• more about #worldcon more comments →
    siliconchef: If you want more info on Dragon*ConTV, check out http://web.dragoncontv.com/ for videos produced for the past 5 years. It's pretty unique to have con ... more »
    Carencey: Charlie Jane, do you know which method most of these use to count attendance or are the numbers already corrected for that? I know DragonCon counts by... more »
    snaboobaly: What about FANexpo? Give the Canadians some love! more »
    DrFish: This is a horrible list, because it does not say where the cons take place. Isn't that a very important piece of information in deciding if you are go... more »
    capnjack78: Went to NYCC last year and it sucked. Very disorganized panels and rude/unhelpful teenage staff. more »
    arthurborko: How the hell did you guys leave out GenCon, Origins and PAX, all three are huge geek conventions. more »
    king_saberhawk: Why is Fanexpo missing??? Despite the fact that its in Canada, it still gets a massive turn out. Not to mention it definitely classifies as a mega-co... more »
    Nimlygos: Id like to point out that PAX this year was 60+ thousand people more »
    Aidan_: I guess something like PAX isn't multi-media enough for the list. Dragon*Con, NYCC and SDCC are the three on my list. Someday...someday. more »
    thursdaynext27: I loved DragonCon because I could network with like-minded fans because of the programming tracks. Want to hang out with Star Trek fans? British SciFi... more »
    noizangel: GenCon? The greatest 4 days in gaming? C'mon! more »
    musashi000: No love for Gen Con? It's game-centric, but there are always plenty of geeky things to do that don't involve pretending you're an elf. more »
    AbbySlug: Seriously? You reviewed MEGA-CONventions and didn't include MEGACON? more »
    Ydnam: SDCC is getting to be ridiculous. The higher price ($75 this year to $100 next year and I think it was only $50-ish two years ago) isn't getting you ... more »
    Sunshineyness: Hmmm... I think you're selling NYC con a bit short. If you live within commutable distance it's really a great deal. The crowds are pretty decent and ... more »
  • #conventions

    Which Mega-Convention Gives The Most Bang For Your Buck?

    Convention season is just about over, but it's not too late to start planning your 2010 convention-going. (In fact, some stuff is already selling out.) So here's our guide to 2010's mega-conventions. Which offers the most zing for your money? More »
  • #interview

    Tobias Buckell On Eco-Thrillers and Writing Fight Scenes

    Fresh off his top-selling novel Halo: The Cole Protocol, Tobias Buckell is turning back to original stories with an eco-thriller called Arctic Rising. He talked to us about that, and why the best fight scenes are short. More »
  • #publishing

    Hugo-Winner Ellen Datlow on the Art of Editing Short Fiction

    An award-winning editor of genre anthologies, Ellen Datlow started her career at Omni magazine and now edits several books a year, including Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. She told us what short story editors want. More »
  • #worldcon

    Krugman Explains Why Progress Is Slowing Down

    It's become a cliche to say that our world is changing faster and faster, as we hurtle towards an ultra-advanced future. But it's not true, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman told Worldcon. Actually, change is slowing down. More »
  • #hugoawards

    Hugos 2009: The Fashion, The Fervor And The Suspense!

    Last night, the 2009 Hugo Awards Ceremony brought together many of the genre's leading lights, and we were there. A few victories surprised us, and a couple of speeches moved us. Here's our gallery of the parties and the glamor. More »
  • #publishing

    A Peek Inside the Life of a Science Fiction Editor

    Ever wonder what's really happening in the cluttered offices of science fiction magazines like Asimov's or a publishing house like Pyr? Four editors take you inside the strange world of SF editing. More »
  • #worldcon

    Can You Still Write Science Fiction Set In The Future?

    The future is over! It's no longer possible to write about the future, because the Singularity will definitely happen in twenty years. We'll have artificial intelligence, and the meaning of humanity will be transformed. Is this idea hindering science fiction? More »
  • #exclusive

    FlashForward's Producers Wanted Science Fiction That Wasn't Futuristic

    Upcoming ABC series FlashForward is about people who see the future. But there's no futurism in it. Robert Sawyer, author of the novel that inspired the series, said the show's producers felt they could sell science, but not the future. More »
  • #worldcon2009

    Neil Gaiman And The Power Of Storytelling

    We were lucky enough to take part in a press conference with WorldCon guest of honor Neil Gaiman. We asked him about the theme of storytellers in his work. And he talked movies versus books, and his feelings about comics. More »
  • #worldcon

    WorldCon Features Libertarian Celebration — And Economist Paul Krugman

    Excited that next week's WorldCon in Montreal features such diverse guests as Neil Gaiman and Paul Krugman? And that it celebrates both Canadian and libertarian SF? WorldCon is offering "taster" memberships so you can see if the excitement holds up. More »
  • #buzz

    Six WorldCon Breakout Stars to Watch

  • #hugoawards

    The Hugos! The Parties! The Glamour!

    At WorldCon on Saturday, the Hugo Awards were an occasion for scifi book lovers to don their finery and come out for what can only be called geek prom. The Hugos are chosen by popular vote, and have the power to boost an author's reputation and book sales: Past winners include stars like Ursula Le Guin and Kurt Vonnegut. And so it was with palpable excitement that this year's nominees stood in the wings, and the audience waited in our gowns, tuxedos, and t-shirts in the vast auditorium at the awards ceremony. After our host Edward Bryant told stories about how the authors at a previous WorldCon had gone hot tubbing naked with their editors, the moment of truth arrived. More »
  • #worldcon

    io9 Meetup in Denver Tonight at WorldCon

  • #norad

    Deep Inside NORAD, with Only a Felt-Tip Pen and Twenty Science Fiction Writers

  • #worldcon

    See You at WorldCon

  • #triviagasm

    A History Of The Science Fiction Convention

    History is fuzzy about when the first science fiction convention actually happened, but we do know that in 1936 some fans including David Kyle and Frederik Pohl took a train from Philadelphia to New York City to talk about all things scifi with another group of fans at the home of Milton A. Rothman, who rivals Forrest J Ackerman for the biggest fanboy in the world award (Rothman had formed The Boys' Scientifiction Club in 1930). However, a group of British fans also got together in the same year to make plans for an actual convention in 1937, and later claimed that a group of fans meeting at a home does not a convention make. So even before the internet, there was squabbling over details and probably even convention spoilers. Some things will never change. In honor of our coverage of WonderCon, we present to you the history of Connage. More »