Events and News From Borderlands Books
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Upcoming Events
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Terry Shames, DEAD BROKE IN JARRETT CREEK (Seventh Street Books, Trade Paperback, $15.95) Sunday, October 12th at 3:00 pm
**CANCELED** Greg Bear, WAR DOGS (Orbit, Hardcover, $25.00) Wednesday, October 15th at 7:00 pm
Litquake LitCrawl, Phase 2, "Mysterious Ways" with Cara Black, Juliet Blackwell, Michelle Gagnon, and Susan C. Shea Saturday, October 18th at 7:15 pm
Litquake LitCrawl, Phase 3, "New Worlds" with David Edison, Emily Jiang, Annalee Newitz, and Kim Stanley Robinson Saturday, October 18th at 8:30 pm
Serena Valentino GOOD DREAM, BAD DREAM / SUEÑO BUENO, SUEÑO MALO (Immedium, Harcover, $15.95) Saturday, October 25th at 3:00 pm
Robert Shults and Rudy Rucker, THE SUPERLATIVE LIGHT (Daylight Books, Paperback, $39.95) Saturday, November 8th at 3:00 pm
F. Paul Wilson, FEAR CITY (Tor Books, Hardcover, $25.99) Friday, November 14th at 7:00 pm
(for more information check the end of this newsletter)
And, coming up in the Fall, don't miss Steven Erikson, Mira Grant, the Sisters in Crime / Mystery Writers of America Holiday Party, and much, much more!
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News
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*Overheard in the Store:
"For me, bra shopping is like going to the dentist. I put off both of them until something is actually falling out."
"Working in a cafe is like living with a toddler; there's always something else that shouldn't be, but is, inexplicably sticky."
The 2015 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Contest has opened for submissions. They are looking for stories of near-future space exploration. Deadlines and other details here:
http://www.baen.com/baenmemorialaward.asp
NBC has released an official synopsis and behind-the-scenes video featurette on its upcoming television adaptation of the comic book "Constantine".
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=108553
Unfortunately, as promising as it looks, NBC is also using the adaptation to wipe away Constantine's identity as a bisexual man:
http://www.advocate.com/commentary/2014/07/28/op-ed-nbcs-straight-washing-john-constantine-bi-erasure
The 2014 Sunburst Literary Awards for excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic have announced their winners Ruth Ozeki and Charles De Lint! For shortlisted books, jurors, and information on past winners go here:
http://www.sunburstaward.org/2014-sunburst-winners
The Science Fiction Poetry Association has presented both the Dwarf Star, for poetry 1-10 lines, and the Elgin Award, for chapbook and full-length book of poetry. First place winners are Mat Joiner, Helen Marshall and Bryan Thao Worra. For second- and third-place winners check out the SFPA website here:
http://www.sfpoetry.com/dwarfstars.html and here:
http://www.sfpoetry.com/el/14elgin.html
Fantasy and horror author Robert Jackson Bennett breaks down the huge gender issues with the blockbuster book/film "Gone Girl":
http://www.robertjacksonbennett.com/blog/gone-girl-and-the-fallacy-of-the-weaponized-female-sexuality
Fans of "Battlestar Galactica" will want to check out the trailer to Syfy's new 6 hour mini-series "Ascension". Not only does it star BSG Alum Tricia Helfer, but it's all about shipboard tension. It's set on a an arc ship that, just as it nears the point of no return, discovers a mysterious murder that leads them to question everything. Check it out here:
http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/09/30/syfy-ascension-tricia-helfer/
Osprey Publishing Group has sold the imprints Angry Robot (science-fiction & fantasy), Nourish (cookbooks) and Watkins (mind/body/spirit books) to American businessman Etan Ilfeld.
http://angryrobotbooks.com/2014/09/angry-robot-news/
Warner Brothers is making another film of the Richard Matheson classic I AM LEGEND not even a decade after the Will Smith version grossed over half a billion dollars. For anyone who has even the littlest bit of hope that they might be more faithful to the original story? Get rid of that notion straightaway! The script is actually an original that has nothing to do with Matheson's book but that the writer is retrofitting to bear some resemblance to?! Read it for yourself:
http://deadline.com/2014/10/i-am-legend-reboot-sold-by-iphone-salesman-warner-bros-will-smith-844507/
The Bradbury Estate Auction managed to raise nearly half a million dollars. Check out what sold and for how much here:
http://natedsanders.com/Catalog.aspx?auctionid=37&displayby=2&lotsperpage=100&category=1
Charlie Jane Anders brings us news of a Kollywood science fiction film actually written, directed and starring a NASA scientist. Only time will tell if that is actually a good thing, but you can check out the trailer over at io9:
http://io9.com/ex-nasa-scientist-writes-directs-and-stars-in-science-1641864984
New Zealand statistician Richard Vale has worked out a number of predictions for the future Game of Thrones novels, specifically how many POV chapters they'll have in upcoming works, based on previous installments. He freely admits that there are many issues with his formula, but it's still fun to play the guessing game.
http://www.popsci.com/article/spoiler-alert-statistician-predicts-future-chapters-game-thrones-novels
In more Game of Thrones related news, you can now order a book and CD package called Living Language: Dothraki. It is being released this month with everything you need to master the fictional language.
http://www.scifinow.co.uk/news/game-of-thrones-fans-teach-yourself-to-speak-dothraki/
Lou Anders, who has been editorial and art director of the sf/f imprint Pyr since its creation 10 years ago, has stepped down to focus on his writing career. Anders' first novel Frostborn was published this year by Crown Books. We wish Lou great success!
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/people/article/64071-anders-leaving-prometheus-books.html
Ursula K. LeGuin has been awarded the 2014 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters by the National Book Foundation.
http://www.nationalbook.org/amerletters_2014_uleguin.html#.VDBmul6f_h5
Even though we've gotten hints and clips here and there, we finally have our first trailer for the new space film "Interstellar". The studio is being surprisingly tightlipped, so a lot of the plot of this movie is still unknown; even the actual running time is still unknown. However, the new trailer actually gives us a few answers:
http://sciencefiction.com/2014/10/01/new-interstellar-trailer-reveals-movies-epic-mission/
The Sunburst Society announces the winners of its 3rd annual Copper Cylinder Awards, which are Guy Gavriel Kay and Cory Doctorow!
http://coppercylinderaward.ca/2014-copper-cylinder-winners
Over at io9, Annalee Newitz writes about what exactly it would physically take to transform New York City into a Mega-city. She talks about issues like garbage, expansion and city walkways. Check out the whole thing here:
http://io9.com/what-would-it-take-to-turn-new-york-into-a-megacity-1641252944
These 25 photos of mushrooms could easily be alien worlds -- creatures -- even machines. Check them out and get your imagination flowing.
http://www.the-open-mind.com/25-stunning-photos-within-the-mystical-world-of-mushrooms/
NPR has picked up on the controversy surrounding the use of H.P. Lovecraft's image for the World Fantasy Award:
http://www.npr.org/2014/10/04/353737040/horror-of-horrors-is-h-p-lovecrafts-legacy-tainted
We regret to announce the death of speculative author Eugie Foster, whose battle with cancer ended on September 27th. Eugie won the Nebula Award and was nominated for the Hugo for her short stories rich in amazing imagery and beautiful language. She published over one hundred short stories and had her work collected in numerous anthologies. Her unique voice will be missed.
http://boingboing.net/2014/09/27/rip-eugie-foster.html
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From The Office
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Will return next month.
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Best Sellers
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Borderlands Best-Selling Titles for September, 2014
Hardcovers
1. LOCK IN by John Scalzi
2. THE GETAWAY GOD by Richard Kadrey
3. WHAT IF? by Randall Munroe
4. THE MAGICIAN'S LAND by Lev Grossman
5. EXO by Stephen Gould
6. THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS by M.R. Carey
7. ECHOPRAXIA by Peter Watts
8. SLEEPING LATE ON JUDGMENT DAY by Tad Williams
9. GOLDEN PRINCESS by S.M. Stirling
10. COLORLESS TSUKURU TAZAKI AND HIS YEARS OF PILGRIMAGE by Haruki Murakami
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. THE WINTER LONG by Seanan McGuire
2. FRANKENSTORM by Ray Garton
3. REPUBLIC OF THIEVES by Scott Lynch
4. THE THOUSAND NAMES by Django Wexler
5. HAPPY HOUR IN HELL by Tad Williams
6. WISE MAN'S FEAR by Patrick Rothfuss
7. OLD MAN'S WAR by John Scalzi
8. THE SHINING by Stephen King
9. CAPTAIN VORPATRIL'S ALLIANCE by Lois McMaster Bujold
10. HALF-OFF RAGNAROK by Seanan McGuire
Trade Paperbacks
1. ANCILLARY JUSTICE by Ann Leckie
2. ACCEPTANCE by Jeff VanderMeer
3. THE CORONER'S LUNCH by Colin Cotterill
4. ASSAIL by Ian C. Esslemont
5. ANNIHILATION by Jeff VanderMeer
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Book Club Information
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The QSF&F Book Club will meet on Sunday, October 12th, at 5 pm to discuss THE RESTORATION GAME by Ken Macleod. The book for November is EIGHT MILLION GODS by Wen Spencer. Please contact the group leader, Christopher Rodriguez, at cobalt555@earthlink.net, for more information.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club will meet on Sunday, October 19th, at 6 pm to discuss THE CITY AND THE STARS by Arthur C. Clarke. The book for November is ANCILLARY JUSTICE by Ann Leckie. Please contact bookclub@borderlands-books.com for more information.
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Upcoming Event Details
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Terry Shames, DEAD BROKE IN JARRETT CREEK (Seventh Street Books, Trade Paperback, $15.95) Sunday, October 12th at 3:00 pm - We are delighted to welcome local author Terry Shames for the DEAD BROKE IN JARRETT CREEK launch party! Terry serves on the boards of the Northern California chapters of both Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, and her first two novels have gotten a fantastic reception. In the third novel in the series, her protagonist Samuel Craddock may well be in over his head -- "With the Jarrett Creek bankrupt and the police department in disarray, Samuel Craddock takes on a murder investigation. He discovers that the town's financial woes had nothing to do with incompetence and that murder is only one of the crimes he must solve." We do hope you'll join us to meet Terry and discover Craddock's world.
**CANCELED** Greg Bear, WAR DOGS (Orbit, Hardcover, $25.00) Wednesday, October 15th at 7:00 pm - Mr. Bear unfortunately had to have unexpected surgery, which will prevent him traveling to this event. We're happy to announce that Mr. Bear is recovering well, and we will hope to see him back in the Bay Area in the near future.
Litquake LitCrawl, Phase 2, "Mysterious Ways" with Cara Black, Juliet Blackwell, Michelle Gagnon, and Susan C. Shea Saturday, October 18th at 7:15 pm - We are delighted to once again take part in one of the most exciting literary events in San Francisco - the LitCrawl! This is a three-hour pub-crawl-style literary event with dozens of venues and hundreds of authors, all taking place right here in the Mission District. This year, meet mystery authors who will thrill, confound, and delight you with their stories! We are pleased to present: Cara Black, the New York Times bestselling author of 14 books in the Private Investigator Aimée Leduc series, which is set in Paris. Juliet Blackwell, the New York Times bestselling author of the Witchcraft Mystery series and the Haunted Home Renovation Mystery series, both based in San Francisco. Michelle Gagnon, an international bestselling author of thrillers for teens and adults. She splits her time between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and Susan C. Shea, who writes the Dani O'Rourke mysteries, featuring a museum fundraiser who spends far too much time with rich donors and her persistent ex.
Litquake LitCrawl, Phase 3, "New Worlds" with David Edison, Emily Jiang, Annalee Newitz, and Kim Stanley Robinson Saturday, October 18th at 8:30 pm - Join us to travel to previously unimagined worlds and explore mind-blowing new concepts, without even leaving the bookstore! This year we're delighted to welcome the following authors: David Edison. who currently lives in San Francisco. THE WAKING ENGINE is his first novel, and its sequel, THE NOONDAY PLAGUE, is forthcoming in 2015. Read more at
DavidEdison.com. Emily Jiang, who holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Saint Mary’s College of California. Her first book is SUMMONING THE PHOENIX, was a Borderlands’ April 2014 Bestseller. Annalee Newitz is the editor of
io9.com, and the author of SCATTER, ADAPT AND REMEMBER: HOW HUMANS WILL SURVIVE A MASS EXTINCTION, and Kim Stanley Robinson, who is a science fiction writer, author of the Mars trilogy, GALILEO'S DREAM, 2312, and SHAMAN. His work has been translated into 24 languages. Don't miss this incredible lineup!
Serena Valentino GOOD DREAM, BAD DREAM / SUEÑO BUENO, SUEÑO MALO (Immedium, Harcover, $15.95) Saturday, October 25th at 3:00 pm - Serena Valentino returns to show off her wonderful new book for children! From Kirkus Reviews: "Enlisting the powers of some awesome heroes transforms a child’s nightmares into commanding dreams in this bilingual flight of the imagination. Julio’s nightly search for monsters lurking in his room is interrupted by his father, who reminds the boy that “for every bad dream, you can have a good dream to help defeat your fears.” Papa lists all the conquering heroes for each scary creature. A mighty hunter will take care of a snarling mammoth, a crafty falcon will catch a scary scorpion, a strong wrestler will defeat a roaring jaguar, and so on. Julio’s confidence and assertiveness grow with each new dueling scenario Papa introduces." Bring your little ones to check out this charming and empowering story and meet the marvelous Ms. Valentino!
Robert Shults and Rudy Rucker, THE SUPERLATIVE LIGHT (Daylight Books, Paperback, $39.95) Saturday, November 8th at 3:00 pm - Photographer Robert Shults looks for the sublime in his images of the Texas Petawatt Laser. This past spring, Austin-based fine art photographer Robert Shults visited the Texas Petawatt Laser, one of the most powerful lasers in the world. He wanted to capture "an observer's awe-struck perception of a seemingly sacred space where a brilliant but mortal group of men and women perform work normally reserved for the gods." The book features a scientific introduction by Dr. Todd Ditmire, director of the Texas Petawatt at the University of Texas at Austin, as well as an original science fiction story by award-winning author, mathematician, genius, artist and troublemaker Rudy Rucker. Additionally, each copy of the volume includes a unique bookmark made from specialized laser "burn paper" with an image etched directly onto its surface by the Texas Petawatt. You can read more about the fascinating process that brought Shults to the project here:
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/24/robert-shults-vs-the-lasers/. Do not miss this incredible, very unusual event!
F. Paul Wilson, FEAR CITY (Tor Books, Hardcover, $25.99) Friday, November 14th at 7:00 pm - We are thrilled and excited to welcome F. Paul Wilson back to Borderlands for the last chapter of "Repairman Jack: The Early Years, the prequel trilogy focusing on the formative years of Wilson's globally popular supernatural troubleshooter." From Macmillan's website: "The strands of Jack's life, established in the first two books, COLD CITY and DARK CITY, are now woven into a complete pattern. Centered around an obscure group of malcontents intent on creating a terrible explosion in New York City in 1993, Fear City shows the final stages of young Jack becoming Repairman Jack. It is a dark and terrible story, full of plots and needless mayhem, with secret agents, a freelance torturer, a secret society as old as human history, love, death, and a very bleak triumph. Jack threads his way through this intricate maze, as people he loves are stripped away from him in a way that presages the later epic series of novels."
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 the book(s) until you can come in to pick them up or we can ship to you. Just give us a call or drop us an email. If you live out of town, you can also ship us books from your collection to be signed for a nominal fee. Call or email for details.
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Featured Upcoming Titles
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(These titles have not arrived yet. You may pre-order any of these books by calling or emailing us. Prices may be subject to change. Of course, we have many more titles arriving each week . . . call or email us if you're curious about a particular upcoming title not listed here.)
Baxter, Stephen * Proxima * (Penguin/Roc, hc)
Baxter, Stephen * Ultima * (Orion/Gollancz, hc)
Brett, Peter V. * Messenger's Legacy * (Subterranean Press, nva, hc)
Card, Orson Scott * Visitors * (Simon Pulse, nvl-ya, hc)
Carey, Mike, & Linda Carey & Louise Carey * House of War and Witness * (ChiZine Publications, tpb)
Carriger, Gail * Waistcoats & Weaponry * (Little, Brown, nvl-ya, hc)
Czerneda, Julie E. * A Play of Shadow * (DAW, tpb)
Erikson, Steven * Willful Child * (Tor, hc)
Fleskes, John, ed. * Spectrum 21: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art * (Flesk Publications, anth, hc/tpb)
Fox, Andrew * The Bad Luck Spirits' Social Aid and Pleasure Club * (MonstraCity Press, tpb)
Grant, Mira * Symbiont * (Orbit US, hc)
Harris, Charlaine, & Toni L. P. Kelner, eds. * Games Creatures Play * (Quercus/Jo Fletcher, anth)
Harrison, Harry * Harry Harrison! Harry Harrison! * (Tor, nf, hc)
Herbert, Frank * Frank Herbert: Collected Stories * (Tor, cln, hc)
Huff, Tanya * The Future Falls * (DAW, hc)
Jones, Stephen, ed. * The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror: Volume 25 * (Skyhorse, anth, tpb)
King, Stephen * Revival * (Simon & Schuster/Scribner, hc)
Klima, John, ed. * The Best of Electric Velocipede * (Fairwood Press, anth, tpb)
Marillier, Juliet * Dreamer's Pool * (Penguin/Roc, hc)
Martin, George R. R., ed. * Wild Cards: Lowball * (Tor, anth, hc)
McDevitt, Jack * Coming Home * (Ace, hc)
Modesitt, L. E., Jr. * Heritage of Cyador * (Tor, hc)
Naam, Ramez * Apex * (Angry Robot US, tpb)
Pratt, Tim * The Deep Woods * (PS Publishing, nva, hc)
Sanderson, Brandon * Legion: Skin Deep * (Subterranean Press, hc)
Sherman, Delia * Young Woman in a Garden * (Small Beer Press, cln, tpb)
Shinn, Sharon * The Turning Season * (Ace, hc)
Williams, Sean * Crashland * (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, hc)
Abbreviations indicate --
hc=hardcover; tpb=trade paperback; otherwise mass-market pb, or we're not sure
cln=collection; om=omnibus; anth=anthology; nva=novella; otherwise novel
h=horror; nf=nonfiction; a=associational [non-sffh]; otherwise sf/fantasy
1st US editions (+) are books previously published in the UK or other countries; otherwise US and UK books listed as originals are 1st English language editions.
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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