It's been fantastic! WorldCon is like Hay Festival, but for SF and fantasy fans. LonCon3 has been the biggest ever, with over ten thousand members. The writers and artists mingle with the con-goers, and over the five days there were something like 900 events, mostly talks, but also theatre productions (the world premiere of The Anubis Gates, by Tim Powers, for instance) a classical concert, a huge art show, dealers room, and a "fan village" where people could chill out and go to the bar, and let their kids play safely - there was also tai chi in the mornings, and a Stroll with the Stars outside the venue.
It isn't like ComicCon, where lots of people come in costume, but there were some costumes about. This is me and my Young Man as Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard and his (first) girlfriend, the Divine Sarah. One of the highlights of the Con was meeting the creator of these characters, Bryan Talbot, who took our photo for his blog! (this picture is taken by our friend Becky Probert). We also got Hall Costume Awards!
It also isn't like ComicCons in that WorldCon is organised and run by fans, for fans. Which meant that it ran extremely smoothly, because everyone wanted to do their best, and everyone was friendly, and it was a lovely atmosphere all round. It's also geared towards sharing enthusiasms and knowledge, rather than trying to find every opportunity possible to make the fans pay for stuff - all the signings are free at WorldCon, for instance, as they are at Hay Festival. At ComicCons there is always a charge, sometimes quite high.
I'll be talking in a lot more detail about the Con over on my other blog, Morwenna's Tower, over the next few days, and maybe posting a few more photos here.
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