Bordertown
#2794.12 adjusted 4.09 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Unfinished 1991–1994 Reading commitment Medium Will Shetterly, Emma Bull Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
Bordertown is a shared fantasy world created by Terri Windling for a series of anthologies that began in 1986. It is a city on the Border between the human world and Faerie, where elves, humans and half-elves live together, magic works and machines often fail. Three novels are set there: Elsewhere (1991) and Nevernever (1993) by Will Shetterly, which follow the runaway Ron, and Finder (1994) by Emma Bull, about a man who finds lost things. The anthologies, including a 2011 revival, are not part of the core novels. No further novels have been listed.
Urban fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
Bordertown Will Shetterly, Emma Bull
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Elsewhere | 1991 | 1 | core | 4.06 (1,261 ratings) |
 | Nevernever; Sequel to Elsewhere. | 1993 | 2 | core | 4.16 (1,106 ratings) |
 | Finder: A Novel of the Borderlands; Stand-alone story in the Bordertown setting; main characters differ from the Shetterly novels. | 1994 | 3 | core | 4.13 (2,328 ratings) |
Three novels by two authors set in Terri Windling's shared city on the edge of Faerie.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Bordertown? Bordertown's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for Bordertown? Publication order, starting with Elsewhere. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Bordertown finished? Unfinished (1991–1994).
- How much reading does Bordertown take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is Bordertown ranked? #279 in this site's official ranking, based on 4,695 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #279?
Ranked #279 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.12 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (4,695 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 3 rated core books rate within 0.10 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #278, American Gods / Anansi Boys (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 3 books · Unfinished · 5k ratings · Ranks #279 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length urban fantasy universe.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Elsewhere (1991)
- Nevernever (1993)
- Finder: A Novel of the Borderlands (1994)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1995: nominated: Finder: A Novel of the Borderlands
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Suggestions computed from what Bordertown and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
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- The Engelsfors Trilogy Urban fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.09
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.12 across 4,695 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 28 universes; Greyhawk gains three novels; 2 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: The Borderland Series Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Will Shetterly Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Emma Bull Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = the three Bordertown novels, from Elsewhere (1991) to Finder: A Novel of the Borderlands (1994).