Elsewhere (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) [School & Library Binding]

Will Shetterly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Ron, a teenage runaway, comes of age among the punk elves and humans of Bordertown, a run-down city on the border between the real world and the magic world of Faerie.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

An intriguing hybrid fantasy that mixes life on the street with magic and glimpses of unworldly beauty. Not far in the future, Faerie returns to the sight of man while a once-conservative human city becomes Bordertown, where young elves and humans alike escape their various homes and rules. Bordertown is dangerous, filled with gangs from both species, rife with magic, drugs, violence. Still, it lures more and more youngsters, including thin-skinned, tough-talking Ron Starbuck, who reads Yeats and pretends to know what's going on. Ron says he's looking for his brother Tony, but--as he enters Castle Pup under the wing of the unreliable half-breed Mooner and then finds himself a weapon of revenge against the woman who owns the bookstore called Elsewhere--we learn that Tony only meant to come to Bordertown. Ron's need to understand his brother's suicide and to regain a sense of self drives him through a series of muddled choices that he makes, and then tries to unmake. Filled with action, shifting images, and alienated characters looking for a place to belong, the adventure holds attention but doesn't entirely satisfy. Ron's motivation eventually becomes clear, yet he moves among mysterious, unfleshed-out characters who are often no more than cryptic hints--as is much of Faerie. Still, the ideas fascinate, Ron's fate matters, and this in an unusual view of the streets. (Fiction. 12-15) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Praise for Will Shetterly's Bordertown novels:
"A gritty, vivid portrait of a half-familiar world . . . Elsewhere works almost perfectly."--Newsday

"Shetterly has just enough distance from his hero to shape [his] troubled journey with skill and conviction, too little distance to patronize."--The Village Voice Literary Supplement

"Breaks ground that other writers will certainly try to cultivate."--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Sometimes violent and profane, yet beautifully written . . . Not for the weak of heart, but a book for the adventurous soul."--The New Advocate

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 248 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417637056
• ISBN-13: 978-1417637058
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Height of my Teenage Years, March 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Elsewhere (Borderlands) (Mass Market Paperback)

I still remember seeing this book on the shelf of my high school library. I picked it out, read the back, checked it out of the library, and took it home. The very moment I opened this book I knew it would be great, and it was. After I took it back to the library I didn't see it till today. I feel like I have found and old friend. Definatly a good read for ANYONE who enjoys a good fantasy about elves, humans, magic, street life and how they all collide.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adolescent prose, October 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Elsewhere (Borderlands) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book snags you by the soul from the very first sentance. Its lyrical prose conveys the struggles of lonliness and fear that haunt the non-conformists of society. Although the roiling neo-punk language is harsh at times, the intricate characters and settings leaves a bitter aftertaste of beauty and pain. This book is a stark must-read for cynics, poets, fantasy-lovers and mutants of all ages.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terriffic Fantasy, February 19, 2010

By 

Sean P. Mcconnaha "seanofthebread" (Missoula, MT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elsewhere (Paperback)

I read this book in Junior High and loved it. A few years ago i started reading it again. Shetterly has created a world of orthodox fantasy with many new twists on familiar fantasy concepts. The characters are personable and memorable. Recommended for those who love fantasy, those who feel out of place, and those who tire of the cliches embraced by the genre.