cover image The Con

The Con

J.D. DeLuzio. Brain Lag, $14.99 trade paper (242p) ISBN 978-1-928011-41-5

DeLuzio’s fun but convoluted debut thrusts readers into the colorful world of science fiction fan conventions through the intertwined experiences of a tangled web of characters. Telfryn Tyde attends the con alongside married couple Brian and Augusta Slesak while secretly pining for Augusta. There they meet up with regular con-goers Chelsea Ashe and Patti Washington, who have picked up a pair of aspiring suitors in brothers Mark and Thomas. The group crosses paths with the attendees of a smaller Jane Austen convention happening at the same hotel, and Telfryn befriends Janeites Mistie Matthews and Denise Moon. Finally, Kate, Chelsea’s maybe-girlfriend, arrives on the scene to surprise her. Threaded throughout the confusion of each character’s experiences at the convention are sightings of a small, alien creature and questions of Telfryn’s mental stability. DeLuzio offers a comedic whirlwind of panels, a robot fight, and encounters with pop culture figures, though the alternating perspectives and unreliability of Telfryn as narrator create a story that is occasionally difficult to follow. This absurdist effort will most appeal to readers immersed in fandom culture. (Nov.)