There is some humor here and a (sort of) murder mystery. There are also a truck load of caricatures and stereotypes, cruel ones at that. In what I assume is an attempt at parody we go to a science Fiction convention where we are all assured that "we" (the readers of the mystery genre I suppose) are far superior to these pathetic examples of humanity...fairly jarring if you happen to enjoy science fiction yourself. I hope that McCrumb wasn't trying for the insulting and condescending tone that seems to permeate this book. I'm not sure why it's "okay" to look down on those who enjoy imaginative pass times. It seems that along with those who are over weight and a few other groups science fiction/fantasy fans are fair game for the kind of humor that if aimed at most any other group would not be tolerated. Also it seems that (at least if this book is to be believed) most of these poor benighted people are also over weight and socially inept (possibly even "unwashed" and "smelly"). We are also treated to the picture of over weight and desperate women who will "settle" for the pimply unwashed denizens of science fiction fandom. It seems that publishers, editors, film makers, and fan paraphernalia manufactures are happy to make money off these people but still feel free to look down on them.This is one of 2 books by McCrumb that are apparently an attempt to "poke fun" at science fiction fandom. (The other is Zombies of the Gene Pool. They are "Jay Omega 1 and 2.)While I find her understanding of those fans weak in both books this is by far the most...insensitive. This book's attitude was also a little surprising to me in another way, as I grew up in Eastern Tennessee and I've read a few of her other books where she does a fair job of showing Appalachian mountain culture and folklore at least somewhat accurately. While I wouldn't say I was a fan of her other work (I suspect that they might appeal more to readers who like heavier romance elements) I hadn't found them too bad. I looked these 2 up after learning of their existence, and was disappointed.The humor that is here is of a lower negative type and the "mystery" is basic and not really the "star" of the show. If you already look down (at least somewhat) on those who enjoy science fiction (and especially those that may attend "fan conventions") then this might be a book you want to read. I have in my somewhat eclectic reading life read from many different literary genres, that includes a great many science fiction and fantasy volumes. I frankly fail to see how mystery novels are all that superior. By the way, no I'm not missing that these are meant to be humorous. I just don't find the humor all that funny and I do find it...questionable. In other words, this book falls short on so many levels "for me". I was really disappointed with it and can not recommend it.
**edited 01/27/14I picked this up because I fell in love with the title--"Bimbos of the Death Sun" is just so very, very perfect. I've read one of McCrumb's Appalachian books, and thought that she would treat her subject, the world of science fiction and fantasy conventions, with respect and humanity.I was so very, very wrong. The book is somewhat cute and definitely funny, but it is also very cruel.I've never been to a "con"(convention), so I can't actually attest to the accuracy--and since the book is quite dated and was written about the time I was born, I suspect no one who went to one in the last twenty years or so can either. Fandom is an interesting and (as far as I can tell) relatively recent phenomenon, and I can see why McCrumb would be fascinated by it. However, she is clearly writing from the perspective of an outsider: she portrays the fantasy authors as jaded and nasty, the female con goers are desperate, oversexualised, and man-mad, and the men (or rather, boys) are pimpled, obese, awkward outcasts, desperate for approval and to become authors themselves. Obese characters are repeatedly mocked as "weighing more than an average calf," but women of this variety are still prized because cons are filled with desperate engineers--McCrumb calls them "losers,...runty little nerds, fat intellectuals,[and] misfits," who are happy to find anything at all female, no matter how overweight and plain--because clearly men only pick women based on traditional superficial beauty. The main characters, the ones we are supposed to empathize with, are themselves outsiders and rather bemused by the excesses of the fans....Due to my disapproval of GR's new and highly subjective review deletion policy, I am no longer posting full reviews here.The rest of this review can be found on Booklikes.
A light, fun, and entertaining murder mystery set at a fantasy convention that melded both genres quite nicely. Definitely not a "serious" read. Having been to scifi conventions, I could totally picture the setting and the cast of characters. If you haven't had the experience of a scifi or fantasy convention, it's pretty much like the book. The tongue in cheek references, character portrayals, activities, hucksters room were pretty spot on. Now this was written when computers were just starting to go mainstream, so the book is dated a bit technology wise, but not a detraction in my opinion. If you need a book for vacation, a plane ride, or have some waiting ahead of you, this would be a great pick. Read and be entertained.
—Kristin
{I'm going to discuss both this book, and its sequel, Zombies of the Gene Pool, in one review. Fair warning. *g*}Two fandom-set mysteries. The first takes place at a con, and with its wacky con shenanigans is generally more fun than the second, which involves a small fan reunion in Tennessee. Neither one of the mysteries is particularly mysterious (which is odd because McCrumb is nominally a mystery writer), but the books are generally amusing, quick reads. Enjoyable—if you don't think about them. Think about them at all, and you start to realize that McCrumb is really rather contemptuous toward fans and fandom. According to her, everyone involved in sci-fi/fantasy fandom is a socially-incompetent loser who will never amount to much, has poor personal hygiene, and is probably a virgin. Even if you become a successful genre author, you will never garner respect or attain happiness. Fannishness is, apparently, something you are supposed to grow out of when you finally lose that extra weight and find a boy/girlfriend. McCrumb's attitude certainly makes me wonder who she thinks she's writing these books for. It isn't for genre fans.The sequel isn't actually any more bitter and nasty than the original, in spite of what I'd heard; however, both books contain the same kind of sloppiness. The main character is an engineer named Dr. James Owens Mega; the pen name under which he writes is Jay Omega. He's referred to interchangeably in both books (in the 3rd person omniscient narration, no less) as James, Mega, Jay, Jay Omega, and even Dr. Jay Omega—in other words, his nom de plume with his real world title. That kind of thing drives me nuts. There's also an instance of McCrumb stating that Character A doesn't know Character B's name at the top of a page, and then at the bottom of that same page, A casually calling B by her name. Oh, and another character thinking of a death as a murder and then a few pages later having to be convinced that it was indeed a murder and not accidental death. You know what is needed, here? A GOOD BETA.So, I found these books both enjoyable and incredibly infuriating. I honestly can't make a recommendation about whether I think other people should read them or not.
—Trin
This book is a lot of fun. A Facebook friend just reminded me about it and I'm really glad she did. This has a special place in my heart. On our second date, the woman who would become my wife (also, eventually, my ex) gave me her copy of BotDS to read. After I read it, I knew our sensibilities and interests were in synch. It was a lot harder in the pre-high speed internet days, to ferret out fellow Geeks.BotDS is a really fun, charming and witty "Whodunit" by Sharyn McCrumb. It combines a serious murder mystery with the scariest world of all -- fandom.James Owen Mega is just an ordinary guy, a professor of electrical engineering at Virginia Tech. What very few people realize is that he is also Jay Omega, one-time SF author -- and that's exactly how Jay wants it. His novel was a serious, hard SF story, but by the time the second-rate publishing house got through with it, it was saddled with a Frank Frazetta-esque cover and the title Bimbos of the Death Sun. Though he attempts to bury his shame, his girlfriend books him as a guest at Rubicon, a local SF convention. There, they meet the troublesome Appin Dungannon, author of a Conan-like series of novels and owner of an incredibly short fuse and colossal ego. Some time between the costume contest and the celebrity D&D game, however, Dungannon is murdered, and Jay and his girlfriend, Marion, do a little investigating of their own.
—David Monroe
