Science Fiction conventions attract weird characters, people who try to stand out from the crowd of other strange characters, but do they need to attract murderers?The guest of honor authorThe elevator doors sealed out a chorus of “Shhhhs” from the surrounding fen. That sentiment, seldom so untactfully voiced, was one of the great common experiences in fandom: the shock of discovering that the chronicles of the golden Viking warrior Tratyn Runewind were written by a malevolent elf with a drinkin...

I have very mixed feelings about the book. I can't decide whether I like it or hate it. It's a clever premise. It is a murder mystery set at a science fiction convention. The title of the book (and it's a great title) is also the title of a book written by a minor author invited to the con; he is our protagonist. However, the author's agent/editor/girlfriend seems to be voice of this book's author, Sharon Mccrumb. And she's annoying.And this is where my mixed feelings mostly come in. She seems t...

{I'm going to discuss both this book, and its sequel, Zombies of the Gene Pool, in one review. Fair warning. *g*}Two fandom-set mysteries. The first takes place at a con, and with its wacky con shenanigans is generally more fun than the second, which involves a small fan reunion in Tennessee. Neither one of the mysteries is particularly mysterious (which is odd because McCrumb is nominally a mystery writer), but the books are generally amusing, quick reads. Enjoyable—if you don't think about th...

I had heard that this was pretty funny and I think I have the actual book laying around here somewhere. It's set at a Con and I've been to many sci-fi/fantasy conventions, (though it's been a while since I had the entire experience of staying overnight) So I thought I would enjoy it a lot. Unfortunately it was terrible and the only reason I finished it was because it was short (5 cds) and it let me vicariously live at a Con for a week or so.The story was REALLY dated and every time the narrator

A painfully funny indictment of fandom via murder mystery at a fantasy/sci-fi convention. Though the computer technology in the book is 20 years old, its incisive satire remains spot-on, if not more so, since fandom hasn't really changed, it's just gotten bigger.Still, for all that this is an Edgar winner, it's not particularly interesting as a mystery. The killer and motive are painfully obvious, the conceit by which the killer is caught makes little sense, especially given the protagonist's la...

Originally posted 2009 updated 2016"These" (Jay Omega 1 &2) are presented as satire or spoof. I do realize that, I didn't miss it...really. Even though I enjoy fantasy and science fiction I do possess at least a modicum of intelligence, you know just enough for basic reasoning. So as mentioned I did get that the books are meant to be a burlesque. I am however disappointed in this/them. If you like them happily it's a free country. The writer is however (at least in my humble opinion) capable of

This is a mystery novel set within the framework of science fiction fandom, and is one of the best such of this recursive niche of a subgenre that first took off with Anthony Boucher's Rocket to the Morgue way back in 1942. This one is set at a science fiction convention and involves the murder of a famous author who may be modeled on the public persona of Harlan Ellison. The mystery aspect is always secondary to the study of the event. It's an interesting look at the community, presented with a...

This is a murder mystery that takes place at a sci-fi con, but it's really a skewering of fan culture, as sharp and hilarious and spot-on as William Shatner's famous "Get a life!" SNL skit. If you've never been to a con and haven't met the sort of characters who populate this novel, you'll probably find it silly and possibly unbelievable, but if you have been to cons, then you'll recognize these people. This is a rather old book, but things haven't really changed much in the past twenty-odd year...

I have read this novel a few times, and I just reread it this week. It's interesting to me how my perspective on this book has changed over time. When I first read it, I was well entrenched in science fiction culture, and mostly amused by the idea of some outsider stumbling onto a murder mystery at a SF con. Now, as someone who has moved past the con scene, I find myself more sympathetic to the heroine, Marion and her position. McCrumb got a lot of fannish outrage when she wrote these books and

This is a hilarious satire of comic/fantasy/ sci fi conventions. I laughed till I cried. Of course, the book is much better if you have actually attended one of the aforesaid conventions but you can still enjoy it otherwise. McCrumb weaves a world of characters, events and good natured humor to a "This is Spinal Tap" level with a bit of murder thrown in for a romping whodunit. I have read this book numerous times and love it more with each read. It's satire without malice; a book that even conve...

This well-crafted comedy is both hilarious and forgettable. It's not the sort of story that gives you a soul-deep connection with the characters, and the references are incredibly dated for younger readers (if you don't know what a floppy disk is, or why a computer would need one, or that they come in different sizes, you're probably too young to appreciate the humor), but I zipped through this book in a single afternoon and laughed my ass off.Our hero, an engineering professor, has fallen accid...

This book is a lot of fun. A Facebook friend just reminded me about it and I'm really glad she did. This has a special place in my heart. On our second date, the woman who would become my wife (also, eventually, my ex) gave me her copy of BotDS to read. After I read it, I knew our sensibilities and interests were in synch. It was a lot harder in the pre-high speed internet days, to ferret out fellow Geeks.BotDS is a really fun, charming and witty "Whodunit" by Sharyn McCrumb. It combines a serio...

Originally published on my blog here in October 2001.Whether or not you have ever attended a science fiction convention, this comic crime novel will be hilariously funny. Engineering professor Dr J.O. Mega has written a hard science fiction novel under the name Jay Omega, and so is able to attend local con Rubicon as a guest author. The other guest, far better known, is Appin Dungannon, author of the lengthy Runewind series and, to fans, almost as well known for his violently difficult behaviour...

Great idea, awful book.A murder mystery set at a science fiction convention. Brilliant!Unfortunately, McCrumb spends so much time letting us know what sad, pathetic geeks sci-fi fans are, and how her ( or her stand in, a woman who spends the whole book in a Mrs. Peel catsuit) is so much cooler than that and has her life together etc, etc that she doesn't have any energy to make sure the mystery is actually good or makes sense.It feels tacked on and almost an after thought to her dumping on anybo...

Read in spare moments on my phone, this was a fun little book. A murder at a SF/F convention populated with role-playing characters, you'd expect this to be entertaining, but I think it was a bit mean really. I did get something out of it....I think I understand how D&D works now.

Pseudo science fiction mystery set at a science fiction convention that looks and sounds like Lunacon set in New York. Very funny if you are a convention goer as she skewers effectively many of the persons who do attends the convention. Very inventive, really capture some of the flavor of the conventions. Not sure if you are not a fan whether you will connect as well, and its notmuch of a mystery

80's sci-fi/fantasy con murder mystery.Yes, you read that right. But the awesomeness of this book isn't from the murder--that doesn't even occur until halfway through. Instead, it's the look at the state of fandom in the 1980s.The story follows engineering professor and sci-fi author Jay Omega, author of the well-written but unfortunately-titled "Bimbos of the Death Sun." If you're in any sort of "fandom" now, you'll recognize with glee a lot of the things that Omega is seeing for the first time...

Okay, this deserves an explanation. The Incomparable podcast did an episode on Harlan Ellison. So, of course, I don’t go & read Harlan Ellison stories. Instead, I pick up this other book they mentioned... a novel where a Harlan-Ellison-stand-in gets murdered at a con for being such an obnoxious bleepity-bleep. Apparently inspired by a specific con where Ellison was a bleepity-bleep. The book was pretty much exactly what I expected: cotton-candy portrayal of con culture from several decades ago,

Okay. So, obviously, I chose this because of its impossible to resist title but it turned out to be a pretty good little murder mystery. The setting is a take off on "Trekkie/Fantasy" conventions and the premise is an interesting one. A junior engineering professor writes a hard science fiction novel on an interesting scientific hypothesis about sunspots but, unbeknownst to him before publication, his editor changes the title to the more provocative Bimbos of the Death Sun and books him to appea...

Not exactly sure what I expected from this book, but I must admit, it wasn't what I got. I thought this would be a good sci-fi book, instead it is a murder mystery which takes place at a science-fiction/fantasy convention. I said it was a murder mystery, and it is, but it is also laugh out loud funny. Within the first 5 minutes, someone reads a button that says: "Reality is a crutch for those who can't handle science fiction." I laughed so hard I had to back the book up so I could hear what came...