Subject: Review of BIMBOS OF THE DEATH SUN

From: [email-masked] (Alan Wexelblat)
Date: 05 Jul 93 03:37:55 GMT

BIMBOS OF THE DEATH SUN
			by Sharyn Mccrumb
		Review Copyright (c) 1993 Alan Wexelblat

Sigh.  It's just my nature to be disappointed, I think.  First SNOW CRASH,
then this.  Another one everyone talked about: Oh, it's so funny; you'll
love it.  Not.

McCrumb uses the skeleton of a mystery to write a lampoon of SF cons, fans,
and their associated ephemera.  As with most lampoons it's stereotyping,
patronizing, simplistic, and in the end just plain dull.

Rubicon SF convention (the first of many puns in the novel) has one famous
author guest, Appin Dungannon, a man who combines the worst characteristics
of Harlan Ellison and Michael Moorcock.  By the time he's murdered, he's
offended just about everyone he's come into contact with.  So there are
plenty of potential suspects -- at least in theory.  Unfortunately, the
mystery part of the book is even weaker than the lampoon.  McCrumb shows us
the crime when it happens.  We then just have to wait around for Rubicon's
other guest author, Jay Omega, to get around to showing the other characters
the solution.  What the Edgar Allen Poe people thought they were doing
giving this thing an award totally eludes me.

Omega and his girlfriend, Marion, are the prime commentators on the horde of
stereotypes that wander through the pages of this book -- the overworked con
chair, the nerdy gamers, the hopeless-geek hall costumers, the filkers, etc.
They explain each one's pathologies in endless repetitive detail, with
occasional references to real-life SF people McCrumb more or less approves
of.

This is not to say she hasn't got large grains of truth in what she writes.
I (and probably you, dear readers) have seen or been more than one of these
stereotypes at one time.  But it's just not funny.  A smile here or there is
about all this book is good for.

%A Sharyn McCrumb
%T Bimbos of the Death Sun
%I TSR Books Mystery
%G ISBN 0-88038-455-7
%O $3.95
%D 1988