Lev Grossman and Jim Butcher explored how magic and technology intersect and affect one another in more modern fictional settings during the “Modern Magic” panel (Sun 10AM, Hyatt Embassy). At this overflowing panel, the moderator and the fans asked a number of intriguing questions about both authors’ systems of and approaches to magic in their respective series’ worlds. Many of… Read more →
Where were you when you read your first Harry Potter novel or watched the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone? Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Scarlett Byrne (Pansy Parkinson) answered questions in the Sheraton Grand Ballroom Friday evening of Dragon Con about what life was like before being cast, during filming, and after the movies. Could you picture anyone else… Read more →
I noticed her while waiting for a Karl Urban panel on Friday in the Hyatt–a flame-haired Amazon in full battle regalia. She wasn’t the only warrior in the room, but something about her outfit arrested my attention, despite my intention to watch the witty bumpers and enjoy the chatter of other enthusiastic attendees. I studied her attire, from her leather… Read more →
With post-apocalyptic fiction and movies being so popular in recent years, the panel “The Cause of The Apocalypse” (Apocalypse Rising, Friday, 10 PM, Westin Chastain 1-2) looked at interesting avenues this subgenre could take. Science fiction author and survivalist blogger Michael Z. Williamson moderated the panel, which included Cathy the Insectress, a graduate student in insect molecular genetics, Tedd Roberts,… Read more →
The “Supergate: Beyond the Gate” (Stargate Multiverse, Sunday, 2:30 PM, Hyatt Centennial II and III) panel started out on a humorous note that persisted through the hour. Moderator Karen Smith Henson asked the actors, Peter Williams, Ona Grauer, Joe Flanigan, David Blue, and Alexis Cruz, to tell the audience about their first acting jobs, amateur or professional. Cruz responded first,… Read more →
Dragon Con regulars Nicole Harsch and Mike Sakuta, better known as The Crossed Swords, brought their blend of swordplay, humor, and education back to Hyatt Regency V on Saturday at 11:30AM. This year, however, they introduced a new element, their version of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. They opened the program by explaining that they would accept the challenge by… Read more →
James Hugh Reeves is an exciting new author on the scene with the Gilded Dragonfly. In celebration of his success, there was a launch party in Embassy D-F (H) Thursday at 7PM. His new fantasy book, The Extraordinary Adventures of Ultra-Chick and the Rabid Wolf! comes out this week. This middle-school reader centers on Ultra Chick, the unlikely heroine that… Read more →
A panel titled “Who Needs Dystopias When You Have History?” (Alternate History, Westin Augusta 3, Saturday, 10PM) doesn’t promise an hour of sweetness and light, and the program fit its name. Panelists David B. Jackson (aka David Coe), Jean Marie Ward (moderator) Katherine Kurtz, Kathryn Hinds, Gail Z. Martin, and A.J. Hartley gave the room a factual discussion that punctured… Read more →
