Zombies of the Gene Pool

Jay Omega #2

by Sharyn McCrumb

In the 1950s, a group of young science fiction writers, dreaming of literary immortality and calling themselves the Lanthanides, buried a time capsule with their stories and relics from the time. Now, in the 1990s, when several of them have become famous, the surviving Lanthanides are getting together at a special convention to dig up the capsule and open it. But the convention is startled by the appearance of a writer who was supposed to have died thirty years ago. Then murder materializes to throw the agenda further into chaos. Now, Jay Omega, author of Bimbos of the Death Sun, and his significant other, Dr. Marion Farley, must separate science fact from fiction -- and unearth a killer with a story of his own to tell.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Humor, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Zombies, Mystery Thriller

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1992

About the author

​
    Sharyn McCrumb, an award-winning Southern writer, is best known for her Appalachian “Ballad” novels, including the New York Times best sellers The Ballad of Tom Dooley, The Ballad of Frankie Silver, and The Songcatcher. Ghost Riders, which won the Wilma Dykeman Award for Literature from the East Tennessee Historical Society and the national Audie Award for Best Recorded Books. The Unquiet Grave, a well-researched novel about West Virginia's Greenbrier Ghost, will be published in September by Atria, a division of Simon &Schuster.        
       Sharyn McCrumb, named a Virginia Woman of History by the Library of Virginia and a Woman of the Arts by the national Daughters of the American Revolution,  was awarded the Mary Hobson Prize for Arts & Letters in 2014. Her books have been named New York Times and Los Angeles Times Notable Books. In addition to presenting programs at universities, libraries, and other organizations throughout the US, Sharyn McCrumb has taught a writers workshop in Paris, and served as writer-in-residence at King University in Tennessee, and at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York.

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you read my review of Bimbos of the Death Sun by McCrumb you know that so far as I can tell she has a very inaccurate....and low opinion of science fiction/fantasy fans. This book while possibly not as "cruel" in it's tone as the aforementioned one it is still condescending and insulting to fans of the two genres mentioned above. In this case we not only manage to insult and belittle fans of Science fiction and fantasy, but the writers as well.

I have little use for either of these books as the mystery aspects are weak (and possibly only there as a pretext to lob word bombs at another genre) and the parody is little more than an assumed superiority. I can't really recommend this one.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second mystery novel featuring McCrumb's take on the science fiction fandom world from thirty-some years ago. Wow, times have changed from this one, especially computer technology. I thought it lacked some of the charm and humor of the previous book, Bimbos of the Death Sun, because it focuses on a limited number of authors rather than on fandom as a whole. The mystery is again something of a secondary device to the character study, and it's a more melancholy piece, with the characters reminiscing about and longing for the fandom they remember from their youthful times together. It's still a fun read, but lacks the heart of the first one.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars
This book while published in 1992 brought right back to the late 1980’s of computer bulletin board systems the precursors of the internet and science fiction conventions I have attended. Back then being a geek/nerd/SF fan didn’t have the same cachet that it has today.
The mystery is almost nonexistent, the murder doesn’t occur until late in the book then Jay and Marion solve the case in a few chapters jay with his Tandy 1400HD 12 lb laptop and Marion by running around the hotel and interviewing suspects.

Don’t read this for the mystery, read it for the nostalgia of 80’s SF conventions, fanzines, fan culture and old computers.

Cozies Reading Challenge

[James Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This mystery novel is not about the mystery, really.

Sure, there's a murder. Off-screen. The edition I read is 274 pages long; the body is found on page 181 and it's only know to be a murder on page 242. But don't get me wrong, there IS a mystery, but it's really all about the protagonist(s) exploring and exposing the deep past of fantasy/sci fi fandom and exposing the truths.

Yep, this is another great book, if you might enjoy reading about a one-time science fiction writer who would rather be an engineering prof, and the love of his life, the English prof who grew up a fangirl, but has (mostly) matured.

The first book in this series took place at a science fiction convention, as they existed in the 80s/early90s. And it also focused more around the environment and characters you'd get in such a setting. This book has a group of Industry pros/pro-fans from the 50s who get together to open a time capsule they'd buried way back when. Then a supposedly-dead member of their group turns up and hints at his intent to dig up long-buried secrets, alongside the capsule.

A fun read. McCrumb has, both times, transported me to a situation I'll never be able to participate in. Fun, relaxing... a get-away read, for me.

[Jenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

To properly title this book I would remove the "l" from pool. No one would be interested in the reunion of science fiction writers in this story. Not the writers themselves, and certainly not the reader. The book labors on and on about how interesting it would be for uninteresting writers to get together and relive their uninteresting histories. Then it does an about face and becomes a "mystery" concerning someone's death. I wished for my own death before the book was done. J Omega may have come from the shallow end of the pool.

PS. It's sexist. It treats most women like stupid children.

[Bridgette Redman · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Zombies of the Gene Pool" is the second in the series. While it lacks the side-splitting humor and the cruel satire of the first ("Bimbos of the Death Sun), it is still quite humorous and worthy of a read.

Zombies, like Bimbos, does poke fun at the ever out-of-step subculture of sci-fi and fantasy writers and fandom. But this time the teasing is a bit more gentle and there is almost a lingering sadness and pity for the characters who have all found different ways to escape or embrace their adolescent/young adulthood dreams.

This time the erstwhile detective and companion (both professors at a university together) are less of the straight outsiders and more in tune with their fellow characters. Perhaps that's because the characters in this story need little interpretation to the average reader. We may not know almost-famous and mostly famous authors, but we do know those people who dreamed big and fell short. We do know those people who have so much to hide that hatreds that have long simmered come boiling to the surface once a target is once again within reach.

For all the melancholy that is in this book, McCrumb does maintain her characteristic quirkiness and humor. There are many points that make one laugh out loud.

I found the ending to be confusing the first time I read it. It was certainly a surprise, but the denouement was not as expertly handled as the rest of McCrumb's tale.

[Catherine Amos · Rating 1 out of 5]

This has to be the dullest murder mystery I've ever read. The murder doesn't occur until 181 pages in, and the "investigation" doesn't start until around 25 pages after that. The crime is solved in the space of a couple of pages, and the tacked on "surprise" ending is just plain criminal. The real mystery for me is why did I keep reading this after slogging through chapters of the characters name-dropping just about every science fiction legend (except Gene Roddenberry) who ever lived, unlikable characters, and a great premise gone totally wrong? Because I'm a masochist, and it's hard for me to leave a book unfinished no matter how putrid I find it. I had considered reading other works by this author, but too much eye-rolling while reading this one has just put too much of a strain on me.

[Wealhtheow · Rating 2 out of 5]

The sequel to Bimbos of the Death Sun, though not any better. McCrumb has invented her own science fiction fandom--the same basics (zines, conventions, BNFs) but with made-up authors and terms. Her characters are uninteresting, her humor is forced, and the fictional fandom is painful to read. Also, sadly dated. It's an ok read, but I'd hardly recommend it.

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed. It had so much potential and fell flat. Plus it was horribly sexist. I'm surprised this woman is an award winning author.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zombies of the Gene Pool is the sequel to Bimbos of the Death Sun. This book satirizes fandom and has a mystery set during a reunion of 1950s authors.

Author and engineer Jay Omega pals along with his colleague to the reunion of the "Lanthanides" so named because they first joined together in 1957. They have come together thirty years later to dig up a time capsule long buried at the bottom of a man made lake (currently being drained for repairs).

Mostly this book, as its predecessor, Bimbos of the Death Sun, is an antagonistic look at fandom and at the writers of science fiction. She paints a dreary view of the genre, clearly asking through her books why anyone would either want to write or read science fiction. These books would have been better if she had stuck with something she knows more about: the mystery genre.

Since McCrumb writes mysteries she seems compelled to turn these two parodies into mysteries but the murders come so late in the book that they seem more like after thoughts than actual plot points. The murder and ultimate solving of the case takes place within the last 50 to 70 pages of the novels, leaving no room for subtly or red herrings.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book premise sounded intriguing but don't let that fool you. Who knew science fiction authors were such boring nerds? McCrumb couldn't have made these guys more boring if she tried. It's no wonder they didn't last as friends...they probably bored each other to tears. Up to page 58 is detailed background on each "member" and what he/she remembers from that time period. Around page 125 (of 208) the story finally picks up and was sort of interesting. Though certainly not worth the 6 hours it took me to slag through this book.

A time capsule was buried in the 1950s by a group of friends of Fandom (science fiction conference goers). Each "member" wrote a short story to be included in the time capsule. In the 1990s, these now semi-famous sci-fi authors are gathering to unearth the capsule amid great public expectations. A long dead "member" arrives at the reunion and is later murdered. The only mystery in the entire book was when they were trying to figure out who murdered Pat. These last 40 pages (or so) were cleverly done.

All in all, not worth the price or the time to read.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mediocre effort lacking in the charm of the first book. The technology is badly dated, which is problematic mostly because it's written as if things are cutting edge, so it ages poorly. The attitudes towards fandom are also a little too far on the snotty side, giving the characters an unlikeable edge.

The mystery itself is rather pedestrian which is also disappointing. The reader is certainly given no real chance to sleuth it out for themselves, which hurts in such a thin volume. While it was nice to see the 2 leads again, this effort doesn't do them justice.

[DaNae · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly this didn’t age well, and perhaps wasn’t the best mystery back in its prime. The early nineties technology was amusing to behold, particularly when Jay Omega sat behind his 700 pound laptop and marveled at the wonder of dialing into a Science Fiction chat room and talking to various fans from one coast to another. I’m still a McCrumb fan, but Bimbos rule and Zombies drool.

Popsugar #46 - A duology (2)

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jay Omega and Marion Farley have another mystery to solve. But not a murder, just tracking down an elusive piece of fandom except there is a murder or two along the way.

[Simon Mcleish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog here in January 2002.

From the title alone it is quite clear that this is going to be a sequel to the hilarious Bimbos of the Death Sun. Once again, James Mega gets involved in SF fandom, when he and his partner Marion discover that one of the English professors at the university where they both teach is actually one of the Lanthanides, a group of fifties fans who turned out to include several now famous authors. (He wrote under a pseudonym, which is why this is not obvious.) Before they were published, they lived on a farm in rural Tennessee and there they buried a time capsule, containing manuscripts of their stories and several pieces of SF memorabilia. Soon afterwards, the valley containing the farm was flooded to become a reservoir, but now it is to be drained temporarily for maintenance on the dam. This provides the opportunity for a reunion to dig up the capsule with a great deal of publicity and hold a publishers' auction for the rights to the stories.

However, the capsule is not the only thing which is dug up, as revelations of group member secrets lead to a murder. The tone of Zombies is more sober than its predecessor's, something which is at least in part due to the greater age of most of its characters. (This doesn't stop there being some funny moments, such as when John W. Campbell's letter in the capsule is read out.) It is informed by the same knowledge of SF fandom as the earlier novel something which doesn't seem to me to be as "obscure" as some of the quoted reviewers believed (typical examples are discussions of Fredric Brown stories and of artist Richard Dadd). Even if not obscure, it is fascinating viewed just as a picture of a subculture. In no way does it demand an interest in fandom, however; it can easily be appreciated simply as a mystery novel.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars. I must really be in a funk because this was the 3rd book in a row I had a hard time staying focused on. I think in this case the age of the book was a factor.

"Zombies of the Gene Pool" is the follow up to "Bimbos of the Death Sun." In this book, engineering professor and sci-fi author Jay and his girlfriend English professor Marion are asked to attend a reunion of the Lanthanides, a group of early science fiction writers, one of whom is a colleague of Marion's in the English department. Once they arrive at the reunion, a surprise guest appears: a member of the Lanthanides who was long thought to have died who winds up dead for real.

The first part of the book sets the scene by telling the back story of each of the Lanthanides who were attending the reunion. This seemed to take up the bulk of the book and while I understand why it was needed, it didn't really hold my attention. I didn't really care about these characters, other than Jay and Marion. The actual mystery part of the story was only maybe a quarter of the book but that part was interesting, and the twist at the end was satisfying.

For a book published in 1992, this one seemed much older. It's amazing how for technology, especially the Internet has come since then. Parts of the book seemed like they were written in the 1980's, however and I believe the late 80's are when this story took place. It was a little hard to tell as at times the Lanthanides seemed to be in their 60's, and other times they are described as frail looking and "old" with one foot in the grave.

It also really annoyed me that one of the chapters started off by saying it was 10:00 and the reunion was about to get started but when Marion was sent to find the stragglers, she told them it was just after 9:00. I had to double check I read the beginning of the chapter correctly.

I love Sharyn McCrumb. But this book of hers was just okay.

[Brendan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like its predecessor, Bimbos of the Death Sun, this book's most salient feature is its love/hate relationship with fandom. McCrumb wields what seems to be thorough knowledge of the fanzine/ fan culture and builds a story around a reunion of 1950s fans who've mostly hit it big. As before, the story follows Jay O. Mega, a physics prof who also writes SF novels. He gathers a number of suspects, a single vile character who subsequently dies, and then follows the clues to the murderer. A few additional things to consider:

* I feel bad for anyone who buys this book based on the title or cover. I knew what it was when I picked it up, but there aren't any zombies anywhere. And unlike the first book which had a tentative connection to its title, this one seems cut out of whole cloth.
* McCrumb sprinkles the book with nifty facts about how fanzines were published, who some of the key figures in early SF were, and how fan feuds started and roiled. I found the fan-speak (slan being the most annoying word) really annoying, as is the voice of the fanzine editor whose issues appear a couple times in the novel. Don't get me wrong, it rings true, but it's still obnoxious.
* She also provides a nifty setting: an old Tennessee farm being revealed in the muddy bed of a dam lake being drained for maintenance.
* Part of the plot turns on Jay's use of these newfangled computer bulletin boards to ask for information from across the country. This is a bit of a cheat similar to Hamish MacBeth's use of outside reporters to plumb information in M.C. Beaton's Lochdubh mysteries.
* McCrumb's criticism of academia stings a bit, mostly because I feel like it's unfair-- a caricature of academic life as just a refined version of fandom. But perhaps it is.

Not as good as the first one, and probably why she didn't write any others.

[Pat Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Layered and nuanced, this Sharon McCrumb tale combines the Appalachian flavor of her Ballad series with her character-driven MacPherson mysteries to present a vision of life after youthful dreams have died. The "zombies" of the title are one-time science fiction Fans - that is with a capital "F" - whose juvenile attempts at deathless prose were buried in a pickle-jar time capsule in 1954. Since then, the Fan Farm where they wrote their earliest stories, and the time capsule in which they buried them, have been covered by the "Gene Pool" (a lake behind the Gene Breedlove Dam).

When the lake is drawn down for repairs to the dam, the authors get together in a well-publicized reunion to dig up the stories. But more than the pickle jar is waiting to be revealed with the mud of the lake bottom.

The story is probably appealing to some readers for its insider knowledge of SF-Fandom; I enjoyed more the characters that always populate a McCrumb novel. The perennial adolescent in his fifties, the big-name author now drifting in the mists of Alzheimers, the engineer deeply embarrassed by his authorship of "Bimbos of the Death Sun" (yes, McCrumb gives that title away to one of her characters), the schizophrenic Hollywood producer whose authorial alter-ego is occasionally allowed to surface. These characters shamble through the tale dropping bits of decayed life and strange odors of scandal in their wake.

In the end, the mystery is less about who died and how and why, than it is about why our lives take such strange turns from where we imagine they will go when we are young.

The novel is both akin to and richly unlike Bimbos of the Death Sun , which I enjoyed as well. Whether you are a Fan of science fiction, or just of Sharon McCrumb, it is definitely worthwhile.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

"In the 1950s, eight young men, dreaming of literary immortality, buried a time capsule with their science fiction stories and cultural relics from the time. Now the capsule is being dredged up because a few of those men have in fact become very famous. As a result, the excavation turns into a multimedia event.

Everything goes off without a hitch until a surprise guest makes an appearance -- a writer who was supposed to have died thirty years ago. Still cynical and angry, he is threatening to expose secrets the famous and the obscure have kept from the world all these years. When murder suddenly materializes to throw the agenda into chaos, one man must separate science fact from fiction -- and unearth a killer with a story of his own to tell ..."
~~ from the back cover

This was one of the daftest books I've ever read! The plot made no sense and neither did the characters. The title had naught to do with the plot or the characters. Only the fact that the author is such an excellent writer saved the book from total disgrace.

[Peregrine 12 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not a fan of books that give life stories of multiple characters at the expense of an actual plot. In my opinion, this was such a book. Trying to get through this was like listening to a stranger tell you the last 40 years of his family history, randomly, with little or no connection between the people. There seem to be a lot of books like this out there these days, and I don't like them either, so maybe I'm just a bad reader. Whatever, I got halfway through and quit out of sheer boredom and frustration.

[Gwen · Rating 1 out of 5]

All exposition, very little actual plot—and none of the charm of Bimbos of the Death Sun. The mystery starts about 2/3 through the book, and the "resolution" didn't make a lot of sense.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

This month's bookclub pick. I'm still waiting for something fantastical to happen. But I love the titled pun (they are writers who used to live in a valley, now flooded by the Gene C. Breedlove Lake.

I read it and it never improved. Don't bother.

[Kelsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a really hard time following this book, and don't think I ever really understood what was going on with it. Oh well.

[rndgmoat · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unexpectedly deep follow-up to the silly and satirical "Bimbos of the Death Sun," this is a great mystery that isn't *really* about the mystery.

Written by an accomplished pro--McCrumb has won multiple awards for her mystery novels--this book once again finds Jay Omega, engineering professor/sci-fi author and his partner, Marion Farley, a professor of English, solving a mystery within science fiction fandom.

The setup is great: It turns out that one of Jay and Marion's fellow professors, Erik Giles, was also a writer of some highly acclaimed works of sci-fi during its golden age, albeit under a pseudonym. Now comfortably ensconced within the ivory tower, Erik is dismissive of his prior work and mostly content to let his secret remain undiscovered, with the exception of his friends, Jay and Marion.

Unfortunately, the past is not so easily brushed away. Erik was a member of the legendary "Lanthanides," a group of young sci-fi aficionados who spent a memorable summer at a rural farm in the 1950s. Several of the Lanthanides would go on to sci-fi greatness. Others had darker futures. Before leaving the farm, the Lanthanides buried a time capsule filled with early short stories and other ephemera. Shortly thereafter, a massive civil engineering project traps that time capsule under a manmade lake.

Now, 35 years later, the lake is to be temporarily drained. Ruben Mistral, a member of the group who has had massive commercial success in Hollywood, sees an opportunity for further self-promotion and convenes a highly publicized reunion centered on the excavation of the time capsule and the profitable sale of its contents. The Lanthanides reconvene, dark secrets are hinted at, and a murder occurs.

As other reviewers have noted, calling this a mystery novel is a bit of a cheat. The murder in question occurs over halfway through the book; it is not the central focus, although there are many twists and reversals that will fake out genre fanatics. Instead, the novel is largely focused on bigger questions and asks the reader to interrogate the fine line between nostalgia and existential angst. This is a surprisingly profound and moving book about several complicated, idealistic people, some of whom got the fame they craved but some who did not. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to sci-fi fans and mystery addicts.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jay Mega and his romantic partner Marion are back for a second adventure. They have been asked by Erik Giles, another professor from the English department and colleague of Marion, to join him on a trip back home. He has recently had some health issues, and he thought it would be helpful to have him along as he joins the surviving members of a science fiction fans from his home town with whom he formed a literary club back in the 1950s.

As their home town was being moved to make room to flooded a local river and create a lake, the group had decided to bury a time capsule with some of their own writing and cultural relics from the time. They were supposed to return in the 1980's, but that reunion was delayed. Now, the lake is being drained for some work to be done in the area, creating an opportunity.

Some in the group had actually found fame as writers or in the film industry. Thus, there is a lot of media interest in the reunion and a good chance that the collected writings will bring a good price as a book. A number of publishers are present to bid on the chance to sell the volume.

Things take an interesting turn when one of the members who was thought dead turns up on the eve of the reunion. He had a habit of offending people prior to his death, and he lives up to that reputation in his return. in fact, he is threatening to blackmail the members of the literary group. So, it is probably not much of a surprise when he turns up dead in his hotel room the following morning. Marion and Jay take it upon themselves to figure out what really happened in the past ... and overnight.

This slow really gets bogged down in presenting the shared pasts of the literary group. While this creates a bit of a feel of Stephen King's It, it really results in things moving really slowly. In fact, the actual murder doesn't happen until the book is almost completed. Sadly, none of the suspects (members of the literary group) are particularly likeable, which makes things less enjoyable.

[Robert Dormer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first came across this book (in pulp paperback format - how appropriate!) about twenty five years ago. As a broke high school kid, I didn't actually buy it, but for whatever reason, the phrase Lanthanides stuck with me. Once in a blue moon I would wonder if I could find out about that novel...what was it's name? It's taken this long for the internet to become all encompassing enough for me to finally be able to Google that one clue and come up with this title.

Calling it a mystery is a bit of a misnomer. The author, as it turns out, is more widely known for her literary fiction, which explains a few things. This novel is basically a literary novel trying to be a sci-fi spoof trying to be a mystery. The actual mystery doesn't even happen until about 3/4 of the way through the book, and the sleuthing and resolution - which would normally occupy, you know, the bulk of a mystery novel - was rushed through and crammed in at the end.

That said, I was still pleasantly surprised. Maybe it's just because I waited so long to finally read this, or maybe it's just encroaching middle age, but the wistful nostalgia really hit home for me. What this really is is a story about a bunch of once close friends who've gone their separate ways, grown apart, miss the admittedly flawed camraderie they once took for granted, and also realize that they can never really get that back. I can relate. All in all, worth the read, and I'll definitely look forward to reading the prequel.

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book despite its title is not about zombies that eat flesh. It a tale of young science fiction fans who lived together in the 1950s and buried a time capsule. The place they buried it had been underwater but the lake was being drawn down and the capsule could be dredged up since a few of the fans have become famous.

The Lanthanides as they were called get a surprise visit from one of them they thought was dead. This stranger is found dead in his room in the morning. Was it natural causes? Not according to what the lawyer in the group finds. A young engineer, Jay Omega did some research and found that one of the group had murdered him, but supposedly the victim was not who they thought he was, the real group member had been dead for years (or had he) and the killer commits suicide which closed any investigation.

It took me a long time to finish this book as I had been reading it while volunteering and had been busy and could not read it the last few times. I love the fact that Sharyn McCrumb has Jay as the author of her book Bimbos of the Death Star. Though I do not read science fiction as I did in the past, I am familiar with many of the real writers mentioned in this book as I have meant many writers at Philcon or the World Cons that I have attended. I may have met Ms. McCrumb at one of these conventions. I would certain tell any fen to read this book.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Bimbos of the Death Sun, the first book featuring Jay Omega, this is a satire, although not as bold-faced as Bimbos. It's a satirical look at fandom. Some have said she's criticizing the sci-fi and fantasy world, but she's bigger than that. She's using the science-fiction/fantasy conventions--the gatherings and fan world--to satirize all of obsessive fandom, in the same way Nick Hornby satirized music fandom with High Fidelity and Juliet, Naked.

This looks more at the other side than Bimbos did, at the effect fame, fans and groupies has on the writers themselves. The humor is always there, but also an underlying sense of frustration at what fame can do to the creators. McCrumb is an absolute master of the subtle character, sowing seeds and letting us see the human side and the dark side without overwhelming the reader. I have become a fan of Sharyn McCrumb. I highly recommend her to anyone.

[Linda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book better that the first in the series. It still dealt with the fandom around science fiction and its weirdness in its early history. A group of early fans and wannabe writers formed a secret club and lived on a farm in TN, sort of a writer's colony. Plans to reunite 30 years after their break-up fell apart when the area was flooded. The waters have been halted as work is done on the dam and the reunion and retrieval of a time capsule has to happen now. All of the still living members arrive and Jay and Marion attend as guests of one of the members. But a particularly nasty member who was believed dead returns and then is killed. Jay and Marion try to sort out the murderer and the secrets of all the members. This fell much more into the traditional murder mystery genre.

[Shelley Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hilarious spoof of sci-fi fandom and a classic in its own right.

Decades ago a raucous group of would-be writers, living on a Tennessee farm, buried their specially written short stories in a pickle jar for posterity. Called the Lanthanides, they later went on to become well-loved, rich and famous, sci-fi writers.

Fast forward to a highly publicized reunion, where the pickle jar will be recovered and the stories auctioned off to the highest bidder. Unfortunately, the festivities are marred by murder, revealing dark secrets.

This is a spot-on, satirical critique of fandom and all its foibles. Full of real sci-fi history, it's the perfect beach read for any sci-fi aficionado and full of many laugh out loud moments.