SWR:  And why the name “Borderlands”?  

SWR:  What are a few of the books that influenced your reading life and perhaps inspired Borderlands?  

SWR:  Do you remember your first customer?  The very first book you sold?  

14 years is a long time.  I’m afraid I remember neither.

SWR:  I’m a native San Franciscan and Borderlands seems perfect for the neighborhood you’re in.  Did location play an important role in opening the store?  

Actually the current location in the Mission District is my second.  I originally wanted to open on Valencia St. but there wasn’t anything available for rent that would work so I ended up taking a place in Hayes Valley.  I was there for three years and then moved to the current location.  Both the building and the neighborhood suit the store perfectly.

SWR:  What is the Borderlands experience for a customer?  

That’s an interesting question that I’m not quite sure how to answer.  I’d say that it depends on the customer.  Generally speaking customer service is very important to us, as is maintaining a clean, comfortable and well organized environment.  We don’t tend to pester our customers so usually someone will get a quick greeting when them come in (something along the lines of, “Let me know if there’s anything I can help you find”) and then we leave them to browse as long as they like.  We have quite a few chairs scattered around so it’s easy to sit for a while, read, and decide if a book is for you.  Of course, if someone has a question, we’re always happy to do our best to answer it.  Like many booksellers we love the challenge when someone comes in and doesn’t remember the title or author of a book.  Most of the time, with a description of the plot and perhaps a character name, we can guess the right title.

SWR:  What are the specific challenges in owning/maintaining a genre-specific bookstore?

There really aren’t any challenges that are unique to a genre-specific store.  We have all the usual problems of independent bookstores – low margins, competition from on-line retail and ebooks, plus the usual small business issues of too many hats for the management.  For example, I’m the owner, HR department, IT staff, and building maintenance person.  Still, we manage and it makes for an interesting job — I never know what I’m going to end up doing when I come into work.  Today, for example, on top of the planned items on my schedule, I repaired a staff person’s personal computer and dug a chunk of glass (which he picked up at home) out of another staffer’s foot.

SWR:  Borderlands sells both new and used books.  What are some of the rare editions you have that you are particularly proud of?  

In no particular order (and first editions unless otherwise noted) —  Something About Cats by HP Lovecraft, Dune by Frank Herbert, The House On The Borderlands by William Hope Hodgson, Little Big by John Crowley, Neuromancer by William Gibson (first hardcover edition), The Hobbit (first edition, first printing), and Rocket Ship Galileo by Robert Heinlein (first hardcover edition).

SWR:  What are a few of your favorite new authors that readers should pay attention to?  

It’s always tricky to talk about “new” authors.  A lot of our customers are really avid readers and when we talk to them about “new” authors, they want to know about someone who’s first novel was published last week.  But for other, occasional, customers, something that just got notice a few months ago is plenty new enough for them.  With that in mind, I would suggest Ben Aaronvitch (Midnight Riot) and Paul Tobin (Prepare to Die).

ALAN’S TOP FIVE OVERLOOKED URBAN FANTASIES

1.  The John Thunstone stories and novels by Manly Wade Wellman

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:  Conceived by Manly Wade Wellman and Weird Tales editor Dorothy McIlwraith in 1943, John Thunstone is a scholar and playboy who investigates mysterious supernatural events. Large and strong, intelligent, handsome, and wealthy, he has the typical attributes of a heroic character. He is also well-read in occult matters and has access to weapons (such as a sword-cane forged by a saint) that are especially potent against vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. In addition to the ghosts and other traditional supernatural beings, several of Thunstone’s enemies are Wellman’s unique creations. Particularly compelling are the the enigmatic shonokins, a race of human-like creatures who claim to have ruled North America before the coming of humans. Thunstone’s most persistent foe is the diabolical sorcerer Rowley Thorne, a character loosely based on the real occultist Aleister Crowley. Thunstone originally appeared in short stories published in Weird Tales from 1943 to 1951 with a final short story in 1982. Wellman would later write two novels featuring Thunstone: What Dreams May Come (1983) and The School of Darkness (1985)

2.  The Apocalypse Door by James D. Macdonald

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:  Welcome to the world of Peter Crossman, Knight Templar Extraordinare.  He’s a man with a mission…and his boss is literally out of this world. 

Despite what is known as gospel truth, the order of the Knight Templars never really went out of business.  These warriors of God still walk among us, battling evil to keep Adam’s children safe…as they have been doing for millennia.

Peter Crossman is a priest and a man of many talents, performing last rites with one hand and handling a flamethrower in the other. He walks with faith at his side and with his colleague, the dangerously sexy Sister Mary Magdalene of the Special Action Executive Branch of the Poor Clares. Peter is faced with a crisis of biblical proportions when a search for some missing UN peacekeepers goes horribly wrong.  A very unholy object is found and may open a portal to damnation. 

Fortunately, demonic magic isn’t the only source of Power in the world. And Peter’s got a direct line to the biggest guns in the universe.

Smart, funny, and sexy, The Apocalypse Door is a rollicking caper with a touch of the sacred.

3.  High Bloods by John Farris

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:  It happened quickly. Overnight, the greater Los Angeles area found itself in the horrifying grasp of a werewolf epidemic. Twenty eight days of the month they are no different than you or me–the High Bloods, who managed to go unaffected. But every full moon, they are the most ravenous creatures man has ever seen. 

4.  The Last Hot Time by John M. Ford

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS: When Danny Holman leaves the cornfields of Iowa for the bright lights of Chicago, he expects his life to change. He just can’t guess how much and how fast. A violent incident on the road brings Danny the favor of a man known only as Mr. Patrise, who gives Danny a job, a home, and a new identity.

The City is a different world from the one Danny–now called Doc–knew, and literally so. Long-vanished powers have returned, and more is going on in the streets than nightlife and street warfare. Power is gathering: a power rooted in terror, madness, and death. To fight it will require Doc to face what he fears most. To defeat it will take something more than courage. 

5.  The Felix Castor novels by Mike Cary (starting with The Devil You Know) 

She-Wolf Review

This was a hard review to write because I really don’t want to give too much away.  The only thing I knew about this book was the author, Jes Young, who was a fantastic guest on my blog back in May (read her wonderful post here and see what books have inspired her), and the Goodreads summary above.  And I think this was a good way to approach Tab Bennett and the Inbetween because there are a lot of revelations that will take you by surprise.  So as to not risk spoiling any revelations with too much summary, let’s dive in.

This book has a gripping open.  I dare you to read the first paragraph and NOT be pulled in by it:

While my sister Rivers was dying, I was planting crocus bulbs in my front yard.

While she was fighting for her life, I was thinking about how pretty the purple and yellow flowers would look poking up through the snow when the spring came.  While she was gasping for air I was singing along with the radio to some stupid top 40 song I’d be embarrassed to admit I know.  I was tired and achy.  I saw the dirt under my nails and then I knew.  There was dirt under her nails too.

The open was so strong I could not put the book down until long after.  And the rest of the book did not disappoint. 

Tab Bennett and the Inbetween is a fairytale of sorts.  Tabitha Bennett starts the story as an ordinary 25-year old bank teller, working at her family’s bank, living in a small cottage on the grounds of Witchwood Manor, where she grew up, and engaged to her childhood sweetheart, Robbin Turnbough.  Life would be good if someone would stop murdering her sisters.  Tab’s life is suddenly turned upside down when the death of her last surviving sister brings to light revelations about her parents, who she is, and what she is destined become.  And this is where the “fairy” part of that tale comes in.  Not only must Tab deal with the loss of her sisters, but she must also come face-to-face with a world of magic, intrigue, and danger that she never knew existed.

What I enjoyed most about this story was Tab Bennett herself.  I think Young created a wonderful heroine in Tab.  She is smart and she is a smartass.  I always love that combo.  When faced with tough moments, Tab always has a great line:

I’ve always found the custom of gathering for a starchy lunch after burying a loved one a little strange.  I guess all the heavy food and whispery voices are supposed to be a comforting reminder that life goes on, but I find the way the death and burial become secondary to the potato salad deeply, deeply unsettling.

But she also shows some growth over the course of the story.  From an innocent young woman who accepts the stories she has been fed about who she is, to a strong woman who not only faces the truth of her newfound situation, but eventually takes control of it. 

There were also some wonderful structural aspects to the storytelling.  Tab Bennett is written in the first person from Tab’s perspective.  Peppered throughout are little asides that remind the reader of Tab’s narration, as if this tale has already happened and she is confiding in you.  In a scene in which Robbin asks Tab to run away with him, she says:

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked back on that moment wondering what would have happened if I’d let him take me away that night.  Where would I be right now?  Who would I be?  So much pain could have been avoided.

And later, when she makes a bad decision that endangers her life, you know, like in a horror flick when the woman opens the basement door to check out a noise instead of running for her life, that kind of decision, Tab says,

I know. I know.  It’s hard to believe I’m that stupid.

These touches drew me closer to Tab.  It added a level of intimacy with the reader, as if you are sitting there with Tab while she looks back on those moments that changed her life forever. 

The secondary cast of characters is also good.  It really is raining men in the world of Tab Bennett.  There is Robbin, Tab’s fiancé, Alex, the man trying to steal her heart, and her cousins George, Matt and Francis.  Each one has a role to play and those roles become clearer as the story unfolds.  The love triangle is also well-done.  I was hoping for a twist towards the end of the book that would put Tab in the arms of the guy I want for her.  The romance kept me on my toes as I hoped for an outcome that didn’t happen.  And then there is Pop, the patriarch of Witchwood Manor who parcels out bits of wisdom like this when Tabitha comes to him confused about her magically manipulated feelings for Alex:

Allow me to unravel this riddle for you, Tabitha, my girl.  Keep your pants on and act like a lady and I’m sure the enchantment will leave you alone.

Some minor quibbles…I’m not sure why but when I first started reading Tab Bennett, I thought it was a YA novel.  And I can’t give specifics, it was just something I felt.  When that first sex scene came along, I was slightly taken aback.  Then I remembered how old Tab was and realized this is definitely not a YA novel.  Nor did it feel like one by the end of the story.  

Also, with the exception of a few scenes, the story almost entirely takes place at Witchwood Manor.  As a reader, I was starting to get cabin fever.  Tab is introduced to this magical elvish world but doesn’t actually go there.  At least not in this book.  I recognize this was purposefully done because Tab can’t leave the house for fear of being murdered, but by the end, I so desperately wanted to see this world that I was reminded of the first time I saw the film version of Fellowship of the Ring.  I had not read the Tolkien books before seeing it so when the movie ended, I sat there for a few seconds, staring at the screen, and I turned to my husband and said, “Well, hold on, what about the ring?”  His response, after laughter, was, “Wait for the next two movies.”  That’s how I felt at the end of this story…well, what about the other worlds – the Inbetween and the Underneath?  What about the magic?  The answer: wait for book two.

And I will wait for book two.  I’m looking forward to reading it.  Tab Bennett and the Inbetween was a wonderful introduction to an engaging heroine.  It will be nice to see what Young conjures up next for Tab as she seems destined to face some serious truths about her mother’s past as well as some serious magical elvish WTFery.

A strong recommendation.

Excerpt from The Seduction of Phaeton Black

She had never met the like of such a man.

After a few deep draughts of spirit, he kicked a chair out from under the table and straddled the seat. “The chair rails guard my bulging privates. Not to be confused with filthy pirates.”

He took another swig from the bottle. “Tell me about these imaginary, cutlass wielding corsairs. Miss––?”

 “My name is America Jones.”

He set an elbow on the chair back and cupped his chin. He had a wary way of studying her, as if she were some kind of curiosity. “Are you incapable of answering questions in a truthful manner? Again, Miss––?”

She set her jaw and glared. “America.”

“Is the name of a continent, or two. I can never remember if there are two continents designated north and south, or one continent designated south and north. Which is it?”

Why did he play the Mad Hatter? Leaning far back off the chair, he had to catch himself. The grog appeared to be having an effect. “And there is a new country, the United States of America.”

Even with arms tied down, she still managed a shrug. “It is my name, sir. America Síne Jones and I have learned to live with it these twenty-ought years.”

 “I believe I may call you by your middle name.” His mouth twitched. “Sin–ay. I do so admire the first syllable.”

Her gaze narrowed to a quizzical squint. “Is your mind always in the gutter, Mr.––?

“Black.” Liquid sable eyes flecked with gold drank in every inch of her. “Only when I am interested, Miss Jones.”

“And are you interested?”

“I once enjoyed a meal at the Langham Hotel, which I thought about repeating for weeks afterward.”

“Is that what I am to you? A supper?”

 He lowered his chin. “A banquet, my tempting dark dove.” Hooded ebony eyes crinkled at the sides. He enjoyed taunting her. 

Captivated for a moment, she mentally slapped herself.  “I would love to stay and chat, really I would, but I must be on my way.” She flashed the faintest of smiles. “Now that we are introduced, certainly you can release me from bondage?”

“One more thing, Miss Jones. If you would kindly explain about the pirates?” He tilted his head. “Your eyes are most extraordinary. Almost feline.”

What an exasperating man! While he swigged from the bottle, she tugged again on her bindings. “Why do you insist on torturing me?”

She pressed her lips together and chewed the inside of her bottom lip. A force of habit when vexed beyond endurance. Well, she supposed two could play this silly, annoying interrogation game. “Are your parents still living, Mr. Black?

He sat up and blinked. “Mother died of a virulent meningitis years ago. My father teaches advanced mathematics at Trinity College.” He ran a hand through thick waves of dark brown hair. “He might as well be dead. We don’t get on.”

“I could not tell you if my mother is alive or dead. I’ve not been home to Louisiana in many years. Buried my father four short months ago. Charles Gardiner Jones.” She leaned forward purposefully. “A decent and honest merchant trader. Acquaintances said he couldn’t face his business failure––that he died of drink. People who knew him well, told a very different story. My father’s heart was broken by his lying, scheming business partner.”

When her eyes threatened to tear, she lifted her chin. “After his funeral I vowed to bring Yanky Willem to justice.”

“And how goes this pursuit?”

She frowned. “Not as well as I’d hoped. Last night Willem caught me rifling through a year’s worth of cargo manifests.”

He arched a brow. “Searching for––?”

“Proof of piracy, Mr. Black.”

He smiled that maddening grin of his. “I knew if I was patient, we might actually get round to the original subject of my query––the filthy pirates.”

“Chased me from the Docklands all the way down the Strand.” She laid her head back against the padded chair and counted the cracks in the ceiling. “When you stepped into the sharp edge of my blade, I was clean out of bullets.”

“Bullets? And where, pray tell is your pistol?

Now it was her turn to grin. “Untie me, and––“

“I think not, Miss Jones.” From behind protective rungs, Mr. Black stepped over the seat of his chair and ventured closer. “Shall we search together?”

She-Wolf Review

This book was a lot of fun.  Words that come to mind to describe it are bawdy, saucy, witty…sexy fun with a supernatural twist.  A sexy, at times kinky, romp with a heart of gold.  The Seduction of Phaeton Black took me by surprise, and its infectious fun left me curious to know what happens next to Phaeton Black and the lovely Miss America Jones.

The best parts of the book were the wit and the chemistry between Phaeton Black and America Jones.  They meet in a very unusual way and from the first moment, the sparks fly.  The relationship goes from a light sexual dalliance to something deeper that neither wants to admit to feeling.  Both don’t really believe in love as an absolute but I liked the way the relationship developed from light to heavy.  It was extremely sexual in nature but there were moments of tenderness that gave it more depth.  Phaeton himself was an acquired taste.  He went from rakish fun to being a bit of an ass but he won me over in the end.  And he never failed to make me smile.

 “He quickly gave the nod to a confection of emerald green satin.  The gown featured a narrow bodice held up by the daintiest small sleeves, which fell off her shoulders and threatened to bare all if she so much as exhaled.

 How he hoped she might take a deep breath.”

Miss America Jones is also a wonderful character.  Smart, sassy, independent – she was a definite match for the elusive Phaeton.  She also did not compromise her goals in order to satisfy a man…which I loved.

There were some intriguing secondary characters as well — Dr. Exeter who has some unclear abilities of his own, the hermaphrodite Jin, and the gargoyle Edvar.  I hope to see more of them in the next book.  Especially Dr. Exeter who I felt a little uncertain about in terms of his footing in the paranormal world.  Maybe he will be less of a mystery in the next book.

Another nice twist was the mythology used in the supernatural aspects of the story.  It takes place in Victorian England when the obsession with Egypt and its artifacts was at its height.  Phaeton is a paranormal investigator with the ability to sense or see supernatural beings.  He is investigating a murder that he suspects is the work of an empusa/vampire.  America, who has her own paranormal abilities, is able to help with his work given her extensive travel and experience in Egypt.  I love that the mythology around the seductive empusa had its basis in Egyptian mythology with the jackal headed god, Anubis, making an appearance.  Most vampire stories find roots in a European mythos which gets stale after a while.  It was refreshing to get a taste of a new mythology.

However, I think the supernatural aspects of the story were also its weakest points, at least in terms of how they were developed.  I felt the actual paranormal investigation took backstage to the sexual adventures of the couple.  I wish the story was a bit heavier on solving and capturing the goddess terrorizing the mortals of London.  Instead, it felt a bit rushed at the end. 

Though a bit light on the paranormal for my tastes, I can’t help but recommend this book.  The Seduction of Phaeton Black was bawdy, infectious fun.  Read it and I dare you not to smile.

A strong recommendation.

She-Wolf Review

(This review assumes you are familiar with the first book in the series)

First, let me say this was a good book.  It really was a good read.  The second book in the All Souls Trilogy, Shadow of Night is the much-anticipated follow-up to the first book in the series, A Discovery of Witches.  I read A Discovery of Witches before I started this blog and if I were to go back in time and post a review, I would give it 4.5 howls.  I really did love the story of a reluctant witch and her forbidden romance with a centuries old, yoga-practicing vampire.  The world was a fantastic blend of the supernatural and the academic, and it had a cliffhanger of an ending that left me desperately wanting to read the next book in the series.  My expectations were sky high and the only reason I am giving Shadow of Night a lower rating is that, perhaps, those expectations were too high.  While Shadow of Night has me, once again, desperately wanting to read the next book, as an individual novel, it felt more like a bridge intended to join together the exciting beginning with what I hope will be a thrilling conclusion.

One of the novel’s strongest points is the development of the relationship between Diana and Matthew.  Using Diana’s skill as a “timewalker”, they are thrust back to Elizabethan England where Matthew had powerful ties to the Congregation, the Knights of Lazarus, and Queen Elizabeth herself.  Diana comes face to face with the layers and layers of secrets and tragedy that make up Matthew’s dark past.  They face these obstacles together, learn to truly trust one another, and become a stronger couple.  It was wonderful to finally learn more about the mysterious Matthew and see his relationship with Diana deepen.

There was a great moment where Harkness gives a wink to the genre by acknowledging the recent craze for vampire romances.  Diana tells Matthew about the way vampires are depicted in popular fiction – sex, blood, and overprotectiveness.  Matthew can’t understand the appeal of being manhandled and then making love.  Diana says, 

“You’ve manhandled me, as you so charmingly put it.  I seem to recall being hoisted into your arms at Sept-Tours on more than one occasion,” I pointed out.

“Only when you were injured!” Matthew said indignantly.  “Or tired.”

“Or when you wanted me in one spot and I was in another.  Or when the horse was too tall, or the bed was too high, or the seas were too rough.  Honestly, Matthew.  You have a very selective memory when it suits you.  As for making love, it’s not always the tender act that you describe.  Not in the books I’ve seen.  Sometimes it’s just a good hard—“

Before I could finish my sentence, a tall, handsome vampire flung me over his shoulder.

“We will continue this conversation in private.”

“Help!  I think my husband is a vampire!” I laughed and pounded on the backs of his thighs.

It was a great light moment between Matthew and Diana who are usually so intense you want someone to crack a joke.  And I love the nod to the genre that helped create this world.

Another strong point is the secondary cast of characters.  We finally meet Phillipe, Matthew’s father, the fearsome but quite generous man whose ghost looms heavily in the first book.  We also meet Gallowglass who was one of my favorite characters.  If anyone deserves an All Souls Trilogy novella, it’s Gallowglass.  He is Matthew’s nephew with a past of his own, loyal and willing to put himself on the line for his uncle and “auntie’s” safety.  I loved his ferocity and his strength in standing up to Matthew when he needed it.  Harkness created a great enigmatic character in Gallowglass and I hope to see more of him in the next book.  Another wonderfully creepy creation is Father Hubbard – the vampire godfather of supernaturals in Elizabethan England.  He believes in vampires, daemons, and witches living as one big family.  To do so he requires allegiance and a taste of blood.  And don’t think of setting foot in London without his permission.  He and Diana strike a bargain at the end of the novel that makes me think we will see more of him in the next.  And, finally, Benjamin, Matthew’s son, was only hinted at in this book.  But he casts a big enough shadow that I think we will see more of him in the future.  All of these new characters were fantastic additions to the All Souls cast and as sides are being taken for the final showdown in the next book, I really look forward to seeing what Harkness does with these wonderful creations.

I also loved the brief chapters that take the reader back to the present.  Matthew and Diana can’t go back in time and not expect to impact the future.  Ysabeau and Marcus make efforts to collect all the evidence that places Matthew and Diana back in 1590 – portraits, books, a telescope.  Not only was it fun to see where these objects from 1590 ended up in the present, but it was nice to have moments with favorite characters from the first book.

For me, the book’s weakest point was too big to ignore.  Diana and Matthew go back in time in order to achieve two goals – to teach Diana how to control and call upon her substantial power as a witch and to find Ashmole 782, the mysterious and powerful manuscript that started this whole adventure.  But the novel spends very little time on either of these activities.  I expected to go back in time with the couple and watch while Diana learned how to wield her power while also learning more about Matthew and his past.  I thought they would have a more thrilling experience as they searched for the manuscript.  Instead, I would say these things take up maybe 20% of the book while the majority of it centers on Diana grappling with becoming a woman of the time, interacting with famous personages from history, meeting new people, and taking care of the household.  Harkness is a scholar and a historian.  I am sure putting her two main characters in 1590 England was like being a kid in a candy shop.  We meet Christopher Marlowe, Sir Walter Raleigh, Queen Elizabeth and Rudolf II the Holy Roman Emperor just to name a few of the famous historical figures in Shadow of Night.  And while these interactions are fun and clever…I cared less about them than seeing the overall plot develop with regards to Diana as a witch and the manuscript itself.  Perhaps if the scope of the book were less ambitious, the novel would have been more successful.  For me, Shadow of Night would have been more successful had the focus been on what made the first book so wonderful – Matthew and Diana and their struggle to uncover the secret of the manuscript. 

Shadow of Night is a good book – well-written, erudite, and with a wonderful cast of characters.  However, it misses the mark in that it spends too much time on historical detail and not enough time on the overall plot of the trilogy.  That being said, I can’t wait to get back to Matthew and Diana in present day Sept Tours as the family gathers for the final showdown with the Congregation.  I have faith that the final installment in the trilogy will take me back to what I loved about A Discovery of Witches.

3.5 Howls! GOOD but with flaws

Now for the giveaway!  The publisher, Viking Adult, is providing a finished copy of Shadow of Night PLUS some great All Souls swag – six buttons, each displaying an alchemical symbol (and you will discover the meaning of each symbol as you read the book) in addition to a very cool Ashmole 782 temporary tattoo!  Enter your information in the Rafflecopter widget below for your chance to win!

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