I haven’t decided if I want to go to WorldCon 76.
This is kind of silly. Last year I took an airplane halfway around the globe to attend. This year, it’s driving distance (San Jose), and I’m hesitating.
The truth is, a lot of people show up at WorldCon, and I’m not always comfortable around a lot of people. Somehow, no matter how diligently I peruse the program or interact with the app on my phone, I miss the really good panels and make bad choices. This doesn’t happen with as much regularity at FOGCon for some reason. Probably that reason is fewer choices.
I will probably go ahead and register as a participating member, with the idea that I can transfer my membership later on if I change my mind. That way I’m covered.
I could also go to the WorldCon weekend, attend the Hugos, and use the hotel as base camp for other day trips in the area. San Jose has some interesting stuff, like the technology museum, and even the Winchester House again.
After a relatively peaceful MidAmeriCon, and smooth-sailing as far as I heard at WorldCon75 in Finland, there has already been an attempt at a dust-up for WorldCon 76. It is tiny and the Con Committee has handled it; the duster-upper is still flailing around trying to get attention and maybe book sales, but that’s a phenomenon localized mostly to the duster-upper’s blog, his supporters’ blogs, with a few comments from the usual folks.
The reason to go to WorldCon is for the Hugos, and the Hugos should be good this year. They should also be competitive. Lots of good books came out, and lots of good short fiction came out. I’m pretty sure that N.K. Jemisin will three-peat for Best Novel, unless as a mass-consciousness, readers make some kind of Oscar-style “she got it last year and the year before; it’s someone else’s turn” decision. The new category, Best Series, gives voters an out. They can vote The Shattered Earth as best series, which will bump my personal favorite for Best Series, The Divine Cities by Robert Jackson Bennett. I care passionately about those books winning a Hugo, but apparently it isn’t a big deal to Bennett.
This is also the year that gave us Daryl Gregory’s Spoonbenders and Victor LaValle’s The Changeling, Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s The Beautiful Ones and Elena Donnelly’s Le-Carresque Amberlough.
Over at Fantasy Literature, we put together a list of our favorites. Go take a look.
As I write this, I think I’ve talked myself into a full (participating) membership.
It’s an hour later. I just signed up. And booked the hotel.
Yes! You care so much about this…so you should go.
(A late comment)
I haven’t decided whether to go or not. Normally, I’d be all over it, as it’s kinda in driving distance, and definitely in flying distance (I’m in southern California). None of the GOHs are enticing to me. It’s also after my kids will have started first grade, and I’m trying to interdistrict transfer them. The con will be about when they decide whether there’s space. Sigh. So I’m thinking about not going. Also I’m getting in a mini vacation shortly to London ($$), and my 30 year college reunion is in October and my beloved summer camp’s centennial is this year and would mean another trip…
Next year–I’ll definitely be attending World Fantasy because it’ll be in my backyard practically in Los Angeles. I took one of my best friends to it last year in San Antonio (where she lives) and she’s going to come out for it. You should go! Lots of free books, just a few tracks, tons of author readings and a mass signing.
Melita, London sounds amazing!
World Fantasy has always looked intriguing. I’ll have to think about that.