Fantastic Times

The last couple of weekends I’ve been to two cons in a row: Fantasycon at the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow, and the one-day Pictcon 2 at the Salutation Hotel in Perth. Fantasycon is just like a science fiction convention, but without the science, and somehow more relaxed. I went to a lot of panels and events – GoH interviews, book launches, the awards ceremony – and enjoyed it all. Pictcon, which describes itself as a ‘Scottish science fiction and fantasy convention about science fiction and fantasy in Scotland’, is naturally a much smaller affair but it packs a lot into a busy Saturday. The main programme takes place in one big room, with tables and seating. When Picton was initiated by Farah Mendlesohn last year it wasn't numbered, but the event was such a success that it was clearly not going to be a one-off. Congratulations to Farah and her highly competent team. I was on one panel, on Scottish inventions that could or did inspire science fiction, and managed to bluff my way through.…