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AbductiCon
It's the Friday before a science fiction convention weekend.
Hundreds of fans are lined up at the registration desk. The posters for the Media Guests of Honor aren't done, there's a problem with the Program Booklet, the Author Guest of Honor has gone AWOL, and the coffee in the Green Room is DREADFUL. The convention chair's boyfriend has just smashed up his car.
And now the entire hotel has been kidnapped by time traveling androids.
At least something is going right.
Welcome to AbductiCon.
Hundreds of fans are lined up at the registration desk. The posters for the Media Guests of Honor aren't done, there's a problem with the Program Booklet, the Author Guest of Honor has gone AWOL, and the coffee in the Green Room is DREADFUL. The convention chair's boyfriend has just smashed up his car.
And now the entire hotel has been kidnapped by time traveling androids.
At least something is going right.
Welcome to AbductiCon.
- GenresFictionScience Fiction
210 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2015
3 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Alma Alexander
74 books204 followersAlma Alexander is a scientist by education, duchess by historical accident, and an author who has written more than a score of novels, including 'The Secrets of Jin-shei', published in dozens of editions and languages around the world.
Known as the Duchess of Fantasy, she is also a blogger sharing writing tips, and glimpses of both the mundane and magic of a fantasy author's life.
Her latest novels include 'Val Hall', a series about a retirement home for Superheroes, Third Class; 'Embers of Heaven' a Jin-shei follow-up; 'Empress', a love story; and 'Midnight at Spanish Gardens'.
Coming in July is 'The Second Star', a novel about the big eternal questions – about who, or what, God is; about our own immortal souls and their salvation; what it really means to be human; and whether it is possible to go out to where the monsters dwell and expect to come home again unchanged. It is a story of how humans meet the stars, and find themselves there.
Her YA include the four-book Worldweavers series, and 'The Were Chronicles' trilogy.
Her work has been translated into 14 languages worldwide, including Hebrew,Turkish, and Catalan.
She is currently at work on a new series of alternate history novels with roots in Eastern Europe.
She lives in Bellingham, WA, with her husband, two cats, and assorted visiting wildlife.
Visit her website/blog at www.AlmaAlexander.org or AlmaAlexanderAuthor.com , like her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alma-A...
Known as the Duchess of Fantasy, she is also a blogger sharing writing tips, and glimpses of both the mundane and magic of a fantasy author's life.
Her latest novels include 'Val Hall', a series about a retirement home for Superheroes, Third Class; 'Embers of Heaven' a Jin-shei follow-up; 'Empress', a love story; and 'Midnight at Spanish Gardens'.
Coming in July is 'The Second Star', a novel about the big eternal questions – about who, or what, God is; about our own immortal souls and their salvation; what it really means to be human; and whether it is possible to go out to where the monsters dwell and expect to come home again unchanged. It is a story of how humans meet the stars, and find themselves there.
Her YA include the four-book Worldweavers series, and 'The Were Chronicles' trilogy.
Her work has been translated into 14 languages worldwide, including Hebrew,Turkish, and Catalan.
She is currently at work on a new series of alternate history novels with roots in Eastern Europe.
She lives in Bellingham, WA, with her husband, two cats, and assorted visiting wildlife.
Visit her website/blog at www.AlmaAlexander.org or AlmaAlexanderAuthor.com , like her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alma-A...
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 6, 2015
No, that is NOT a typo in the title.
If you've ever been to a Science Fiction/Fantasy convention, 'con' to most people, you will love this book. If you've ever been involved in a con, either in setting one up, working one, or as a guest, you will recognize every single person Ms. Alexander writes abut. Perhaps not every single episode that happens, as, well, the entire con and the hotel, complete with mundane guests, is hijacked by time-traveling androids and taken for a ride around the moon.
Wouldn't that be a con to end all cons? And the reactions from the gamers? Absolutely priceless! Everything you could possibly want in a con is in this book, up to and including the replicators.
If you like cons, you will absitively posolutely LOVE this book. This is truly one of the funniest SF books I've read in years. Job well done, Alma Alexander!
Buy this book. Read this book. Review this book.
If you've ever been to a Science Fiction/Fantasy convention, 'con' to most people, you will love this book. If you've ever been involved in a con, either in setting one up, working one, or as a guest, you will recognize every single person Ms. Alexander writes abut. Perhaps not every single episode that happens, as, well, the entire con and the hotel, complete with mundane guests, is hijacked by time-traveling androids and taken for a ride around the moon.
Wouldn't that be a con to end all cons? And the reactions from the gamers? Absolutely priceless! Everything you could possibly want in a con is in this book, up to and including the replicators.
If you like cons, you will absitively posolutely LOVE this book. This is truly one of the funniest SF books I've read in years. Job well done, Alma Alexander!
Buy this book. Read this book. Review this book.
March 15, 2017
I like this a lot. It is really fun. For geeks only. Pay attention to the names. I would like to have a list of all the shows, films, and books referenced to see what I might have missed. Would enter some quotes if I had time.
I sometimes say that reality depends on the current book I'm reading. I may have to point out all the red shirts at ConCarolinas. Of course, anyone who wears a red shirt to a Con with John Scalzi as the GoH deserves it.
I thought the ending was a little weak.
I won this ebook from LibraryThing.
I sometimes say that reality depends on the current book I'm reading. I may have to point out all the red shirts at ConCarolinas. Of course, anyone who wears a red shirt to a Con with John Scalzi as the GoH deserves it.
I thought the ending was a little weak.
I won this ebook from LibraryThing.
July 20, 2015
Andie Mae is running the ConCom for the first time having staged a coup and things just aren’t going as planned. The posters need to be sent back for the third time, the program booklets have the wrong times for the Guest of Honour interview although this may not be an issue because he is late and no one knows where he might be. And, if all of this isn’t annoying enough, four androids have abducted the entire hotel and have flown it to the moon causing participants to dub this Abducticon so - Best. Con. Ever.
Reviewing Abducticon by author Alma Alexander is a bit difficult since, although I enjoy speculative fiction, I have never attended a Con. The characters and the plot here both lack depth and the story itself contains some rather large holes and loose ends – but I’m guessing that that is the point. This is an homage to Scifi Conventions and the movies, TV shows, books, and fans that spawn them while poking gentle fun at them. Let’s face it, many of the shows like Star Trek had huge plot problems if anyone cared to analyse them too closely – the Prime Directive, anyone, which would have made for some very dull TV if the Star Trek crew actually followed it. And Abducticon makes sly references to many popular science fiction shows like Dr Who and Star Trek as well as Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics. Recognizing these references was half the fun of the novella which, overall, was an enjoyable romp.
Reviewing Abducticon by author Alma Alexander is a bit difficult since, although I enjoy speculative fiction, I have never attended a Con. The characters and the plot here both lack depth and the story itself contains some rather large holes and loose ends – but I’m guessing that that is the point. This is an homage to Scifi Conventions and the movies, TV shows, books, and fans that spawn them while poking gentle fun at them. Let’s face it, many of the shows like Star Trek had huge plot problems if anyone cared to analyse them too closely – the Prime Directive, anyone, which would have made for some very dull TV if the Star Trek crew actually followed it. And Abducticon makes sly references to many popular science fiction shows like Dr Who and Star Trek as well as Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics. Recognizing these references was half the fun of the novella which, overall, was an enjoyable romp.
August 26, 2015
Disclaimer: I'm associated with the author.
This is a departure for fantasy writer Alma Alexander. While I have often thought that the attempt to separate science fiction and fantasy is itself a fantasy (Beam me up, Scotty? Please!) it is true that this will probably be labeled science fiction.
It has androids, for crying out loud.
It is a fun read that plays with the tropes of science fiction (red shirts), while still giving a rollicking story. Scattered throughout are quotes from some of the classics of science fiction -- "I can't do that, Dave". See how many you can find.
This is a departure for fantasy writer Alma Alexander. While I have often thought that the attempt to separate science fiction and fantasy is itself a fantasy (Beam me up, Scotty? Please!) it is true that this will probably be labeled science fiction.
It has androids, for crying out loud.
It is a fun read that plays with the tropes of science fiction (red shirts), while still giving a rollicking story. Scattered throughout are quotes from some of the classics of science fiction -- "I can't do that, Dave". See how many you can find.
July 9, 2021
A good bit of fun!
This nerdy convention goes a bit off the rails, and we get to follow along their journey. I'll be honest I wish that the payoff with it's philosophical discussion of creation and the effects of time travel / paradoxes took up more time or that there was more philosophy weaved into the entire book as it was the most interesting to me.
But all in all it was a fun romp.
This nerdy convention goes a bit off the rails, and we get to follow along their journey. I'll be honest I wish that the payoff with it's philosophical discussion of creation and the effects of time travel / paradoxes took up more time or that there was more philosophy weaved into the entire book as it was the most interesting to me.
But all in all it was a fun romp.
May 3, 2015
Abducticon by Alma Alexander is a book that tickled my fancy when I first read the blurb. What's not to like about the idea of a science fiction convention that gets abducted by aliens?
This book was pretty much what I expected it to be. It's a fun and very, very geeky story about some of the people who attended a small, local (US) spec fic convention, a few innocent by-standers and the handful of aliens that throw their weekend into disarray.
There are several point of view characters and the story is split between them, depending on who is in the right place at the right time. A few notable characters are the con chair, a few others of the con committee — including one that got left behind, much to his confusion — and a few guests. There are also the aliens, of course, but they are never point of view characters. Their role is mainly to instigate events and be mysterious. They do have an agenda, but it takes a back-seat to the humans simply trying to cope with the situation, until near the end.
I would say if the premise tickles your fancy, then definitely pick this book up. If you have little to no interest in SFF fandom or conventions, then this is probably not for you. I enjoyed it and I think it was a good book to read while travelling.
4 / 5 stars
Read more reviews on my blog.
This book was pretty much what I expected it to be. It's a fun and very, very geeky story about some of the people who attended a small, local (US) spec fic convention, a few innocent by-standers and the handful of aliens that throw their weekend into disarray.
There are several point of view characters and the story is split between them, depending on who is in the right place at the right time. A few notable characters are the con chair, a few others of the con committee — including one that got left behind, much to his confusion — and a few guests. There are also the aliens, of course, but they are never point of view characters. Their role is mainly to instigate events and be mysterious. They do have an agenda, but it takes a back-seat to the humans simply trying to cope with the situation, until near the end.
I would say if the premise tickles your fancy, then definitely pick this book up. If you have little to no interest in SFF fandom or conventions, then this is probably not for you. I enjoyed it and I think it was a good book to read while travelling.
4 / 5 stars
Read more reviews on my blog.
April 6, 2015
Its one wild ride when four androids from the future appear at a sci-fi convention and take them all hotel included on a trip around the moon while they try to find their inventor/god/creator. A laugh out loud romp that asks some serious questions like if you had an affair with an android while you are being abducted by said android should you tell your boyfriend, or if you are the creator of these androids who might (or might not) one day destroy the human race should you build them and if they did come back from the future how can you not?
September 6, 2018
If you've ever been to a science fiction convention, this book is a hoot and a half! No, fans aren't all convinced UFOs are alien spaceships, or that people are sometimes kidnapped by them. But what happens when an entire convention is abducted aliens? Everything you can imagine and then some! Humor is, to me, the hardest thing to write, and the author doesn't hold back. She pulls out all the stops here. Fast reading, too, so if you're a sci fi fan or you know fans, you'll laugh till it hurts and wonder where the time went.
July 16, 2015
I had trouble getting into it. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to go along with the whole comicon gone into space thing. But the mark of a fine storyteller is one who is so good that you can't help but read it until you get over your doubts, and then there's a payoff. It was a good, fun read.
December 8, 2016
If you are a convention attender of almost any genre, be it gamer or SciFi or Fantasy or Cosplay or whatever, you will *love* this story of a convention that is, well, abducted. How the Con Comm handles it is beyond hysterical and will give you an appreciation for the people t struggle to create your favorite 'con.
December 30, 2024
This book is a little slow to start so I was only reading a few pages at a time until the Con took off, so to speak. Then I hated whenever I had to put it down.
If you've ever been to a Sci-fi convention, you will enjoy this book. There are so many throw away lines and references from favorite books, movies, and TV shows, that this book is really just a joy to read.
If you've ever been to a Sci-fi convention, you will enjoy this book. There are so many throw away lines and references from favorite books, movies, and TV shows, that this book is really just a joy to read.
September 24, 2018
This is a fabulously entertaining read - the Con, hotel and all, is abducted and everyone tries to hold it together and work out what is happening, all the time peppering the event with SF mentions, quotes and discussions of physics. This is a light funny read, just what I needed when I picked it up. Highly recommended.
April 16, 2020
What a fun book! Full of one liners and in jokes that sci fi and convention fans will eat up (as I did!). Several laugh out loud moments that I had to share with my husband as I was reading.
July 20, 2020
Made me smile.
January 18, 2016
A science fiction convention is abducted by time traveling androids.
My initial response to this book might seem like an insult to some but I don't mean it in a negative way at all. This feels like fanfiction for science fiction conventions, well written fanfiction, by someone who has a love for the workings and culture of the cons.
The concept is fun and intriguing and most of the main characters had depth and felt real, a few fell flat for me or didn't seem realistic, but they weren 19t usually the focus so it wasn't to distracting. I really enjoyed the all to brief behind the scenes look at the start and running of a con, I almost would have preferred to have skipped the android story altogether and just experienced the con from their point of view.
I did find the constant use of genre quotes a bit off putting, I've been to several cons myself and I've never heard anyone, never mind EVERYONE reeling off so many cliched TV and movie quotes, but then I've never worked a con so perhaps the staff are more prone to this than the guests? It was only a minor distraction and it's not as though the author didn't warn you ahead of time this was likely to happen. And I did get them all so....
This was a fun, light read that made me even more curious as to the behind the scenes working of science fiction cons.
My initial response to this book might seem like an insult to some but I don't mean it in a negative way at all. This feels like fanfiction for science fiction conventions, well written fanfiction, by someone who has a love for the workings and culture of the cons.
The concept is fun and intriguing and most of the main characters had depth and felt real, a few fell flat for me or didn't seem realistic, but they weren 19t usually the focus so it wasn't to distracting. I really enjoyed the all to brief behind the scenes look at the start and running of a con, I almost would have preferred to have skipped the android story altogether and just experienced the con from their point of view.
I did find the constant use of genre quotes a bit off putting, I've been to several cons myself and I've never heard anyone, never mind EVERYONE reeling off so many cliched TV and movie quotes, but then I've never worked a con so perhaps the staff are more prone to this than the guests? It was only a minor distraction and it's not as though the author didn't warn you ahead of time this was likely to happen. And I did get them all so....
This was a fun, light read that made me even more curious as to the behind the scenes working of science fiction cons.
May 13, 2015
I received a free copy of Abducticon as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer. The premise, a science fiction convention (and the hotel it's being held in) kidnapped by androids and flying to the moon, is pretty darned good. But the writing is so tedious, I couldn't finish the book. Way too much emphasis placed on how many geeky references could be shoehorned in and not enough on tightening up the really flabby prose and creating compelling characters. Disappointing. 2.125/5
May 15, 2015
While this was a good fun read to see how's many references you could get it's probably not one I'll be coming back to unfortunately
April 12, 2015
Great idea, tedious execution--badly in need of a red pencil.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews