.  It's not really their fault though -- they just never learned to play nice with the other kids.

Here's a good example of how Amazon never learned to play "nice".  Seattle's indie paper, The Stranger <http://www.thestranger.com> noted in an April article that Amazon is unique among Seattle-based large businesses in that they have _never_ made any donations to the arts in Seattle.  Yup, that's right -- not one dime for ballet, plays, opera, museums, and so forth.  That's really strange.  Even Macy's and Boeing (which isn't even based in Seattle anymore) donated many thousands of dollars last year.

Unlike our theoretical schoolyard bully, when it comes to books there isn't a bigger kid in the neighborhood who might put Amazon in its place.  Not one but two major publishers commented recently that, "They need a competitor" but there is no sign that one is out there.  The closest is BN.com, Barnes & Noble's on-line presence, but last year BN.com did about one tenth of Amazon's business in North America and an even smaller percentage overseas.  So, where's Amazon heading?  I'd say that they're getting ready to start dictating terms to their suppliers (much as Walmart does) while busily integrating vertically (i.e. setting themselves up as the producer of their products as well as their retailer).  As I've mentioned before, this kind of vertical integration is usually bad for everyone because it limits diversity as well as giving the integrated company a huge advantage over their competitors (not that Amazon really has any competitors).

But, Amazon might be in for a surprise.  To continue the example of the bully who is the biggest kid at his school and gets to do pretty much what he wants -- what happens when this kid moves to a new school?  He may be in for a very unpleasant surprise when he runs into a much bigger, smarter, and meaner kid.

And the bigger kid in this story is a bit surprising -- it's Apple Inc.

As Amazon moves further away from typical internet sales and deeper into delivering digital media (plus the personal devices that go with it) they are starting to tread into territory firmly occupied by Apple, Microsoft, and to a lesser degree, Google.  Consider that two of Amazon's three digital content elements (movies and music) are areas that are the focus of major attention and development for Apple.  Add to this the Kindle, which is plainly geared to be the iPod equivalent for ebooks and which shares a number of features with the iPhone (web browsing and wireless purchase/download of content through a deal with cellphone companies).  Another indication that Amazon's and Apple's areas of business are beginning to intersect is the common tie they have to Audible.com for audiobooks -- Amazon owns it and both Apple and Amazon use it as their main source for downloadable product.

As long as Amazon was satisfied with staying in their pond and concentrating on sales of physical goods, there was no reason for Apple to pay any attention to them.  But, if Amazon continues to build their digital content business and gears it as an alternative or competitor to Apple, it seems a forgone conclusion that the two companies are going to go head to head.  And, when it comes to digital content and devices, Amazon is going to get pasted if it goes up against Apple.  Consider this --

In the third quarter of last year, Apple's income was greater than Amazon's for the entirety of 2007.  And Apple's sales are growing as fast or faster than Amazon's.

Compare the Kindle to the iPhone from a design and value standpoint --
The Kindle - Expensive for what it does.  Black and white display.  Clunky controls.  No touch screen.  Limited web browsing.  Unattractive design.  Aside from limited web browsing and poor MP3 player functions it's only useful to read ebooks.
The iPhone - Fairly priced for what it does.  Beautiful display.  Elegant and simple controls.  Touch screen.  Best mobile web browser on the market.  Attractive design.  Though not meant to be an ebook reader, it would work as one (albeit with a small screen) as well as being a phone, camera, outstanding MP3 player, web browser, mobile email and chat device, and video player.
What would happen if Apple designed a device specifically to compete with the Kindle?

Compare the iTunes store and its seamless integration with both Mac OS X and Windows to Amazon.com and the kludge-y way that Kindles work with your computer.

Selling ebooks is so simple compared to music or films that Apple could have a huge ebook presence in a heartbeat (and the publishers who are feeling squeezed by Amazon would probably love them for it).

Amazon is great at shipping physical product all over the world, but when it comes to manufacturing or delivering digital content, they're just starting.  Whereas manufacturing brilliant products and delivering information over the internet for a fee is _what Apple does_.

And there's one more cloud on Amazon's horizon -- shipping and fuel costs.  It doesn't seem likely that gas in going to get any cheaper and that's going to affect shipping costs.  Amazon has two choices -- let shipping cut into their profit margin or increase shipping charges, which will make them less competitive compared to physical bookstores.  On the flip side, it will make ebooks even more attractive since there's no shipping charge on them at all.  Which perhaps explains why Amazon is betting so heavily on ebooks and the Kindle.

In summation, we can expect that Amazon will continue to dictate terms to all its suppliers while hanging big hopes on downloadable books, music. and video.  But they're about to jump into what may turn out to be a shark tank and they're not really equipped to compete.  Combined with alienating their suppliers, they might be taking too big a step too soon.  Now, don't get me wrong, Amazon is going to be fine and they'll continue to build their business.  If I were a betting man, I'd say that they'll exceed B&N within a few years and thereby become the biggest seller of books on the planet.  But I think they're in for some hard knocks along the way.

Next month I'll finish this series with a discussion of ebooks.  And wow, it's not going to be a fun chat.

- Alan Beatts
abeatts@borderlands-books.com

Top Sellers At Borderlands

Hardcovers
1) Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
2) House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds
3) Line War by Neal Asher
4) The Golden Cord by Paul Genesee
5) Passage: The Sharing Knife by Lois McMaster Bujold
        tie with The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton
6) Matter by Iain M. Banks
7) The Starry Rift edited by Johnathan Strahan
8) Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton
9) Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuin
10) Maps and Legends by Michael Chabon

Paperbacks
1) Cruel Zinc Melodies by Glen Cook
2) Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey
3) Galactic North by Alastair Reynolds
4) Snake Agent by Liz Williams
5) One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
6) KOP by Warren Hammond
7) Mainspring by Jay Lake
8) Axis by Robert Charles Wilson
9) Natural Ordermage by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
10) Legacy: The Sharng Knife by Lois McMaster Bujold

Trade Paperback
1) Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow tie with
        Steampunk edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer
2) Mirrored Heavens by David J. Williams
3) World War Z by Max Brooks
4) The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
5) Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

Notes From a DVD Geek

Jeremy is off galavanting about in the forest and at a variety of conventions, so dvd geeking will return next month!

Book Club Info

The Gay Men's Book Club will meet on Sunday, July 13th, at 5 pm to discuss CONTACT by Carl Sagan.  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 15th, at 6 pm to discuss "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" from THE WIND'S TWELVE QUARTERS by Ursula K. LeGuin.  The book for July is PERDIDO STREET STATION by China Mieville.  Please contact Jude at jfeldman@borderlands-books.com for more information.

Upcoming Event Details


SF in SF presents free movies "Jason and the Argonauts" and "Army of Darkness," at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street, Wednesday, June 11th starting at 7:00pm -
Free movies! Free popcorn! Cash bar! The screenings will take place at Variety's Preview Room, located in The Hobart Building, 582 Market Street @ Montgomery, San Francisco.  Doors open at 6:30 pm and the first movie starts at 7:00 pm.  There will be one twenty-minute intermission between the two films. Seating is limited and seats are available on a first-come, first seated basis, so arrive early! Refreshments will be available for purchase, and your purchase benefits Variety Children's Charity of Northern California, a non-profit organization that supports children in local communities who are dealing with poverty, neglect, violence, and physical disabilities.  For more information about upcoming movies, write movies@borderlands-books.com.  For more information on Variety Children's Charity, see their web site at <http://www.varietync.org/> or write sffilmvariety@yahoo.com.

Sneak Peak at "The Listener" with playwright Liz Duffy Adams of Crowded Fire Theatre, Saturday, June 14th from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm - Join us at Borderlands for an early glimpse of "The Listener" before the production opens!  Meet playwright Liz Duffy Adams, chat with Director Kent Nicholson and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine.  Hear excerpts from the play, with Lawrence Radecker as Namer and Juliet Tanner as Listener.  From Crowded Fire's site: "In Junk City, Planet Earth, rules are rules.  You have your title and position in society.  You don't step out of rank.  Things get dangerous if you do.  So when John, a representative from Nearth (a.k.a. the Moon), descends upon the small dystopia in his spaceship, things get weird.  He's there to "save" them, but do they need it?  Do they want it?  Watch your back.  John's in for a scary ride. . ." If you'd planning on attending, please RSVP to cassie@crowdedfire.org.  More info on Crowded Fire here: <http://www.crowdedfire.org/>

Jacqueline Carey, KUSHIEL'S MERCY, (Grand Central, Hardcover, $26.99) Saturday, June 21st at 3:00 pm - As always, we are delighted to host Ms. Carey, author of the fabulous KUSHIEL books, and this year  you won't have to choose between attending her appearance and attending Pride!  KUSHIEL'S MERCY closes out the Imriel trilogy.  From the book jacket: "Having paid dearly for ignoring Elua's edict to love as thou wilt, Imriel and Sidonie have finally come forward to publicly confess their love for each other -- only to watch the news ignite turmoil throughout the land. Those who are old enough cannot forget the misdeeds of Imriel's mother, Melisande, whose self-serving lies plunged their country into war.  In order to quell the uprising, Queen Ysandre hands down a decree: she will not divide the lovers, but neither will she acknowledge them. And if they decide to marry, Sidonie will be disinherited.  That is, unless Imriel can find his mother and bring her back to Terre D'Ange to be executed for treason . . . ."  Join us to meet the delightful Jacqueline Carey, and learn where she will take the magic next!

Carol Emshwiller and Pat Murphy are guests of SF in SF at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street, Saturday, June 21th at 7:00 pm - SF in SF is a free monthly reading series moderated by Terry Bisson.  This month, meet the fabulous Carol Emshwiller and Pat Murphy!: "Carol Emshwiller, born in 1921, is a writer of avant-garde short stories and science fiction who has won prizes ranging from the Nebula Award to the Philip K. Dick Award. Ursula Le Guin has called her "a major fabulist, a marvelous magical realist, one of the strongest, most complex, most consistently feminist voices in fiction." Among her recent novels are I Live With You, The Secret City, Carmen Dog and The Mount.  She is the widow of the artist and experimental film maker Ed Emshwiller.  They influenced each other's work - Ed started out as an science fiction illustrator, but then went into abstract expressionist painting and experimental film making. And Carol went onto more experimental writing and became part of what others called the "new wave" in science fiction. The recent publication of Emshwiller: Infinity x Two: The Life & Art of Ed & Carol Emshwiller celebrates this fascinating partnership.  In 2005, Carol was awarded the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. Her short story, "I Live With You," won the 2006 Nebula Award for best short story. She was the Guest of Honor at the 2007 World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Pat Murphy is an award-winning American science fiction and fantasy novelist, short story writer, and essayist. Her second novel, The Falling Woman (1986), won the Nebula Award, and she also won a Nebula Award in the same year for her novelette, "Rachel in Love." Her short story collection, Points of Departure (1990) won the Philip K. Dick Award, and her 1991 novella, "Bones," won the World Fantasy Award. She is also the recent recipient of the 2007 Book of the Year Award for Best in Children's Literature for The Wild Girls, presented by NCIBA.  Other titles include The City, Not Long After; Shadow Hunter; and Nadya; and she is one of the editors of the James Tiptree Jr. Award Anthologies I, II, and III. Together with Karen Joy Fowler, Murphy also co-founded the James Tiptree, Jr. Award in 1991. . .  She is also a balloon-hat artiste of the first order, and, along with Lisa Goldstein and Michaela Roessner, is a member of The Brazen Hussies.  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 in the lounge.  Books available for sale courtesy of Borderlands Books.  Seating is limited, so first come, first seated." Visit <http://www.sfinsf.org> for more info.

SF in SF presents free movies "Spirited Away" and "The City of Lost Children," at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street, Wednesday, July 9th starting at 7:00pm - Free movies! Free popcorn! Cash bar! The screenings will take place at Variety's Preview Room, located in The Hobart Building, 582 Market Street @ Montgomery, San Francisco.  Doors open at 6:30 pm and the first movie starts at 7:00 pm.  There will be one twenty-minute intermission between the two films. Seating is limited and seats are available on a first-come, first seated basis, so arrive early! Refreshments will be available for purchase, and your purchase benefits Variety Children's Charity of Northern California, a non-profit organization that supports children in local communities who are dealing with poverty, neglect, violence, and physical disabilities.  For more information about upcoming movies, write movies@borderlands-books.com.  For more information on Variety Children's Charity, see their web site at <http://www.varietync.org/> or write sffilmvariety@yahoo.com.

Borderlands Night at Evil Dead the Musical! (at the Campbell Theatre in Martinez), Friday, July 11th at 10:30 pm - From the Theatre website: "The Evil begins Friday, June 13th!  Come see the musical everyone is talking about . . . it would kill you to miss it!  What can go wrong when five college students break into an abandoned cabin in the woods? Apparently a whole heck of a lot! They unleash evil spirits, turn into Candarian Demons - and sing showtunes! In EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL, Sam Raimi's cult classic '80s films are brought to life in a hilarious, campy show that will make you love the theatre again. As musical mayhem descends upon this sleepover in the woods, "camp" takes on a whole new meaning with uproarious numbers like "All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons," "What the F*@k was That?" and "Do the Necronomicon."  Performances will be at the Campbell Theatre in Martinez, with full bar service throughout the show! Performances are June 13 through July 26 at 7:00pm and 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday nights. For a really up-close and personal experience, be sure to sit in the SPLATTER ZONE, where the gore hits the floor (and the audience)!  Evil Dead: The Musical is rated PG-13 for. . . language and campy violence."   Mention Borderlands when you call the box office at 925-798-1300 to get your ticket for July 11th and you'll get a $5 discount!  We'll be working out carpools from San Francisco, so if you need a ride or you're planning on driving, drop a note to office@borderlands-books.com.  See <http://www.willowstheatre.com/evildead.htm> for more details on the show.

Jay Lake, ESCAPEMENT, (Tor, Hardcover, $25.95) Saturday, July 12th at 3:00 pm - We really like author Jay Lake.  He's funny, sardonically intelligent, and extremely prolific, and we're glad to welcome him back to the store.  Jay will be showcasing his newest novel ESCAPEMENT, which takes places in the same steampunky, clockwork world as MAINSPRING.  From the book: "Paolina Barthes is a young woman of remarkable intellectual ability – a genius on the level of Isaac Newton.  But she has grown up in isolation, in a small village of shipwreck survivors, on the Wall in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.  She knows little of the world, but she knows that England rules it, and must be the home of people who possess the learning that she so desperately wants.  And so she sets off to make her way off the Wall, not knowing that she will bring her astounding, unschooled talent for sorcery to the attention of those deadly factions who would use or kill her for it."  You won't want to miss Jay!

Jay Lake and Susan Palwick are guests of SF in SF at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street, Saturday, July 12th at 7:00 pm - Check <http://www.sfinsf.org> for updates.

Naomi Novik, VICTORY OF EAGLES, (Del Rey, Hardcover, $25.95) and Eldon Thompson, THE DIVINE TALISMAN (Eos, Hardcover, $25.95) Tuesday, July 22nd at 7:00 pm - We're very excited to host this fantasy author double-feature!  What could be cooler than a well-written fantasy-adventure series set in the Napleonic era?  That same series with an air force of dragons!  Naomi Novik is the best-selling author of the Temeraire series, of which VICTORY OF EAGLES is the fifth book.  We are delighted to welcome her to the store.  We're also happy to introduce you to Eldon Thompson, who is wrapping up his Legend of Asahiel trilogy with THE DIVINE TALISMAN.  We've hung out with Eldon at conventions, but this will be his first time at the store.  Make sure you're on hand to give both of these fabulous authors a warm welcome!

Harry Turtledove, THE MAN WITH THE IRON HEART, (Del Rey, Hardcover, $27.00) Saturday, July 26th at 3:00 pm - Harry Turtledove is the astonishingly prolific author of 19 different series and a host of additional novels, short stories, and other works.  We're pleased to host an event with this undisputed master of alternate history.  More details to come once we've seen a copy of the new novel!

Apocalyptic Novel Double Feature - Michael Louis Calvillo, I WILL RISE (Lachesis, Trade Paperback, $16.50) and Gabrielle S. Faust, ETERNAL VIGILANCE (Immanion Press, Trade Paperback, $21.99) Saturday, July 26th at 5:00 pm - Two apocalyptic stories for the price of one.  Michael Louis Calvillo's novel I WILL RISE was a Bram Stoker Award finalist this year!  Here's how it goes: "Upon death, a bitter societal outcast named Charles is given the ability to annihilate the human race.  Risen and relishing the opportunity to make the world suffer, he embraces his bloody destiny, but as his killing touch spreads death and destruction, his new status affords unexpected human interaction. . . . As realization flowers and regrets begin to surface, a choice must be made between the legion of the dead and pleas of the living."  Also joining us will be Gabrielle S. Faust, who will present her first novel ETERNAL VIGILANCE: ". . . described as “if Anne Rice went cyberpunk”, is the futuristic tale of the vampire Tynan Llywelyn.  After a century of Sleep, Tynan has awoken to find the world he once knew utterly obliterated by a brutal war of epic proportions.  In a new apocalyptic society, bitterly divided by magic and technology, the Tyst Empire has found that a hundred years of global domination is not enough to sate their thirst for power.  They have discovered the secret of the vampire race and have designed a plan to seize their own sinister form of immortality with the help of an ancient vampiric god. . . ." Join us to meet these two great authors and discover the ways the world ends.  Why choose between vampires and zombies when you can have both?

David J. Williams, MIRRORED HEAVENS, (Spectra, Trade Paperback, $12.00) Sunday, July 27th at 3:00 pm - Stay tuned for more details.

Kelley Armstrong, THE SUMMONING (HarperCollins, Hardcover, $17.99) and Melissa Marr, INK EXCHANGE (HarperTeen, Hardcover, $16.99) Monday, July 28th at 7:00 pm - More info to come!

David Weber, BY SCHISM RENT ASUNDER (Tor, Hardcover, $25.95) Saturday, August 2nd at 3:00 pm - Stand by for (you guessed it!) more info.

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

THE LAND AT THE END OF THE WORKING DAY by Peter Crowther (Humdrumming Press, Signed and Numbered Limited Edition (200 copies) Hardcover, $50.00) - From Humdrumming: "On a windswept corner of Manhattan, just a stone's throw from the weathered facade of the legendary Chelsea Hotel, there's a small two-flight walkdown bar called The Land at the End of the Working Day.  Stop in and rest awhile . . . you'll meet the most fascinating people . . . Folks like Gandalph Cohen, the magical caretaker of the City's welfare; Front-Page McGuffin, who, it has to be said, has been in better health; Bernard Boyce Bennington, who carries a torch for a woman who loved him and left him (with a bizarrely magical memento); and Horatio Fortesque and Meredith Lidenbrook Greenblat, scholars of the works of the great Jules Verne and hot on the trail to a doorway to another world . . . a doorway that could just be situated in a backroom of one of Manhattan's strangest watering holes."

THE SAND-MAN AND OTHER NIGHT PIECES by E.T.A Hoffman (Tartarus Press, Limited Edition (500 copies) Hardcover, $70.00) - As usual, a lovely edition from Tartarus Press.  Introduction by Jim Rockhill, 'The Sand-Man', 'The Legacy', from The Serapion Brethren: 'A Fragment of the Lives of Three Friends', 'The Mines of Falun', 'The Singers' Contest', 'Eine Spukgeschichte', 'Automatons', 'The Life of a Well-Known Character', 'Albertine's Wooers', 'The Uncanny Guest', 'The Vampire'. 'The Cremona Violin', 'The Golden Pot', 'A New Year's Eve Adventure', 'The Abandoned House'. 'The Fiction and Collections of E.T.A. Hoffmann'.

THE BAUM PLAN FOR FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE by John Kessel (Small Beer Press, Hardcover, $24.00) - From Small Beer: "John Kessel's first collection since 1997 is a literary collection of astonishing stories from an award-winning science-fiction writer and satirist whose stories intersect imaginatively with the worlds and characters of Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, The Wizard of Oz, and Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find." Includes Kessel's modern classic four story sequence about life on the moon." Also, if you'd like to try out this awesome collection, you can download it for free from Small Beer here: <http://www.lcrw.net/kessel/>.

NANO COMES TO CLIFFORD FALLS by Nancy Kress (Golden Gryphon, Hardcover, $24.95) - From Golden Gryphon: "Multiple award-winning author Nancy Kress is well known for her novels, but all of her awards were for her short fiction, and she is at her best in the short form. Most of the stories in this collection have been picked for various “Year’s Best” and Reader’s Choice lists. The title story is typical of Kress; nanotechnology brings every wish to everyone, and yet on the human level problems of a dire nature are created. This is always the case with Kress: typically, you get two stories in one: a focus on cutting-edge technology and the emotional effects of such technology. In many of her stories the pathos of the human condition is explored, where humans plant seedlings and have to decide to weed or not weed—that is, to play God or let natural selection progress (“My Mother, Dancing”). Interfering with a culture, even to save lives, is not so straightforward in “”Ej-Es.” Not all of Kress’s stories end seriously; in “First Flight” a Space Cadet shines, in a homage to a 50s TV program. Artificial intelligences also show in several of the stories, as a persecuted slave of man (“Computer Virus”), or as the controlling force of the universe (“Mirror Image”), or even as one indifferent to humans at all (“Savior”). There is also hidden horror in Kress’s stories, in the method used to handle a sassy sixteen-year-old (“To Cuddle Amy”). From the center of the galaxy, to explore the nature of matter itself (“Shiva in Shadow”) to the swamps of Earth (“Wetlands Preserve”) you always get the trademark mix of hard science fiction interacting with humanity, with all the resulting emotions. These thirteen stories will satisfy old fans of Kress and breed new ones."

THE CADAVER OF GIDEON WICK by Alexander Laing (Millipede Press, Hadcover, $75.00) - "One of the greatest crime and horror novels ever written, this long unavailable work is being brought back into print in a fantastic new edition. William Hjortsberg had the luxury of studying under Dr Laing, and so is able to provide a unique introduction, concentrating on Mr Laing's life as well as his fiction."

THE LIADEN UNIVERSE COMPANION VOL. 2 by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (SRM, Hardcover, $24.95 and Trade Paperback, $15.95) - From SRM: "Some of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's best short fiction -- "Changeling," "Phoenix," "Heirloom," "Naratha's Shadow," "Veil of The Dancer," "Quiet Knives," "This House," "Lord of The Dance," "Sweet Waters" -- Here's your chance to get all these great stories in a highly readable format you can show-off, give-away, or re-read time and time again. Some of these stories have never been available in book form before, others were in anthologies you may have missed. If you happen to own one of the chapbooks these stories were featured in you may have a collector's item on your hand, because we're retiring those chapbooks over the next year or so. You'll have a lot of good reading by these award-winning authors awaiting you in this hardcover edition."

THE GOOD FAIRIES OF NEW YORK by Martin Millar (Tor, Mass Market, $6.99) - I really like this quirky novel of drunken quarrelsome displaced fairies in New York and two of the flawed but fascinating people who can see them. Recommended by Jude.

PAPER CITIES: AN ANTHOLOGY OF URBAN FANTASY edited by Ekaterina Sedia (Senses Five, Trade Paperback, $14.95) - A gorgeous collection with stories by Barth Anderson, Forest Aguirre, Steve Berman, Hal Duncan, local author and Borderlands customer Vylar Kaftan, Jay Lake, Catherynne M. Valente, and many others!

New and Notable

DESTROYERMEN: INTO THE STORM by Taylor Anderson (Roc, Hardcover, $23.95) - What exactly is there NOT to like about a cross-time shipwreck novel written by a forensic ballistic archeologist?  A WWII destroyer finds itself in an alternate time stream where humans have not evolved -- but two other species have, and they are at war.

KUSHIEL'S MERCY by Jacqueline Carey (Grand Central, Hardcover, $26.99) - This novel wraps up the Imriel triology.  Poor Imriel.  After the tragic events of the last book, Imriel and Sidonie are finally ready to acknowledge their love for each other.  But the lovers are presented with three unpalatable choices: Imriel may remain Sidonie's lover, but unacknowledged and never allowed to marry her; Sidonie may abdicate the throne to marry him; or Imriel can prove himself loyal by finding his traitorous mother Melisandre and bringing her to Terre D'Ange to face execution -- in which case they can marry and Sidonie still become queen.  Brace yourself for more suspense, adventure and sex from one of my favorite fantasy writers.  You can read the first chapter at Jacqueline Carey's website:<http://www.jacquelinecarey.com/mercy.htm> Recommended by Heather and Jude.

THE YIDDISH POLICEMEN'S UNION by Michael Chabon (HarperPerennial, Trade Paperback, $15.95) - This Nebula winning (and Hugo nominated) alternate history detective novel is now in paperback.

THE DANGEROUS ALPHABET by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Grimly (HarperCollins, Hardcover, $16.99) - From HarperCollins: "A is for Always, that's where we embark . . .  Two children, treasure map in hand, and their pet gazelle sneak past their father, out of their house, and into a world beneath the city, where monsters and pirates roam.  Will they find the treasure? Will they make it out alive?  THE DANGEROUS ALPHABET is a tale of adventure, piracy, danger, and heroism told in twenty-six alphabetical lines — although even the alphabet is not to be relied upon here."

SPOOK COUNTRY by William Gibson (Berkley, Trade Paperback, $14.00) - I wouldn't really know where to start explaining the three interlocking plots that make up the new Gibson novel.  Suffice to say it is similar in feel to PATTERN RECOGNITION, brilliantly written, and a simultaneous meditation on "spooks" (both senses, spy and ghost,) a consideration of celebrity and perception, and really, really good.  Recommended by Jude.

MIND THE GAP by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon (Bantam, Trade Paperback, $12.00) - Admission: I picked this book up for its cover and the fact that, based on the back cover copy, it sounded like NEVERWHERE.  Well, its a tiny bit like NEVERWHERE, but it is also a great book in its own right -- fast-paced, unpredictable and fun.  Recommended by Cary and Jude.

SOON I WILL BE INVINCIBLE by Austin Grossman (Pantheon, Trade Paperback, $14.95) - From the publisher: "Doctor Impossible - evil genius, diabolical scientist, wannabe world dominator - languishes in a federal detention facility. He's lost his freedom, his girlfriend, and his hidden island fortress.  Over the years he's tried to take over the world in every way imaginable: doomsday devices of all varieties (nuclear, thermonuclear, nanotechnological) and mass mind control.  He's traveled backwards in time to change history, forward in time to escape it.  He's commanded robot armies, insect armies, and dinosaur armies. Fungus army.  Army of fish.  Of rodents.  Alien invasions.  All failures. But not this time. This time it's going to be different . . .  Fatale is a rookie superhero on her first day with the Champions, the world's most famous superteam. She's a patchwork woman of skin and chrome, a gleaming technological marvel built to be the next generation of warfare.  Filling the void left by a slain former member, we watch as Fatale joins a team struggling with a damaged past, having to come together in the face of unthinkable evil.  SOON I WILL BE INVINCIBLE is a thrilling first novel; a fantastical adventure that gives new meaning to the notions of power, glory, responsibility, and (of course) good and evil." Recommended by Alan and Jude.

BLOOD NOIR by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley, Hardcover, $25.95) - The 16th Anita Blake novel finds Anita, as a favor, accompanying a werewolf home to make peace with his dying father. BLOOD NOIR brings more vampires, a charming werewolf in peril, and a lot more sex.  Did I mention the sex?

THE WOLFMAN by Nicholas Pekearo (Tor, Hardcover, $23.95) - Pekearo does a very nice job with the classic werewolf story.  What really shines is the development of the protagonist's character -- while being a very ethical man, he is not very nice at all -- and you like him regardless.  A good read, even if you don't like horror.  Recommended by Alan.

THE DA-DA DE-DA-DA CODE by Robert Rankin (Gollancz, Trade Paperback, $16.95) - From the review at SF Site by Nathan Brazil: ". . . this is not as the title suggests a running joke at the expense of The Da Vinci Code. It's less obvious and a good deal better than that. The lead character is Jonny Hooker, a 27 year-old musician who is accompanied, in a metaphysical sense, by an imaginary monkey boy called Mr Giggles. Nobody else can see or hear Mr Giggles, but that does not mean he isn't there. Soon after the story begins, Jonny is found dead in the pond of Gunnersbury Park. Minus his head, which appears to have exploded. Our meander through the next few hundred pages gives us a retrospective on one man's alleged mental illness, murder and conspiracy most foul, more than few pints of King Billy, and a cobbled together plan to save the world. . ." For the complete review, see: <http://www.sfsite.com/11b/da260.htm>

MIRRORED HEAVENS by David J. Williams (Bantam, Trade Paperback, $12.00) - This is a real roller coster of a novel.  It starts off fast and then just speeds up more and more.  Resonances of HARDWIRED by Williams, NEUROMANCER by Gibson and ALTERED CARBON by Morgan, but cranked out and turned up to eleven.  Recommended by Alan.

DVD New Arrivals

Will return next month.

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

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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