- Joined
- Jan 16, 2017
The whole thing is such a desperate, budget operation.I don't think I've ever heard of anyone wanting to go to WorldCon. At least back in the day Gencon was worth going to until 2012 or so
It's taking place at the same time as the Edinburgh Festival, probably the biggest arts festival in Europe, but in a city 40+ miles away. It's trying to cash in on the hype of Edinburgh without having to pay the (admittedly) extortionate fees for hiring venues and hotel rooms. It's in an ugly conference centre over the river from the BBC Scotland headquarters:

Whereas the Edinburgh Festival is held in the gorgeous 18th Century city centre itself:

The only Worldcon guest I've heard of is Fangorn, and he's a cover illustrator, not an actual author. The other "Guests of Honour" are:
- Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer (she/her and he/him, respectively) - people best known for organising other conventions.
- Ken MacLeod (he/him) - Scottish Sci-fi author who lives a 20-minute drive from the venue. Presumably they could only afford him because they didn't have to pay for his hotel.
- Nnedi Okorafor (she/her) - "Africanfuturist and Africanjujuist" writer who wrote some Black Panther comics. Presumably invited to obtain ESG money.
- Terri Windling (she/her) - Mid-tier fantasy author.
Those are the best they can manage. It really puts Fatty into perspective when a convention this low-rent can't even put him on a panel.