FantasyCon 2014
5- 7 September 2014, York The British Fantasy Society descended on York for a weekend of books, live podcasting and… karaoke? Steven Ellis was there
FantasyCon is not the biggest convention in the calendar, but it does claim to be one of the friendliest and this was indeed the case. Some of the best and brightest in the literary world descended upon the historical city of York for a weekend of fun, frivolity and a little serious discussion about the state of the sci- fi and fantasy genre.
The daytime schedule was packed with panels, readings and book launches while the night was filled with Paul Cornell’s game show, karaoke and more informal gatherings. A particular highlight was the first ever live performance of Emma Newman’s Tea And Jeopardy podcast. Emma, aided by her butler Latimer, subjected a very game Toby Whithouse to some tea, cake and mild peril with hilarious results.
The event culminated on the Sunday with the British Fantasy Society’s annual awards banquet. Attendees were treated to a slap- up meal while Cornell hosted the awards ceremony with style and grace. Winners and nominees can be found on the BFS website.
At times FantasyCon seemed a little heavy on people from the world of publishing, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t plenty for regular punters to do. There was hardly a moment throughout the whole weekend when there wasn’t something interesting, entertaining or informative going on, and at several points it was hard to pick which event on the schedule to attend.
Everyone was in good spirits and always up for a drink and a chat, from regular attendees right up to the guests of honour, which included author Kate Elliott and artist Larry Rostant. Charlaine Harris was on especially great form, stopping to spend time with anyone who approached her and being generally wonderful. From start to finish FantasyCon 2014 was a thoroughly entertaining weekend. www.britishfantasysociety.co.uk