Lost at the Con Review

If I were asked to choose 3 words about Lost at the Con by Bryan Young I would say: 

DISILLUSIONED WRITER, HONEST ABE, HILARIOUS

I love that this first book I was asked to review was such a great one! I really liked Lost at the Con and plan on keeping it on my kindle to reread when I need a dose of hilarious cynicism in my life! I might end up buying my bf a copy as well because, he is a nerd that I could see attending something like Griffin* Con.

The book is about Cobb who has traded in his freelance writing for a steady paycheck, churning out articles about topics he couldn't care less about. Cobb's editor has ordered Cobb to attend Griffin* Con in Atlanta, GA  The book is written as if we were in Cobb's brain and we hear all his thoughts, daydreams, and watch his actions. He is a rude drunk who is pretty judgmental of the ones around him and at the beginning and looks at everyone as a walking stereotype. But his observations made me smile! He's also wiling to have his stereotypes challenged and he's a very dynamic character! "He sounded like anyone else. Not just a geek. Maybe he was a little more like me than I'd care to admit." Sometimes I'd laugh at the way he looked at someone or the way he reacted to President Abe Lincoln coming back to life as a bionic, steampunk Honest Abe! (Interested yet? I LOVED the steampunk Pres in this book! :D )

I liked Cobb. He was funny and willing to admit his flaws. There were times when his brain (the writing) seemed to flow like mine. I have "imaginings" where I daydream about all sorts of random things and at one point Cobb has a daydream of killing his editor where "For some reason, I had his necktie tied around my melon like a headband cutting into my thick black hair and my sleeves were cut and frayed at the edges." His mind runs on tangents sometimes that make me smile. He describes his assignment as Godforsaken at one times then continues with "Maybe not God since I was never one for bearded sky deities. At the very least, it was forsaken by me. Maybe I'm God. Maybe I have a God complex."  Cobb's observations and view on life made me laugh and I liked him even when he was having trouble liking himself. I loved watching Cobb go on this journey of Griffin* Con and life and the changes in him. I also like how Young shows Cobb realizing his changes and what they mean and becoming fired up again. 

 I don't want to reveal too much about this book but I will say, it is laugh out loud funny and I highly recommend it to those geeks who are tired of being pushed around, or those football playing All-American types who are willing to see themselves in a harsh light. Heck, I recommend it to everyone! :) I expected something like a thriller or a mystery when I read the description "There, he finds all of the science fiction, fantasy, and cosplay he would expect, but he also finds something more sinister: a seedy underbelly of geeky debauchery, slash fiction, booze, sex, and drugs." It was instead more of an observational comic view of a man changing his life and just being... awesome. I found myself eagerly turning the pages in this book (well, pressing the over button) because I wanted to know what happened to poor Cobb next! In this book Cobb looks at his life and examines the balance between happiness and stability in his life and it was great to see him choose..... what he chose at the end. ;) Find Young's book at Amazon as kindle book here or hardcover here!


I was asked to review this book but the views and slight rambling are my own!