This is also from Wizardnews:
Harry Potter fans get phone call from Jim Dale
Customers who have pre-ordered Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from a Borders Bookstore are receiving phone calls with this recorded message, recorded by the voice of the Harry Potter audio-books in America, Jim Dale:
"Hello, you reserved Harry Potter for 40% off at Borders Express. Hello, this is Jim Dale, narrator of the Harry Potter audio books, reminding you to pick up your reserved copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at Borders Express. Your book will be available at the stroke of midnight as Friday turns into Saturday, July 16th. All reserved copies must be claimed before the close of business on Sunday, July 17th. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be available with a fabulous discount at Borders Express in hardcover and as an unabridged audio book on cassette and CD. Cheers."
I will say, double-special points to the publcity people. Those who are into Harry Potter are eating all this up, and those who aren't know when to stay away from the bookstore.
In other news, I am reading the McSweeney's collection from last year,
Astonishing Stories,
and it's an odd bird. So far most of the authors have been vaguely literary, and vaguely timid over whether they're writing something openly counter-natural or not. I rather liked David Mitchell's "What You Do Not Know You Want," in spite of its exaggerated high-lowbrow narrator, btu the best story so far was Steve Erickson's "Zeroville."
I love that amazon's shipping area is called The Fulfillment Centre. It has a real "Hail Xenu, lord of the clams!" ring to it.
Super-saver Shipping -- now get free space clam overlord with every order!
The shipping area here (at my office) is called the Fulfillment room. Never thought about that before. Maybe I need to spend more time there.
No sex in the Fulfillment Room!
No sex in the Fulfillment Room
Then it's a very badly named room.
And I don't want to spend any time there.
Of course, I don't participate in Teh Sex when at work anyway....
the best story so far was Steve Erickson's "Zeroville."
Erickson's never been afraid to write fantastic stuff. It's not a tiptoe venture for him.
Right. In the case of "Zeroville," it's a story that makes much more of symbol than of the "is it or isn't it supernatural?" question. I liked it a lot, although I imagine it needs a good background in film crit to be really comprehensible (it's about a film editor, and he makes a lot of references).
David, can you recommend other of Erickson's work? Has he written any novels?
