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DISPATCHES FROM THE BORDER

Events and News from Borderlands Books

October, 2006

Chapter One - Event Information, News, and Special Features

Kage Baker, DARK MONDAYS (Night Shade Books) and THE MACHINE'S CHILD (Tor), Saturday, October 7th at 3:00 pm

Glen Hirshberg, AMERICAN MORONS (Earthling Publications), Saturday, October 7th at 5:00 pm

LitQuake LitCrawl with Peter S. Beagle, Pat Murphy, Loren Rhoads and Scott Sigler, Saturday, October 14th from 7:15 - 8:15 pm

Kate Elliot, THE SPIRIT GATE, and Melanie Rawn, SPELLBINDER, Sunday, October 15th at 3:00 pm

Batya Weinbaum PhD. and Ardys De Lu, "Femspec Magazine," Wednesday, October 18th at 7:00 pm

Pete Atkins, Glen Hirshberg and Norm Partridge, "The Rolling Darkness Review," Saturday, October 21st at 8pm

Joe Gold, THE LAMP POST MOTEL, Sunday, October 22nd at 3:00 pm

Valerie Frankel, HENRY POTTY AND THE PET ROCK: AN UNAUTHORIZED HARRY POTTER PARODY, Wednesday, October 25th at 7:00 pm

Borderlands and Variety Children's Charity present a Halloween Super Zombie Triple Feature - "Cemetery Man," "Shaun of the Dead," and "SARS Wars: Bangkok Zombie Crisis " - at Variety's Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street, Monday, October 30th at 7:00 pm

Ellen Klages, THE GREEN GLASS SEA, Saturday, November 11th at 3:00 pm

Deborah Grabien, CRUEL SISTER, Sunday, November 12th at 1:00 pm

Tim Pratt and Heather Shaw, THE YEAR'S BEST FANTASY 6, Sunday, November 12th at 3:00 pm

Borderlands 9th Anniversary Sale, Saturday, November 18th from 12:00 - 8:00 pm

(for more information check the end of this section)

News

*From the nice folks at the brand-new imprint Solaris, this news:  "BL Publishing is very excited to announce the purchase of two novels by rising genre star Chris Roberson for its new SOLARIS imprint, which launches in February 2007."  Solaris will be releasing Chris's novels SET THE SEAS ON FIRE and THE DRAGON'S NINE SONS, as well as THE SOLARIS BOOK OF NEW SCIENCE FICTION, edited by George Mann, DEADSTOCK: A PUNKTOWN NOVEL by Jeffrey Thomas, and several other snazzy-looking titles.  It looks like Solaris will be an imprint to watch.

*The Writers' Group that meets twice a month at Borderlands is now FULL and no longer accepting members. 

* For those of you with strong stomachs and an odd sense of humor (yup, those are our customers!), we present this weird link to the site of two artists who create headless dolls:  "Headless Historicals are reworked dolls that were inspired by characters throughout history who died in rather horrible ways.  Each doll is dressed according to how they might have appeared during the peak of their success, while their bodies appear as they would have shortly after death." <http://www.headlesshistoricals.com/>

* This news of special interest to writers comes from Patrick and Honna Swenson: "Talebones & Fairwood Press are sponsoring a new writers retreat called the RAINFOREST WRITERS VILLAGE, to be held March 22-25th, 2007 on the Olympic Peninsula at the Rain Forest Resort Village on Lake Quinault, Washington. . .Keeping with the idea of having a haven for writing, we're only inviting two paid guests who will be in-residence and offer some type of instruction or talks during the weekend, but we're pretty sure that other published writers will want to come and get away, relax, and stretch their writing muscles.  And when we know who those are, we'll be certainly talking to a few of them about participating.  But again, we're not going to be running this like a big conference with multi-track programming.  We'll promote minimal distractions.  Promote writing.  Promote quiet moments networking at a resort filled completely with writers!  (As of now, the owners have blocked off the entire resort for us.)  It's a relatively small resort with limited number of rooms and cabins (yes, cabins! some with fireplaces, kitchens...), with a total of about 25 total rooms, so we expect it will fill up fast. Although alternate lodging is available on the lake, we can't say for sure at this point what our cut-off will be numbers-wise for retreat attendees.
Our first two guests will actually be three:
JAY LAKE,  John W. Campbell Award winner, author of Rocket Science (Fairwood), Trial of Flowers (Night Shade), and the forthcoming Mainspring (Tor). Jay hails from Portland, OR; and
BARB & JC HENDEE, authors of the bestselling NOBLE DEAD series of books from ROC. The Hendees live in the Denver, Colorado area.
And while these authors are SF/Fantasy writers, our retreat is not limited to writers writing in that genre. Not by any means! Presentations offered will be geared toward benefiting ALL writers."  For more information, see <http://www.rainforestwritersvillage.com>

*A REQUIEM FOR MORBID CURIOSITY
To commemorate the death of Morbid Curiosity magazine, Spellbinding Tales in Alameda will host a reading on October 7, 2006 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Featured readers will span the 10 years of Morbid Curiosity:
- Jill Tracy sees a ghost
- Lilah Wild works in a witchcraft store
- Claudius Reich rides with the scariest MoFo
- RuthAnn Spike corresponds with a murderer
- Allegra Lundyworf lights a bonfire to dispel ghosts
- Seth Lindberg faces the monsters at home
- Emceed by editor Loren Rhoads.
All stories guaranteed true!
Spellbinding Tales, the East Bay's "Spookiest Bookshop" (East Bay Express's Best of the East Bay), is located at 1910A Encinal Avenue @ Chestnut in Alameda.  Details and directions online at <http://www.spellbindingtales.com> or telephone (510) 523-1105.

Also, the FINAL MORBID CURIOSITY READING:
"For a decade, Morbid Curiosity has been a confessional where Americans revealed their deepest, darkest secrets. The title was no joke: Morbid Curiosity was definitely morbid. It was also frequently gross, disgusting, perverse -- and very funny if you prefer your humor to come in a decidedly dark hue."  - from the obituary in the Washington Post
Come hear the true confessions at Morbid Curiosity magazine's last public reading.  Luna's Café in Sacramento will host a free reading on November 4, 2006 at 7 p.m.
Readers will be Sacramento contributors:
- stand-up comic and zombie Keith Lowell Jensen
- journalist and comic actress Becca Costello
- normal guy John Domeier
- And featuring bloody collage artist M. Parfitt, the only contributor to all 10 issues!
- emceed by editor Loren Rhoads.
Luna' Café is located at 1414 16th Street between N and O in Sacramento.  Details and directions online at <http://www.lunascafe.com> or telephone (916) 441-3931.

* Thanks to customer (and musician! <http://www.kissthegirlmusic.com/>) Robert Szeles, who sent along this article from BBC News, which confirms the existence of "hobbits".  No, really. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3948165.stm>

* A bit of unpleasant news, as well.  Chelsea Quinn Yarbro let us know that prolific writer and editor Charles Grant passed away in mid-September.

*The genre also sadly lost John M. (Mike) Ford just last week.  You can read an obituary by John Clute here <http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article1772294.ece>

* Deeply felt thanks to author Libba Bray <http://www.libbabray.com/> for permission to reprint her awesome "Ode to the Independent Bookseller".  Ms. Bray gave this speech at the New Atlantic Booksellers Association trade show.  We appreciate the permission to "reprint" and the sentiments of the following -

ODE TO THE INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLER
by Libba Bray

Independent booksellers rock.

They are a cup of black coffee, straight up no chaser, in a half-caf-vanilla-hazelnut-with-whipped cream kind of world.

When you walk up to independent booksellers and say, with deepest apologies, "I'm looking for this new book about the Victorian era and I can't remember the author's name but it has Glass somewhere in the title," they do not roll their eyes and send you to the purgatory of the information desk--that circle of hell not described by Dante.  No, they smile and say, "Why, I think you're looking for The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist."  Because they know everything.

Independents are the Iggy Pop of the book biz--on the edge, a little dangerous, cooler than you will ever think of being, and still alive despite the odds.

Instead of the T-shirts that trumpet, "I do my own stunts," they wear the shirts that say, "I do my own thinking."  The badge that says, Hello My Name is Book Lover.  The tattoo that reads, I Sell Banned Books--Ask Me How!  They rip the gags off intellectual freedom and the silly bras off John Ashcroft's statue of justice.

(Okay, I made that last part up, but if you can actually do that it would be way cool.)

Independents are the personal recommendation.  The word of mouth.  The informed opinion.  The debate.  The discourse.  The dissent.  The punk rockers.  The patriots.  The hopeful realists and, occasionally, the pie-eyed dreamers, because sometimes we need to be reminded of that.  They are the opposite of apathy.  The ones who would raise their hands and say, "But . . . about those weapons of mass destruction . . ."

Independent booksellers know not to put People Magazine and industrial-sized tubs of Swedish Fish right next to the counter because that is just lighting the crack pipe and handing it over.

They are the ones who take aside disaffected, snarky seventeen-year-old girls from Texas, and even though that seventeen-year-old girl might be wearing a Devo-inspired, orange jumpsuit and heavy black eyeliner that she thinks makes her look like Chrissie Hynde but really just makes her look like she's been on the losing end of a bar fight, they say nothing but steer her instead toward Douglas Adams and Thomas Pynchon, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and The Stranger, Woody Allen and Amiri Baraka.

They are the openers of doors.  The carnival barkers to exotic, new worlds. The Book Whisperers.  They are charming dinner companions, and they always bring good wine.

Being around independent booksellers makes you feel smarter by association.

They are the good guys.  They kick it Old School.  They are the truthful friend who will say, "Honey, that book makes you look fat."

They are the front porch, the off-ramp, the scenic route, the handshake agreement.  Independents understand that books have souls. They can put their ears to the bindings the way children put their ears to shells and hear the beating heart inside.  And they treat our books accordingly, handing them off lovingly to others with a passionate appeal: "This one . . . listen . . . "

They do not want an author's soul to be remaindered.

It is not easy to be an independent these days.  It is an age of twenty-four-hour sound bites, of product and packaging and a thank-you-drive-through-please marketplace, of "truthiness" and cynicism masquerading as patriotism, of lies and betrayals that challenge the ability to stand fast in independence.

As we sit here in Valley Forge, staring across the glittering forever highways of America to the historic land just beyond, it is a stirring reminder that this was a nation founded by independents.  And it feels no less a radical, necessary act to me today to be a champion of books--to champion ideas, to explore the myriad complications of the human heart, to examine the individual not out of context but as part of the larger human story.  We have never needed the independent spirit more than we do right now. It is necessary work, and I humbly thank you for it.

From The Office

I don't watch TV.  Haven't for years.  Not that I really have anything against it but my life tends to be busy enough that I can't manage to be near a TV at the same time each week so following series or having a favorite show is pretty much out.  It's pretty funny, really, since my parents used to worry about me watching too much TV when I was a kid (which is a concern that seems to have gone sadly out of fashion, oh well).  Granted, there are things like TiVo and, even using a VCR (which I can program, thank you very much) but it never seemed worth the trouble just to be able follow a series.

There have been some series that I thought were well worth watching.  I came very late to Buffy the Vampire Slayer but I own all the DVDs (I think it was Peter Beagle talking about how much he had wanted to write for that show that might have tipped me over the edge and made me start watching the DVDs -- thanks, Peter).  Right now I'm starting to get sadly hooked on Deadwood though I did dodge the bullet on Battlestar Galactica (there were just too many holes in the plot of the pilot for me).

But the point is, I don't watch TV.  I read instead.  But not because I think it's "better" or "more meaningful" or in any way superior to TV.  I just like it better (and I can do it just about anywhere).

Which finally brings me to my point.  In this field I have heard many people go on and on about the literary merits of various writers and works.  I also hear about how specific genres are "important" for various reasons -- "Science Fiction gives us the opportunity to consider and confront questions that our society and species will have to face in the future" or "Fantasy is a road map to the beliefs and ideas that are central to our shared, human mythology" or "Horror gives an important chance for the reader to confront their personal fears and demons, rendering them powerless".

Are you nodding and saying, "Yeah, that's right."?  If so, I'm sorry for what I'm about to say . . . I think that most of the people who talk about those lofty ideas are missing the main point of why Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror exist.

Genre fiction is an alternative to watching TV.

Ouch, huh?  Yup, not very lofty.  But when people (writers and editors especially) forget that we're in the business of providing entertainment, the result is crappy fiction that doesn't sell.  That's not to say that the lofty ideas that I mentioned can't be served by genre fiction or that genre fiction can't or shouldn't aspire to the highest levels of writing.  But the story and the entertainment has to come first because that's why people buy and read this stuff.  They want a good story, a fun ride, something to relax with and take a break.  And if they don't get it, they won't read it and the work cannot accomplish anything, neither something base like entertainment or lofty like changing people's lives or their world.

And by the way, what's so bad about writing solely to entertain?  People die without entertainment.  Their lives become nothing more than survival and that's not enough of a reason to keep going for many people.  So we need entertainment.  It may not be one of the most basic needs like food or shelter, but it's damn close.  Even people in the most squalid refugee camps or miserable prisons play games, even if it's nothing better than "kick the rock".  So isn't providing entertainment actually a pretty lofty vocation?  Perhaps a more important one than trying to change the world or people's attitudes?

It's because of this that it makes me tired to listen to people in the field disparage writers like Stephen King and Robert Heinlein or sub-genres like Tolkien-esque Quest Fantasy or Military SF.  I love Stephen King and Heinlein and so do a lot of other readers.  It's not because they are masters of the language or because they have sophisticated plots -- it's because they're entertaining.  And that's good enough for me.

Best,
Alan

Top Sellers At Borderlands

Hardcovers
1) Forest Mage by Robin Hobb
2) Hunters of Dune by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert
3) The Machine's Child by Kage Baker
                tie
    Demon and the City by Liz Williams
4) Glasshouse by Charles Stross
5) The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
6) A Cruel Wind by Glen Cook
7) Dark Mondays by Kage Baker
8) Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
9) Alabaster by Caitlin Kiernan
10) World War Z by Max Barry
                tie
      Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

Paperbacks
1) Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
2) The Dark Tower by Stephen King
3) Thud! by Terry Pratchett
4) The Protector's War by S.M. Stirling
5) Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb
6) The Children of the Company by Kage Baker
7) Shadowmarch by Tad Williams
8) The City, Not Long After by Pat Murphy
9) The Keeper by Sarah Langan
                 tie
    Recursion by Tony Ballantyne
10) Firestorm by Rachel Caine

Trade Paperbacks
1) The Line Between by Peter S. Beagle
2) Snake Agent by Liz Williams
3) Prador Moon by Neal Asher
                 tie
    The Algebraist by Iain M. Banks
4) Twenty Epics edited by Susan Marie Groppi and David Moles
                 tie
    Old Man's War by John Scalzi
5) Year's Best Fantasy 6 edited by David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer

Notes From a DVD Geek

Hello movie fans.  It’s October!  Time to get your Halloween on!  Leading the pack are several new episodes of Showtime's Masters of Horror.  Jenifer, directed by Dario Argento is a fun little bit of twisted Italian horror cinema.  But the real piece de resistance from Masters of Horror is the episode that Showtime refused to air.  It was directed by Takashi Miike, and called Imprint.  Remember when I mentioned him last month?  Well, this episode was a bit too controversial for Showtime, so it never aired, but it is here now on DVD, and it is really pretty intense, and at the same time smart and engaging. 

Other films to fill out your October chills include the just-arrived Lady Vengeance, from Korea.  It’s the final movie in the “Vengeance” trilogy from South Korean maestro Park Chan-wook (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Old Boy).  Another trilogy of hardcore terror from Asia which has just arrived as a three disk set is the “All Night Long” collection.  Japanese grindhouse-esque films reached a peak with this series of films, including the title movie, Atrocity, and The Final Chapter. Rape, revenge, mutilation, etc.

For some Japanese horror that's a little less on the hardcore gruesome/wet/gory side, but still pretty scary and intense, check out The Tomie Collection:  based on a popular manga about a murderous humanoid creature that goes undercover as a beautiful teenage schoolgirl. The new set  presents five films: Tomie (1999), Tomie: Another Face (1999), Tomie: Replay (2000), Tomie: Rebirth (2001), And Tomie: Forbidden Fruit (2002).

Moving away from Asia, Boris Karloff comes to the Universal “Franchise” series with a five movie set:  "Night Key"(1937), "Tower of London" (1939), "The Climax" (1944), "The Strange Door" (1951), and "The Black Castle" (1952).  Unlike most of the B films and poverty row flicks that have appeared as public domain disks, this set shows Karloff in some of his best performances.  It’s also the perfect companion to the Universal Franchise collection of Bela Lugosi (also a five movie set) that came out earlier this year.

If you want a classy ghost story, be sure to check out Guillermo “Hell Boy” del Toro’s Spanish language thriller called The Devil’s Backbone.  This one is set during the Spanish Civil War, and forms a thematic prequel to his forthcoming movie, Pan’s Labyrinth. 

Another brilliant movie that just came out on DVD is Richard Stanley’s Dust Devil.  This is from the director of Hardware…the director who was kicked off the set of The Island of Doctor Moreau… who showed back up on set in creature prosthetics, just to torment star Val Kilmer, who got him fired in the first place.  Dust Devil was previously available in an extremely edited version on VHS.  This DVD has two versions of the movie, and three documentaries… One on Nazis and the Holy Grail, another on Voodoo,  and a third on Afghanistan under the Taliban.  I was excited about the movie, because Ralph Stanley’s version of Dust Devil is one of the legendary things that one always hears about but never sees.  But all three of the fairly lengthy documentaries look fascinating.  This 5 disk set should not be missed.

Another good Halloween flick is The Last Broadcast.  This one was billed as a “Blair Witch knock-off” until one realizes it was shot before Blair Witch.  This one focuses on the legend of the Jersey Devil.

I admit, some of the movies I’ve recommended are a bit intense… They might be kind of off-putting to those who like lighter fair.  Well, I’ve got a DVD for you.  It’s a double feature of Escape To Witch Mountain and Return to Witch Mountain. I loved these films as a kid, and still love them.  Fun magical space alien hi jinx for the whole family.

Oh, and last month, George Lucas finally released the ORIGINAL theatrical editions of the Star Wars trilogy on DVD. I guess he got tired of seeing all those Chinese pirate editions of the Laserdisks selling on ebay.  In any event, the new disks contain both the revised versions, and the original theatrical versions of each film:  Star Wars, Empire and Jedi. Good stuff for both the casual Star Wars fan, and for the hard core fan who has been afraid that their Laserdisc player would die before Lucas finally made the originals available on DVD.

Anyway, that should cover most everything.  Next month I’ll have a big round of science fiction and anime films.

Till then, keep watching the DVD’s.

-Jeremy Lassen
jlassen@borderlands-books.com

Book Club Info

The Gay Men's Book Club will meet on Sunday, October 8th at 5 pm to discuss SPECIMEN DAYS by Michael Cunningham.  The book for Sunday, November 12th is BLIND LAKE by Robert Charles Wilson, and the book for December 10th is LEARNING THE WORLD by Ken MacLeod.  Please contact the group leader, Christopher Rodriguez, at cobalt555@earthlink.net, for more information.

The Classic Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club will meet on Sunday, October 15th, at 6 pm to discuss THE NARRATIVE OF ARTHUR GORDON PYM by Edgar Allen Poe. The book for November 19th is DISPOSSESED by Ursula K. LeGuin, and the book for December 17th is FLEDGLING by Octavia Butler.  Please contact Jude at jfeldman@borderlands-books.com for more information.

Upcoming Event Details

Saturday, October 7th at 3:00 pm: Kage Baker, DARK MONDAYS (Nightshade Books) and THE MACHINE'S CHILD (Tor) - Kage Baker has not one but two fabulous books coming out!  DARK MONDAYS is a bittersweet collection of stories in which (Publisher's Weekly says) "the supernatural matter-of-factly touches the shabby lives of people in small, isolated towns, providing resolution and revelation."  THE MACHINE'S CHILD is the next Company book, picking up where CHILDREN OF THE COMPANY left off.  It is impossible to describe without spoilers, so we'll just say that the unlikely cavalry heads off to rescue Mendoza from her exile, and then. . .darn it, you'll just have to read the book!  Come chat with Kage and find out what is next in store for this talented author and her poor, benighted characters.

Saturday, October 7th at 5:00 pm: Glen Hirshberg, AMERICAN MORONS (Earthling Publications) - A short note from Alan - Glen is possibly the finest reader we've ever hosted at the store and he also writes some of the best short macbre fiction on the market.  Don't miss this reading.
"From the author of the acclaimed novel THE SNOWMAN'S CHILDREN and the award-winning collection THE TWO SAMS comes American Morons, a new collection of dazzling and haunting tales...
Two traveling college students confront their disintegrating relationship and the new American reality in a breakdown lane along the Italian Superstrade.  A woman chases the ghost of her neglectful father to a vanished amusement park at the end of the Long Beach pier.  Two recently retired teachers learn just how much Los Angeles has taken from them.
In these atmospheric, wide-ranging, surprisingly playful, and deeply mournful stories, grandkids and widows, ice cream-truck drivers and judges, travelers and invalids all discover — and sometimes even survive — the everyday losses from which the most vengeful ghosts so often spring." 

Saturday, October 14th from 7:15 - 8:15 pm: Litquake Litcrawl with Peter S. Beagle, Pat Murphy, Loren Rhoads, and Scott Sigler - Litquake, San Francisco's Literary Festival, will be held from October 6 to 14. There will be 350 authors appearing at more than forty different venues spread across the city.  Litquake is bigger than ever-- 10,000 people are expected to attend this year.  "On Litquake's final night San Francisco's local flavor is especially strong with the Lit Crawl, a festive pub-hopping style evening held in the city's Mission neighborhood.  Authors appear at more than 30 different venues, with audiences strolling from place to place to hear their favorites. The event was so popular last year that many venues were standing room only.  In some places crowds stood on the sidewalk to watch and listen through windows."  Borderlands will be doing our part for the Litcrawl, and we're excited to host Peter S. Beagle: folk singer, author of the beloved novel THE LAST UNICORN, and true gentleman; Pat Murphy, award-winning author of almost a dozen books including THE FALLING WOMAN and the San Francisco-set utopian post-apocalyptic THE CITY, NOT LONG AFTER; Loren Rhoads, editor of  the wildly popular 'zine "Morbid Curiosity " and author of ASHES & RUST; and Scott Sigler, the pioneering, podcasting author of EARTHCORE.  Don't miss this celebration of San Francisco's diverse literary culture!

Sunday, October 15th at 3:00 pm: Kate Elliot, THE SPIRIT GATE (Tor), and Melanie Rawn, SPELLBINDER (Tor) -  Borderlands is happy to host Kate Elliot and Melanie Rawn!  Kate Elliot is the author of the popular Crown of Stars series and the science fiction Novels of Jaran.  Her new novel is called THE SPIRIT GATE.  From her website: "Here, in the world of the Guardians, at the crossroads of life and death, caravans and cities, begins an extraordinary epic adventure.  When Mai is approached by Captain Anji at her family's fruit stand in her village marketplace, she feels fear, for he is one of the invaders, and she knows that if he wanted, he can take her from her family, never to be heard from again.
What she can't possibly know is that she is about to take the first step into a life beyond her wildest imagination, on a journey through lands terrible and fierce, with people strange and wonderful, to a land rumored to harbor unspeakable violence and cruelty.  One of her uncles had left their town and never returned. Now, as she sets off with Anji and his soldiers, her uncle Shai journeys with them to discover their lost kinsman's fate.  But the world has turned upside down: The immortal Guardians have abandoned the world; their mortal agents of justice, Eagle Reeves, seem no longer to hold the respect of people throughout the lands of the North; and the villages and towns of the Hundred are in peril of civil war.  Captain Anji and his disciplined troops ride a trade route east to discover what fearsome shadow has seized the land and so terrified its people.  Their fates are entwined with those of a reeve who has already tasted the bitterness of loss, and with merchants and slaves both sacred and profane, who must transcend the paths they thought to tread if they are to see the light beyond the shadow that blights the land."           
Melanie Rawn is the author of nine books including the Dragon Prince series.  Her new novel is a bit of a departure, an urban fantasy called SPELLBINDER.  From her website: "Holly McClure has it all: beauty, success, a great apartment in Manhattan, good friends, and a very sexy new boyfriend.  And one more thing...a very rare magical talent.  Holly is a witch.  There is magic in the big city...literally.  New York City has a small, and very discrete, population of witches and wizards who live and love and go dancing just like everyone else.  Holly McClure is one of them, a successful writer who tries to ignore her magical heritage, except when the local Magistrate needs her special gift in his coven.  Holly is far more interested in Evan Lachlan, the handsome federal marshal who works with her best friend, lawyer Susannah Wingfield.  But trouble has come to the City, in the form of a black coven run by a murderous psychopath.  The mysterious Noel is recruiting a lot of would-be Satanists for his rituals and he'd very much like to have Holly.  Not for her self or her talents, but for her blood.  Holly is something very special; not just a witch, but a Spellbinder.  Her blood has the power to strengthen any spell or ritual, for good or for evil."

Wednesday, October 18th at 7:00 pm: Batya Weinbaum PhD. and Ardys De Lu, "Femspec Magazine" -  "Femspec is an interdisciplinary feminist journal dedicated to critical and creative works in the realms of SF, fantasy, magical realism, surrealism, myth, folklore, and other supernatural genres."  Articles in the current issue include "The Consequences of Disney Anthropomorphism," "Sex and the Single Starship Captain: Compulsory Heterosexuality and Star Trek: Voyager," and others, plus fiction, poetry and book reviews.  Join us to meet editor Batya Weinbaum and science fiction and fantasy writer Ardys De Lu and learn about this groundbreaking periodical; its origins, current activities and its future.  For more detailed information, visit Femspec's website at <http://www.femspec.org/index.html>.

Saturday, October 21st at 8:00 pm: Pete Atkins, Glen Hirshberg and Norm Partridge, "The Rolling Darkness Review" -  From their press release: "The Rolling Darkness Revue, a traveling fraternity of horror fiction's premier talents, is back on the road this October to deliver thrills and chills in celebration of the genre's favorite holiday.  Now in its third year, the Rolling Darkness Revue is a multi-media experience which incorporates theatrical lighting and live music to provide much more than the usual bookstore reading."   This year we'll be joined by Pete Atkins, Glen Hirshberg and Norm Partridge, and there will be live music from Pets Gone Wild.  Don't miss this tradition that is rapidly becoming an institution!

Sunday, October 22nd at 3:00 pm: Joe Gold, THE LAMP POST MOTEL (Dailey Swan) - Borderlands is pleased to welcome Joe Gold, who shares the following about his novel: "The book is a science fiction story that takes place in a real motel that my family built and owned in Tucson.  I was a manager there after my father died.  It begins with two students of the future doing sexual anthropology research into their past, and finding the Lamp Post Motel, where the shy owner keeps an eye on his customers through hidden cameras—until [the students] decide to drop his mind into the bodies of the people he’s watching. The mind-hopping begins there."
Joe Gold is a freelance writer living in San Francisco, a former newspaper reporter at the Arizona Daily Star where he was twice  nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.  Join us to meet him and enjoy his fascinating book.

Wednesday, October 25th at 7:00 pm: Valerie Frankel, HENRY POTTY AND THE PET ROCK: AN UNAUTHORIZED HARRY POTTER PARODY (Wingspan Press) - Join us to meet acclaimed writer, teacher, and storyteller Valerie Estelle Frankel, who will present her unauthorized Harry Potter parody!  Catastrophe strikes Chickenfeet Academy, and it’s not just the cafeteria food.  Lord Revolting, murderous goldfish-flusher, needs Really Wimpy’s pet rock to conquer the world!  While battling him with squirt guns and cheesy how-to guides, Henry Potty aces Hobology, preps for America’s Funniest Fairygodchildren, and tries to avoid laundering Professor Snort’s dreaded hankies, or worse, watching A History of Cabbages in Polish.  All the while, the least likely character watches, coveting the pet rock for her own sneaky agenda.  What part does Socks the parrot, wisecracking pet of Headmaster Bumbling Bore, play in all this?  Will Revolting dare the ultimate villainy and spoil the book?  Will this novel waste your entire morning? There’s only one way to know…

Borderlands and Variety Children's Charity present a Halloween Super Zombie Triple Feature - "Cemetery Man," "Shaun of the Dead," and "SARS Wars: Bangkok Zombie Crisis" - at Variety's Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street, Monday, October 30th at 7:00 pm! 
"Cemetery Man" (1994, Michele Soavi, 99 minutes) Originally titled "Delamorte Dellamore", this is surprisingly complex film masquerading as a B-grade zombie movie about a cemetery watchman whose job is to slaughter the living dead when they rise from their graves.  Starring Rupert Everett!
"Shaun of the Dead" (2004, Edgar Wright, 100 minutes) "Shaun of the Dead" is an outrageous and funny zombie horror comedy.  A huge hit, this movie demonstrates that there comes a time when a man just has to get off the couch and. . . kill some zombies.
"SARS Wars: Bangkok Zombie Crisis" (2004, Taweewat Wantha, 95 minutes) A Thai bio-zombie comedy-thriller!  The SARS 4 virus transforms people into bloodthirsty zombies.  There are schoolgirls in peril, bumbling bad guys, and heroic antics.  You'll just have to see it.
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 thirty-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.

Saturday, November 11th at 3:00 pm: Ellen Klages, THE GREEN GLASS SEA (Viking) -  Borderlands is glad to welcome Nebula Award winner Ellen Klages, presenting her first novel.  It is 1943, and 11-year-old Dewey Kerrigan is traveling west on a train to live with her scientist father—but no one, not her father nor the military guardians who accompany her, will tell her exactly where he is.  When she reaches Los Alamos, New Mexico, (a town that does not officially exist) she learns why: he’s working on a top secret government program, "the gadget".  Over the next few years, Dewey gets to know eminent scientists, starts tinkering with her own mechanical projects, becomes friends with a budding artist who is as much of a misfit as she is—and, all the while, has no idea how the Manhattan Project is about to change the world.  This is a great book; not science fiction, but so much about science and the way it alters us and our world that genre fans will devour it.

Sunday, November 12th at 1:00 pm: Deborah Grabein, CRUEL SISTER (St. Martins) - From Publishers Weekly: " In Grabien's mesmerizing fourth mystery of ghostly suspense (after 2005's MATTY GROVES), actress Penny Wintercraft-Hawkes gets a call from her long-absent brother, Stephen, who has returned to London from Hong Kong with his wife, Tamsin, to claim land he inherited on the Isle of Dogs, situated on the Thames.  Stephen wants Penny's lover, Ringan Laine, a folk musician and expert in period restoration, to consult on his plan to build a Tudor-style manor house on the site.  Ringan's uneasy first steps on the isle are only the prelude to the horror of visions to come.  A girl who drowns her sister, a pack of baying dogs and a musician from Henry VIII's court invade Ringan's dreams and his waking life.  As in previous entries to the series, one of Ringan's folksongs figures into the story and enhances the drama.  Grabien's skillful blend of reality and the supernatural will chill even skeptical readers."  Deborah specializes in both medieval history and Elizabethan drama, although these days, she's as interested in the collected songs of those periods as she is in the politics.  Among other things, she is a musician and has a passion for rescuing cats.  Deborah lives in San Francisco with her husband.

Sunday, November 12th at 3:00 pm: Tim Pratt and Heather Shaw, THE YEAR'S BEST FANTASY 6, edited by David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer (Tachyon Publications) - Bay Area authors Tim Pratt and Heather Shaw will share their stories from THE YEAR'S BEST.  Publishers Weekly gave this collection a starred review, with the following to say: "Hartwell and Cramer (THE ASCENT OF WONDER) present 23 fantastic stories in this brilliant anthology, the first trade paperback installment of their popular Year's Best series.  Most notable are Jonathon Sullivan's tear-jerking "Niels Bohr and the Sleeping Dane," which brings together physics and Kabbalistic magic during a daring escape from Nazi-occupied Denmark; Laird Barron's "The Imago Sequence," a heart-stopping tale of some deeply disturbing photographs and the people who will do anything to see them; Delia Sherman's "Walpurgis Afternoon," which brings glorious magic to a bland suburb; and Neil Gaiman's "Sunbird" with its R.A. Lafferty–flavored bittersweet hilarity.  Stories from such renowned authors as Esther Friesner and Gene Wolfe are surprisingly outclassed by tales from relative newcomers Alaya Dawn Johnson and Anne Harris.  With selections that aren't always technically perfect but pack a powerful emotional wallop, the editors easily meet their stated goal of offering not only a great read but also a broad and thorough overview of the current state of short fantasy fiction."

Saturday, November 18th from 12:00 - 8:00 pm: Borderlands' 9th Anniversary Sale - Borderlands will be celebrating our 9th anniversary on Saturday, November 18th by having a big one-day sale.  Buy any two used books and get a third one of equal or lesser value for free!  Collectable books are not included in this deal but they will be 10% off all day long, DVD's are also 10% off, and finally, everything else in the store will be 20% off (artwork, employees, and cat excluded, sorry).  The sale will only run for one day, and we only do two sales a year (our anniversary and Ripley's birthday), so mark your calendars for Saturday, November 18th.  Thank you all for all of your support -- you are the reason this store exists! 

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 the author's 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

Henry Potty and the Pet Rock by Valerie Estelle Frankel  (Wingspan Press, Trade Paperback, $8.99)

Now We Are Sick - An Anthology of Nasty Verse edited by Neil Gaiman and Stephen Jones (DreamHaven, Trade Paperback, $10.00) - Poems by Ramsey Campbell, Terry Pratchett, Gene Wolfe and others.

Year’s Best Fantasy 6 edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer (Tachyon, Trade Paperback, $14.95) - Stories by Kelly Link, Connie Willis, Gene Wolfe and others.

Catalyst by Nina Kiriki Hoffman  (Tachyon, Trade Paperback, $14.95)

People of the Dark by Robert E. Howard  (Wildside Press, Trade Paperback, $10.00)

Pictures from an Expedition by Alexander C. Irvine  (Night Shade Books, Trade Paperback, $14.95)

Polyphony vol. 5 edited by Deborah Layne and Jay Lake (Wheatland Press, Trade Paperback, $18.95) - Contains stories by Jay Caselberg, Tim Pratt, Leslie What and others.

Twenty Epics edited by David Moles and Susan Marie Groppi (All Star Stories, Trade Paperback, $19.95)

Mappa Mundi by Justina Robson  (Pyr, Trade Paperback, $15.00)

Science Fiction: The Very Best of 2005 edited by Jonathan Strahan  (Locus Press, Trade Paperback, $17.95) - Stories by Cory Doctorow, Gwyneth Jones, Alastair Reynolds and others.

Fantasy: The Very Best of 2005 by Jonathan Strahan, ed.  (Locus Press, Trade Paperback, $16.95) - Stories by Peter S. Beagle, Ellen Klages, Kelly Link and others.

Last of the O-Forms & Other Stories, The by James Van Pelt  (Fairwood Press, Trade Paperback, $17.99)

A Cruel Wind: A Chronicle of The Dread Empire by Glen Cook  (Night Shade Books, Hardcover, $35.00 also signed limited edition Hardcover (250 copies), $60.00) - Introduction by Jeff Vandermeer.  Contains the novels A Shadow of All Night, October’s Baby and All Darkness Met.

Pearls From Peoria by Philip Jose Farmer  (Subterranean, Hardcover, $45.00)

Privilege of The Sword, The by Ellen Kushner  (Small Beer Press, Hardcover, $35.00)

Storm of Swords, A - A Song of Ice & Fire vol. 3 by George R.R. Martin  (Subterranean, Hardcover, $260.00) - 448 signed and numbered limited edition copies.  Illustrated by Charles Vess.

To Hold Infinity by John Meaney  (Pyr, Hardcover, $25.00)

Spacebloom - A Field Guide to Cosmic Xflora by Awk Ro, ed.  (Etculli, Hardcover, $35.00)

Demon and The City, The - Detective Inspector Chen vol. 2 by Liz Williams  (Night Shade Books, Hardcover, $24.95 also signed, limited edition Hardcover (125 copies) which includes an original short story not availble elsewhere.)

Greetings From Lake Wu by Jay Lake  (Traife Buffet, Oversized Hardcover, $150.00) - 250 signed and numbered copies.  Includes several stories and illustrations not appearing in any other edition.  Amusingly enough, one story and illustration pair features Borderlands' General Manager, Jude Feldman, as the model for the illustration and the story features both Ms. Feldman and Borderlands' owner, Alan Beatts as major characters.  Neither party is quite sure how to feel about this but the general sensation is of flattered and pleased discomfort.

Lost Worlds - The Journal of Clarke Ashton Smith Studies by Scott Conners  (Steel Bennit, Oversized Softcover, $15.00)

Here Comes a Candle by Frederic Brown  (Millipede Press, Trade Paperback, $14.00) - Includes an extra short story and short essay. Introduction by Bill Pronzini

Thou Shalt Not . . . by Lee Allen Howard, ed.  (Dark Cloud Press, Trade Paperback, $17.00) - Stories by Michael A. Arnzen, Kevin Anderson, Lawrence C. Connolly and others.

Hater by David Moody  (Infected Books, Trade Paperback, $15.00)

Autumn - Autumn vol. 1 by David Moody  (Infected Books, Trade Paperback, $13.50) - Customers have been saying that AUTUMN is the best new series of zombie books in a long, long time.

Autumn: The City - Autumn vol. 2 by David Moody  (Infected Books, Trade Paperback, $15.00)

Autumn: Purification - Autumn vol. 3 by David Moody  (Infected Books, Trade Paperback, $15.00)

Autumn: The Human Condition - Autumn vol. 4 by David Moody  (Infected Books, Trade Paperback, $15.00)

Tenant, The by Roland Topor  (Millipede Press, Trade Paperback, $13.00 also Hardcover, $45.00) - Includes novel and 4 short stories. Translated from the French by Francis K. Price.  Introduction by Thomas Ligotti.

Destinations Unknown by Gary A. Braunbeck  (Cemetery Dance, Hardcover, $40.00) - 1000 signed limited edition copies.

Vessels by Kealan Patrick Burke  (Bloodletting Press, Hardcover, $45.00) - 400 signed and numbered copies.

Development Hell by Mick Garris  (Cemetery Dance, Hardcover, $40.00) - 1000 signed limited edition copies.

Left In The Dark by John Gordon  (Medusa Press, Hardcover, $40.00 also limited edition hardcover with signed bookplate $60.00)

When Dark Descends by Charles L. Grant and Thomas F. Monteleone (Borderlands Press, Hardcover, $35.00) - 500 signed and numbered copies.

Offspring by Jack Ketchum  (Overlook Connection, Hardcover, $85.00) - 100 signed and numbered limited edition copies. Sequel to OFF SEASON

Alabaster by Caitlin R. Kiernan  (Subterranean, Hardcover, $25.00 also signed and numbered limited edition (250 copies) $45.00)

Hacks by Brian Knight  (Delirium Books, Hardcover, $50.00) - 250 signed and numbered limited edition copies.

Darker Tides - The Weird Tales of Eric Frank Russell by Eric Frank Russell  (Midnight House, Hardcover, $45.00)

Pressure by Jeff Strand  (Earthling Publications, Hardcover, $25.00 also signed and numbered limited edition Hardcover, $50.00) - Foreword by Michael Prescott.

Excavation by Steve Rasnic Tem  (Delirium Books, Hardcover, $50.00) - 200 signed and numbered limited edition copies. Dark Essentials series 4, vol. 1.

Little Brass Book of Full Metal, A by Douglas E. winter  (Borderlands Press, Other Hardcover, $20.00) - 500 signed and numbered copies.

Best of Xero, The edited by Pat Lupoff and Dick Lupoff (Tachyon, Trade Paperback, $19.95)

Worldcon Guest of Honor Speeches edited by Mike Resnick and Joe Siclari (ISFIC Press, Hardcover, $30.00)

Freedom of Fantastic Things, The - Selected Criticism of Clark Ashton Smith edited by Scott Conners  (Hippocampus Press, Hardcover, $49.95 and Trade Paperback, $20.00) 

New and Notable

Stone of The Stars, The - Dragon Throne vol 1 by Alison Baird  (Aspect, Mass Market, $6.99)

Disappearing Act by Margaret Ball  (Baen, Mass Market, $7.99)

Shadows on the Stars - The Great Tree of Avalon vol. 2 by T.A. Barron  (Ace, Mass Market, $7.99)

Runner by William C. Dietz  (Ace, Mass Market, $7.99)

Beyond The Hanging Wall by Sara Douglass  (Tor, Mass Market, $7.99)

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman  (HarperCollins, Mass Market, $7.99)

Rogue Clone by Steven L. Kent  (Ace, Mass Market, $7.99)

Learning The World by Ken Macleod  (Tor, Mass Market, $7.99)

Burning Tower by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (Pocket, Mass Market, $7.99)

Book of Shadows, The by James Reese  (HarperTorch, Mass Market, $7.99)

Backshot - Starfist: Force Recon vol 1 by David Sherman and Dan Cragg (Del Rey, Mass Market, $6.99)

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder  (Luna, Mass Market, $6.99)

Singer of Souls by Adam Stemple  (Tor, Mass Market, $6.99) - Fans of Emma Bull, the Bordertown books, Charles de Lint, and TITHE by Holly Black will enjoy this clever and dark take on the world of Faerie intersecting with modern-day Scotland.  One caveat, though. . . Jude *loved* the book up until the last four pages, and then she wanted to throw it across the room.  Recommended, with some reservation, by Jude.

Matriarch - Wess’har Wars vol 4 by Karen Traviss  (Eos, Mass Market, $7.99) - The first volume in a new trilogy continues where THE WORLD BEFORE left off.  A very fine series about first contact and interstellar war, many of Borderlands' staff have read and enjoyed the first three novels.  Traviss manages to combine a comprehension of the realities of warfare with a sophisticated social and ecological sensability in a way that is unique in my experience.  Fans of David Drake as well as Kim Stanley Robinson should give her a try.  Recommended by Alan.

True Blood by Patricia Waddell  (Tor Romance, Mass Market, $6.99)

Night Train From Rigel by Timothy Zahn  (Tor, Mass Market, $7.99)

Book of Imaginary Beings, The by Jorge Luis Borges and Andrew Hurley, trans. (Penguin, Trade Paperback, $16.00)

Brokedown Palace by Steven Brust  (Orb, Trade Paperback, $14.95)

Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham  (Picador, Trade Paperback, $14.00)

Prodigal by Marc D. Giller  (Bantam Spectra, Trade Paperback, $12.00)

Sardine In Outer Space 2 by Emmanuel Guibert and Joann Sfar (First Second, Trade Paperback, $12.95)

Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link  (Harcourt Brace & Company, Trade Paperback, $14.00) - Illustrated by Shelley Jackson

Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire  (Regan, Trade Paperback, $16.00)

Transgalactic by A.E. Van Vogt  (Baen, Trade Paperback, $15.00)

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang  (First Second, Trade Paperback, $16.95)

Machine’s Child, The - The Company vol. 7 by Kage Baker  (Tor, Hardcover, $24.95)

Only Revolutions by Mark Z. Danielewski  (Pantheon, Hardcover, $26.00) - Another odd book from the author of HOUSE OF LEAVES.  This two-part narrative is bound like an old Ace double (i.e. the are two "fronts" to the book and no back cover) and, according to the publisher's note, suggested to be read eight pages at a time, alternating narrators.  It might be just too clever for words or it could be an effective structure.

1635: Cannon Law by Eric Flint  (Baen, Hardcover, $26.00)

Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman  (Morrow, Hardcover, $26.95) - A new collection of Gaiman's short work.  Much of the material has appeared elsewhere but there are a number of stories original to this edition.

Harsh Cry Of The Heron, The - The Last Tale of The Otori by Lian Hearn  (Penguin, Hardcover, $26.95)

Variable Star by Robert A. Heinlein and Spider Robinson (Tor, Hardcover, $24.95) - This novel is based on chapters, notes and an outline left in Heinlein's files.  At the request of the literary executor of the Heinlein estate, Robinson was asked to complete it.  The product, while not a "real" Heinlein novel, is well worth reading in that it's an interesting melding of styles, not to mention a bit of a curiosity. 

Sir Thursday - Keys To the Kingdom vol 4 by Garth Nix  (Scholastic, Hardcover, $16.99)

Wintersmith - A Tiffany Aching Adventure by Terry Pratchett  (HarperTempest, Hardcover, $16.99)

Finest Challenge, The by Jean Rabe  (Tor, Hardcover, $24.95)

Thraxas Under Siege - Thraxas vol. 6 by Martin Scott  (Baen, Hardcover, $24.00)

Changeling by Delia Sherman  (Viking, Hardcover, $16.99) - Delia Sherman was kind enough to sign some Changeling postcards for us at Worldcon, so for a limited time only we have copies of this awesome urban fantasy with laid in postcard signed by the author!

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder  (Luna, Hardcover, $21.95)

Paradise by Koji Suzuki and Tyran Grillo, trans. (Vertical, Hardcover, $21.95)

Disunited States of America, The - Crosstime Traffic vol. 4 by Harry Turtledove  (Tor, Hardcover, $24.95)

Last Days by Scott Westerfeld  (Razor Bill, Hardcover, $16.99) - Sequel to Peeps

Goblins of Labyrinth, The by Brain Froud and Terry Jones (Abrams, Oversized Hardcover, $29.95)

Beatrice Letters, The by Lemony Snicket  (HarperCollins, Oversized Hardcover, $19.99)

Vimanarama by Grant Morrison and Philip Bond (DC Comics, Oversized Softcover, $12.99) - Originally published in single magazine form as VIMANARAMA #1-3

Psyche In A Dress by Francesca Lia Block  (HarperCollins, Other Hardcover, $15.99)

Ice Dragon, The by George R.R. Martin  (Starscape, Other Hardcover, $12.95) - Illustrated by Yvonne Gilbert.  This is a young adult novelette loosely set in the world of A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE.  It is a good, solid story, but may be a disappointment to fans expecting to be left as breathless by the next Martin book they read as they were by A STORM OF SWORDS, for example. 

Song in the Dark by P.N. Elrod  (Ace, Mass Market, $7.99)

Hot Blood X by Jeff Gelb, ed. and Michael Garrett, ed. (Pinnacle, Mass Market, $6.99)

Stones Unturned - A Novel of the Menagerie by Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski (Ace, Mass Market, $7.99)

Nobody True by James Herbert  (Tor, Mass Market, $7.99)

Celler, The by Richard Laymon  (Leisure, Mass Market, $7.99) - Reissue of Laymon's long out of print classic novel of monstrous creatures living under a house in a thinly veiled Santa Cruz.  The first of the Beast House trilogy and the cornerstone of Laymon's reputation as the master of splatter.  Not for everyone but it is the place to start if you're curious about Laymon.

Retrieval by Jeanie London  (Tor, Mass Market, $6.99)

Creepers by David Morrell  (CDS Books, Mass Market, $7.99)

Breeding Ground by Sarah Pinborough  (Leisure, Mass Market, $6.99)

Horrorween by Al Sarrantonio  (Leisure, Mass Market, $6.99)

Fresh Flesh by Wendy Swanscombe  (Nexus, Mass Market, $7.99)

Witchery: A Ghosts of Albion Novel by Amber Benson and Christopher Golden (Del Rey, Trade Paperback, $14.95)

Haunted Doll’s House and Other Ghost Stories, The - Complete
Stories of M.R. James vol. 2 by M.R. James  (Penguin, Trade Paperback, $15.00)

Historian, The by Elizabeth Kostova  (Back Bay Books, Trade Paperback, $15.99)

Illustrated Dracula, The by Bram Stoker and Jae Lee, illus. (Viking, Trade Paperback, $21.95)

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks  (Crown, Hardcover, $24.95)

Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris  (Berkley, Hardcover, $23.95)

Sorcery In Shad by Brian Lumley  (Tor, Hardcover, $23.95)

Harrowing, The by Alexandra Sokoloff  (St. Martin's, Hardcover, $21.95) - A nice, tightly written ghost story in the classic style.  Possesed ouija boards, deserted colledge dorm with a dark history, plus a touch of Jewish arcana, what more can you ask for?  Recommended by Alan.

Roman Dusk - A Novel of Count Saint-Germain by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro  (Tor, Hardcover, $27.95)

Monsters - A Celebration of ther Classics from Universal Studios by Jennifer Osborne, ed.  (Del Rey, Oversized Hardcover, $29.95) - Essays by Ron Chaney, Sara Karloff, Bela G. Lugosi and others.

Box of Bunny Suicides, A by Andy Riley  (Plume, Other Softcover, $20.00) - Cartoons featuring little fluffy rabbits who just don’t want to live any more. Contains THE BOOK OF BUNNY SUICIDES and RETURN OF THE BUNNY SUICIDES in a wee slipcase.

Point of Honor - A Sarah Tolerance Mystery by Madeleine E. Robins  (Tor, Mass Market, $6.99)

Petty Treason - A Sarah Tolerance Mystery by Madeleine E. Robins  (Forge, Hardcover, $24.95) - Sequel to POINT OF HONOR.

Physics of Superheroes, The by James Kakalios  (Gotham Books, Trade Paperback, $15.00)

Full Metal Apache: Transactions Between Cyberpunk Japan and Avant-Pop America by Takayumi Tatsumi  (Duke University, Trade Paperback, $22.95) - Signed by Takaymi Tatsumi

Making Comics by Scott McCloud  (Harper, Trade Paperback, $22.95)

New and Notable DVDs

Andromedia directed by Takashi Miikie  (Pathfinder Home Entertainment, DVD, $14.98)

April Fool’s Day directed by Fred Walton  (Paramount, DVD, $9.99)

Basilisk: Scrolls of Blood directed by Fumitomo Kizaki  (Funimation, DVD, $29.98)

Beast From 20,000 Fathoms / Them! directed by Eugene Lorie and Gordon Douglas (Warner, DVD, $14.95)

Beast Must Die, The directed by Paul Annett  (Dark Sky films, DVD, $14.95) - An Amicus film. Vincent Price.

Bell from Hell, A directed by Claudio Guerin Hill  (Pathfinder Home Entertainment, DVD, $14.98)

Black Pit of Dr. M, The directed by Fernando Mendez  (Panik House, DVD, $19.95) - Mexican Horror.

Brainiac: El Baron Del Terror directed by Chano Urueta  (Casanegra, DVD, $19.95) - Mexican Horror.

Brazil: The Final Cut directed by Terry Gilliam  (Criterion, DVD, $29.95) - 142 minute director approved cut. Single disk edition, with new anamorphic transfer.

Cemetery of Terror / Grave Robers directed by Ruben Galindo Jr.  (Deimos, DVD, $14.98) - Mexican Horror

Cowboy Bebop: Remix One directed by Shinichiro Watanabe  (Bandai, DVD, $29.95)

Cowboy Bebop: Remix Two directed by Shinichiro Watanabe  (Bandai, DVD, $29.95) - Anime

Craft, The directed by Andrew Fleming  (Columbia Pictures, DVD, $9.95)

Curse of the Doll People / Night of the Bloody Apes directed by Benito Alazraki  (Deimos, DVD, $14.95) - Mexican Horror.

Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein directed by Jess Franco  (Image Entertainment, DVD, $14.98)

Dust Devil: The Final Cut directed by Richard Stanley  (Subversive, DVD, $29.95) - Contains 2 versions of Dust Devil, and 3 documentaries by Richard Stanley.

Empire Strikes Back, The directed by Irvin Kershner  (Twentieth Century Fox, DVD, $29.98)

Escape to Witch Mountan / Return from Witch Mountain directed by John Hough  (Disney, DVD, $19.99)

Face Behind The Mask, The directed by Chen Chi Hau  (BCI, DVD, $9.99)

Fright Pack: Last House on Hell Street / Malefic / Terror House directed by  (Terror Vision, DVD, $19.98)

Godzilla: Final Wars directed by Ryehei Kitamura  (Sony, DVD, $24.95)

Gojira / Godzilla directed by Ishiro Honda  (Sony, DVD, $21.98) - Contains the original Japanese movie, and the cut and pasted Raymond Burr edition.

Gozu: Unrated Directors cut directed by Takashi Mike  (Pathfinder Home Entertainment, DVD, $14.98) - Japanese Horror / Yakuza

Graveyard, The directed by Micheal Feifer  (Lionsgate, DVD, $26.95)

Gunslinger Girl: The Complete Series directed by Morio Aasaka  (Funmation, DVD, $49.98) - Anime

Hard Candy directed by David Slad  (Lions Gate, DVD, $27.98)

Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth directed by Anthony Hickox  (Paramount, DVD, $14.99)

House On Haunted Hill (1959) / House on Haunted Hill (1999) directed by William Castle and William Malone (Warner, DVD, $14.95)

Kibakichi directed by Tomo-o Haraguchi  (Saiki Films, DVD, $24.95)

King Kong (1933) Single Disk Edition directed by Merian C. Cooper  (Warner, DVD, $14.95)

Magic 101: The Basics of Magic directed by Nishikiori Hiroshi  (Funimation, DVD, $29.98) - Anime

Magic of the Universe / Counter Destroyer directed by Edgar Jere  (Deimos, DVD, $14.95)

Masters of Horror: Dance of the Dead directed by Tobe Hooper  (Anchor bay, DVD, $16.98) - Masters of Horror Series; Based on a Richard Matheson story, adapted by R. C. Matheson.

Masters of Horror: Imprint directed by Takashi Mike  (Anchor Bay, DVD, $16.99) - Censored episode not shown on Showtime.

Masters of Horror: Jenifer directed by Dario Argento  (Anchor Bay, DVD, $16.98)

Natural Born Killers: Directors Cut directed by Oliver Stone  (Trimark, DVD, $9.98)

Popotan Vol. 1 directed by Shinichiro Kimura  (Geneon, DVD, $24.95) - Anime

Princess Bride - Buttercup edition directed by Rob Reiner  (MGM, DVD, $24.98) - Starring Cary Elwes. Includes documentary material and cast interviews.

Saber Marionette R directed by Kouji Masunari  (Anime Works, DVD, $19.95) - Anime

Sars Wars: Bangkok Zombie Crisis directed by Taweewat Wantha  (Discotek, DVD, $24.95)

Star Wars directed by George Lucas  (Twentieth Century Fox, DVD, $29.98) - Contains the “Special Edition” and the Theatrical Cut

Tales From the Darkside: The Movie directed by John Harrison  (Paramount, DVD, $9.99)

The Hidden Blade directed by Yoji Yamada  (Tartan Video, DVD, $22.95) - Japanese Historical Epic.

The Lon Chaney Collection: Man-fish / The Golden Junkman / Lock Up Indestructible Man directed by Lon Chaney  (Retromedia, DVD, $19.95)

The Plague directed by Hal Masonberg  (Sony, DVD, $24.96)

The Return of the Jedi directed by Richard Marquand  (Twentieth Century Fox, DVD, $29.98) - Limited Edition containing both the “Special Edition” and Original Theatrical Cut.

The Witches Mirror directed by Chano Urueta  (Panik House Entertainment, DVD, $19.95) - Mexican Horror

Trinity Blood: Chapter 1 directed by Tomohiro Hirata  (Funmation, DVD, $29.98) - Anime

Tristia of the Deep-Blue Sea directed by Hitoyuki Matsui  (Pathfinder Home Entertainment, DVD, $14.98) - Anime

Witches of Eastwick, The directed by George Miller  (Warner, DVD, $9.99)

Zipang: Future Shock directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi  (Geneon, DVD, $24.98) - Anime

Featured Upcoming Titles

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

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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