Lost at the Con [Kindle Edition]

Bryan Young (Author)

Book Description

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 Mardi 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."

Reviews:

"Young's style is terse and crisp. He writes in a way that compels you to keep flipping pages." --Huffington Post

"Entertaining, funny, and eye-opening..." --Graphic Policy

"Young's hard-hitting style pulled me into the story immediately. No time and words are wasted but nothing is rushed or bland." --Geeks With Curves

BONUS: This digital copy contains an exclusive preview of Young's next book: Operation: Montauk!

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!

Product Details

• File Size: 347 KB
• Print Length: 262 pages
• Publisher: ShineBox Media (June 2, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00545VDAW
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #389,654 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #62 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Literary

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fear and Loathing at "GriffinCon". July 1, 2011

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.

6 of 6 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

By Kit McIlvaine (GirlPluggedN)

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:[...]

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you go to Sci-Fu/Fantasy Con, you've got to read this! June 12, 2011

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!!!

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!