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ABOUT THE STORE : NEWSLETTER

DISPATCHES FROM THE BORDER

Events and News from Borderlands Books

September, 2013

Chapter One - Event Information, News, and Special Features

Editor's Note - You may be aware that we have a blog where this newsletter also appears <http://borderlands-books.blogspot.com/>.  At the end of major features in this newsletter you'll find permanent links to the same item on our blog.  These links can be convenient if you want to send just a single article or if you'd like to link to it from your website.

Upcoming Author Events

Kim Stanley Robinson, SHAMAN (Orbit, Hardcover, $27.00) Saturday, September 7th at 1:00 pm (Please note this event starts at 1:00 pm, two hours EARLIER than our usual events.)

Douglas Lain, BILLY MOON (Tor, Hardcover, $24.99) with guests Terry Bisson and Daniel Coffeen Saturday, September 7th at 3:00 pm

Seanan McGuire, CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (Roc, Mass Market, $7.99) Saturday, September 14th from 5:00 - 8:00 pm

SF in SF (at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street) with authors Greg Bossert and Nick Mamatas Saturday, September 14th at 7:00 pm

Janet Dawson, DEATH RIDES THE ZEPYHR (Perseverence Press, Trade Paperback, $15.95) Sunday, September 15th at 3:00 pm

One City/One Book Bookclub discussion of LITTLE BROTHER by Cory Doctorow, Sunday September 22nd at 6:00 pm.  (Please note this is just a book club and NOT an author event; Cory Doctorow WILL NOT be attending.)

L.E. Modesitt, Jr., THE ONE-EYED MAN (Tor, Hardcover, $24.99) Monday, September 23rd at 7:00 pm

Presentation on Censorship's Effects on First Amendment Rights with attorney Cyrus Wadia - Wednesday, October 2nd.

Cat Valente, THE GIRL WHO SOARED OVER FAIRYLAND AND CUT THE MOON IN TWO (Feiwel & Friends, Hardcover, $16.99) Friday, October 4th at 7:00 pm

Laura Anne Gilman, SOUL OF FIRE (Luna, Trade Paperback, $14.95) and FIXED (as L.A. Kornetsky) (Gallery Books, Trade Paperback, $15.00) Saturday, October 5th at 3:00 pm

Shaenon K. Garrity, SKIN HORSE (Couscous Collective, Trade Paperback, $14.00) Saturday, October 5th at 5:00 pm

Permalink - http://borderlands-books.blogspot.com/2013/09/september-upcoming-events.html

News

*  Borderlands would like to congratulate our friends, John Picacio, Brandon Sanderson, and John Scalzi, the winners of the 2013 Hugo Award for, respectively, Best Artist, Best Novella, and Best Novel.  Also, a shout out to Mary Robinette Kowal, Seanan McGuire, and Dan Wells, for the well deserved recognition for their work in the field.  For the full list of winners - http://www.thehugoawards.org/

*  One of our customers passed along this link to a short film called "Sight" <http://vimeo.com/46304267> .  In these days of Google Glass and direct human-to-human mind control <http://www.washington.edu/news/2013/08/27/researcher-controls-colleagues-motions-in-1st-human-brain-to-brain-interface/> we found this film to be creepy as hell.

*  Correction: We apologize for misstating the month of Mick Farren's death in the last newsletter.  Farren passed away on July 27th, 2013.  Farren's work had great impact, sometimes in surprising ways.  Author and customer Cliff Winnig had the following to say in response to the notice of Farren's passing:

"I only met him a couple of times, and then only at his signing events, but my impression of Mick Farren was that he was a really cool and truly sweet individual.  His work, however, looms large in my life.  I discovered his science fiction, starting with NECROM, in the early nineties, when I was coping with a significant loss.  I immediately sought out and devoured every Mick Farren book I could find.  His alchemic blend of post-apocalyptic dystopic nihilism and stubborn outsider protagonists really resonated with me, helping me through that dark time.  I kept my act together as much as I did in no small part because of his fiction.  Now that I think about it, I wish I'd told him that.  His books were such a big deal to me that it didn't occur to me at the time to mention it; it'd be like commenting that the atmosphere contains oxygen."

* We were delighted to host actress and author Lara Parker in August.  She was featured in this SF Weekly blog article: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2013/08/ode_to_angelique_sked_for_morn.php , and one of the attendees at her event had this to share: http://tumbledodie.tumblr.com/post/59226186576/rising-moon.

* We have ALL the signed books this month!  If you'd like a signed book from Rhys Bowen, Chaz Brenchley, S.G. Browne, Max Gladstone, Seth Harwood, Nalo Hopkinson, Richard Kadrey, Sheldon Siegel or Simon Wood, just give a call or drop a note!

* Overheard: "What did you think of it?" "It was definitely a book. With pages and everything."

* We sincerely regret to report the death of crime writer Elmore Leonard at age 87. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/21/books/elmore-leonard-master-of-crime-fiction-dies-at-87.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

Permalink - http://borderlands-books.blogspot.com/2013/09/august-news-roundup.html

From The Office

Will return next month.

Top Sellers At Borderlands

Hardcovers
1. Kill City Blues by Richard Kadrey
2. Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
3. Neptune's Brood by Charles Stross
4. Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik
5. The Quarry by Iain Banks
6. Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
7. Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson
8. Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold
9. Omens by Kelly Armstrong
10. Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen

Mass Market Paperbacks
1. 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson
2. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
3. Magic Rise by Ilona Andrews
4. Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
5. The Long Earth by Stephen Baxter and Terry Prachett
6. Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin tie with Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
7. Darwin Elevator by Jason Hough
8. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
9. Hellfire by Jean Johnson
10. Heart of Briar by Laura Anne Gilman

Trade Paperbacks
1. Dark Shadows: Wolf Moon Rising by Lara Parker
2. Dark Shadows: Angelique's Descent by Lara Parker tie with Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch by Lara Parker
3. Year's Best Science Fiction 30th Annual Collection edited by Gardner Dozois
4. In Broad Daylight by Seth Harwood
5. Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone

Permalink - http://borderlands-books.blogspot.com/2013/09/august-bestsellers.html

Book Club Info

The QSF&F Book Club will meet on Sunday, September 8th, at 5 pm to discuss 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson.  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, September 15th, at 6 pm to discuss ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  Please contact bookclub@borderlands-books.com for more information.

Upcoming Event Details

Kim Stanley Robinson, SHAMAN (Orbit, Hardcover, $27.00) Saturday, September 7th at 1:00 pm - (Please note this event starts at 1:00 pm, two hours earlier than our usual events.) We are very excited to welcome Kim Stanley Robinson, author of the Mars Trilogy, 2312, and many, many others!  In his latest novel, SHAMAN, (from the book jacket) "he brings our past to life as never before. There is Thorn, a shaman himself. He lives to pass down his wisdom and his stories -- to teach those who would follow in his footsteps. There is Heather, the healer who, in many ways, holds the clan together. There is Elga, an outsider and the bringer of change. And then there is Loon, the next shaman, who is determined to find his own path. But in a world so treacherous, that journey is never simple -- and where it may lead is never certain.  SHAMAN is a powerful, thrilling and heart-breaking story of one young man's journey into adulthood -- and an awe-inspiring vision of how we lived thirty thousand years ago."  A new novel from Kim Stanley Robinson is always cause for celebration.  We hope you'll join us!

Douglas Lain, BILLY MOON (Tor, Hardcover, $24.99) with guests Terry Bisson and Daniel Coffeen Saturday, September 7th at 3:00 pm - We are happy to welcome Douglas Lain and guests Terry Bisson and Daniel Coffeen!  Doug's new book is getting glowing reviews, including this starred Library Journal Review: "Christopher Robin Milne, aka "Billy Moon," has never quite outlived the image of him presented to the world by his father, the illustrious A. A. Milne. After service in World War II, Christopher and his wife operate a low-key bookstore (sans the tales of a certain stuffed bear). When a French college student invites him to Paris to witness the student uprisings in 1968, Christopher accepts on a whim -- and enters a scenario every bit as "magical" and much more dangerous than any from his fictional childhood. Lain's first novel combines two unlikely topics to form a tapestry of life in the late 1960s, when Europe, as well as America, experienced the revolutionary fervor of youth. Milne's friend and guide, Gerrard, has a curious relationship with time and space, and Milne finds himself caught up in the transient nature of both while seeking desperately to anchor himself to his real present. VERDICT - Luminous storytelling and brilliant period descriptions make this fictional biography a priceless addition to the American magical realism canon; the book should be recommended to fantasy and general fiction readers."  Doug also brings us special guests Terry Bisson and Daniel Coffeen, who will add additional depth and dimension to the conversation with their own insights on the events of 1968 and magical world-building.  Don't miss this extraordinary novel and this very special event!

Seanan McGuire, CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (Roc, Mass Market, $7.99) Saturday, September 14th from 5:00 - 8:00 pm - We are just delighted to welcome Seanan and the whole circus back to the store!  This will be an extra special event, because (not really a spoiler) CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT, the seventh Toby Daye book, is partially set in Borderlands! It is possible we will create a bizarre self-referential fiction loop by celebrating the book in the store with the book that's set in the store, but if so, you won't want to miss the event for sure! Raffles, cupcakes and craziness are guaranteed.

SF in SF (at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street) with authors Greg Bossert and Nick Mamatas, Saturday, September 14th at 7:00 pm - We are happy 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 (night of event) 415-572-1015.  Questions? Email sfinsfevents@gmail.com.

Janet Dawson, DEATH RIDES THE ZEPYHR (Perseverence Press, Trade Paperback, $15.95) Sunday, September 15th at 3:00 pm - Borderlands is pleased to welcome Janet Dawson (author of the Jeri Howard mystery books) who will be showing off her new stand-alone novel, DEATH RIDES THE ZEPHYR.  This one sounds awesome: "December 23, 1952.  A transcontinental train is stopped cold by an avalanche in a remote Colorado canyon.  There's a murderer aboard, one who has already killed, and will kill again unless stopped. The California Zephyr, with its run from Oakland to Chicago and back, was famous for 21 years for its Vista-Domes, providing a 360-degree view of the spectacular Western scenery.  It is a veritable small city on tracks, populated by passengers from all walks of life and a large crew whose duty it is to keep them safe.  Zephyrette Jill McLeod is the passengers' primary point of contact. She's armed for any emergency -- with a first-aid kit, a screwdriver, and her knowledge of human nature.  But can she figure out a clever plot and stop a ruthless killer?"

One City/One Book Bookclub discussion of LITTLE BROTHER by Cory Doctorow, Sunday September 22nd at 6:00 pm.  (Please note this is just a book club and NOT an author event; Cory Doctorow WILL NOT be attending.) - LITTLE BROTHER by Cory Doctorow is San Francisco's One City, One Book title this year!  Join us for a book club discussion of the novel.

L.E. Modesitt, Jr., THE ONE-EYED MAN (Tor, Hardcover, $24.99) Monday, September 23rd at 7:00 pm - We're always happy to welcome the prolific and talented L.E. Modesitt, Jr. to Borderlands!   From Tor's website: "The colony world of Stittara is no ordinary planet. For the interstellar Unity of the Ceylesian Arm, Stittara is the primary source of anagathics: drugs that have more than doubled the human life span. But the ecological balance that makes anagathics possible on Stittara is fragile, and the Unity government has a vital interest in making sure the flow of longevity drugs remains uninterrupted, even if it means uprooting the human settlements.  Offered the job of assessing the ecological impact of the human presence on Stittara, freelance consultant Dr. Paulo Verano jumps at the chance to escape the ruin of his personal life. He gets far more than he bargained for: Stittara's atmosphere is populated with skytubes -- gigantic, mysterious airborne organisms that drift like clouds above the surface of the planet. Their exact nature has eluded humanity for centuries, but Verano believes his conclusions about Stittara may hinge on understanding the skytubes' role in the planet's ecology -- if he survives the hurricane winds, distrustful settlers, and secret agendas that impede his investigation at every turn."
Check out an excerpt from this exciting new novel here: http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/05/the-one-eyed-man-excerpt

Presentation on Censorship's Effects on First Amendment Rights with attorney Cyrus Wadia - Wednesday, October 2nd.  Details TBA.

Cat Valente, THE GIRL WHO SOARED OVER FAIRYLAND AND CUT THE MOON IN TWO (Feiwel & Friends, Hardcover, $16.99) Friday, October 4th at 7:00 pm - We're pleased to welcome Cat Valente, who will share the newest installment in the magical GIRL WHO. . . series.  The previous volumes have all been marvelous, and we're expecting nothing less from this tale, in which our plucky heroine September is spirited away to the moon, reunited with her friends, and saves Fairyland from another extraordinary and unlikely danger!

Laura Anne Gilman, SOUL OF FIRE (Luna, Trade Paperback, $14.95) and FIXED (as L.A. Kornetsky) (Gallery Books, Trade Paperback, $15.00) Saturday, October 5th at 3:00 pm - Join us to meet the incredibly prolific author and editor Laura Anne Gilman, who will be showing off two new books, SOUL OF FIRE (the second book of the Portals duology, sequel to HEART OF BRIAR,) and her new mystery FIXED, written under the name L.A. Kornetsky.  

Shaenon K. Garrity, SKIN HORSE (Couscous Collective, Trade Paperback, $14.00) Saturday, October 5th at 5:00 pm - "The stated mission of "Skin Horse", a federal Black Ops department located in the notoriously pointless Annex One complex, is to aid and assist the U.S. population of nonhuman sapients.  For better or worse, most Skin Horse agents are themselves nonhuman. Any humans willing and able to work there may be presumed deeply weird."  Join us to meet Shaenon K. Garrity and check out the 4th print volume of SKIN HORSE!  We promise mad science.  And maybe cupcakes.

Borderlands event policy - all events are free of charge unless otherwise stated.  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 the book(s) until you can come in to pick them up or we can ship 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 for a nominal fee.  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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