''Bimbos of the Death Sun'' is a 1987 mystery novel by

Sharyn McCrumb Sharyn McCrumb (born February 26, 1948) is an American writer whose books celebrate the history and folklore of Appalachia. McCrumb is the winner of numerous literary awards, and the author of the Elizabeth McPherson mystery series, the Ballad ...

Plot summary

The novel takes place at Rubicon, a fictional

science fiction convention Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of the speculative fiction genre, science fiction. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expre ...

being held in the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

suburbs of

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

, and at which the guests of honor are Appin Dungannon, a fantasy author noted for his books about hero Tratyn Runewind, and Dr. James O. Mega, an electrical engineering professor at

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...

, who, under the pen name Jay Omega, has written one novel. That novel, a hard science fiction book about a space station crew whose female members are affected by radiation from a dying star (which causes them to become less intelligent), was retitled ''Bimbos of the Death Sun'' and given an R-rated cover by the publisher. Mega is somewhat lost in the world of hardcore SF and fantasy fans at the con, but his companion, Marion, a professor of English literature, is more familiar with these events, and she guides him through it. They have troubles, such as being asked to judge a fiction contest. All seems to be going somewhat well for Mega, but his co-Guest of Honor, Dungannon, is making it a point to offend everyone at the con. It is hardly surprising when he is killed, a bullet through his heart. The fans react by buying up everything with his signature in the huckster room. The police are at a loss to find the murderer. Everyone had a motive to kill Dungannon, but it seems that no one had the opportunity. Mega corrals the suspects into a role-playing game and works out a confession in the way Hamlet did ("The play's the thing / Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King"). While the murder investigation continues, the author satirizes a lot of events at science fiction conventions, such as cosplay and the

filk Filk music is a musical culture, genre, and community tied to science fiction, fantasy, and horror fandom and a type of fan labor. The genre has existed since the early 1950s and been played primarily since the mid-1970s. Etymology and defi ...

songs that science fiction fans sing.

Reception

Dave Langford David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'', and holds the all-time record for mos ...

reviewed ''Bimbos of the Death Sun'' for ''

White Dwarf A white dwarf is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to the Sun's, while its volume is comparable to the Earth's. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes ...

'' #99, and stated that "McCrumb deploys her research with kitchen-sink enthusiasm, neatly caricaturing several SF fan stereotypes but striking an unconvincing note when all these wildly different and often mutually intolerant types sit down to play D&D together."

Awards

The novel won the 1988 Edgar Award for "Best Paperback Original" and was nominated for the

Anthony Award The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher (1911–1968), one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America. Among the m ...

in the same category in the same year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bimbos Of The Death Sun 1988 American novels American mystery novels Edgar Award-winning works Ballantine Books books