Awesome Anthologies and Alaya Dawn Johnson

Today Finding Wonderland greets Yearning for Wonderland in the name of bookish blogosphere reading. We welcome every fellow booknerd to the party!

Grrrl Power in science fiction and fantasy is alive and well.

Fantasy & SciFi Lovin’ News & Reviews is holding a random drawing giveaway for the new Tor Books anthology, Chicks Kick Butt (Tor.com posted an excerpt), Edited by Rachel Caine and Kerrie L. Hughes. Chicks Kick Butt is an anthology that features one of the best things about the urban fantasy genre: strong, independent, and intelligent heroines who are quite capable of solving their own problems and slaying their own dragons (or demons, as the case may be). While this isn’t strictly a YA anthology, I am VERY sure there’s some major crossover potential going on, and this will be a fun one for the older teen “chick” you know.

Drawing at FSFLN&R closes June 28.

If you’re a reader of old skool (“Old.” Oh, how I amuse myself) speculative fiction written by folks like Charles de Lint or Emma Bull, you might know a little something about Bordertown. Apparently it’s a series of linked stories started in the 80’s, all set in an in-between kind of place, a way station between elves and modern times, Tolkien’s high fantasy, and today’s high rises. Bordertown is really an example of the first urban fantasy, and the best example of a shared world. Even before Second Life, people were writing out their adventures in this place — kinda like the magic of Thieves World, but even better.

The anthologies, edited by Terri Windling, came out until the late 90’s, and then the fun was over… Until Holly Black or perhaps Ellen Kushner thought Hey. I’ll bet a whole new generation has never even heard of Bordertown! And a new anthology was born.

You know me and YA-friendly anthologies, right? I want to read this new one like WOW, and OH MY WORD, generally because Black Holly is involved, but also because so is Our Lady, Jane (Yolen), Cory Doctorow, Sara Ryan, Patricia A. McKillp, Cassandra Clare, Annette Curtis Klaus, Neil Gaiman… and I want to read this specifically because Alaya Dawn Johnson has a story in the collection. (Yes. That IS a link to the story, from FANTASY, another story ‘zine I read.)

Alaya Who What? you ask?

Wait, didn’t you read ZOMBIES VS. UNICORNS? And have you not been following the SUBTERRANEAN PRESS YA EDITION excerpts on Gwenda’s blog?

People, people, people. Please follow the blogs which share STORIES, which are MORE IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW THAN ANYTHING. (Seriously. Do not get between a girl and her stories.) Gwenda hath provided, now, go. Read. And come back and tell me that you want to read more from this author, whose tale is both intelligent and hilarious, disturbing, and intriguing. And again I say disturbing. But, oh, I laughed out loud. And said “Eeew!” And snickered some more. GRRRL Power vs. Vampires, people. JOY.

To my joy, I found out that Alaya Dawn Johnson has written some short pieces for Strange Horizons, another online ‘zine that I really like. So, read and enjoy, and look forward with me to reading more tip-tilted speculative fiction YA stories from this writer.

Just discovered that The Book Depository has this book – which means free worldwide shipping. Which means, I get to have it —

*wanders off mid-word to find the book*