What do you think?
Rate this book
Borderland #4
Elsewhere
When Ron runs away, he ends up in Bordertown, a grim city that lies between the real world and the world of faerie, a place where elf and human gangs stalk the streets side by side, and where magic works better than technology. If the city doesn't kill him, it just may teach him what it is to be human.
248 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1991
21 people are currently reading
1078 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
February 21, 2011
Elsewhere is moody. It's from the viewpoint of young people who have dropped out and live on the streets, forming their own families and relationships. I don't especially feel comfortable with the idea of kids living this way, but that's one of the best things about reading. You get to see different worlds, lives, existences, and realize that humans are all the same, no matter what kind of lives they live.
Ron came to the Bordertown to find his older brother. He was living in denial, and this trip helped him to find himself, to let go of notions about who he was and what was important in life. I liked seeing him go through that evolution.
It was interesting how his name changed as his personality, or should I say who he thought he was, went through transitions. It was kind of ironic that he found peace within when his last manifestation would have seemed the most unfortunate. He found a family in the place he least expected it, but he sort of came full circle. To say more would be spoil the book.
This is a thoughtful book, with the capacity to inspire deep emotions in a reader. I picked it up because I am intensely interested in stories about Faerie, and this book is very good for those who like Faerie. Along with those elements is a deep story that gives a little more along with the surface fantastical elements. This book is about how we think we express our identities, purpose, bonds of loyalty and affection. How a person takes all those ingredients and uses them to become who they are meant to be, if they can make it through the painful metamorphosis that leads to the final state: that of the butterfly who emerges from its chrysalis, not without a lot of pain and effort.
Ron came to the Bordertown to find his older brother. He was living in denial, and this trip helped him to find himself, to let go of notions about who he was and what was important in life. I liked seeing him go through that evolution.
It was interesting how his name changed as his personality, or should I say who he thought he was, went through transitions. It was kind of ironic that he found peace within when his last manifestation would have seemed the most unfortunate. He found a family in the place he least expected it, but he sort of came full circle. To say more would be spoil the book.
This is a thoughtful book, with the capacity to inspire deep emotions in a reader. I picked it up because I am intensely interested in stories about Faerie, and this book is very good for those who like Faerie. Along with those elements is a deep story that gives a little more along with the surface fantastical elements. This book is about how we think we express our identities, purpose, bonds of loyalty and affection. How a person takes all those ingredients and uses them to become who they are meant to be, if they can make it through the painful metamorphosis that leads to the final state: that of the butterfly who emerges from its chrysalis, not without a lot of pain and effort.
January 26, 2008
I read this back when I was in highschool and dearly loved it. The whole "Bordertown" series was great fodder for my imagination. I was pleased to find when I re-read this that the writing was as good as I remembered, and the characters remain compelling. There are times when I walk through my West Philadelphia neighborhood that I half expect to find elves on spellbox-powered motorcycles. Shetterly imagines urban magic in a wonderful manner.
May 8, 2009
What an imaginative story, well-told, and written for the literate. Elsewhere is a bookstore, and the names of the shelves are hilarious for anyone who has worked in a bookstore or library. Interesting ending, too. The world of faerie mixed with urban lit. Those who liked Holly Black's Tithe would like this. It has a male protagonist.
December 9, 2013
I'd forgotten how much I like YA, due to the glut of derivative dystopias currently swarming the publishing market. This book may be from the 80s but it is sizzling with awesomeness. I laughed out loud many times while reading it, from plot twists and turns of phrase that were just plain funny. ("She was either shoplifting a watermelon, or she was pregnant.")
The only reason I didn't give Elsewhere five stars is because I can't possibly rate it the same as Finder (the authors of these books are married, actually, which is cool). Why? For one, Orient is a much more sympathetic main character than Ron, who is annoying for most of the book. But also Finder is just so much more perfect and makes me cry and laugh and want to read it again. So I'd say Elsewhere is deserving of 4 1/2 stars.
About the book itself: Ron, a young man without an inborn ability to know when to keep his mouth shut, arrives in Bordertown on a specific quest but with no real plans of what to do when he arrives. This is quickly reversed- he is offered a place to stay (Castle Pup, a refuge for many folk who fit in nowhere else, including elves, humans and halflings, and is the only place where all 3 of those actually attempt to get along) and finds a job he enjoys, but has no idea how to fulfill his quest. I enjoyed the part of the book when Ron acclimates to Bordertown and learns what it's like there. But the plot really takes off when Mooner, the guy who found Ron and brought him home, puts a proposal up to the motley crew for a vote, the results of which could change their lives and the ties that hold them together. And not everyone is so eager to accept the results of the democratic process...
Lots of issues are explored: gentrification, coming of age, insensitive people learning to accept others who are different from them, secrets revealed, affairs of the heart (and the broken heart, and revenge gone very wrong) loneliness, identity based on external vs. internal appearances. and so much more.
One major twist was totally foreshadowed but I totally missed because it was camouflaged and I thought it really signified something else . Also the ending explained a lot for me- it might have surprised other readers, but I've possibly read another short story once set in Danceland? I can't remember where or what it was called, but I now understand how future-Ron became who he was by that time.
Anyways, I want to read more Borderlands books, but its so confusing which order to read them in, I need a list of all of them in some kind of order. And not all of them are available in the same formats...short stories vs. novels vs. poems? Ebooks vs. paper only? I'll have to keep searching, I suspect it will be worth the hunt.
Generally speaking of the state of books today, I can't wait for the dystopia craze to die down and perhaps we can return to something a little more interesting and different in YA. It seems to be lasting a super long time, but so did vampires and we're starting to move past them. Here's to a revived urban fantasy boom! Or something brand new we haven't even imagined yet! (to quote Gus in TFIOS.)
The only reason I didn't give Elsewhere five stars is because I can't possibly rate it the same as Finder (the authors of these books are married, actually, which is cool). Why? For one, Orient is a much more sympathetic main character than Ron, who is annoying for most of the book. But also Finder is just so much more perfect and makes me cry and laugh and want to read it again. So I'd say Elsewhere is deserving of 4 1/2 stars.
About the book itself: Ron, a young man without an inborn ability to know when to keep his mouth shut, arrives in Bordertown on a specific quest but with no real plans of what to do when he arrives. This is quickly reversed- he is offered a place to stay (Castle Pup, a refuge for many folk who fit in nowhere else, including elves, humans and halflings, and is the only place where all 3 of those actually attempt to get along) and finds a job he enjoys, but has no idea how to fulfill his quest. I enjoyed the part of the book when Ron acclimates to Bordertown and learns what it's like there. But the plot really takes off when Mooner, the guy who found Ron and brought him home, puts a proposal up to the motley crew for a vote, the results of which could change their lives and the ties that hold them together. And not everyone is so eager to accept the results of the democratic process...
Lots of issues are explored: gentrification, coming of age, insensitive people learning to accept others who are different from them, secrets revealed, affairs of the heart (and the broken heart, and revenge gone very wrong) loneliness, identity based on external vs. internal appearances. and so much more.
One major twist was totally foreshadowed but I totally missed because it was camouflaged and I thought it really signified something else . Also the ending explained a lot for me- it might have surprised other readers, but I've possibly read another short story once set in Danceland? I can't remember where or what it was called, but I now understand how future-Ron became who he was by that time.
Anyways, I want to read more Borderlands books, but its so confusing which order to read them in, I need a list of all of them in some kind of order. And not all of them are available in the same formats...short stories vs. novels vs. poems? Ebooks vs. paper only? I'll have to keep searching, I suspect it will be worth the hunt.
Generally speaking of the state of books today, I can't wait for the dystopia craze to die down and perhaps we can return to something a little more interesting and different in YA. It seems to be lasting a super long time, but so did vampires and we're starting to move past them. Here's to a revived urban fantasy boom! Or something brand new we haven't even imagined yet! (to quote Gus in TFIOS.)
March 29, 2018
I read this book for the first time when I was in junior high, and it was my first sweet taste of Urban Fantasy. Elves on motorcycles, magic at dance clubs, werewolfs staffing used bookstores- I was hooked. I read it again this month, outloud, all in one day during a road trip to LA with my sister. We were both amazed that it not only held up to our memories, but was perhaps ever better than we remembered. We caught more references (to bands, to other sci-fi and fantasy authors) than we had the before and the overarching theme of gentrification hit harder. Highly recommend.
May 1, 2019
This is an old favorite of mine, and it was fun to reread it. It's about punk elves, humans, and half-elves who live on the border between our world and Faerie. Elsewhere is a bookstore in Bordertown. The story continues in the sequel, Nevernever, which I will reread soon.
March 7, 2019
Review to come :)
November 14, 2008
This book takes place in the Borderlands universe created by Terri Windling, whose stories I have never read. Luckily, there's little to know: Bordertown is located at the boundary between the World and Faerie, a mostly run-down place where technology and magic both work sporatically. In this story, an impulsive human boy named Ron comes to Bordertown looking for his older brother, and ends up falling in with a crowd of elves, halfies, and other humans trying to bust the stereotype that the races can't mingle. There's gang violence and drug abuse and sex and rock'n'roll, as is to be expected in a story about teenagers living on the street. I first read this book about fifteen years ago and I remember liking it very much. I still like it now, except that I had a great deal more difficulty following it this time around. I kept forgetting which character was which, and the ending felt extremely rushed. The story behind Ron's older brother is muddled and confusing. I think when I read it the first time, I glossed over a lot of the little details that didn't add up. Or maybe I just missed something this time around. Either way, I did enjoy Shetterly's writing style, which struck me as a more realistic portrayal of teenagers than I've seen in a while. Perhaps the sequel, Nevernever, will clear up some things. I've read it before too, but heck if I can remember what it was about.
May 27, 2013
Spectacular. Fans of Charles de Lint, Francesca Lia Block, Nancy Springer, Robin McKinley and other masters of liminal spaces will enjoy Shetterly's ability to juxtapose emotional depth with descriptive whimsy. This story takes place on the borderlands in many senses-- between child and adult, real and unreal, mundane and supernatural, despair and courage. And despite the fantasy setting, the story itself rings deeply true. Ron could be any young man who has run away from home because it is home no longer, and his pain is told with a clarity that reminds me of the writings of Sherman Alexie. I was genuinely impressed.
March 1, 2010
Elsewhere follows a teenage runaway (Ron) as he travels to the Borderlands between The World and Faerie in search of his elder brother Tony.
While a little dated in parts, the story itself was interesting enough to push past moments of cringe worthy '90s speak. Had I not been into grunge as a teenager this may not have bothered me. Unlike me however, the protagonist never indicated whether or not he ever wore excessive amounts of flannel, so that was a relief.
Soon after arriving in Bordertown Ron joins a group of homeless kids living in a squat. What follows is a story not dissimilar to most modern stories about runaways, with real life themes being overwritten by the introduction of Elves, magic and the oddly named characters fantasy writers can't get enough of.
Despite my hatred of fantasy character names, I enjoyed Elsewhere more than I would believe possible if I could travel back in time and attempt to convince myself to read it.
While a little dated in parts, the story itself was interesting enough to push past moments of cringe worthy '90s speak. Had I not been into grunge as a teenager this may not have bothered me. Unlike me however, the protagonist never indicated whether or not he ever wore excessive amounts of flannel, so that was a relief.
Soon after arriving in Bordertown Ron joins a group of homeless kids living in a squat. What follows is a story not dissimilar to most modern stories about runaways, with real life themes being overwritten by the introduction of Elves, magic and the oddly named characters fantasy writers can't get enough of.
Despite my hatred of fantasy character names, I enjoyed Elsewhere more than I would believe possible if I could travel back in time and attempt to convince myself to read it.
July 30, 2008
I had a little trouble getting into this book, but I would guess that it was because there are a number of books in the 'Borderland' series that come prior to this book. I would guess that they are loosely tied, but probably would have made it a little easier to get into this book. That being said, once I did get past the fact that I might have missed something prior to the events in the book it got GOOD. I love the characters and the idea behind Bordertown. I am looking forward to reading more about Ron/Wolfboy and all of his friends in the next installment- Nevernever.
August 5, 2011
Just Ron starts a search for his brother, Tony, in Bordertown, a city lying on the border of the human realm and that of Faerie. It is populated by humans, elves, and halfies – some humans belong to groups like the Pack or the Wharf Rats, some elves belong to the Bloods, but most of the inhabitants mix. Ron goes to live at Castle Pup under the auspices of Mooner, a half-elf acquaintance. After he finds at job at Elsewhere, a book shop, he is able to spend some time in his search for his brother but distractions from his daily life creep in until he is blamed for the disaster.
February 17, 2008
I read this one for Tim-and-Danielle Read Together 2008... though it took me much longer to read it. I had a hard time getting into this one, mostly because the main character is a brat and, like with many fantasy novels, I had a hard time getting into the world and getting used to the many characters. But the last third of the book is really exciting. Ron's redemption is believable (and much appreciated) and I found myself really liking the characters and the book itself.
August 13, 2011
I have never actually seen Portlandia, but a radio station I listened to used to play the theme song, and I feel like it applies here: the spirit of the 90's is alive in this book. The clothes, the culture, the everything. So...very...90s. (I was in college in the 90s, and I still was like, whoa, seriously??)
Other than that, umm, stuff happens, and I didn't really connect with anyone in the book or care that much, but I read it.
Other than that, umm, stuff happens, and I didn't really connect with anyone in the book or care that much, but I read it.
April 16, 2016
I came across references to the books about Borderlands when I was searching for Charles de Lint books and Terri Wendling. The books are difficult to find at my local library, but this one by Will Shetterly was available. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to the continuation of Ron's story in Nevernever.
May 7, 2015
I just tried Nevernever, which features the same main character, and didn't remember him at all. Oops.
April 23, 2025
I love this book. I wish the borderlands/border town series went on and on.
This one is for me the pinnacle of the Elfpunk genre.
This one is for me the pinnacle of the Elfpunk genre.
June 26, 2019
Eh. This book is very bland, and the parts that stand out are the most objectionable ones. Ron is a traumatized young teenager who mouths off constantly and is mostly just a jerk. We're supposed to find it lovable or relatable, I think, since everyone likes him regardless? The other characters are pretty flat, and largely only described insomuch as Ron finds them attractive (or not). The plot is just... messy. A lot of Ron wandering around being upset about whatever, then a *lot* of crazy happens towards the end and it felt weird and rushed. I either disliked (Mooner) or just didn't care (Lena) about the side characters. I didn't understand the weird punishment (?) of having him . By the end, I understood why certain things/characters existed, but they felt either contrived (Ms. Wu, Florida) or just not interesting enough to justify their inclusion.
The major issue I had with the book is how appallingly 90s it is in terms of its attempted "progressive" messaging. Mickey didn't bother me so much; although she was transparent disability rep, it was a decent job - making a point of how she gets through life with no arms, using her feet or various tools, but (with a couple exceptions) it's not sappy. Florida was fine, although I'm also tired of "mute kid learns to talk at a Significant Moment to Make Things Better for the MC" plots. Goldy was... fine. I couldn't tell if he was intended to be gay, since it's only obliquely referenced; I honestly hope not since he treads on the "metrosexual" edge. The really awful one was King O'Beer/the gay representation in general. It's clearly meant well, but it's just trite. Plus, having your MC be homophobic and "learn better" really isn't cool anymore. Especially since it's that really gross "I can't have a gay roommate - what if he tries to ~*~sex me~*~ cause he's ~*~a gay~*~; oh wait, someone threw a rock at him & his boyfriend and now I've Learned a Life Lesson".
I think if it had been in isolation, I'd probably give the book three stars, but it's intended to be YA (I think?) and I can't in good conscience imagine giving it to a teenager when it's so painfully outdated. I'm still curious about the rest of the Borderlands stories - maybe some of these characters are from previous stories and so make more sense? But ugh, I'm done with Ron, for real.
The major issue I had with the book is how appallingly 90s it is in terms of its attempted "progressive" messaging. Mickey didn't bother me so much; although she was transparent disability rep, it was a decent job - making a point of how she gets through life with no arms, using her feet or various tools, but (with a couple exceptions) it's not sappy. Florida was fine, although I'm also tired of "mute kid learns to talk at a Significant Moment to Make Things Better for the MC" plots. Goldy was... fine. I couldn't tell if he was intended to be gay, since it's only obliquely referenced; I honestly hope not since he treads on the "metrosexual" edge. The really awful one was King O'Beer/the gay representation in general. It's clearly meant well, but it's just trite. Plus, having your MC be homophobic and "learn better" really isn't cool anymore. Especially since it's that really gross "I can't have a gay roommate - what if he tries to ~*~sex me~*~ cause he's ~*~a gay~*~; oh wait, someone threw a rock at him & his boyfriend and now I've Learned a Life Lesson".
I think if it had been in isolation, I'd probably give the book three stars, but it's intended to be YA (I think?) and I can't in good conscience imagine giving it to a teenager when it's so painfully outdated. I'm still curious about the rest of the Borderlands stories - maybe some of these characters are from previous stories and so make more sense? But ugh, I'm done with Ron, for real.
January 27, 2023
Technically a reread, though I'm not logging it as such, Elsewhere is an oddball urban fantasy that I first read when I was about 14. I'm not always the biggest fan of urban fantasy, but I found that I really enjoyed this. The world is drawn very sharply and minimalisticly, with sharp lines like a pencil sketch you're always spotting new details in. The characters are equally well defined and whilst I wouldn't say it has a happy ending, it has a satisfying one. Some moments of this imagery have stuck with me for 20 years, though I couldn't have told you the story and there are echoes of Boardertown in my own writing. The story itself, I'd rate about 3/5. It's good. I liked it. It's nothing special. But Shetterly's words linger in the mind long after finished, or even remembered.
January 19, 2018
It’s a fun book; nice details and tight writing. It has a darkness, however, that seems to come out of nowhere, and parts of the story feel forced and rushed
December 3, 2023
I can see why the book won the F&SF category in the Minnesota Book Awards. I can see even more strongly why it was a finalist in the Children's Literature section of the Mythopoeic Awards. The book is well written, but even more importantly, it explores a very different reality. Magic works, sometimes and unexpectedly. All sorts of beings exist, but there is the same type of racist (speciesist?) reality as exists in this world. And there is a young man trying to learn about life, his brother, and himself. I am certainly going to read the sequel.
Recommended for fans of fantasy who enjoy the stranger entering the fantastic reality.
Recommended for fans of fantasy who enjoy the stranger entering the fantastic reality.
August 11, 2024
It dragged. I'm an Emma Bull aficionado, and I loved Finder so much that after I read that again while convalescing I wanted to find out more about Wolfboy, Tick-Tick and Orient. Somehow it just didn't coalesce for me, although I read it to the end. I think one of the problems was that the Borderlands books/novellas/stories are written by a number of authors who have very different styles and I didn't take into account the fact that therefore there's a lot more liberty for each to handle characters differently, and have contradictory world details. That, alas, is a problem for me--I love long series, but I kind of expect internal consistency (blame Tolkien), and in this book I kept tripping over things that didn't jive between Shetterly's and Bull's visions.
April 25, 2018
Not exactly what I thought it would be, yet strangely better than I thought it would be. The only real problem I had was what Mickey called Ron... get ready and embrace this: she called him "Just Ron." Throughout the whole novel. It was cute at first because Ron didn't want to look stupid and present all his name, so when people asked he said, "Just Ron." Everone else understood his name was Ron, except for this idiot. Honestly, I liked it and would strongly consider reading other Bordertown novels, but I wouldn't say it's something that rests at the top of my list.
May 29, 2025
Rating a 4 because Bordertown is my favorite fictional shared universe. I've read all the short story collections and I'm starting in on Shetterly's novels. I know that this is a foundational text in the universe but darn...I struggled a bit with this one. Mostly because Ron is just such a deeply unlikable character, who only becomes remotely redeemed in the last 20-40 pages (IYKYK). Realistic for a teenage boy, sure, but challenging when he's your only POV character in the story.
December 29, 2019
I gave this a 7.5 when I read it, but now I'm going lower. I absolutely hated the way that Ron's story went and ended, but the worldbuilding was great. There's a sequel that I'm going to try to find, along with others in that shared universe. Maybe Ron will make better decisions in the next book.
January 24, 2020
A great YA novel, showing that every teenage boy can be a clueless ass but eventually redeem himself by caring for others. Very Midsummer Night's Dream. The e-book formatting is horrible, though, with random indentations throughout making it harder to enjoy.
August 24, 2020
I really kind of hated this book at the beginning. I hated shithead ron, and I was confused why anyone would make him the protagonist, but I understand now.
The way he changes and the way this book ties itself into a lovely bow at the last minute is just exceptional.
The way he changes and the way this book ties itself into a lovely bow at the last minute is just exceptional.
February 19, 2021
Getting to know Ron
I've loved Wolfboy since I was twelve years old. This is the story of how he became the character I so loved. Quite frankly, I think he's better off not being able to speak, but he'll tell you that, himself, so it's no secret.
I've loved Wolfboy since I was twelve years old. This is the story of how he became the character I so loved. Quite frankly, I think he's better off not being able to speak, but he'll tell you that, himself, so it's no secret.
April 28, 2018
Exploring the roots of YA/urban fantasy with the Borderlands series. Remarkable.
June 3, 2018
This was my third foray into Bordertown and my love for the place has only grown deeper. The city and characters are filled with such vibrancy it's almost painful to think they might not exist.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews