Jo Walton: Lent

Jo Walton needs little introduction for fantasy and sf readers - which is surprising, given how far most of her works stray from our usual comfort zone ... Lent is no exception. Set in Florence towards the end of the 15th century, it tells the story of the last years in the life of Girolamo Savonarola, a Dominican monk, reformer and for a short time, de-facto ruler of Florence. I must confess that I wasn't familiar with this historical figure before reading Lent. While Lent is obviously thouroughly researched (Walton provides an afterword in which she details where and why she strayed from the historical facts), it features at least some of the things we'd expect to see in a fantasy novel, and even some strong sfnal elements. There's actual demons from hell, subtle magic and elements of time travel, alternate history or both, depending on how you look at it.

Some Abyss-Gazing this Friday?

"Gaze into the abyss all day and the abyss will gaze into you."
Normal Head is an institution surrounded by an experimental forest, where so called foresight strategists are civil futurists are being taken to recover from this abyss gaze. New patient Adam Dearden witnesses the disappearing of a fellow patient leaving nothing but a pile of insects and  sets off to uncover the incident... It will not be the only thing he uncovers...
This month's discussion on the refreshingly short Normal by Warren Ellis starts this Friday, November 8, at 7.30 pm at the Otherland Bookstore.
As always there will be snacks and drinks that are free, contributions are welcome. You don't need to sign up to join in, please just read the book and come over.

James S.A. Corey are in Berlin and They Want to Meet You!

After having had the pleasure to have Ty Franck as a guest a couple of years ago we’re now hugely excited to present to you the full duo James S.A. Corey!!!

So take down your Expanse-novels from the shelf and mark your calendars : Tuesday, November 5th, at 7.00 pm Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham, aka James SA Corey, will be at the DTK Wasserturm (Kopischstr. 7, 10965 Berlin)!

Book Recommendations October/November 2019

We’re hugely excited to bring to you (drum rolls)… James S.A. Corey!!! Yes, a couple of years ago we had the pleasure to have Ty Franck as our guest and this time we even get to have the full duo here! So mark your calendars: Tuesday, November 5th, at 7.00 pm the authors of the Expanse-Series, Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham, will be at the DTK Wasserturm (Kopischstr. 7, 10965 Berlin) - brought to you by the Otherland Bookshop!
On the following Thursday, November 7th, it is role-playing time at the shop again! And the next day, Friday November 8th, we’ll be discussing graphic novelist Warren Ellis’ suspiciously short futuristic book “Normal”.
There are two book clubs this month and the latter is for horror fans! On November 22nd we’re meeting to talk about T.E.D. Klein’s “The Ceremonies” - an almost forgotten horror classic and hell of an unsettling cosmic horror-gothic novel merger.
Admissions to the book clubs and the role playing evening are free but contributions are very welcome. If you want to come role playing, it would be great if you dropped Jakob a line at “service@otherland.de” and if you want to join the book clubs, it would be equally superb that you read the book if you’re coming to discuss it.
See you around!

Final Girls Berlin Halloween Bash

The Final Girls Berlin strike again!
No plans on the scariest night of the year? Too many good showings on Halloween and you don't know what to choose? Why not join me at the Final Girls Berlin Bash! It will be fun, promise!
See their  announcement on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1190604014470547/

Summer is (thankfully) over and it‘s time to celebrate Halloween with the Final Girls Berlin Film Festival! Watch a selection of 2019‘s best horror shorts made by women followed by a 5th anniversary screening of THE BABADOOK (2014), Jennifer Kent‘s incredibly creepy film about a single mother, her troubled young son, and a most sinister creature. There will also be a costume contest, so let your imagination fly and come in costume for a chance to win a prize!

20:00 – Final Girls Filmfest – Best of Shorts 2019!

Call Girl (5:50)
Directed by Jill Gevargizian, US, 2014
In one man's attempt to exploit his date night via video-chat, he ends up sharing something far more disturbing.

Asian Girls (6:33)
Written and directed by Hyun Lee, Australia, 2017
Chan is a Chinese factory worker who lives alone. Every night, she suffers from horrific nightmares involving the woman in the apartment next door, a Japanese office worker.

Clash of the Gods of Death

by Clarence Haynes

True believers, please know that Otherland’s third Mythic Fiction Book Club discussion will be this Friday, October 25th, 7.30 pm at the Otherland Bookshop. As per usual, we’ll have snacks, drinks and stimulating analysis.

We’ll be focusing on the recently released 2019 novel Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. The book, an odyssey of sorts set in jazz age Mexico, follows the tribulations of Casiopea Tun, who unknowingly releases from a chest Hun-Kamé, the Mayan deity of death who was vanquished by his power-hungry brother Vucub-Kamé. With mortal and god physically linked, the injured deity informs Casiopea that they will be going to the city of Mérida, beginning a quest in which Hun-Kamé seeks to become whole again and regain power.

Moreno-Garcia spoke on her blog about the cultural origins of the underworld realm of Xibalba, where Hun-Kamé and his brother rule: http://www.silviamoreno-garcia.com/blog/welcome-to-xibalba/ She also discusses the role of owls in her work, inspired by the depiction of the birds in the ancient Mayan mythological text the Popol Vuh: http://www.silviamoreno-garcia.com/blog/the-owls/ (For more information on the Popol Vuh, please feel free to visit https://www.britannica.com/topic/Popol-Vuh and https://www.ancient.eu/Popol_Vuh/) 

Nate Crowley Back at the Otherland

Hooray, Nate is back!
We first got to know him last year, when we read The Death and Life of Schneider Wreck for our book club. Later in the year he and his family came to visit the Otherland for a reading and a visit to the Berlin Aquarium. Meanwhile we call him a friend of the House Otherland and are thrilled that he is visiting us again yet for another reading!
Nate will be here this Wednesday, October 16th at 8 pm and meet with his Berlin fan-base, reading from previously unpublished material (very exciting!) and answering all you ever wanted to know about him.
So grab your Schneider's and pop in, we're up for a fun and relaxed evening of reading and chatting and nice writing!