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hskey's review against another edition
3.0
Great fun. McCrumb totally nails the fantasy/sci-fi convention crowd. I've been to and helped organize a few of these types of events and it made me feel like I was there again. Light writing style and a lean story meant I finished this one way too quickly. I wanted more!
djwudi's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I’d call this a guilty pleasure, except that I don’t think I need to feel guilt about the things I enjoy, even if they have their issues…which this book definitely has. I first discovered it in the early ‘00s, and loved its lighthearted take on a murder mystery at a SF/F convention. At some point I lost my copy, but recently found one at a used bookstore. Re-reading it now, its flaws are a little more apparent, but it’s still mostly enjoyable fluff.
Pros: The general sense of weirdness of the con atmosphere, with its disparate groups of fans connected by their overall fandom. The surreality of the mix of costumes and mundanes, and what it must be like for people unconnected to a con to find themselves in the middle of it. And, yes, the recognizable tendency for some fen to be a little _too_ wrapped up in things. Plus, I really enjoy that because the book was written in the late ‘80s, this is a con of the time, with things like video programming rooms and a “high tech” room with things like demonstrations of personal computers.
Cons: There is a relatively heavy reliance on the “poorly socialized misfits” trope that’s often seen when cons or SF/F fans are part of the setting or plot; though the main characters tend to be real-people-who-are-fans, most of the peripheral characters fall solidly into barely-functional-in-the-real-world territory. But the biggest flaw is the ongoing fat-shaming, where one character exists entirely as an extended “laugh at the overweight woman and her quest to find a partner socially inept enough to accept her” joke. Nothing about this plot line advances or even really engages with the main plot, and it really stands out as a misstep.
Pros: The general sense of weirdness of the con atmosphere, with its disparate groups of fans connected by their overall fandom. The surreality of the mix of costumes and mundanes, and what it must be like for people unconnected to a con to find themselves in the middle of it. And, yes, the recognizable tendency for some fen to be a little _too_ wrapped up in things. Plus, I really enjoy that because the book was written in the late ‘80s, this is a con of the time, with things like video programming rooms and a “high tech” room with things like demonstrations of personal computers.
Cons: There is a relatively heavy reliance on the “poorly socialized misfits” trope that’s often seen when cons or SF/F fans are part of the setting or plot; though the main characters tend to be real-people-who-are-fans, most of the peripheral characters fall solidly into barely-functional-in-the-real-world territory. But the biggest flaw is the ongoing fat-shaming, where one character exists entirely as an extended “laugh at the overweight woman and her quest to find a partner socially inept enough to accept her” joke. Nothing about this plot line advances or even really engages with the main plot, and it really stands out as a misstep.
tyrshand's review against another edition
3.0
Cute story and parody of science fiction conventions, but the mystery, plot, and characters were a little flat for me.
innae's review against another edition
3.0
An amusing story - the computer references are out dated, made me feel a bit old because I remembered back then -- Love the references to the scifi con, sadly I've been there.
bmahaffy's review against another edition
3.0
Despite the name and the suggestive cover this book really isn't as provocative as one might think. It was a fun read about the goings on at a typical 80's-ish Sci Fi Convention. It has all the stereotypical Con goers that one might expect.
During the Con a popular, yet reviled, author is murdered and it is left to the other guest author -- an engineering prof who is only there because of a "hard science fiction" book he's written -- to solve the murder.
Fun and witty, the book looks rather dated now but is an entertaining flashback to the 80s.
During the Con a popular, yet reviled, author is murdered and it is left to the other guest author -- an engineering prof who is only there because of a "hard science fiction" book he's written -- to solve the murder.
Fun and witty, the book looks rather dated now but is an entertaining flashback to the 80s.
rubel's review against another edition
4.0
Fun and tightly written little satire of the fantasy and SF convention scene.
bransted's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This book has often been given to actors heading to their first comic con, sci Fi convention.
trevert's review against another edition
4.0
Lots of fun! For anyone "of a certain age", there's a whole new level of nostalgic enjoyment to this book that wasn't there on publication - It's a wonderful trip through a typical 80's SF con and will bring back vivid memories of what cons were like before they became big business and very corporate. I enjoyed everything from the movies discussed to the books (writers I remembered!) to the computer tech. And that brings me to a mystifying complaint I've read in other reviews, that of "dated tech".
What the heck does this even mean? How can someone not like a book because it references "dated tech"? Do people not realize that computer technology has progressed vastly over the past 40 years? In any event, I thoroughly loved all the references to floppy disks and PC-compatibles and file encryption and such. Other reviews complained that this stuff was explained too much, but again, it's a matter of context - In the mid-80's, it was perfectly commonplace for both characters and readers to not be familiar with computer conventions so the writer NEEDED to put in a lot of that explanation or risk confusing her readers... After all, remember John McClane's bemusement at the building computer in 'Die Hard'.
Also, the book hails from an era before constant PC jargon, so it's sometimes quite blunt (or honest) in references to some of the con goers, and it's not uncommon to run across comments poking fun at general geekdom ("At the other end of the room, a group of young men - who had probably never seen a naked woman - were arguing loudly over the engineering schematics of the starship Enterprise"). This stuff didn't bother me at all but might be shocking to folks raised in modern eras, YMMV.
Overall, it's a thoroughly enjoyable book on multiple levels. It's a great nostalgia trip, it's an enjoyable mystery, and it's good light comedy. Jay Omega was an enjoyable lead and I wish the writer had written more books about him. He makes a grounded set of eyes through which to view the con insanity and it's a sign of a good book when you want more time with the main characters. My only complain was that the ending drug out a bit and the idea that Omega was able to DM a game without any previous experience in RPGs was just crazy. Still, I recommend this one.
What the heck does this even mean? How can someone not like a book because it references "dated tech"? Do people not realize that computer technology has progressed vastly over the past 40 years? In any event, I thoroughly loved all the references to floppy disks and PC-compatibles and file encryption and such. Other reviews complained that this stuff was explained too much, but again, it's a matter of context - In the mid-80's, it was perfectly commonplace for both characters and readers to not be familiar with computer conventions so the writer NEEDED to put in a lot of that explanation or risk confusing her readers... After all, remember John McClane's bemusement at the building computer in 'Die Hard'.
Also, the book hails from an era before constant PC jargon, so it's sometimes quite blunt (or honest) in references to some of the con goers, and it's not uncommon to run across comments poking fun at general geekdom ("At the other end of the room, a group of young men - who had probably never seen a naked woman - were arguing loudly over the engineering schematics of the starship Enterprise"). This stuff didn't bother me at all but might be shocking to folks raised in modern eras, YMMV.
Overall, it's a thoroughly enjoyable book on multiple levels. It's a great nostalgia trip, it's an enjoyable mystery, and it's good light comedy. Jay Omega was an enjoyable lead and I wish the writer had written more books about him. He makes a grounded set of eyes through which to view the con insanity and it's a sign of a good book when you want more time with the main characters. My only complain was that the ending drug out a bit and the idea that Omega was able to DM a game without any previous experience in RPGs was just crazy. Still, I recommend this one.
acreech's review against another edition
3.0
Oh so funny and true! If you know (or are) anyone who is really into sci-fi/fantasty conventions and role playing games, don't be surprised to see them in this book!