Finder: A Novel of the Borderlands (Paperback)

by Emma Bull (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The author of the Hugo- and Nebula-nominated Bone Dance here offers a murder mystery with an agenda: its bittersweet undertones plead for tolerance among all living beings. The story takes place in Bordertown, where elves, humans and halflings (half elf and half human) coexist near the edge of the Nevernever, a country to which only pure Trueblood elves can go. A designer drug that mutates humans and halflings so they become more like Trueblood elves is being used by those desperate to enter the Nevernever. There is a problem, however: the drug horribly kills its users before they complete the mutation process. The tale's human hero, Orient, who has a magical talent for finding lost items, is recruited by Sunny Rico, a policewoman dedicated to seeking out the drug's creator. As they search, love and betrayals flourish, and we learn much about the depths of elven-human friendships. Bull has proved in past works that she can weave a web of magic and truth around her characters. Finder is not as original and exciting as Bone Dance , but this stylishly dark piece displays the author's virtuosity with pathos and command of melodious language. It's yet another case of good writing triumphing over a mediocre concept in the land of the fantastic.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
YA?Finder is a delightful bit of alchemistry that deftly blends the detective and fantasy genres. Orient is a young man with unique "talent": ask him "where is..." and add the "non-abstract noun of your choice" and he will be tugged toward the object. In the World, this odd ability made his life nearly unbearable, but in Bordertown, the mysterious land at the edge of Faerie, such magical abilities are appreciated, and Orient earns his living using his peculiar gift. An uneasy truce exists between the fey and the human, but a lethal drug that promises the credulous the opportunity to pass the border into Faerie threatens Bordertown's stability with a trail of deaths. Enter Sunny Rico, a hard-boiled lady cop who is more than ready to have Orient find a variety of things she hopes will help her track down the killers. The characters get under your skin, and a world in which the young and disaffected are willing to risk death in a mad bid for redemption is oddly familiar in spite of the setting. Bull's delicate touch allows her to exploit the genre crossover with particular success?as in the best of both genres, the tragedy seeps through the thrills, humor, and relationships so slowly that one finds the tears on one's cheek with a shock.?Cathy Chauvette, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (December 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312862911
• ISBN-13: 978-0312862916
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #606,006 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Emma's the only writer who can make me cry, August 2, 1999

By A Customer

I was wandering through a bookstore three years ago with my then boyfriend and stumbled across a book called 'The War of the Oaks' by Emma Bull. I literally devoured this book, and have continued to re-read it twice a year. I was happy to discover that she wrote a short story for the Borderland books that I've had since I was fourteen (it's been 15 years since then, imagine that!) and then to my utter delight that she wrote another, 'Finder'.

Emma catches things in ways you can't imagine, she takes you in and you're there, at the Borderlands caught in this town between worlds. If you want to fully experience the Borderlands, search out the Music for it- Tempest's 'Serrated Edge', her own band or any other number of 'Celtic Rock'.

And if you fin 'War for the Oaks', buy it. It's out of print. It's worth it a thousand times over.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sound Cue: County Hell Fairgrounds, Please., May 4, 2000

By	Michael Weber "fairportfan" (Atlanta) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's interesting to see what a unique talent can do with characters and material originally created for one of the "shared universe" anthologies that no longer plague us quite so much as was the case a few years back. (Though "Borderlands", along with the "Liavek" books -- featuring many of the same crew of authors were among the Very Best of the breed...)

All of the important elements of Bordertown are here -- the "Cat Street Crier", the Dancing Ferret, (and Goldie, Sai and Strider), the Mad River, Ho Street, and so on -- but it is still uniquely Bull's imagination and her story, and hers alone.

Other reviewers have gone into the What Happens Next aspects -- i'd like to touch on some of the Why It's Interesting When It Happens.

Orient, Tick Tick and Sonny Rico and all of the other characters who get mixed into this wind up *changed*. I mean *really* changed -- some die, some have to live with tose deaths and some never really understand what the hell is going on.

One of Johnny Cash's recent songs refers to "a long walk in a cold rain" -- and that's what Orient and company set out on -- this is an almost classic trip " ... down these mean streets ... [by] ... a man who is not himself mean ..."

You will not be indifferent to the fates of Orient and friends, as we all too often find ourselves indifferent to those of the "heroes" in all too many recent works of boilerplate conanistic "heroic fantasy". As a matter of fact, if you are not careful, you may care just a bit too much and could suffer for it... but even that is worth it and part of a truly memorable reading experience.

"How does he make his hands do that?" "Too much Fairport Convention in his youth..."

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars help! Orient, where are you when I need you??, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

I mean, really. I never thought it was possible to crush on a fictional character, until I read "Finder." If I could somehow slip into Bookworld--where all the worlds in books are real--I'd head straight for Bordertown (after a lengthy visit to Pern, perhaps) so I could marry Orient. I mean, he's perfect! He's handsome, he's friends with the best mechanic in the universe (vive Tick Tick!), you'd never lose anything again, and hey! he's even Jewish. Dig this: we have here the only man who could possibly locate the socks that disappear in the dryer! Hmmmm. OK, sex drives aside, this is a fun book. Bordertown: a sleek, hip world where magic melds with technology and bohemians dabble with royalty. (Kinda makes me homesick for NYC, mmmm?) Anyway, the Elves have returned...and they're cool, not a jot like the deified Tolkien-esque elves found in epic fantasies nowdays. Orient, our hero, is a fugitive from the regular world, who has found Bordertown a haven from his dark, secret past. He's friends with Tick Tick, a runaway elven princess who is the best mechanic known to man, a werewolf named Wolfboy (who stars in "Elsewhere" and "Never Never" by Will Shetterly, which were fun but not great), and a determined, mysterious cop named Sunny Rico. Anyway, the book centers around a mystery--some strange disease is turning humans into elves and killing real elves--and how Orient comes to grips with his past. Fast-paced, sleek dialogue, interesting characters, cool locale, strong plot, and Orient. Definately a great find! (Sorry about that last 8-)!)