At Large Norwescon Saturday: Report Two
posted by on March 22 at 17:48 PM
Today’s the day of the big masquerade ball here at Norwescon, and so there are costumes everywhere you turn: Superhero and geisha attendance is up by 250% since yesterday.
I attended a writing panel hosted by Jay Lake, a prominent writer of the New Weird. On the panel was writer Dan Simmons, this year’s writer guest of honor and author of Hugo Award-winning Hyperion and twenty-four other books. The best part, for me, was when Simmons came out against publishers posthumously running any author’s extra materials. “Some of those authors would have literally killed to not have that material read, and it’s a violation of their trust by their families that causes it to be published,” he said. Someone in the audience took offense, saying that reading Tolkien’s extra materials have brought him pleasure. Simmons said, curtly, “He didn’t want them published.”
And that was that.
I’ve never read Simmons’ work before, but I’m incredibly excited to read his next, nearly thousand page, novel that he just turned into his publisher. It’s about Charles Dickens and, specifically, the five year period where Dickens turned evil after an illness, becoming interested in drugs and morgues and death. It’s based on a true story.
Tonight are a number of sex-and-fandom-themed panels, as well as a science-fiction burlesque, and the aforementioned masquerade. Sexy times in SeaTac.
More soon.
That woman looks like she ate Rogue.
Dr. Doom is in the rooooooom.
I'm enjoying these reports, Paul - thanks!
I was hooked on that Dickens novels after Simmons read the first chapter, too.
@1:
Perhaps, to be generous, we may assume she accidentally absorbed some of The Blob's super powers?
And I'm sorry, but the idea that Victor Von Doom, despotic ruler of Latveria, super-villain of super-villains, and one of the most EVIL mo' fo's ever - would deign to wear a freaking participant pass or whatever that is around his neck is just so - WRONG!
Jebuz, fella, at least toss it behind your cape for the photo ops...
I give Doom props just for being Doom instead of some lame crap like Johnny O' Shinyjumpers over there.
So Paul did you have to ask her to turn to her right? Or did you just take 20 shots and delete all the ones where the cameltoe was too hideous to bear?
I'm thinking the one with the veil was both snaggle- and buck-toothed. No?
Simmons is an amazing writer. You should definitely read Hyperion.
To argue that Tolkien didn't want his work published is a bit misleading, because the man hardly wanted ANYTHING he wrote published. He could have easily spent his years writing and rewriting and never publishing. That's what he did.
His pen had to be wrestled from his hand in order to get pages to editors.
Not to say the man doesn't have a valid point, but I don't think Tolkien is the best example for the person in the audience or for the panelist to use here.
Dan Simmons is a colossal douchebag, actually.
http://www.dansimmons.com/news/message/2006_04.htm
You can't go past "Song of Kali" and one of the most under rated books of all time "Phases of Gravity"... if you can, read them today.
Douchebag or not, Simmons is an amazing author, and I'm bummed I couldn't make it to Norwescon this year to hear him. I got a huge kick out of the Hyperion cycle (Hyperion/Fall of Hyperion/Endymion/Rise of Endymion) and the scifi-meets-Shakespeare-meets-the Odyssey mashup of Ilium and Olympos. Definitely worth reading!
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