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DISPATCHES FROM THE BORDER

Events and News from Borderlands Books

December, 2007

Chapter One - Event Information, News, and Special Features

Borderlands Holiday Potluck Party, Friday, December 21st at 6:00 pm

(Borderlands takes a break from events between Thanksgiving and New Year's, but we've got some great stuff in the works for next year -- we're already organizing events with Jeffrey Ford, Scott Sigler, and many others!)

Mark J. Ferrari, THE BOOK OF JOBY, (Tor, Hardcover, $27.95, and Trade Paperback, $15.95) Saturday, January 12th at 3:00 pm

Peter S. Beagle and Mark J. Ferrari are guests of SF in SF at the Variety Preview Room, 582 Market Street, Saturday, January 19th at 7:00 pm

(for more information check the end of this section)

Gift Suggestions

It is that time of year again . . . warm feelings in the heart, a chill in the air, and my neighbors with their terrifying holiday decorations.  (Light-up, three-foot-tall Wise Men in the trees - now that is scary!) But I digress.  This is a cozy time of year, when many of you more-domestic-than-me types bake cookies and gather the loved ones close by the fire . . . or maybe your whole Wiccan circle goes camping in the mountains with organic goodies . . . or perhaps you play World of Warcraft with your buddies, a huge bag of Doritos, and a gallon-size Mountain Dew . . . or maybe you get Chinese food and watch zombie movies with the cats . . . or curl up by yourself with a good book or seven! However and with whomever you choose to spend your holidays, we wish you joy and fun.

To make the present-giving parts of the season easier, here is the officially-official Borderlands Guide to Holiday Gifts, with a little something for everyone -- even you!

GOOD-FOR-ANYONE-GIFTS:

Y'know when you want to give something nice to someone you don't know very well? Skip the snowman sweaters - these are never-fail choices.

*The Princess Bride 25th Anniversary Edition by William Goldman (Ballantine, Hardcover, $24.95, or Mass Market, $7.99) - I have never met *anyone* who dislikes this book, which is close to a miracle.  The perfect blend of humor, action, adventure, romance, and Rodents of Unusual Size.

*Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (Morrow, Hardcover, $29.95, Harper, Trade Paperback, $14.95, and HarperTorch Mass Market, $7.99) - The funniest book about Armageddon you'll ever read.

*We have a large selection of blank books, including Moleskine journals, Sandman and fairy journals, Tim Burton's Tragic Thoughts Journal (which lights up!) and handmade journals from the Pettingill Book Bindery in Berkeley.  Prices range from $7.99 to $18.99.

*Wooden boxes in a variety of sizes and designs will suit anyone.  Prices range from $5.00 - $36.00.

AMUSING GIFTS:

*The Android's Dream by John Scalzi (Tor, Hardcover, $24.95 and Mass Market, $6.99) - An intersteller incident inspired by flatulence and sheep. How does it get better?

*The ACME Catalog by Charles Carey (Chronicle, Trade Paperback, $14.95) - An entire catalog of (mostly) fictional products for Looney Tunes characters to purchase at their own risk!

*Great Lies to Tell Small Kids by Andy Riley (Plume, Small Softcover, $11.00) - I pick a new favorite every day, but today's is "It is unlucky NOT to name every ant you see. For your whole life."

*The Wit and Wisdom of Discworld by Terry Pratchett, complied by Stephen Briggs (Harper, Hardcover, $22.95) - Various bits and pieces, witty commentary and sagacious observations culled from all the Discworld novels.

Lamb, or The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore (Morrow, special gift edition with Bible-like cover & sewn-in bookmark, $19.95, and Perennial, Trade Paperback, $13.95) - A funny, respectful and oddly touching re-telling.

The Stupidest Angel (a Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror) by Christopher Moore (Morrow, small Hardcover, $15.95) Christmas.  With zombies.  It's a theme, you know.

HORRIFIC GIFTS TO TERRIFY THOSE YOU LOVE:

*20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill (Morrow, Hardcover, $24.95) We have just a few signed copies of this brilliant debut short story collection remaining.

*The Dark Descent edited by David Hartwell (Tor, Trade Paperback, $29.95) - The classic, indispensible collection with a little bit of everything for the horror fan.

*Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin (Bantam, Trade Paperback, $16.00) - Glorious, unsentimental Mississippi riverboat vampire novel.

*The Devil You Know by Mike Carey (Warner, Hardcover, $24.99) - We still have a few signed copies of this awesome first novel about freelance exorcist Felix Castor.

*World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Barry (Three Rivers, Trade Paperback, $14.95) - George Romero meets Studs Terkel.   Unforgettable and strangely moving.

*I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (Orb, Trade Paperback, $14.95) - Read (or give) the novel before the movie comes out.

FOR THE PARANOID ON YOUR LIST:

*Four Novels of the 1960 s: The Man in the High Castle, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Ubik by Philip K. Dick (Library of America, Hardcover, $35.00) - This lovely and literary volume collects these four novels.

*Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff (Harper, Oversized Softcover, $20.00) - Conspiracy upon conspiracy, plus a "Natural Causes" Gun that shoots heart attacks!

*How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion by Daniel H.  Wilson (Bloomsbury, small Softcover, $12.95) - Certainly the title speaks for itself.

*The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From the Living Dead by Max Barry (Three Rivers, Trade Paperback, $13.95) - Remember, "organize before they rise!"

ENDURING CLASSICS IN GIFT-Y HARDCOVER FORMATS:

*Dune by Frank Herbert (Ace, Hardcover, $29.95)

*Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (Tor, Hardcover, $25.95)

*The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Del Rey, Hardcover, $30.00)

*The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein (Houghton Mifflin, Collector's Edition bound in green leather with matching slipcase, $35.00; Houghton Mifflin, Hardcover illustrated by Tolkien, $16.00; Houghton Mifflin Hardcover illustrated by Alan Lee, $35.00; Houghton Mifflin Hardcover illustrated by Peter Sis, $18.00)

*The Neverending Story by Michael Ende (Dutton, Hardcover, $22.99)

*The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Wings, Hardcover, $14.99) - Includes all five novels - The Hitchhiker s Guide to the Galaxy; The Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Life, the Universe and Everything; So Long and Thanks for All the Fish; and Mostly Harmless.

FOR YOUR WEIRDER FRIENDS AND FAMILY:

*Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis (Morrow, Hardcover, $21.95) - If Hunter S. Thompson, Dashiell Hammett and Christopher Moore had written a novel together, this would be it.

*The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet edited by Gavin Grant and Kelly Link (Del Rey, Trade Paperback, $14.95) - Some of the best from the hugely popular 'zine.  Genre-bending and expectation-defying.

*Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar (Soft Skull, Trade Paperback, $13.95) - Quirky and sweet novel with several sincerely unconventional protagonists including a handful of drunken Scottish fairies.

*Butcher Bird by Richard Kadrey (Night Shade Books, Trade Paperback, $14.95) - Awesome novel set in San Francisco and Hell with an unlikely tattoo-artist hero.

*Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death by Corrine May Botz (Monacelli Press, Oversized Hardcover, $35.00) - This gorgeous photo book showcases the mind-boggling work of Frances Glessner Lee, who created incredibly realistic doll-house death scenes to assist in training forensic and police investigators.  Perfect for the CSI fan in your life.

*Gun With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem (Harcourt, Trade Paperback, $14.00) - Surreal noir detective novel, one of my favorites.  The threatening kangaroo is just the beginning.

*A Box of Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley (Plume, two small softcovers in a cardboard slipcase, $20.00) - Box includes THE BOOK OF BUNNY SUICIDES and RETURN OF THE BUNNY SUICIDES.  Cartoons featuring little fluffy rabbits who just don't want to live any more. 

MORE GOOD STUFF:

*The Golden Compass is the big, beautiful, uproar-inciting movie of the Winter.  We have several different formats of all of the books in the His Dark Materials series (The Golden Compass,The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman) for your controversial reading-or-presenting pleasure: Mass Markets from Laurel-Leaf, $7.50 each, Trade Paperbacks from Knopf, $11.95 each, and two different kinds of Hardcover from Knopf, the regular ($20.00 each) and the Special editions ($22.99 each).  We also have all three books in one omnibus trade paperback volume from Knopf, at $21.99.

*Territory by Emma Bull (Tor, Hardcover, $24.95) - A magical re-telling of the events leading up to the gunfight at the O.K.  Coral. 

*River of Gods by Ian McDonald (Pyr, Hardcover, $25.00, and Trade Paperback, $15.00) - India in 2047 is a very odd place.  An excellent novel full of fascinating ideas.   *Firebirds edited by Sharyn November (Viking, Hardcover, $19.99 and Trade Paperback $8.99) - One of my favorite anthologies -- this one has some brilliant stories in it.

*Portable Childhoods by Ellen Klages (Tachyon, Trade Paperback, $14.95) - Feral librarians, time-traveling lesbians, and the origin of beetles.  Short story collection that will make you laugh and sigh. 

*Cover Story: The Art of John Picacio by John Picacio (Monkeybrain Books, Oversized Hardcover, $39.95) - We still have some signed copies of this stunning art book.

*Wild Girls by Pat Murphy (Viking, Hardcover, $16.99) - One of the best novels ever about self-discovery through writing and rebelliousness.

*Blindsight by Peter Watts (Tor, Hardcover, $25.95) - Grim, fascinating hard SF novel.  One of the most thought-provoking of the year.

If nothing in this lengthy list sounds just right, please ask us --- we'll be happy to recommend something!

News

* As usual, Borderlands will have complimentary coffee, tea, and hot chocolate for our customers this whole month.

* Borderlands' event calendar is now up at Google Calendar.  You can sign up and have it added to your Google account.  Just click here <http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=office%40borderlands-books.com> to go to our calendar.  Feel free to bookmark it.  Or, click the button in the lower right corner.   It'll take you to Google's site where you can sign up and get our event information added to your own calendar.  We are also hosting our event calendar at iCal Exchange <http://www.icalx.com/>.   If you use Apple's iCal program, you can subscribe and get your tasty event info sent right to your computer.

* JACK KETCHUM'S THE GIRL NEXT DOOR COMES TO DVD THIS WEEK "North American viewers will finally have the opportunity to rent or buy the controversial, acclaimed, award-winning film version of the cult novel by Jack Ketchum this week.  Distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment, JACK KETCHUM'S THE GIRL NEXT DOOR arrives on video shelves on 12/4 .  . . .  Of the film, Stephen King has stated 'The first authentically shocking American film I've seen since HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER over 20 years ago.  If you are easily disturbed, you should not watch this movie.  If, on the other hand, you are prepared for a long look into hell, suburban style, THE GIRL NEXT DOOR will not disappoint.  This is the dark-side-of-the-moon version of STAND BY ME.' Screened at over 20 film festivals and conventions world-wide, the movie will receive a limited theatrical run in Canada this month.  Details of the screenings will be posted at [Phil] Nutman's official Web site later this week: <http://www.PhilipNutman.com> To view the cover art and for the specs on the disc, which includes two audio commentary tracks and detailed making-of featurettes, please go here: <http://andersonvision.com/joomla/content/view/2420/1/>"

*Thanks to Necessary Evil Press for the following: "With the announcement of our new novel DEEPER, we are featuring a short story from James A. Moore entitled DEAR DIARY. This story is not directly related to DEEPER, but it does involve a minor character from the novel. It's four chapters long and we will release one chapter each week for four weeks, starting with the first chapter (because that's a great place to start).  And the best parts? It's a brand new story and it's free!" <http://www.necessaryevilpress.com/deeper_book.html>

*Thanks to Josh Wilson for telling us about "The Fabulist," <http://the-fabulist.org/yarns/?page_id=2> which is a "new [online] home for fables, yarns, tall tales, weird fiction, magic realism, and literary fantasy & science fiction.  Your words, images and other media are welcome.  This is a beta site, open to readers and contributors. In particular we seek to free the literature of the fantastic from the burdens of genre. But genre is fine if it s in service to the telling . . . .  Contact: Drop us a line at bibliopolis (AT) the-fabulist.org Contribute: We welcome contributions of any genre, but especially those that use genre as a starting point. All manner of text, visual and audio media and styles are encouraged.  We re pretty laissez-faire about what goes up, as long as it s great and falls within the broad range of interests listed above.  Note that this is a volunteer project, done for love, not money."

*You can buy a t-shirt to support the SFWA Emergency Medical Fund (which helps science fiction writers without insurance), which is a great thing all by itself.   But the REALLY great thing is that the motto on the t-shirt is "SFWA: Farting Rainbows Since 1965!" Click here to buy the t-shirt:<http://www.zazzle.com/sfwa_farting_rainbow_t_shirt-235210275612449275>, and here <http://community.livejournal.com/sfwa/39295.html> for the story behind it, uh, so to speak.

*We're pleased to announce that Solaris Books has "begun the online serialisation of THREE UNBROKEN by Chris Roberson, posting the first chapter on their website at <http://www.solarisbooks.com/books/three-unbroken/free/index.asp>.   Chapters will now be posted twice a week, on a Wednesday and a Friday, accessible for FREE to anyone who stops by. The novel is the second book in Roberson s extraordinary Celestial Empire sequence, with the events described taking place at the same time as those in THE DRAGON S NINE SONS, which is published by Solaris in paperback in February 2008."

From The Office

Hi Everyone,

The holiday whirl is well and truly upon me.  On top of all the usual, I've been working on my house (dammit, I'm really going to try to have something that resembles a kitchen this Christmas -- it's only been in progress for three years now), working on the cafe (more about that next month -- and yes, I'm still planning on opening a cafe next door to the shop, any year now, I promise,) building furniture for friends (no one should tell a sound engineer that they have to move -- with two weeks notice), and trying to catch up after our big 10th anniversary doings (which were absolutely great -- thank all of you for your support).

And then there's sleep.  I remember sleep.  It was nice and soothing.  One of the great, lost loves of my life, actually.

Anyway, if you aren't all sick of seeing us at the shop, I hope you'll come by for our holiday pot-luck in two weeks.  I'd love to see you and, if I get some sleep, I might even have my eyes open.  Maybe.  If I'm lucky.

Otherwise, I hope you all have a great holiday, whatever you conceive it to be.  If you need a little break, stop by and say, "Hi".  We've got the usual complimentary coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and spiced cider all set up and waiting.  There's a comfy couch, an affectionate (read as "demanding") cat, and perhaps even one or two books that you haven't read yet.  And, we're open late Fridays and Saturdays 'till the 25th (in fact, for the last week leading up to Christmas we're going to be open 'till ten every night).

Oh, and I almost forgot -- if you come by during the week you might see two new faces around the store.  My sister-in-law Alexandra and my niece, Darran, are both helping out a bit.  They're both very nice (I don't care _what_ my brother says) and they each have their own particular taste in books (and Darran is especially good at making suggestions for younger readers) so make sure to ask them what they're reading.

Best,
Alan

Top Sellers At Borderlands

Hardcovers
1. Postsingular by Rudy Rucker
2. Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker
3. War of Gifts by Orson Scott Card
4. Ice, Iron and Gold by S.M. Stirling
5. Pirate Freedom by Gene Wolfe
6. Hilldiggers by Neal Asher
7. Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon
8. Imago Sequence & Other Stories by Laird Barron
9. Reserved for the Cat by Mercedes Lackey
10. Spook Country by William Gibson

Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Dog Days by John Levitt
2. The Android's Dream by John Scalzi
3. The City, Not Long After by Pat Murphy
4. Sixty Days and Counting by Kim Stanley Robinson
5. Glasshouse by Charles Stross
6. Old Man's War by John Scalzi
7. Endgame by Kristine Smith
8. Odyssey by Jack McDevitt
9. Light by M. John Harrison
10. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Trade Paperbacks
1. World War Z by Max Barry
2. Butcher Bird by Richard Kadrey
3. Speculative Japan edited by Grania Davis and Gene van Troyer
4. 9Tail Fox by Jon Courtenay Grimwood tied with Rewired: The Post Cyberpunk Anthology edited by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel
5. The Secret Files of the Diogenes Club by Kim Newman 

Notes From a DVD Geek

It's the Yule season, and frenzied purchasing sprees are in the air.   DVD's make great stocking stuffers, or gifts, or whatever.   For those of you find the holiday to be a torturous mess filled with awkward family gatherings and not much fun, I've got some suggestions for you.

First up is the original torture-porn extravaganza . . .  "The Girl Next Door".  Anybody who has read Jack Ketchum's landmark horror novel knows what a grueling, psychological roller coaster it is.  I have to be honest -- I haven't seen the movie yet.  It's directed by no one you've ever heard of, starring nobody you've ever heard of.  But it's going to the top of my To Watch pile, simply because the source material is so magnificent.  I have modest hopes for the movie, but . . .  they are still hopes.

"Hostel Part 2" is out on DVD.   The most original and creative of the torture-porn releases has a mediocre follow-up that delivers what you would expect from a franchise of this type.  If you have the holiday season blues, this will be sure to make you realize that someone, somewhere, is having a worse day.

If the recent influx of squirm-inducing horror has you wondering "What happened to the Italians?" They used to make such great/silly/crazy horror movies.   Well . . . They haven't stopped making them . . . they just got out-weirded by Takashi Mike and the rest of Japan.  Hoping to even up the score is a fresh young Italian auteur Alex Infascelli ("Almost Blue," "The Vanity Serum,") whose latest filmic epic is "Hate 20".  I'm not saying he's the next Dario Argento, or even the next Fulci . . . but he's certainly worth checking out.   "Hate 20" is in Italian, with English subtitles.  And that horror fiend on your holiday list most likely has not seen or heard of this one yet.

If that special someone has Asian Horror on their list . . . you might want to give them the Korean Ghost School Trilogy, box set, which has "Whispering Corridors," "Memento Mori," and "Wishing Stairs," along with a bonus disk of special features not previously released in the US.  This series is lush and filled with atmosphere, and a general sense of unease and creepiness.  Think "Degrassi High" meets "The Grudge".   (Speaking of "The Grudge," the novel that inspired the movie was written by Ken Oishi. He's written the new movie, "Apartment 1303," directed by Ataru Oikawa who made a name for himself directing the Tomie films.  Depending on how much Asian horror cinema you watch . . . this pairing may sound like the J-horror equivalent of the rock-n-roll world's Velvet Revolver*, or AudioSlave* . . . a calculated pairing of two established but slightly shopworn brand names.  And like the above two examples . . . sometimes it is a disaster and sometimes it works.   "Apartment 1303" is somewhere between these two extremes.  It is paint-by-numbers . . . but all the numbers are filled in very competently.  Perky young Japanese people getting killed by the apartment complex, and they keep moving in.  You'd think that as the body counts kept rising, people would stop moving in . . .  but if you live in San Francisco, you know a few ghosts won't keep you away from a place with below-market rent.  I guess for me, this is what truly resonated about this movie.  Sadly, I doubt there will be a US remake, set in San Francisco . . . staring the perky young cast of whatever CW teen angst TV drama is popular but there should be.

Moving away from horror, I wanted to point out the number one most important gift item on every SF aficionado's list: "Blade Runner - The Final Cut".  This is what a re-released, re-edited movie should be.  It contains the original theatrical version, and the new final cut, and every cut in between! Plus a boatload of special features.  There is a four disk version of this "Blade Runner":The Collectors' Edition.   It features: 1982 THEATRICAL VERSION - Featuring the infamous Harrison Ford voice over.  Some people love it. 1982 INTERNATIONAL VERSION - The basis of the U.S. home video, laserdisc and cable releases up to 1992. This version is not rated, and contains some extended action scenes in contrast to the Theatrical Version.  1992 DIRECTOR'S CUT - This was the one that removed the voice over, and added the unicorn, and the "Happy" ending. And . . . This year's FINAL CUT.   Which isn't anything hugely different from the 1992 director's cut, but is rather a refined version supervised by Scott, with some of the more obvious plot and F/X gaffs cleaned up. I saw this version in Times Square last month, on the big screen, and I can't wait to see it again. There is also a documentary, and a host of cut/unused footage available on the four disk edition - most of which has never been released before.   And, for the really hardcore of those amongst you who want to see the rarest of rares . . . there is a super special 5 disk "Ultimate Edition" that comes in its own special "void comp test" carrying case. This five-disk "Blade Runner" features the original work print version of the film .  . . very little narration . . .   different dialog in several scenes, and different music . . .  no happy ending and no unicorn. So, for the completist, I recommend the five disker, which will probably be out of print soon after Christmas, so grab it now.   I'd also recommend pre-ordering it with us if you want to get it, because we are only stocking this on a one-at-a-time basis.  For someone who is a casual fan, or just wants an archival quality version of the most influential SF film of all time ("Star Wars" is sci-fi , not SF - but that discussion is for another time) film, go for the four disk version.

Finally, I wanted to touch on something that will totally muddy the waters: HD, or High Definition.  If you own an HD TV, and a PS3, there's no reason to not be buying Blue Ray versions of your favorite movies.  I've made the Blue Ray plunge, and I'm not going back to regular DVD.  HD-DVD is a competing high definition standard that is also available, and next year expect to see combo players that play both formats, at affordable prices.  "Blade Runner" (both the 4 and 5-disk versions) are available in both High Definition formats.  Borderlands won't be stocking any High Definition versions of "Blade Runner," or any other movies (for now at least), but we can special order them for you, if you want the best available version for your home theater experience.

Some other titles that are available on both Blue Ray or HD are the Kubrick films I mentioned last month.  Blue Ray-only titles that I d recommend are the classic Korean torture/revenge epic "Oldboy," and Ridley Scott's director's cut of "Kingdom of Heaven".  All of these titles look simply awesome at 1080P resolution.  Let us know if you're interested, and we can get these or any others for you.

Next time you read my column, it will be next year.  Until then have a happy new year.

-Jeremy Lassen

*Guns n' Roses band members with Stone Temple Pilots' lead signer - disaster.
**Rage Against the Machine band members with Soundgarden's lead singer - it works.

- Jeremy Lassen
jlassen@borderlands-books.com

Book Club Info

The Gay Men's Book Club will meet on Sunday, December 9th, at 5 pm to discuss PERDIDO STREET STATION by China Mieville.  The book for January is RIVER OF GODS by Ian McDonald.  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, December 16th, at 6 pm to discuss A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE by Peter S. Beagle.  The book for January is HER SMOKE ROSE UP FOREVER by James Tiptree, Jr.  Please contact Jude at jfeldman@borderlands-books.com for more information.

Upcoming Event Details

Borderlands Holiday Potluck Party, Friday, December 21st at 6:00 pm - Consider us an island of sanity (well, perhaps an oasis of quiet .  . . the sanity part is debatable) in your busy holiday season.  Join us for a very informal Potluck Party; bring an edible tidbit or drink if you feel like it (no alcohol, please, though we may go for cocktails after the store closes), and enjoy a companionable few hours chatting, snacking, browsing, and petting the cat.   Doesn't that sound infinitely preferable to the normal office holiday party, where one of your co-workers will inevitably Xerox his or her butt? We thought so.

Mark J. Ferrari, THE BOOK OF JOBY, (Tor, Hardcover, $27.95, and Trade Paperback, $15.95) Saturday, January 12th at 3:00 pm - From Tor's website: "Lucifer and the Creator have entered, yet again, into a wager they've made many times before, but this time, the existence of creation itself is balanced on the outcome.  Born in California during the twilight years of a weary millennium, nine year old Joby Peterson dreams of blazing like a bonfire against the gathering darkness of his times, like a knight of the Round Table.   Instead, he is subjected to a life of crippling self-doubt and relentless mediocrity inflicted by an enemy he did nothing to earn and cannot begin to comprehend.   Though imperiled themselves, the angels are forbidden to intervene.   Left to struggle with their own loyalties and the question of obedience, they watch Lucifer work virtually unhindered to turn Joby's heart of gold into ash and stone while God sits by, seemingly unconcerned.  And so when he is grown to manhood, Joby's once luminous love of life seems altogether lost, and Lucifer's victory assured.  What hope remains lies hidden in the beauty, warmth, and innocence of a forgotten seaside village whose odd inhabitants seem to defy the modern world s most inflexible assumptions, and in the hearts of Joby's long lost youthful love and her emotionally wounded son.  But the ravenous forces of destruction that follow Joby into this concealed paradise plan to use these same things to bring him and his world to ruin.  As the final struggle unfolds, one question occupies every mind in heaven and in hell. Which will prove stronger, love or rage?" Meet the author of this incredible contemporary fantasy at Borderlands!

Peter S. Beagle and Mark J.  Ferrari are guests of SF in SF at the Variety Preview Room, 582 Market Street, Saturday, January 19th at 7:00 pm - SF in SF is an ongoing monthly reading and discussion series sponsered by Tacyhon Publications and moderated by author Terry Bisson.  There is a cash bar and books will be available for sale from Borderlands.  This month, meet Peter S. Beagle, beloved author of the perennial classic THE LAST UNICORN, and Mark J. Ferrari, whose first novel THE BOOK OF JOBY is generating rave reviews.  For more information on SF in SF, see <http://www.sfinsf.org/>

Borderlands event policy - all events are free of charge.  You are welcome to bring copies of an author's books purchased elsewhere to be autographed (but we do appreciate it if you purchase something while at the event).  For most events you are welcome to bring as many books as you wish for autographs.  If you are unable to attend the event we will be happy to have a copy of any of the author's available books signed or inscribed for you.  We can then either hold it until you can come in to pick it up or we can ship it to you.  Just give us a call or drop us an email.  If you live out of town, you can also ship us books from your collection to be signed.  Call or email for details.

Chapter Two - Book Listings

Small Press Features

PASSING OF A GOD - THE COLLECTED SHORT FICTION OF HENRY S.  WHITEHEAD by Henry S. Whitehead (Ash-Tree Press, Hardcover, $48.00) - The first of three volumes collecting all of the short fiction by this often overlooked master of the wierd tale.

A VINTAGE FROM ATLANTIS: THE COLLECTED FANTASIES VOL. 3 by Clark Ashton Smith (Nightshade Books, Hardcover, $39.95) - The third in a five-volume set collecting the definitive texts of Clark Ashton Smith's fantasy, science fiction, and horror.   Edited by Scott Connors and Ron Hilger, who have put together a definitive set of texts based on Smith's notes, manuscripts, and letters.

SAINT-GERMAIN: MEMOIRS by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (Elder Signs Press, Hardcover (limited to 200 signed and numbered copies) $34.95 and Trade Paperback, $14.95) - Collected in this book are stories of the vampire, Saint-Germain.  From ancient Greece to the present, the dark immortal recounts tales from a timeless life.  Also included is a brief essay by the author about her world-renowned character that has seen nearly three decades of publication.

ANTEDILUVIAN TALES by Poppy Brite (Subterranean Press, Hardcover (400 copy signed and numbered limited edition ($45) and trade edition ($25)) - This mini-collection contains five stories of the Stubbs family, the New Orleans clan whose adventures Brite has chronicled in her popular LIQUOR novels and other works. Two more stories revisit the author's fictitious alter ego Dr. Brite, the coroner of New Orleans.  Completing the book is "The Last Good Day of My Life," a nonfiction look at the changes the past two years have wrought on Brite, filtered through a reminiscence about a day she spent knocking around Cairns, Australia.

New and Notable

PIRATE FREEDOM by Gene Wolfe (Tor, Hardcover, $24.95) - Wolfe's best work in years.  Perhaps (and only in my opinion) his best work ever.   Historically accurate without being drab and only the lighest touch of SF to give it flavor.   Outstanding.  Recommended by Alan and Jude

SKY COYOTE - The Company vol. 2 by Kage Baker (Tor, Trade Paperback, $15.95) - The last novel in Baker's Company books to be reprinted by her new publisher.   It's been out of print forever (at least it seems that way to us) and we're glad to see it back in the store.  Now you can finally read _all_ the Company novels.   Recommended by Jude.

AGAINST THE DAY by Thomas Pynchon (Penguin, Trade Paperback, $18.00) - Pynchon's first novel in ten years is full of his amazing competing storylines and characteristic inimitable turns of phrase.

GRIM LANDS - THE BEST OF ROBERT E.  HOWARD VOL. 2 by Robert E. Howard (Del Rey, Trade Paperback, $15.95) - A bit of Kull, Conan, Kane, and even poetry in one volume!

GENTLEMEN OF THE ROAD by Michael Chabon (Ballantine, Hardcover, $21.95) - This historical adventure is much less serious than Chabon's previous novels.

DVD New Arrivals

This newsletter is distributed monthly free of charge and may be distributed without charge so long all the following information is included.

Dispatches from the Border
Editor - Jude Feldman
Assistant Editor - Alan Beatts
Contributors - Jeremy Lassen

All contents unless otherwise noted are the property of

Borderlands Books
866 Valencia St.
San Francisco, CA  94110
415-824-8203
http://www.borderlands-books.com

Comments and suggestions should be directed to editor@borderlands-books.com

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