It's hard to communicate the energy and enthusiasm at this show--even the
hotel staff are wearing CONvergence t-shirts throughout the weekend - or the friendliness and professionalism of the con. We were all of us very impressed by the opening ceremonies. When I heard I was going to be interviewed by a puppet mascot, I confess to a feeling of dread. Instead, the opening puppet show was of professional puppeteer quality - though how could it not be when Bill Corbett (Crow T. Robot) and Kevin Murphy (Tom Servo) are regular guests? It was a blast. And now my son is in love with robot mascot Connie and her virtual evil twin.
My wrangler Andrew McKay was extraordinaire too, giving us a tour of the Mall of America--which everyone should see once. Actually, the aquarium is quite nice and the mirror maze was fantastic. The roller coasters looked amazing but - alas! - no one in my family does roller coasters but me. Also, I've never been able to sit still for a game at a con - too much to see and do - but my son was very curious about Munchkins and we weren't sure if it was age appropriate, so Andrew rounded up a game and ran one for us. We loved it and Steven Jackson has scored another customer. 
Huge thanks to Guest Co-Head Tanya Brody, Director Michael Lee, artist in residence and founding member Christopher Jones, my excellent wrangler Andrew McKay, programming head Craig Finseth, Picacio's wrangler Carly Buchanan who also helped me out a time or two and everyone working in front of and behind the scenes who made this such a magnificent time! You're a great con CONvergence. I hope to come back!
has made the list. The Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were
established in 1995 to recognize the best alternate history stories and
novels of the year. The winners will be announced at 
by E.C. Myers, won the 2012 Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction/Fantasy Book this past weekend!
did but there were moments of genuine tension and the ending I did not
see coming. Flanagan's tendency to hop in and out of the heads of minor
characters still drives me nuts, but not so much that I'm not in for
more. I'm looking forward to starting 
soon. Recommended to middle readers and those adults who want a series they can share with their kids.
, is a rich, complex, challenging story, as detailed as Mark's artwork, that pushes the boundaries of narrative in comics. The world-building and invented culture is on a par with the best of prose fantasy. And Artesia is a tremendous heroine. Not light reading, but highly recommended.
, is a guest of Adventures in SciFi Publishing as part of an indepth, two part interview. Here is 
, by Wolfgang Baur and including essays from such Role Playing Game Design superstars as Monte Cook, Ed Greenwood, Michael A. Stackpole, Keith Baker and others. The word "complete" is no misnomer, as this tome contains over forty essays, some original to the volume and others drawn from three previous volumes of game design advice. 
I don't see how I can resist the urge to start into that soon.
team has a new (and ongoing) anthology series featuring stories of military fantasy and swords & sorcery. This May, Jonathan Strahan debuts 
. The authors appearing in the launch volume include Trudi Canavan, Elizabeth Bear, Daniel Abraham, Kate Elliott, Saladin Ahmed, Glen Cook, Scott Lynch, Catherynne M. Valente, Ellen Klages, Ellen Kushner & Ysabeau Wilce, Jeffrey Ford, Robert Redick and KJ Parker.