Lost at the Con tells the tale of a drunken political journalist and his dangerous assignment to a science fiction and fantasy convention. Though he'd rather be at home drinking his liver to death, his spiteful editor delivers an ultimatum: take the assignment or lose the steady paycheck. Since Cobb can't afford to turn down the job, he heads to Atlanta and dives head first into the realm of Griffin*Con, renowned the world over as the Mardis Gras of geek conventions. There, he finds all of the science fiction, fantasy, and cosplay he would expect, but he also finds something more sinister: a seedy underbelly of geeky debauchery, slash fiction, booze, sex, and drugs. Can he make it through this assignment without snapping and winding up on the front page himself? Or will the entire experience change him in ways he never imagined possible? It's been called "A masterful blend of fictional Gonzo journalism and geek culture that is sure to please audiences inside and outside the geek community."
Lost at the Con
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
- It's Hell's Angels meets Breakfast of Champions meets Amazing Spiderman. -Huffington Post
- If you like gonzo journalism, politics or conventions this is a definite buy. -Graphic Policy
- It's funny, smart and thought provoking. Perfect for geeks and non-geeks alike. -[insertgeekhere]
About the Author
Bryan Young works across many different mediums. As a film producer, his last two films ("This Divided State" and "Killer at Large") were released by The Disinformation Company and were called "filmmaking gold" by The New York Times. He's also published comic books with Slave Labor Graphics and Image Comics. He's a contributor for the Huffington Post and the founder and editor in chief of the geek news and review site Big Shiny Robot!
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More About the Author
Bryan Young works across many different mediums. As a film producer, his last two films ("This Divided State" and "Killer at Large") were released by The Disinformation Company and were called "filmmaking gold" by The New York Times. He's also published comic books with Slave Labor Graphics and Image Comics. He's a regular contributor for the Huffington Post, StarWars.com, and the founder and editor in chief of the geek news and review site Big Shiny Robot!
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Warlizard
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I don't write many reviews, mostly because I'm incredibly lazy but DAMN I enjoyed this book! The least I can do is let the rest of you know how much fun it is to read.
Take a middle-aged, scotch-soaked sell-out political journalist, throw him into the middle of a chaotic comic-con where his cynicism and contempt are given free-reign and what do you get? You get a story of redemption that's full of clever quips and lightning-fast wit and a story that moves so quickly you won't believe it's over.
The pop-culture references are so thick that a single reading isn't enough. This book isn't for the dim, so if your idea of humor is a football to the nuts, you might want to pass on this one. The humor is eclectic and clever and the author doesn't stop to explain the joke, he just lays it on you and moves on. There were sections I read and just shook my head in amazement and others where I laughed so hard I woke the baby (sorry honey).
Buy this book. Read this book. Tell your friends.
Take a middle-aged, scotch-soaked sell-out political journalist, throw him into the middle of a chaotic comic-con where his cynicism and contempt are given free-reign and what do you get? You get a story of redemption that's full of clever quips and lightning-fast wit and a story that moves so quickly you won't believe it's over.
The pop-culture references are so thick that a single reading isn't enough. This book isn't for the dim, so if your idea of humor is a football to the nuts, you might want to pass on this one. The humor is eclectic and clever and the author doesn't stop to explain the joke, he just lays it on you and moves on. There were sections I read and just shook my head in amazement and others where I laughed so hard I woke the baby (sorry honey).
Buy this book. Read this book. Tell your friends.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
What Every Geek Needs For Their Birthday, IF They Don't Already Have It
June 15, 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Lost at the Con: What Every Geek Will Want For Their Birthday, IF They Don't Already Have It
In short, this is one of the funniest books I've read since Chris Moore's Stupidest Angel with the geek cred of the zombie jamboree in space, Death Troopers. If you have ever been to ComicCon or Dragon*Con, you need to read this romp of a book, just for the geekster eggs.
The Best and The Worst:
Geeks will love piecing together their favorite characters from comics, movies, anime and manga from the detailed and gonzo-esque internal monologue of the unreliable narrator, Cobb. I love that though this was touted as "Hunter S. Thompson went on a bender at Dragon*Con", Young has his own style. Cobb maintains his own voice as a character, even when he's slurring through the Harry Potter Slash-Fic panel. This is a quick and delightful summer read that you will want to share with your friends. I honestly was a bit surprised by the ending, but I can't say more without spoilers!
Overall Rating:
7/8 sleepless hours for memorable and enjoyable characters, appealing to my inner (and jumping up and down outer) geek, accurate portrayal of attending a huge convention and biting satire on the economy of geekdom in the form of Cobb's articles he sends to his editor. AND this book is formatted for the kindle correctly! (Though those with Kindle Aps may have some problems. I don't know why. It may have just been mine. If this happens, adjust your type size to the smallest and put on your glasses.)
This Review has been abridged. If you would like to see the full review, go to my blog:[...]
In short, this is one of the funniest books I've read since Chris Moore's Stupidest Angel with the geek cred of the zombie jamboree in space, Death Troopers. If you have ever been to ComicCon or Dragon*Con, you need to read this romp of a book, just for the geekster eggs.
The Best and The Worst:
Geeks will love piecing together their favorite characters from comics, movies, anime and manga from the detailed and gonzo-esque internal monologue of the unreliable narrator, Cobb. I love that though this was touted as "Hunter S. Thompson went on a bender at Dragon*Con", Young has his own style. Cobb maintains his own voice as a character, even when he's slurring through the Harry Potter Slash-Fic panel. This is a quick and delightful summer read that you will want to share with your friends. I honestly was a bit surprised by the ending, but I can't say more without spoilers!
Overall Rating:
7/8 sleepless hours for memorable and enjoyable characters, appealing to my inner (and jumping up and down outer) geek, accurate portrayal of attending a huge convention and biting satire on the economy of geekdom in the form of Cobb's articles he sends to his editor. AND this book is formatted for the kindle correctly! (Though those with Kindle Aps may have some problems. I don't know why. It may have just been mine. If this happens, adjust your type size to the smallest and put on your glasses.)
This Review has been abridged. If you would like to see the full review, go to my blog:[...]
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By J. K. Garner
Format:Paperback
I never thought I'd like Cobb - Young's sarcastic, drunk, and rude, lead character. I was wrong - by the end of the book, I loved him!
Assigned against his will to cover Griffin-Con, Cobb, a political reporter has no idea what he's in for.
And I've got to say, seeing a Con through his eyes was both extremely entertaining, and educational. You can tell that Young is a con-goer himself & that he knows what he's talking about - his description of the Convention was note perfect, and watching Cobb evolve from a selfish, self-hating jerk to an unwilling hero, but hero none-the-less, was truly satisfying.
I'm just gonna leave you with this:
SPACE LINCOLN!!!
Assigned against his will to cover Griffin-Con, Cobb, a political reporter has no idea what he's in for.
And I've got to say, seeing a Con through his eyes was both extremely entertaining, and educational. You can tell that Young is a con-goer himself & that he knows what he's talking about - his description of the Convention was note perfect, and watching Cobb evolve from a selfish, self-hating jerk to an unwilling hero, but hero none-the-less, was truly satisfying.
I'm just gonna leave you with this:
SPACE LINCOLN!!!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Buy the paperback if you're there, the e-book if you just want to read it
January 25, 2013
By Matters
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I recommend that if you are at a con and meet this guy, buy his book from him, k? He's really nice and he's trying to make a living doing what he loves. We should all be so lucky.
If you just want to read the book, buy the kindle edition. This is because the books is average, at best. I'll divide this review into best/worst/funniest to save some time:
Best: It's about something new, and it's about a subculture that is growing by leaps and bounds, and it's very interesting. Especially if you have been to a con, this book rings a lot of bells. These people are weird, quirky, often drunk, and sometimes quite accommodating and accepting. Cons are disorienting, and I think that's accurately described here. Seeing it also from a non-geek eye is a good point of view for the book. The stranger in a strange land or fish out of water motif works well for this subject because he's able to still be shocked by some of the things that seem normal to a seasoned con vet.
Worst: Bryan Young is not Hunter S. Thompson. Nor is he Charles Bukowski. The book sounds as if he is trying to emulate both (the drunken, cynical writer). On nearly every page, there's a single-word paragraph with a curse word (I tried to spell them out for you, but Amazon got mad. You know what dirty words are, though). This is funny when Bukowski does it, mainly because these single-word paragraphs are used sparingly. Nothing's funnier than a well-placed "Balls." However, in _Lost at the Con_, this is done to death. It's forced. In fact, I'd say the tone of the book is "Forced Thompskowski.... Read more ›
If you just want to read the book, buy the kindle edition. This is because the books is average, at best. I'll divide this review into best/worst/funniest to save some time:
Best: It's about something new, and it's about a subculture that is growing by leaps and bounds, and it's very interesting. Especially if you have been to a con, this book rings a lot of bells. These people are weird, quirky, often drunk, and sometimes quite accommodating and accepting. Cons are disorienting, and I think that's accurately described here. Seeing it also from a non-geek eye is a good point of view for the book. The stranger in a strange land or fish out of water motif works well for this subject because he's able to still be shocked by some of the things that seem normal to a seasoned con vet.
Worst: Bryan Young is not Hunter S. Thompson. Nor is he Charles Bukowski. The book sounds as if he is trying to emulate both (the drunken, cynical writer). On nearly every page, there's a single-word paragraph with a curse word (I tried to spell them out for you, but Amazon got mad. You know what dirty words are, though). This is funny when Bukowski does it, mainly because these single-word paragraphs are used sparingly. Nothing's funnier than a well-placed "Balls." However, in _Lost at the Con_, this is done to death. It's forced. In fact, I'd say the tone of the book is "Forced Thompskowski.... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved this book.
It was a fun and interesting look at the con culture. I would recommend this book to everyone, not just geeks.
Published 1 month ago by Landon Kresie
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Pleasant Surprise
I read this book on a recommendation and did not read the reviews here first... so when I started reading it I was pretty much in the dark about the content other than some... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Matthew D. Ridley
3.0 out of 5 stars
Self-Discovery at a Si-Fi/Comics Convention
I wasn't getting into this book about a character who is constantly drunk and cynical about everything until about 2/3 of the way through it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by DaveReadsALot
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great writing, annoying protagonist
[Full disclosure: I know Bryan Young personally.]
Lost at the Con is, in many ways, a geek homage to Thompson's _Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas_. Read more
Lost at the Con is, in many ways, a geek homage to Thompson's _Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas_. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Steven Saus
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just Like A Con
It started a little slow, but the Gonzo Journalism feel it had kept me in until . . . I don't want to spoil anything, so I will say, to me, it felt like after the first third of... Read more
Published 9 months ago by H4773r Elfson
4.0 out of 5 stars
"I've seen the depths of depravity in the human character."
Plot:
A political journalist gets an out-of-left-field assignment: cover a sci-fi convention for his employer, a trashy web tabloid. Read more
A political journalist gets an out-of-left-field assignment: cover a sci-fi convention for his employer, a trashy web tabloid. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Bryce Anderson
3.0 out of 5 stars
To Boldly Go where no 'normal' person has gone before....
As a self-confessed science-fiction nerd, I enjoyed this book. The main character is an outsider to sci-fi and his views on the circumstances around the convention are hilarious. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jennifer
4.0 out of 5 stars
Steampunk Lincoln!
This was actually the first book I brought for my Kindle App. I follow Bryan Young via social media, and when he proudly announced the release of the book, I yearned to get it, but... Read more
Published 14 months ago by P A Colbourne
5.0 out of 5 stars
hard to put down
Like the other reviews say, this is gonzo and reminds you of Hunter Thompson. Young's Cobb reminded a little more of Warren Ellis's Spider Jerusalem from Transmetropolitan (but of... Read more
Published 16 months ago by giggs
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fun read for anyone who has ever attended a Con
A fun, crazy adventure in the spirit of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas that anyone who has ever attended a con should enjoy.
Published 17 months ago by Paul
