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A sci-fi convention gets a dose of true crime in this Edgar Award-winning mystery by the New York Times bestselling author of the Ballad novels. When Virginia Tech professor James Owen Mega wrote a fictional account of his real-life research, he hardly expected it to get published. But when a publisher changed the title of his novel to Bimbos of the Death Sun, James-under the pen name Jay Omega-becomes an overnight sci-fi star. Invited to the annual fan convention Rubicon, James is both a show more fish out of water and a Guest of Honor among the Trekkies and sword-wielding cosplayers. But he's not the only VIP at the overrun hotel. Revered fantasy author Appin Dungannon never misses a Rubicon-or a chance to belittle his legions of devotees. But when Dungannon turns up dead, police wonder if a die-hard fan finally turned to murder. As the list of suspects grows and hucksters hunt for the victim's autograph, James devises an ingenious way to catch a killer. show lessTags
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I know Sharyn McCrumb for her Appalachian fiction, but when this luridly illustrated paperback was donated to the library, I learned that she apparently wrote SF-themed paperback murder mysteries for TSR in the eighties.
This book is a satirical mystery set in a science fiction convention in Virginia, and is a glorious lampoon of old-school fandom, probably the best I've read. The characters were ALL TOO REAL and the setting made me nostalgic for my own glory(?) days frequenting Virginia science fiction conventions a couple decades later.
Alas, as an actual mystery, I thought this book failed pretty hard - the solution was simply not that interesting and the last few chapters stretched plausibility farther than I would have liked. I was show more also put off by Brenda, whose character is almost a sensitive portrayal of a fat woman who finds her tribe, but who is constantly fat-shamed by the text and whose arc paints a pretty unflattering portrait of young women in fandom.
Still a super-fun read, and highly recommended to anyone interested in the history of fandom (especially women, who can read in horror about the bad old days when white men roamed the earth). show less
This book is a satirical mystery set in a science fiction convention in Virginia, and is a glorious lampoon of old-school fandom, probably the best I've read. The characters were ALL TOO REAL and the setting made me nostalgic for my own glory(?) days frequenting Virginia science fiction conventions a couple decades later.
Alas, as an actual mystery, I thought this book failed pretty hard - the solution was simply not that interesting and the last few chapters stretched plausibility farther than I would have liked. I was show more also put off by Brenda, whose character is almost a sensitive portrayal of a fat woman who finds her tribe, but who is constantly fat-shamed by the text and whose arc paints a pretty unflattering portrait of young women in fandom.
Still a super-fun read, and highly recommended to anyone interested in the history of fandom (especially women, who can read in horror about the bad old days when white men roamed the earth). show less
I picked this up because I fell in love with the title--"Bimbos of the Death Sun" is just so very, very perfect. I've read one of McCrumb's Appalachian books, and thought that she would treat her subject, the world of science fiction and fantasy conventions, with respect and humanity.
I was so very, very wrong. The book is somewhat cute and definitely funny, but it is also very cruel.
I've never been to a "con"(convention), so I can't actually attest to the accuracy--and since the book is quite dated and was written about the time I was born, I suspect no one who went to one in the last twenty years or so can either. Fandom is an interesting and (as far as I can tell) relatively recent phenomenon, and I can see why McCrumb would be show more fascinated by it. However, she is clearly writing from the perspective of an outsider: she portrays the fantasy authors as jaded and nasty, the female con goers are desperate, oversexualised, and man-mad, and the men (or rather, boys) are pimpled, obese, awkward outcasts, desperate for approval and to become authors themselves. Obese characters are repeatedly mocked as "weighing more than an average calf," but women of this variety are still prized because cons are filled with desperate engineers--McCrumb calls them "losers,...runty little nerds, fat intellectuals,[and] misfits," who are happy to find anything at all female, no matter how overweight and plain--because clearly men only pick women based on traditional superficial beauty, and if they end up with a fat and/or unattractive woman, they must have been desperate. The main characters, the ones we are supposed to empathize with, are themselves outsiders and rather bemused by the excesses of the fans.
Admittedly, I found certain moments hilarious--like when the author of Bimbos of the Death Sun, an engineering professor, considers what would happen to him if SWE (the Society of Women Engineers) ever found out about his literary experiments. (I suspect H2SO4, computer viruses, and capacitors would be involved--they sure would be if I were there.) I also found it interesting to compare the feminism of the eighties with contemporary feminism--or at least, with my peculiar and rather extreme flavour of it. One of my favourite examples was when the female protagonist, a professor, comments that as a child, she didn't dream about being a housewife like most of her peers-- she wanted to be a superhero's action girl. Trailing after an "intelligent man" and playing Girl Friday during his adventures? Yeah, that's definitely equality, honest. As for the mystery, it was both painfully obvious and absolutely ridiculous, as was the policework. As one of those legend/mythos-obsessed nerds that McCrumb so deftly denigrates, I'll also add that her Celtic/Norse mythology, although portrayed as accurate in the book, is woefully faulty. It makes me doubt the validity of McCrumb's research in her other works.
The book was interesting because it caused me to examine my own feelings about comedy. For a book to feel solid and fun, I think the author must be part of the community he pokes fun at, and the humour must have a self-deprecating, rueful feel. A book like this, which picks a group of outsiders and relentlessly mocks it, will always just leave a bad taste in my mouth. show less
I was so very, very wrong. The book is somewhat cute and definitely funny, but it is also very cruel.
I've never been to a "con"(convention), so I can't actually attest to the accuracy--and since the book is quite dated and was written about the time I was born, I suspect no one who went to one in the last twenty years or so can either. Fandom is an interesting and (as far as I can tell) relatively recent phenomenon, and I can see why McCrumb would be show more fascinated by it. However, she is clearly writing from the perspective of an outsider: she portrays the fantasy authors as jaded and nasty, the female con goers are desperate, oversexualised, and man-mad, and the men (or rather, boys) are pimpled, obese, awkward outcasts, desperate for approval and to become authors themselves. Obese characters are repeatedly mocked as "weighing more than an average calf," but women of this variety are still prized because cons are filled with desperate engineers--McCrumb calls them "losers,...runty little nerds, fat intellectuals,[and] misfits," who are happy to find anything at all female, no matter how overweight and plain--because clearly men only pick women based on traditional superficial beauty, and if they end up with a fat and/or unattractive woman, they must have been desperate. The main characters, the ones we are supposed to empathize with, are themselves outsiders and rather bemused by the excesses of the fans.
Admittedly, I found certain moments hilarious--like when the author of Bimbos of the Death Sun, an engineering professor, considers what would happen to him if SWE (the Society of Women Engineers) ever found out about his literary experiments. (I suspect H2SO4, computer viruses, and capacitors would be involved--they sure would be if I were there.) I also found it interesting to compare the feminism of the eighties with contemporary feminism--or at least, with my peculiar and rather extreme flavour of it. One of my favourite examples was when the female protagonist, a professor, comments that as a child, she didn't dream about being a housewife like most of her peers-- she wanted to be a superhero's action girl. Trailing after an "intelligent man" and playing Girl Friday during his adventures? Yeah, that's definitely equality, honest. As for the mystery, it was both painfully obvious and absolutely ridiculous, as was the policework. As one of those legend/mythos-obsessed nerds that McCrumb so deftly denigrates, I'll also add that her Celtic/Norse mythology, although portrayed as accurate in the book, is woefully faulty. It makes me doubt the validity of McCrumb's research in her other works.
The book was interesting because it caused me to examine my own feelings about comedy. For a book to feel solid and fun, I think the author must be part of the community he pokes fun at, and the humour must have a self-deprecating, rueful feel. A book like this, which picks a group of outsiders and relentlessly mocks it, will always just leave a bad taste in my mouth. show less
(Review by co-owner Rosemary Roberts, originally published in an early 1990's game-hosting zine.)
The cover of Bimbos of the Death Sun depicts "a female body-builder in a fur bikini sprawled in front of a computer terminal, clutching the leg of a white coated man holding a clip-board". But "it isn't really like that", as the author hastens to explain to everybody who thinks about buying it.
Nor is it. This is the book within the book, a serious work of scientific science fiction that people only seem to buy for the wrong reasons.
Penguin's cover is not much different; the bimbo is sprawled on the computer terminal watching a check-shirted man smoke a pipe. This book "isn't really like that" either, in particular the bimbo doesn't appear show more at all, though computers do feature in both books.
The action takes place at Rubicon, which is an American Diplomacy/wargames/D&D/fantasy/science fiction convention. Hundreds of fen (the plural of "fan"; just one of the many things I didn't know) have practically taken over a hotel, and Jay Omega, the author of Bimbos, is a "featured guest".
There is also a visiting Scottish folk-singer who is less than overwhelmed by his surroundings ('If you sent American beer out to be analyzed, the lab would probably phone up and say "Your horse has diabetes".') and a guest of honour, who is the author of numerous fantasy books, fervently adored by about half of those present and equally detested by the rest. He despises his fans ("You have all the originality of a Spellcheck disk!") and is malevolent and immensely conceited ("Well, that's enough about me! Now let's talk about you. Which one of my books did you like best?").
The inevitable murder is appropriate to the setting and satisfactorily solved and avenged, but even if you don't normally like whodunits the book is well worth reading for the setting alone, which is totally crazy and immensely plausible.
How different, how very different from our own dear Midcon.
Highly recommended. show less
The cover of Bimbos of the Death Sun depicts "a female body-builder in a fur bikini sprawled in front of a computer terminal, clutching the leg of a white coated man holding a clip-board". But "it isn't really like that", as the author hastens to explain to everybody who thinks about buying it.
Nor is it. This is the book within the book, a serious work of scientific science fiction that people only seem to buy for the wrong reasons.
Penguin's cover is not much different; the bimbo is sprawled on the computer terminal watching a check-shirted man smoke a pipe. This book "isn't really like that" either, in particular the bimbo doesn't appear show more at all, though computers do feature in both books.
The action takes place at Rubicon, which is an American Diplomacy/wargames/D&D/fantasy/science fiction convention. Hundreds of fen (the plural of "fan"; just one of the many things I didn't know) have practically taken over a hotel, and Jay Omega, the author of Bimbos, is a "featured guest".
There is also a visiting Scottish folk-singer who is less than overwhelmed by his surroundings ('If you sent American beer out to be analyzed, the lab would probably phone up and say "Your horse has diabetes".') and a guest of honour, who is the author of numerous fantasy books, fervently adored by about half of those present and equally detested by the rest. He despises his fans ("You have all the originality of a Spellcheck disk!") and is malevolent and immensely conceited ("Well, that's enough about me! Now let's talk about you. Which one of my books did you like best?").
The inevitable murder is appropriate to the setting and satisfactorily solved and avenged, but even if you don't normally like whodunits the book is well worth reading for the setting alone, which is totally crazy and immensely plausible.
How different, how very different from our own dear Midcon.
Highly recommended. show less
Dr. James Owens Mega, professor of engineering, is also Jay Omega, author of a serious and technical
science fiction novel, which his publishers called Bimbos of the Death Sun. Jay's SO is Dr. Marion Farley, professor of English and recovering Trekkie, and much my favorite character, even moreso than Chip Livingstone. Together they attend Rubicon, a local SF convention.
The primary star of Rubicon is Appin Dungannon, author of a series of horrible fantasies. Dungannon is irascible, obnoxious, inconsiderate, demanding, and generally poor company. He is murdered during the
convention, leaving Jay to act as the featured author. Jay uses his knowledge of computers--note that these are early-nineties computers, and few things have aged show more less
gracefully--and his position as dungeon master of a role-playing game to ferret out the killer.
From my limited experience (two conventions), I'd say that McCrumb gives us a pretty good picture of a small fan-run group. If you've been to one, you'll recognize some of the
characters. Her tongue is firmly in cheek throughout; she's having a good time and isn't really concerned about providing a great mystery or great insights. Her main
characters are likeable and sharp enough to move things along. Highly recommended for those who have some familiarity with the milieu, as well as a sense of humor. show less
science fiction novel, which his publishers called Bimbos of the Death Sun. Jay's SO is Dr. Marion Farley, professor of English and recovering Trekkie, and much my favorite character, even moreso than Chip Livingstone. Together they attend Rubicon, a local SF convention.
The primary star of Rubicon is Appin Dungannon, author of a series of horrible fantasies. Dungannon is irascible, obnoxious, inconsiderate, demanding, and generally poor company. He is murdered during the
convention, leaving Jay to act as the featured author. Jay uses his knowledge of computers--note that these are early-nineties computers, and few things have aged show more less
gracefully--and his position as dungeon master of a role-playing game to ferret out the killer.
From my limited experience (two conventions), I'd say that McCrumb gives us a pretty good picture of a small fan-run group. If you've been to one, you'll recognize some of the
characters. Her tongue is firmly in cheek throughout; she's having a good time and isn't really concerned about providing a great mystery or great insights. Her main
characters are likeable and sharp enough to move things along. Highly recommended for those who have some familiarity with the milieu, as well as a sense of humor. show less
This was written as a satire/parody of a sort of Trekkie convention with a murder mystery thrown in. Reading this in 2020 makes it pretty dated and a lot of the references to games and comics not all obvious. I did get the major ones. The references to computer tech and programs also were basic. However, outside of the datedness, I found that the characterizations of the con attendees was very demeaning rather than spoof. Just not a fan of this kind of humor.
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!
You know, I'm not usually a mystery reader. I approached Bimbos of the Death Sun as more of a fantasy-type book, to be honest, and I wasn't disappointed. The mystery aspect of it wasn't too "mystery-y" for me either.
Since the book takes place at a sci-fi con, I knew I would like it, because I'm into sci-fi and geekdom. Even though a murder is committed in the book and there's a bit of that "whodunnit" aspect, it is not dark at all. McCrumb keeps things light and quite entertaining. It boosted my mood and kind of reminded me of Terry Pratchett in a way.
I loved all of the references to D&D and that the climax takes place during a D&D campaign. I felt right at home with all of that, as a D&D player myself.
This is certainly not an overly show more esoteric read, but it's fun, funny, and cool. I really enjoyed myself and found no flaws with it. show less
Since the book takes place at a sci-fi con, I knew I would like it, because I'm into sci-fi and geekdom. Even though a murder is committed in the book and there's a bit of that "whodunnit" aspect, it is not dark at all. McCrumb keeps things light and quite entertaining. It boosted my mood and kind of reminded me of Terry Pratchett in a way.
I loved all of the references to D&D and that the climax takes place during a D&D campaign. I felt right at home with all of that, as a D&D player myself.
This is certainly not an overly show more esoteric read, but it's fun, funny, and cool. I really enjoyed myself and found no flaws with it. show less
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Author Information
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Sharyn McCrumb was born in Wilmington, North Carolina on February 26, 1948. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received an M.A. in English from Virginia Tech. Her novels include the Elizabeth MacPherson series and the Ballad series. St. Dale won a 2006 Library of Virginia Award and the Appalachian Writers show more Association Book of the Year Award. Ghost Riders won the Wilma Dykeman Award for Literature and the Audie Award for Best Recorded Book. She has received numerous awards for her work including the Sherwood Anderson Short Story Award, the Perry F. Kendig Award for Achievement in Literary Arts, the Chaffin Award for Southern Literature, and the Plattner Award for Short Story. In 2014, she received the Mary Frances Hobson Prize for Southern Literature by North Carolina's Chowan University. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Bimbos of the Death Sun
- Original publication date
- 1988
- People/Characters
- Appin Dungannon; Marion Farley; James Owens Mega (Jay Omega)
- Important events
- Rubicon Science Fiction Convention
- Dedication
- To Bill Wulff and Donald Wileman
- First words
- The visiting Scottish folksinger peered out of the elevator into the hotel lobby.
- Quotations
- Science fiction writers build castles in the air; the fans move into them; and the publishers collect the rent.
He wondered what Beowulf would have been like, had it been word-processed. Longer, probably.
Don't hassle an oracle, kid. You could end up as souvlaki.
It couldn't be the beer. Donnie McRory was certain of that. If you sent American beer out to be analyzed, the lab would probably phone up and say, 'Your horse has diabetes.' - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Apparently they were talking about real life. Real life bored him. Bonnenberger stopped listening, and went back to his book.
- Blurbers
- Silverberg, Robert; Hess, Joan; Rusch, Kristine Kathryn
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- 1,137
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- 22,043
- Reviews
- 37
- Rating
- (3.76)
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- English, Japanese
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- ISBNs
- 13
- ASINs
- 11