From School Library Journal
Grade 9-12-In this sequel to Elsewhere (Harcourt, 1991), Ron, a runaway, lives in Bordertown, where the World and Faerie meet. Once a human, he has been turned into a werewolf by a potent spell. His friends are humans, elves, and halfies, and his task is to protect Florida, an orphan elf who is the unwilling heir to the Elflands throne. It soon becomes obvious that things are not always what they seem in Bordertown. Technology is not reliable, magic is not predictible, and people are not necessarily who they say they are. This is cyberpunk fantasy, where magic, teenage gangs, elvish whimsy, rock-and-roll, and adolescent angst blend into a sometimes murky but always lively plot. A murder, a kidnapping, and a trip into the magical forests of the Nevernever lead readers ever deeper into twists and turns and an open-ended conclusion that could permit a sequel. YAs will want background information about the characters and setting that can only be learned by reading the first book. However, the dialogue is snappy and the action never flags. Ron seems to have learned a lot since his arrival in the Borderlands and is a character with whom many teens will identify. Readers may feel at times as though they have fallen into someone else's psychedelic dream, but they will probably enjoy the trip. Fantasy and science-fiction buffs who have read Elsewhere will devour this book and look for more.Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NCCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
Fast-paced, occasionally confusing, but never dull: a sequel to the punk fantasy Elsewhere (1991) recounting the further adventures of teenager Ron and his friends--other human runaways, elves, and those of mixed blood. Known as ``Wolfboy'' since the lovely elf Leda put a spell on him, Ron is trying to adjust to his new shape and to find love (or sex) in the ever-shifting power struggles on the border between the World and Faerie. But even love takes a back seat to the nonstop kidnappings, false accusations of murder, and motorcycle gangs, and to the deadly search for the true heir to Faerie, who has the disconcerting habit of being two ages at once, in the same time and place. Though it doesn't stand well alone, this has the same witty adolescent verve and vulnerability--plus a message concerning peace among those who are really different. (Fiction. 14+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
"The Borderlands series is the finest of all shared-worlds."--Locus

"An exciting story with surprising twists and turns tat will keep you reading to find out what happens next."--Library Journal

"An intriguing hybrid of fantasy that mixes life on the streets with magic and glimpses of unworldly beauty...The ideas fascinate, Ron's fate matters, and this is an unusual view of the streets."--Kirkus Reviews



Book Description
Growing up is hard to do . . . especially if, like Ron, you've been cursed (blessed?) and changed into a half wolf/half human. But though he may look strange, there is nothing weird about his loyalty to his newfound friends, or in his attempts to stay true to himself in the deadly, shifting world of Bordertown.



Card catalog description
Seventeen-year-old Ron, now turned into a wolfboy by a spell, finds Bordertown filled with kidnapping, murder, and magic, as gangs of elves continue to search for the heir of Faerie. Sequel to "Elsewhere."


About the Author
WILL SHETTERLY is the author of nine novels and numerous short stories, comic books, and screenplays. His American magical-realist novel Dogland was called "a masterwork" on National Public Radio. He lives in Bisbee, Arizona.

ANNOTATION

Seventeen-year-old Ron, now turned into a wolfboy by a spell, finds Bordertown filled with kidnapping, murder, and magic, as gangs of elves continue to search for the heir of Faerie.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Ron, the hero of Elsewhere, has been cursed by a beautiful elf named Leda, and now he's a werewolf. As if meeting girls hadn't already been hard enough. Ron would love to break the curse, but he's got other things on his mind. His best friend, Strider, has been framed for murder. Another friend is kidnapped. And a third friend has gone into hiding -- right in plain sight with Ron. Some dangerous elements from Elfland are looking for her: a few, to safeguard the power she wields; others, to seize possession of it; none of them counting on her having friends like Ron, who will do anything to protect her.

FROM THE CRITICS

School Library Journal

Gr 9-12-In this sequel to Elsewhere (Harcourt, 1991), Ron, a runaway, lives in Bordertown, where the World and Faerie meet. Once a human, he has been turned into a werewolf by a potent spell. His friends are humans, elves, and halfies, and his task is to protect Florida, an orphan elf who is the unwilling heir to the Elflands throne. It soon becomes obvious that things are not always what they seem in Bordertown. Technology is not reliable, magic is not predictible, and people are not necessarily who they say they are. This is cyberpunk fantasy, where magic, teenage gangs, elvish whimsy, rock-and-roll, and adolescent angst blend into a sometimes murky but always lively plot. A murder, a kidnapping, and a trip into the magical forests of the Nevernever lead readers ever deeper into twists and turns and an open-ended conclusion that could permit a sequel. YAs will want background information about the characters and setting that can only be learned by reading the first book. However, the dialogue is snappy and the action never flags. Ron seems to have learned a lot since his arrival in the Borderlands and is a character with whom many teens will identify. Readers may feel at times as though they have fallen into someone else's psychedelic dream, but they will probably enjoy the trip. Fantasy and science-fiction buffs who have read Elsewhere will devour this book and look for more.-Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC

Gregory Feeley

"In this tale of Ron, a young dropout who travels to Bordertownin search of his older brother, Will Shetterly combines the everyday adn the fantastic to create a gritty, vivid portrait of a half-familiar world....'Elsewhere' works almost perfectly." Newsday

Locus