Do You Believe in Vampires?

...because a young Stephen King believed he can make you!

There ain't no such thing as a horror book club who hasn't read Stephen King (need to shake off last book club's effects immediately, yuck). SO we are on our way to become an official horror book club, when tomorrow August 23rd, at 7.30 pm at the bookshop, we will for the first time read the King's 'salem's Lot from 1975, I think his second published novel after Carrie.
He once said "Give them to me young and they're mine forever" and so it is... Most people from my generation and background would agree. He shaped above all our sense of justice, he got us hooked on reading and had a huge impact on the way we perceive literature and horror's place in it. King means a lot to me -he is one of the two authors that I started reading books with, the second one is Agatha Christie. So you can guess that I'm thrilled about our upcoming session.
Even though 'salem's Lot, the story of a writer who returns to the small town of his childhood only to witness its gradual decay in the hands of a nasty vampire, is quite far from being the perfect book, it does an original and good job in placing decadent central European-nobility-horrors in lower middleclass US suburbia of the 70s AND features one of my favorite book characters of all time: Father Callahan (you might rather know him as the charismatic vampire hunter in the "Dark Tower" books).
So bring garlic and thyme and be there tomorrow evening for our next OBC horror special, and maybe think of your favorite character or scene in this veeeery long book. See you tomorrow at the Otherland!

Book Recommendations Summer 2019

The last newsletter in June predicted a quiet summer, and it was in fact a quiet summer at the Otherland to the extent that we could even afford to skip the July edition/or make a joint Newsletter Summer-Edition -which is finally ready!
So what’s coming up in September? If you’re one of the people who think that Tobias Meißner is by far not enough present at the Otherland, then here’s something for you to look forward to: On Thursday September 12, at 8 pm our favorite Berlin sf/fantasy/horror author will be at your favorite Berlin bookshop for a reading of his latest: Evil Miss Universe- this event is in German!
Our usual routine remains uninterrupted: First Thursday of the month (September 5.) role-playing evening and second Friday of the month (September 13.) Otherland Speculative Fiction Book Club, where we will talk about Matt Ruff’s Lovecraft Country. This Friday, August 23rd, we'll take a look into the world of vampiric horror with Stephen King's Salem's Lot! Both events take place at the bookshop, start at 7.30 pm, admission, snacks and drinks are free for both and contributions are always welcome. It would be super if you could drop Jakob a mail in case you want to come to role-play and it would be equally great that you read the book we are discussing at the book club if you want to show up.
Also: The Hugos are being handed out in August and we have people at the WorldCon in Ireland who will tell us at the Gatherland on September 19 all about how it was! Exciting!
Enjoy our summer recommendations!

Spectacularity this weekend!

Otherlanders b-ware and don't forget the Final Girls Berlin, Women in SciFi Spectacular Festival this weekend!
On my last "Final Girls Berlin" experience I was impressed by and immensely enjoyed the shorts selection, so I won't be missing those this time either!
There will be a small group of Otherland book clubbers there on Saturday, so please join us! Hope to see you there, in Ladenkino!

SATURDAY AUGUST 17

18:00 – Shorts Program 1: Otherworldly (89 mins)
The short films in this program are set in alternative realities. From the aftermaths of an ecological disaster to dealing with new types of moral dilemmas, these uncanny shorts will offer a glimpse into worlds both familiar and strange.

20:00 – ANOTHER EARTH (92 mins)
Directed by Mike Cahill, US, 2011
Starring Brit Marling, William Mapother

In this award-winning philosophical sci-fi film, a young woman (Brit Marling, The OA) who is filled with guilt and regret, learns about a parallel Earth, “Earth 2”, and wants nothing more than to leave her reality and go there.

22:00 – CODEPENDENT LESBIAN SPACE ALIEN SEEKS SAME (76 mins)
Directed by Madeleine Olnek, US, 2011
Starring Lisa Haas, Susan Ziegler, Jackie Monahan

Zoinx, a space alien, meets Jane, a timid clerk, and sparks fly. Zoinx is being tracked down by government agents, but that won‘t stop the new couple‘s love from blossoming.

0:00 – Shorts Program 2: Midnight (89 mins)
We‘ve assembled an eclectic mix of funny, bizarre, and downright unclassifiable sci fi shorts in this midnight program.


SUNDAY AUGUST 18

Next OBC-Meeting

So, the book we're discussing at our next meeting (August 9th, 7.30pm at the Otherland) is Robert Heinlein's Hugo and Prometheus winning, Locus nominated The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (1966).

Algis Budrys praised "Heinlein's expertise for dirt-level politics, snappy dialogue and a sense of an actual living society"! Leigh Kimmel characterized the novel as a departure from what had previously been associated with science fiction! Andrew Kaufman described it as Heinlein's crowning achievement!

Inci's own humble opinion:

Loki: On Tricksters and Gods

by Clarence Haynes

Otherland’s second Mythic Fiction Book Club discussion is this Friday, July 26th, 19.30 at the Otherland Bookshop. We’ll be focusing on the 2014 novelThe Gospel of Loki by well-known British author Joanne M. Harris. Gospel of Loki is part of the author’s "Rune" series of releases, with a titular character known by many as the trickster god of Norse mythology. Harris chronicles various tales spun from traditional myth all via Loki’s perspective, who wholly owns his status as a shapeshifting deity of mischief and deceit, albeit feeling misunderstood at times by his godly cohorts. 

For more background details about Harris’ take on Loki, folks can visit her website: http://www.joanne-harris.co.uk/books/the-gospel-of-loki/

OBC this Friday!

Have you been able to make use of the unusually long gap between our last meeting and the next to finish the, well... unusually long and equally amazing and perplexing "Gardens of the Moon"? The book is actually Canadian author Erik Stevenson's debut and has a massively massive fanbase all around the world. As to me, I have finished it last week and I'm still processing... and processing some more my mixed feelings about which we'll surely be talking about when we meet this Friday July 12th, at 7.30 pm as usual at the Otherland Bookshop.
 

Event: The Women* in Sci Fi Spectacular August 17th and 18th

Hey Otherlanders, mark your calendars!

Final Girls Berlin and David DMP Moore have “crossed the streams” to create ONE ultimate showcase of women in Sci Fi film: “The Women in Sci Fi Spectacular”! So come with us across the galaxy for this spectacular two day event!!

Saturday August 17th and Sunday August 18th

The event will include indie features, a galaxy’s worth of sci fi shorts, classic sci fi trailer shows, and MUCH MORE!

We will be screening:

- Lizzie Borden's dystopian cult film BORN IN FLAMES

- Madeleine Olnek's hilarious CODEPENDENT LESBIAN SPACE ALIEN SEEKS SAME

- Mike Cahill's philosophical mind-bender ANOTHER EARTH

- Jennifer Phang's moving futuristic drama ADVANTAGEOUS

- and a wide selection of thought-provoking, creative sci fi shorts!!!


Final Girls Berlin Film events showcase films that are directed, written, and/or produced by women and non-binary filmmakers. We are committed to creating space for female voices and visions, whether monstrous, heroic or some messy combination of the two.
http://www.finalgirlsberlin.com/
https://www.facebook.com/events/2194836200765727/

b-ware! Ladenkino
Gärtnerstraße 19, 10245 Berlin