ConDFW Action Report

First of all, the con was a blast. This was in no small part to the company I kept during my time there. Kate flew down from her home state in the northeast and attended a good portion of the sessions with me. We also had the opportunity to hang out with Taylor Anderson (author of the Destroyermen series) and his wife, as well as some personal friends of his–the owners of a unique bookshop in Terrell, Texas. (I don’t want to name drop without permission, but I felt their website at least deserved a link!) The dealer room had a wide variety of items, ranging from swords to T-shirts to books. I snagged an anthology that had a Jim Butcher novella that I had not previously seen.

I also had the opportunity to hear Jim Butcher read from his latest Harry Dresden book (due out in April). Jim reads with a dry wit, a pleasant voice, and nails the accents of his characters. For a book that some would characterize as fluff, he does an excellent job with character and setting, and even better job with keeping his sarcasm consistent and laugh-out-loud funny. I was amazed at the line the formed for him to sign books. The con organizers imposed a two book limit, but it took Kate the better part of fifty minutes to wind her way through the line. She got one of her books signed as well as one of mine, since I was busy listening to David Weber in another session.

David Weber did not disappoint. I’ve seen him two years running at Dragon*Con, and it was pleasant to see him in our home state. I had a brief chat with him after one of his sessions. He is full of anecdotes and charm, and soon had us enamored with his tales of everything from writing to his years in college. It is amazing how much David Weber produces in a given year; he indicated that his word count would approach 500,000 for 2009.

I do have a few complaints about the con (having become a veteran over the past two years). First of all, they scheduled readings opposite of the guest of honor (Jim Butcher) Q&A panel, thus insuring that the readings were sparsely attended. I also felt that, in general, the overall quality of the subject matter was lacking. Perhaps it’s because Boskone was my first con, but I still feel as though it is hands down the best one that I’ve been to that focuses on science fiction art, cinema, and literature. In particular, the “Alien Archaeology” panel was an exercise in awkward futility. I thought that most of the panelists (save one, who was so verbally narcissistic that it turned the stomach) did the best they could with what they were given, but the point is that authors, publishers, and agents in the field should not be subjected to such a waste of both their time and the con-goer’s time. My attendance next year will likely be predicated on who the guests are. The con itself did not impress me enough to return unless their guest list is similarly fantastic.

I do owe a special thanks to Kate. She hung in there like a pro and made the experience much more worthwhile.