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ABOUT THE STORE : NEWSLETTER

DISPATCHES FROM THE BORDER

Events and News from Borderlands Books

October, 2011

Chapter One - Event Information, News, and Special Features

Upcoming Author Events

Litquake SF in SF event at the Variety Preview Room (582 Market Street) with authors Terry Bisson, Rudy Rucker and Carter Scholz, Friday, October 14th at 7:00 pm

Blake Charlton drop-by signing, SPELLBOUND (Tor, Hardcover, $24.99) Saturday, October 15th at 12:00 pm

Litquake's LitCrawl at Borderlands Books with authors Ray Garton, Richard Kadrey, Thomas Roche and Naamen Tilahun, Saturday, October 15th at 7:15 pm

Litquake's LitCrawl at Borderlands Cafe (870 Valencia Street) with authors Steven R. Boyett, Mira Grant, Kirsten Imani Kasai and Tim Pratt, Saturday October 15th at 8:30 pm

Vernor Vinge, CHILDREN OF THE SKY (Tor, Hardcover, $25.99) Sunday, October 16th at 3:00 pm

Serena Valentino, HOW TO BE A WEREWOLF and HOW TO BE A ZOMBIE (Candlewick Press, Hardcovers, $14.99 each) Saturday, October 22nd at 3:00 pm

Richard Kadrey, ALOHA FROM HELL: A SANDMAN SLIM NOVEL (Harper, Hardcover, $23.99)

SF in SF with authors Cecelia Holland and Kim Stanley Robinson at the Variety Preview Room (582 Market Street), Saturday, November 12th at 7:00 pm

(for more information check the end of this section)

News

* This summer, NPR solicited listener input to choose the Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books. <http://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/139085843/your-picks-top-100-science-fiction-fantasy-books>.  Because science fiction fans are nothing if not helpful, we'd like to repost this witty flowchart from T.N. Tobias at SF Signal: <http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011/09/flowchart-for-navigating-nprs-top-100-sff-books/>.  Thanks to Charlotte and Claud who tipped us off to its existence!

* An engaging rebuttal to the first part of Alan's article about Amazon: <http://www.thepassivevoice.com/09/2011/amazon-threat-or-menace/>

* Congratulations to fellow independent genre booksellers Mysterious Galaxy, who have opened a second (yes, also physical!) store location in Redondo Beach, California!  Their Grand Opening Ceremony is Wednesday, October 12th at 10:00 a.m. at 2810 Artesia Blvd. Redondo Beach, CA. <http://mystgalaxy.com/>

* We're sorry to report the death of Australian fantasy author Sara Douglass at the age of 54.  Tor.com has a nice tribute here: <http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/09/a-tribute-to-sara-douglass>

From the Office

Amazon is Nobody's Friend, part 2 (click here for part 1)
by Alan Beatts

Last month I discussed some of the more objective problems with Amazon's general business practices <http://www.borderlands-books.com/about_newsletter_09-11.html#Amazon_Article>.  This month I'm going to talk about how they just don't play nicely -- not with customers, authors, publishers, or the public at large.

But first I need to correct something that I suggested in last month's article.  When I was talking about the number of companies owned by Amazon, one of businesses I mentioned was LibraryThing <http://www.librarything.com/>.  I suggested that the way that they list sellers for books was influenced by Amazon's 40% ownership of the company.  A very kind reader who is familiar with that company pointed out my implication was not true and that I was doing a disservice to an independent company run by a very independent man, Tim Spalding.  After doing some research (which I should have done before I published), I discovered that the gentleman who contacted me was absolutely right and I was wrong.  Then I got in touch with Tim to apologize.  He was very pleasant and took the whole thing with more grace that I probably would have, were our situations reversed.

The short version is that, though the facts that I presented were accurate (i.e. that Amazon's purchase link (along with AbeBooks, which is owned by Amazon) appears more prominently than links to other sites (like Barnes and Noble)), the reasons for it had nothing to do with Amazon's ownership interest in LibraryThing.  Instead, the reason is Amazon has a policy that, if a site uses their data, which LibraryThing does, along with the data from more than 900 (!) other services, that site _must_ list Amazon's purchase links at the main purchase page and may not list any other business.  Tim doesn't like this rule and as a result made sure that the secondary purchase page was well designed and very accessible. 

Tim also clarified something about the ownership of LibraryThing.  Amazon's stake through ABE is now actually less than 40% due to the 2009 purchase of a non-majority interest in LibraryThing by CIG, the parent company of Bowker, the company behind Books in Print.  Tim still retains majority ownership and in still in charge.

LibraryThing is a very cool site, a great service, and run by a fine, independent, and reasonable man.  I recommended it highly.

On the other hand, Amazon has --

(A) Edited customer reviews with a bias towards creating sales rather than maintaining objectivity.

(B) Removed book listings to coerce authors and publishers.

(C) "Hidden" books based on arbitrary standards.

(D) Maintained unhealthy and unsafe working conditions for their employees.

(E) Fallen far short of usual expectations for charitable giving.

In the first part of this article I talked about issues that seemed to be more systemic within Amazon's business operations that what I'll be adressing this month.  That Amazon has: 1) been a deceptive and pervasive influence on ecommerce, 2) consistently tried to eliminate other businesses to increase their hold on the book market, 3) engaged in pricing designed to cripple competition and manipulate its suppliers and customers, 4) made avoiding sales tax a cardinal part of their business model, and 5) chosen an ebook business model and format that's bad for the consumer -- are all things demonstrated by their business practices over the years.  You could say that it's all part of their corporate "DNA".

On the other hand, except for the first and last items on the list, the following things are single incidents.  The first and last items, editing customer reviews and Amazon's record when it comes to charity, may be parts of the company's usual practices but don't really effect the core questions about how they treat authors, publishers, and consumers.  However, I think that the following give a picture of the general "character" of the company (if a company can be said to have such a thing) that is more telling that anything I mentioned last month.

(A) "Edited customer reviews with a bias towards creating sales rather than maintaining objectivity."

I support completely the right for anyone running a site that features product or customer reviews to remove content that fails to meet their standards.  But I think that posting reviews of that sort gives the site a responsibility to be fair and objective as possible when removing them.  My favorite example of this is Yelp.com which, in general, doesn't remove reviews -- instead they "filter" them and stop them from showing when a page is viewed normally.  But anyone can see the filtered reviews with a mouse-click.

In my personal, certain knowledge, there have been two cases in which Amazon has removed even-handed, critical, one star reviews of books.  By personal, certain knowledge I mean that I saw the review and, when I came back later, it was gone.  One of the books in question was Christopher Paolini's second novel.  A cursory search will find a number of complaints about this problem (1), even on Amazon's discussion boards (2).  I suppose that the two cases that I saw both could have been the result of the author of the review removing it, but that seems unlikely, especially in the face of all the other complaints about this practice.

Further, a friend of mine was part of a group of professional writers who conducted an experiment.  They each left two negative reviews on Amazon -- one was for a recent ebook from a major publisher, and complained that the price was too high.  The second was for an independently published ebook at a very low price, and complained that the quality of the book was poor.  Consistently the negative review for the higher priced book was left and the review of the lower priced book was removed.  I wish I could quote or cite the specific writer or group of writers who conducted that experiment but they asked to remain anonymous (because they were concerned about punitive actions on the part of Amazon).

The reasonable assumption on the part of customers is that the reviews they see are an accurate representation of people's opinions but actually there are an edited tool to sell products.  One can perhaps argue that such removals are within Amazon's policy for reviews, but if so, that doesn't make it any less deceptive.  Regardless of what Amazon's published "rules" say, the way that the reviews are presented and the general understanding about how customers' reviews work gives any reader the impression that they are objective and not selected to help sell product.  During this article I'll be coming back to this idea that customer expectations and our unwritten but understood social rules are important, valid, and something that Amazon pays attention to or ignores at their convenience.

(B) "Removed book listings to coerce authors and publishers."

This topic splits into two parts.  The first is the way that Amazon responded to Macmillan Publishing's promotion of the agent-model for ebook sales.  I've covered that in my last article but it's important to point out here that Amazon's response to a failure to come to an agreement with Macmillan was to delist almost _all_ of their titles from Amazon, not just the ebooks.  You can make an argument that removing the ebooks was reasonable since the terms under which they were for sale were up in the air -- but the print books too?

The second part is complete hearsay.  It is nothing I can cite nor can I find anyone willing to discuss it for the record so, please, take it with a grain (or a whole bag) of salt.  Over the years I have run into a truly surprising number of authors and editors who are very uncomfortable saying anything negative about Amazon publicly.  They are even reticent to speak privately against Amazon.  Several of them have openly commented that they are concerned that the consequences of doing so would be "bad".  This includes my source about the experiment with customer reviews that I mention previously.  I've also talked to another author who said that they "wouldn't want all their positive reviews to vanish".  Finally I talked to a independent publisher who candidly said that they were concerned that, if they kept complaining about Amazon, the shipping times might increase for no clear reason.

As I said, all hearsay and I almost decided not to mention it but I've heard these concerns so many times and, if true, it seems such a misuse of Amazon's position that I finally decided to print it.

(C) " 'Hidden' books based on arbitrary standards."

Many of you probably remember the huge blowup, generally called "amazon fail", from early 2009.  In brief, Amazon removed the sales ranking for an extensive list of books relating to queer / homosexual topics.  Sales ranking is the way that books appear on many of Amazon's lists, which are a very important way that people find them.  The net result is that a number of books became much harder to find on Amazon.

It was later explained as the result of a "glitch" that caused books with homosexuality as a topic to be classed as "adult" material, which it is Amazon's policy to remove from sales rankings.  The exact text of their response to inquiries was,

"In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature." (3)

However, there are a number of things that make this explanation a bit questionable, not the least of which is that Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds was still showing a sales rank as were a number of, um, "marital aids".  That division suggests to me that the definition of "adult" includes much of that which is "queer" but not much (at all) of that which is can be considered "straight".  The whole thing blew over when Amazon explained that it was a "computer error" and the sales ranks were reinstated.  But I am unaware of any proof that it was a glitch nor has Amazon given a full explanation that I can find of what, exactly, the "glitch" was.  And, even if it was, it does seem to show a pretty comprehensive set of blinders when it comes to the relative merits of "straight" values versus "queer" ones.  Lilith Saintcrow discussed this at much greater (and more entertaining) length on her blog at http://www.lilithsaintcrow.com/journal/2009/04/this-is-not-a-glitch-amazonfail/ .

Within the reading, publishing, and book-buying community there is a long standing (and accurate) assumption that booksellers are second only to liberians when it comes to supporting freedom of speech and condemning censorship.  This assumption is another unwritten rule in our society.  Though there are bookstores that have a published, public stance against censorship, most bookstores do not and don't need one.  Amazon, in its capacity of "Earth's Biggest Bookstore" and by constantly pushing the idea that it has the same values as other booksellers, has benefitted from this reputation.  But, rather than seeing this reputation as something that is precious and that must be considered during their day to day operations (as I know many bookstores, my own included, do), it is something of such little importance that a underlying assumption about what is "adult" and what is not can cause a "glitch" that amounts to discrimination and censorship.

(D) "Maintained unhealthy and unsafe working conditions for their employees."

As someone who has worked as a picker in the warehouse, the recent revelations about the working conditions in some of Amazon's fulfillment centers struck me on a very visceral level.  At one of their facilities in Pennsylvania this summer employees were working while the temperature index (which is temperature factoring in humidity) within the building exceeded 110 degrees.  The Federal Occupational Health agency became involved after being contacted by a local emergency room doctor in June who was concerned by the number of admissions to his hospital for heat-related problems.

Though employees were allowed to take the day off when temperatures reached the 110 degree level, employees who were unable or unwilling to work had two choices if they went home.  If they got a doctor's note saying they couldn't work in the heat, they were fine but, if they didn't get a note, they received "points" on their records.  Accumulate too many points and you would be fired.  These were the same sort of points that were given for work-place safety violations or for arriving late to work.

Put that in context for a second -- you're desperate for work because the economy sucks.  You get the job but it's the equivalent of 112 degrees while your working, you're getting dizzy and your vision is blurring.   Finally you can't take it anymore and ask to go home.  So that you don't run the risk of losing your job, you'd better go see a doctor and get a note.  Not a big deal, if you've got insurance.  But what are the chances of that?  Once OSHA got in the picture, the situation improved but it was still pretty bad.  More fans were added, cooling headbands and vests were issued, plus employees were supposed to be given breaks every hour when the heat index exceeded 100 degrees.  Whether these breaks were actually given is unclear.  But throughout, performance goals were unchanged, despite theoretically longer breaks and the resulting shorter working hours.

And those performance goals were high.  And by high, I'm talking about being expected to retrieve 1200 items in the course of a 10 hour shift.  That's one item every 30 seconds . . . for ten hours.  The particular employee who's rate was that high was in his 50s.  And damn, what a bad-ass!  Of the group of 100 people he was hired with, he was one of five left at the company seven months later . . . when he was fired for not meeting his quota.

Another employee tells of being expected to unpack, scan, and bin 500 items per hour.  That's one item every 7 seconds.  Another picker like the 50 year old mentioned above says that his quota went to a high of 125 an hour.  And failure to meet quota meant you got fired.

The icing on the cake is that most of the people working were hired from a temp agency and were told that, if they worked well, they would be hired permanently by Amazon.  However, based on statements from a number of former staff, the actual practice was to work the temp employees into the ground and then replace them when they quit or were fired for not meeting quota.  And added plus to this rapid turnover was that it made it effectively impossible for the employees to unionize.

One reporter interviewed 20 current and former employees (13 from temp agencies and 7 who were employed by Amazon) and found only _one_ who thought that it was "a good place to work".  (4)

(E) "Fallen far short of usual expectations for charitable giving."

Of all the things that I've run across about Amazon over the years, this is the one that surprised me the most.  I'm not sure that "far short" is even the right term to use.  Can you say that someone has fallen short of something when they didn't even try?  Amazon's annual charitable donations are zero.  Not only does the company make no donations at a national or international level, they don't even make any donations within the city of Seattle.  (5)

And neither, apparently, does Jeff Bezos, despite being the 30th richest man in the world this year, according to Forbes.

I'm not saying that I think that companies or individuals have an obligation to make donations.  I don't think that I'm entitled to make that sort of judgement.  But, it's a reasonable expectation that even small businesses will be charitable.  It is normal business conduct that, while not required, is how businesses both promote themselves and also give back to their community.

Giving donations doesn't make a company ethical, nice, or anyone's friend.  But what does it say about the overarching character of a company when it is willing to disregard a relatively basic piece of the voluntary conduct that is part of the unwritten but understood relationship between it and the larger world?  Again, Amazon chooses which social expectations are convenient and which are not.

And what other parts of those understandings that are the basis of our commercial culture does Amazon ignore now?  And which ones will they ignore in the future?

When people think of Amazon, they tend to see it alongside other companies who have shaped our interactions with the internet over the past decade.  But I don't believe that Amazon can reasonably be grouped with companies like Apple, Google, or Yahoo.  I'm not saying that any of those companies are perfect, ethical, or run by saints.  But, based on their actions over the years, I think they feel a deep and abiding sense of obligation to their employees, communities, and customers. 

Amazon does not.  To Amazon, you are a source of income -- nothing more.  If they think it will be profitable for them, they'll sell you or anyone else down the river in a heartbeat.

They're not your friend or anyone else's.

To be completely clear -- I am not calling for a boycott of Amazon.  I am not even urging people to shop less at Amazon (though, if you come to that conclusion based on what I've written, that's fine with me).  Further, I'm not saying that Amazon is all bad or even mostly bad.  But I hope that this article will prompt people to consider how Amazon conducts their business and the possible consequences of Amazon's growing dominance of ecommerce,  bookselling, and, specifically, ebooks.

The closest comparable business to Amazon is not Google or Apple or even Barnes and Noble -- it is Walmart.

Like Walmart, their business ethics are questionable, they treat their employees poorly, and they have built their business on offering products as cheaply as possible while either buying up the competition or putting it out of business.  For Amazon and Jeff Bezos, it is all about the money, nothing else.

Citations
http://tuckermaxdoucebag.blogspot.com/2006/04/amazoncom-is-deleting-only-bad-reviews.html and http://www.bucksright.com/amazon-deleting-negative-pelosi-book-reviews-en-masse-304

http://www.amazon.com/is-Amazon-removing-negative-reviews/forum/FxUR1GPOALTEHL/Tx1CUHJGFNLAR61/1?asin=0071459588

3 http://jezebel.com/5209088/why-is-amazon-removing-the-sales-rankings-from-gay-lesbian-books

4 http://articles.mcall.com/2011-09-17/news/mc-allentown-amazon-complaints-20110917_1_warehouse-workers-heat-stress-brutal-heat

5 http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2009/03/the_new_scrooge.html

Top Sellers At Borderlands

Hardcovers
1. Reamde by Neal Stephenson
2. A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
3. Legacy of Kings by C.S. Friedman
4. Tears of the Sun by S.M. Stirling
5. Departure by Neal Asher
6. Rule 34 by Charles Stross
7. Embassytown by China Mieville
8. Magician King by Lev Grossman
9. Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
10. How Firm a Foundation by David Weber

Mass Market Paperbacks
1. One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire
2. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
3. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
4. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
5. A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
6. Black Prism by Brent Weeks
7. Truth of Valor by Tanya Huff
8. The High King of Montival by S.M. Stirling
9. Kill the Dead by Richard Kadrey
10. Ghost of a Smile by Simon R. Green

Trade Paperbacks
1. Zero History by William Gibson
2. The Panama Laugh by Thomas Roche
3. World War Z by Max Brooks
4. The Urban Fantasy Anthology edited by Peter S. Beagle and Joe R. Lansdale
5. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu

Book Club Info

The QSF&F Book Club will meet on Sunday, October 9th, at 5 pm to discuss APPLESEED by John Clute.  Please contact the group leader, Christopher Rodriguez, at cobalt555@earthlink.net, for more information.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club will meet on Sunday, October 16th, at 6 pm to discuss ZERO HISTORY by William Gibson. (This bookclub was postponed from September.)  The book for November is UNCERTAIN PLACES by Lisa Goldstein, and the author will visit the bookclub.  Please contact bookclub@borderlands-books.com for more information.

Upcoming Event Details

Litquake SF in SF event at the Variety Preview Room (582 Market Street) with authors Terry Bisson, Rudy Rucker and Carter Scholz, Friday, October 14th at 7:00 pm - We are very excited to help SF in SF welcome these authors, who will discuss the new collection KAFKAESQUE: STORIES INSPIRED BY FRANZ KAFKA, edited by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel. 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.  Bar proceeds benefit Variety Childrens Charity - learn more at <http://www.varietync.org/>.  We REALLY encourage you to take BART into the City, or use MUNI to get here - parking can be problematic in San Francisco, to say the least.  We are less than one block away from the Montgomery St. station.  Trust us - you don't want to be looking for parking and be late for the event!  Phone (night of event) 415-572-1015.  Questions? Email sfinsfevents@gmail.com.

Blake Charlton drop-by signing, SPELLBOUND (Tor, Hardcover, $24.99) Saturday, October 15th at 12:00 pm  - Blake Charlton, author of SPELLWRIGHT and SPELLBOUND, will drop by informally to sign our stock and greet fans.  If you're in the neighborhood, c'mon over and say "hi"!

Litquake's LitCrawl at Borderlands Books with authors Ray Garton, Richard Kadrey, Thomas Roche and Naamen Tilahun, Saturday, October 15th at 7:15 pm - We are delighted to once again take part in one of the most exciting literary events in San Francisco - the LitCrawl!  This is a three-hour pub-crawl-style literary event with dozens of venues and hundreds of authors, all taking place right here in the Mission District.   A diverse group of science fiction, fantasy, and horror authors who will take you places entertaining, unanticipated, and frightening (sometimes all in the same story): Ray Garton is the Grand Master Award-winning author of 60+ books. His latest thriller, MEDS, is a prescription for terror with potentially deadly side effects. <http://www.raygartononline.com>.  Richard Kadrey is the author of seven novels including SANDMAN SLIM, KILL THE DEAD, and BUTCHER BIRD. His weirdest job was writing for The Smurfs. <http://www.richardkadrey.com/>.  Thomas Roche’s debut novel,THE PANAMA LAUGH (2011), is an ultraviolent crypto-Spiritualist SF-noir zombie apocalypse about viral media, cryogenics, maritime piracy, and LOLZ. <http://thomasroche.com/>.  Naamen Tilahun is a Bay Area-based writer whose work appeared in SO SPEAK UP, COLLECTIVE FALLOUT, and is forthcoming in the anthology FAGGOT DINOSAUR. <http://naamenblog.wordpress.com/>.

Litquake's LitCrawl at Borderlands Cafe (870 Valencia Street) with authors Steven R. Boyett, Mira Grant, Kirsten Imani Kasai and Tim Pratt, Saturday October 15th at 8:30 pm - The LitCrawl continues right next door!  Genre fiction as modern mythology, stories we create to explain an unfathomable world.  Come explore dark avenues teeming with powerful metaphors…and occasionally zombies.  Steven R. Boyett’s novels include MORTALITY BRIDGE, ELEGY BEACH, and ARIEL. He is also a well-known DJ who created the Podrunner workout music series. <http://steveboy.com/>.  Mira Grant is the author of the Newsflesh trilogy of science-fiction zombie thrillers, which means she watches horror movies professionally. She likes monsters. <http://www.miragrant.com/>.  Dark fantasy/erotic horror writer Kirsten Imani Kasai is the author of ICE SONG and TATTOO, about a gender-swapping single mother living among half-human mutants. <http://www.icesong.com/>  Hugo Award-winner Tim Pratt’s fiction has appeared in The Best American Short Stories, The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, and other nice places. <http://www.timpratt.org/>.

Vernor Vinge, CHILDREN OF THE SKY (Tor, Hardcover, $25.99) Sunday, October 16th at 3:00 pm - We are very excited to welcome Vernor Vinge to Borderlands for the first time!  From the book jacket: "After nearly twenty years, Vernor Vinge has produced an enthralling sequel to his memorable bestselling novel A FIRE UPON THE DEEP.  Ten years have passed on Tines World, where Ravna Bergnsdot and a number of human children ended up after a disaster that nearly obliterated humankind throughout the galaxy.  Ravna and the pack animals for which the planet is named have survived a war, and Ravna has saved more than one hundred children who were in cold-sleep aboard the vessel that brought them.  While there is peace among the Tines, there are those among them - and among the humans - who seek power. . . and no matter the cost, these malcontents are determined to overturn the fledgling civilization that has taken root since the humans landed.  On a world of fascinating wonders and terrifying dangers, Vernor Vinge has created a powerful novel of adventure and discovery that will entrance the many readers of A FIRE UPON THE DEEP.  Filled with the inventiveness, excitement, and human drama that have become hallmarks of his work, this new novel is sure to become another great milestone in Vinge’s already stellar career."

Serena Valentino, HOW TO BE A WEREWOLF and HOW TO BE A ZOMBIE (Candlewick Press, Hardcovers, $14.99 each) Saturday, October 22nd at 3:00 pm - The fantastic GLOOMCOOKIE and NIGHTMARES & FAIRYTALES creator Serena Valentino joins us to show off her new books -- instructional manuals for would-be werewolves: ("Celebrate your inner beast  -- and harness that newfound animal magnetism!  -- with this essential guide to the lycanthropic lifestyle.  Are you subject to savage moods, extreme and unexplained buffness, and cravings for meat on the rare side? Do you long for super speed and reflexes, along with rapid healing and maybe a talent for telepathy? Welcome to the pack  -- and get ready to howl -- as you sink your claws into this guide to everything life as a werewolf has to offer.")  and zombies - ("So you’re a zombie. What now? Slow down  --  and flesh out the life of the mindless with this essential guide for the newly undead.  The vacant stare, the shambling gait, the sense that you’re falling apart  -- adjusting to 'life' as a zombie takes a little getting used to. And what’s with the sudden obsession with brains? Time to get your outstretched hands on this comprehensive handbook spelling out all things z-o-m-b-i-e.")

Richard Kadrey, ALOHA FROM HELL: A SANDMAN SLIM NOVEL (Harper, Hardcover, $23.99) - We're happy to welcome local author Richard Kadrey back to the store for Sandman Slim's third adventure, ALOHA FROM HELL! From the press release: "In ALOHA FROM HELL, the riveting new urban fantasy/noir from acclaimed author and artist Richard Kadrey!   James Stark, a.k.a. Sandman Slim, just wants an end to the killing.  He’s battled the generals of Hell. He’s battled the angels.   He’s gone up against Lucifer, and God is, well, just on vacation.  Perhaps permanently.  But not everyone is on vacation.   Now that Lucifer has ascended to heaven, the infernal battle is in full flame.  Everyone wants to be the Crown Prince of the abyss, including the insane serial killer Mason, the man who killed Stark’s girlfriend, Alice, and damned Stark to hell.   Mason isn’t going to let Stark rest on his bloody laurels  -- because Stark is the man to beat for the ascendancy.  So Mason kidnaps Alice straight out of Heaven to draw Stark back to Hell.  And thus, in ALOHA FROM HELL, Stark must rally himself from self-imposed anti-infernal exile and head back down to his old stomping grounds to rescue his long-lost love, stop a sadist hell-bent on domination, prevent both Good and Evil from completely destroying each other and stop the demonic Kissi from ruining the party for everyone. Even for Sandman Slim, that’s a tall order. And it’s only the beginning."

SF in SF with authors Cecelia Holland and Kim Stanley Robinson at the Variety Preview Room (582 Market Street), Saturday, November 12th at 7:00 pm - We are delighted to help SF in SF welcome these authors!  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.  Bar proceeds benefit Variety Childrens Charity - learn more at <http://www.varietync.org/>.  We REALLY encourage you to take BART into the City, or use MUNI to get here - parking can be problematic in San Francisco, to say the least.  We are less than one block away from the Montgomery St. station.  Trust us - you don't want to be looking for parking and be late for the event!  Phone (night of event) 415-572-1015.  Questions? Email sfinsfevents@gmail.com.

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.


Dispatches from the Border
Editor - Jude Feldman
Assistant Editor - Alan Beatts

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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JANUARY, 2009

2008
NOVEMBER, 2008
OCTOBER, 2008
SEPTEMBER, 2008
AUGUST, 2008
JULY, 2008
JUNE, 2008
MAY, 2008
APRIL, 2008
MARCH, 2008
FEBRUARY, 2008
JANUARY, 2008

2007
DECEMBER, 2007
NOVEMBER, 2007
OCTOBER, 2007
SEPTEMBER, 2007
AUGUST, 2007
JULY, 2007
JUNE, 2007
MAY, 2007
APRIL, 2007
MARCH, 2007
FEBRUARY, 2007
JANUARY, 2007

2006
DECEMBER, 2006
NOVEMBER, 2006
OCTOBER, 2006
SEPTEMBER, 2006
AUGUST, 2006
JULY, 2006
JUNE, 2006
MAY, 2006
APRIL, 2006
MARCH, 2006
FEBRUARY, 2006
JANUARY, 2006

2005
DECEMBER, 2005
NOVEMBER, 2005
OCTOBER, 2005
SEPTEMBER, 2005
AUGUST, 2005
JULY, 2005
JUNE, 2005
MAY, 2005
APRIL, 2005
MARCH, 2005
FEBRUARY, 2005
JANUARY, 2005

2004
DECEMBER, 2004
NOVEMBER, 2004
OCTOBER, 2004
SEPTEMBER, 2004
AUGUST, 2004
JULY, 2004
JUNE, 2004
MAY, 2004
APRIL, 2004
MARCH, 2004
FEBRUARY, 2004
JANUARY, 2004

2003
DECEMBER, 2003
NOVEMBER, 2003