Review by Matthew Scott Winslow
The old adage that one should not judge a book by its cover is generally true. (I can't count the times I've been seduced into reading a mediocre book because it had a Thomas Canty cover.) But equally true is that a book's title should induce one to read it. I almost passed up The Essential Bordertown because, from its title, I thought it was a "best of" compilation. The book is, however, 13 entirely new short stories about the borderlands between Faerie and our world. The "essential " in its title refers to the bridge material between stories that mimics a travel guide to Bordertown. That is, it is the "essential" guide to Bordertown.
One of the problems many anthology series face is trying to keep a focus without limiting growth and also without focusing too tightly. After all, there's only so many "human/elf child runs away from home only to find him/herself in Bordertown" stories to tell. Bordertown was starting to get itself caught in that rut, so it was wonderful to see new names writing stories: Patricia McKillip, Delia Sherman, Donnard Sturgis, Elisabeth Kushner, Caroline Stevermer, Steven Brust, Ellen Steiber, Felicit y Savage and Micole Sudberg. Only four authors have previously written Bordertown stories: Midori Snyder, Charles de Lint, Michael Korolenko, and Ellen Kushner. Overall, this "new blood" approach has worked: even though half of the stories are s till about runaways, the ideas aren't old or tired. This time around we get as many elf runaways as human and even a story about running away from Bordertown.
The gem of the collection is Ellen Kushner's "Hot Water: A Bordertown Romance." It goes without saying that anything she writes will be touching and poignant without resorting to cliche. And here she does it again by mixing the old misunderstood -magic trope with the ugly-duckling motif for a beautiful love story. (OK, I'm a sucker for good romances, but do read this one.)
The award for most ambitious story goes to Steven Brust for "When the Bow Breaks" about a ship sailing down the Blood River and the effects of that. (For the uninitiated, the Blood River originates in Faerie and its water is an addictive halluci nogen for humans.) The story, however, doesn't live up to its ambition. How goods can be legally carted up and down the river without violating a UN sanction is never explained. Furthermore, the Border stories have always fit within a very narrow geograph ical location. Brust's story, however, asks us to believe that the Border extends beyond the conventional boundaries, but again it never explains this contradiction.
The rest of the collection is as variable as with any anthology. Patricia McKillip's story is probably the thinnest I've ever read from her (content, not length), but is still superb. Charles de Lint appears to have written something just to get his name on the book. Elisabeth Kushner (cousin of Ellen and a fellow Seattlite) puts in a good first story. Midori Snyder brings back previously established characters for an enjoyable confrontation story.
If you've never been to the Border, The Essential Bordertown is a good stepping-on point, especially with its explanatory tourist-guide sections. For those who have been to the Border before and loved it, be prepared for another pleasant visit.
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