Bubonicon 34: G. R. R. Martin, Terry England, W. J. Williams

[danlo]

We have alot of great Sci-Fi and Fantasy authors in New Mexico, including Jack Vance, Joe Haldeman, Jack Williamson, Gear Bear (briefly) and the late Roger Zelazny . We also have cool little convention every year called Bubonicon in August. Last year S. R. Donaldson (NM) attended, un42nately I couldn't make it--This year George R. R. Martin (NM) and Walter Jon Williams (NM) are attending along w/; Ester Friesner (guest of honor who wrote MIB2 and Demon Blues), Spider and Jeanne Robinson, Daniel Abraham, Doug Beason, Nancy Varian Berbich, Yvonne Coats, Terry England (NM), Jane Lindskold (NM), Vic Millan (NM), Pati Nagle (NM), Scott Phillips, John Maddox Roberts, S. M. Stirling, Fred Saberhagen (NM), L. Neil Smith, Melinda Snodgrass (writter and story editor of STNG who lives in Albuquerque)and Robert E. Vardeman (NM). Tho the list, anually, tends 2 b more Sci-Fi than Fantasy, Smith, Saberhagen, Vardeman, The Robinsons and Stirling being the most recognizable Sci-Fi writters--Millan, England, Lindskold and Martin are great Fantasy author additions, and Saberhagen gets in2 Fantasy a bit w/his vampire & swords series...Lindskold and Snodgrass are some of the folks Martin has acknowledged in his A Song of Ice and Fire series. It's Aug 23-25:bubonicon.home.att.net/

[danlo]

(Copied from the A Song of Ice and Fire, Martin ezboard) Gosh I don't know what to add! LE must have great shorthand skills and must have rushed to her laptop before I got home! I tryed to write something at 8pm last night but my comp froze on me. Probably a good thing as I'm basically a ASOIAF virgin, being 150 pages into A Game of Thrones. About the only things I recognized from the reading were Tywin, Lannisters, Sunspear and Dorne. So maybe I can be a bit of a "color" commentator...I was outside, smoking, when I saw Mr. Martin walking from The Owl Cafe to the Howard Johnson hotel. His impressive entourage included Melinda Snodgrass (of STNG fame, we share the same chiropractor, btw), Jane Lindskold, Yvonne Coates and, I assume, Parris. I was extremely impressed by the reading! Martin's attention to details and such complex plotlines are outstanding! Very lilting, and poetic--he is an extremely good reader--seeming to become the different characters. The blood oranges took me back to the beginning of Gregory Benford's "Second Foundation" book. And the line "...like a Giant's Droemmond that washed ashore and turned to stone" sounded like part of The One Tree by Stephen R. Donaldson. My favorite line has got to be "Death had come to Dorne on raven wings" and I had to raise my eyebrows at "...a Lannister always keeps his word." I talked to Mr. Martin breifly, as he signed my AGoT, we talked about NJ, as I am originally from there too, told me he has lived in Santa Fe since 1979 and was so engrossed in ASOIAF and the Wild Cards bunch that no new Sci-Fi project was on the concievable horizon. My only previous exposure to Martin was one his Sci-Fis. Thank you LE! This was the first Con I've ever attended and you made me feel right at home. The audience got a kick out of LE, and another lady, modeling their Winterfell T-shirts. I've been to Donaldson, Vardeman, Saberhagen, Plath, Momaday and Hillerman readings but this one was far and away THE best! ..Well back to AGoT, I have alot of reading to do to get to AFFC (A Feast for Crows)--I can't wait!!!

[berencamlost7]

Come on Danlo. We could do with a good chat about ASOIAF

Got your AGOT copy signed eh ?