Elsewhere [Hardcover]

Will Shetterly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1991

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.

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

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt, Brace & Jovanovich, NY; 1st edition (October 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152007318
• ISBN-13: 978-0152007317
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,888,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars well, i read it once and it was alright, but i wouldn't read it again, November 27, 2007

By 

~GothLoveBlue~ (Eugene, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elsewhere (Paperback)

Like the title says, I wouldn't read this book again, and probably won't read the second installment. While surrounded by "mythical" creatures, it still seems like they were just thrown in here to make it more interesting. It's more of a teen angst story than anything else, which is fine, but not really my kind of book. If these kind of stories don't irritate you, you might really like it. I decided to try it out and found it wasn't for me. Even though I didn't particularly like it, it was interesting enough that if i had to put it down for awhile, i was eager to get back to it. I don't like that Ron sides with Mooner for most of the story, cuz Mooner's an egotistic moron. But besides him, all the character's have their own distinct personality and they seem real enough. I think this book deserves 3 1/2 stars, actually. It might not've been my kinda book, but it was written very well.
Throughout the story, Ron is looking for his older brother, Tony. We learn little tid-bits about Tony throughout the book, until the end where we find out exactly what happened to Tony and why Ron thinks he's there. I suspected the outcome from the beginning, but even so it was interesting reading up to it. Although the main character is a guy (obviously:P), I didn't have trouble understanding the way he was talking/thinking (this is written in the first person from Ron's point of view), which was great, because i know a lot of books from a girl's point of view aren't really guy-friendly. Anyway, i would recommend this book to you if you like teen angst mixed with the mythical and some great characters thrown in.

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.