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The Big Book of NECON
Featuring contributions by Stephen King, Peter Straub, Neil Gaiman, Jack Ketchum, Rick Hautala, Thomas Tessier, Chet Williamson, Douglas Clegg, Brian Keene, Ramsey Campbell, Douglas Winter, Thomas Monteleone, Gahan Wilson, Jonathan Carroll, John Coyne, Alan Ryan, Lucius Shepard, Graham Joyce, Tim Lebbon, and over 30 other artists and authors who have made Necon the most popular convention of the horror genre over the last three decades!
Bob and Mary Booth invented The Northeast Regional Fantasy and Horror Convention (Necon) in 1980 after they ran the 1979 World Fantasy Convention. Attendance at Necon has always been capped at 200 participants, which adds to the convention's close-knit atmospherebut also creates a high demand for tickets. If you've never been able to attend this incredible summer gathering, The Big Book of Necon will give you a glimpse into what makes that convention so special. And if you're already a Necon regular, this generous volume will bring back a lot of fond memories.
Bob and Mary Booth invented The Northeast Regional Fantasy and Horror Convention (Necon) in 1980 after they ran the 1979 World Fantasy Convention. Attendance at Necon has always been capped at 200 participants, which adds to the convention's close-knit atmospherebut also creates a high demand for tickets. If you've never been able to attend this incredible summer gathering, The Big Book of Necon will give you a glimpse into what makes that convention so special. And if you're already a Necon regular, this generous volume will bring back a lot of fond memories.
- GenresHorrorAnthologies
312 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 19, 2013
When I first picked up this book, I hadn't a clue to what NECON was. In fact, I resorted to Google to find out, without a lot of luck. So, I decided to dive in and find out. The introduction really hammers it out and explains what is meant by NECON. It is The Northeast Regional Fantasy and Horror Convention that is run by the Booth family. I had never heard of this convention being from the mid-west. The first section of the book starts with poems and essays from authors that have attended over the years. I was kind of taken back thinking this was an entire book of non-fiction. Even though I generally don't read non-fiction, I figured that I wanted to at least give it a chance. Some of the essays were better than others, but they kept me entertained enough. I wish I had known who some of these people were that were being "roasted" in the essays.
After reading through several essays, I got to the next section and found it to be short stories of fiction. The fiction was hit and miss. Some where very good, while others left something to be desired. What surprised me was that some of the bigger names had the least interesting stories. Stephen King's story was a modern (as in 70's) take of Poe's Tell Tale Heart. I found it very interesting. Not his best, but certainly not the worst. I didn't care for the contribution by Peter Straub. Neil Gaimen's story was very interesting. It required concentration to get some of it, but certainly made me smile.
None of the stories are incredibly long. There is such a variety that anyone who is interested in horror or fantasy should find something they would like. While reader's more familiar with the various authors or of the NECON convention would probably have more of a personal interest, I would recommend it for anyone.
After reading through several essays, I got to the next section and found it to be short stories of fiction. The fiction was hit and miss. Some where very good, while others left something to be desired. What surprised me was that some of the bigger names had the least interesting stories. Stephen King's story was a modern (as in 70's) take of Poe's Tell Tale Heart. I found it very interesting. Not his best, but certainly not the worst. I didn't care for the contribution by Peter Straub. Neil Gaimen's story was very interesting. It required concentration to get some of it, but certainly made me smile.
None of the stories are incredibly long. There is such a variety that anyone who is interested in horror or fantasy should find something they would like. While reader's more familiar with the various authors or of the NECON convention would probably have more of a personal interest, I would recommend it for anyone.
January 1, 2010
The short fiction in this book was great but the essays would probably have been better appreciated by someone who had actually attended NECON.
September 8, 2022
To be clear, I thought this was just a book of Horror short stories and was surprised to find out that it is actually both an anthology and a reference book for a con called NECON.
I did not read the non-fiction parts as they I was not interested in them but if you are I'm sure that would raise your score.
The book contents page says 4 parts, but the preface is long enough that I would consider it a part as well.
Preface is an explanation of what is NECON
Part 1 consists of reflections of different people of their experiences at NECON
Part 2 are short stories from the first twenty years
Part 3 is called the new blood (which was funny for me as most of the writers were older than I and I'm not a spring chicken)
Part 4 are stories from other countries.
There are a lot of stories in here, more than you would think just looking at the size of the book. As a result, most of the stories are short short stories. Which isn't a bad thing as some of them are quite good.
Of my favorites were "The Lake" by Max Kathleen, "Nocturne" by Thomas Tessler, "And We'll be Jolly Friends For Evermore" by P D Cacek, "Becoming Men" by Douglass Clegg and "Fifteen Painted Cards From A Vampire Tarot" by Neil Gaiman
Dragging down the score for me were a few of the ones that I just didn't understand. (There weren't any I didn't like just some that had me saying Huh? after reading)
If you would like to see a history of Horror than I would suggest giving it a read, if you are a NECON Fan it's a must have
I did not read the non-fiction parts as they I was not interested in them but if you are I'm sure that would raise your score.
The book contents page says 4 parts, but the preface is long enough that I would consider it a part as well.
Preface is an explanation of what is NECON
Part 1 consists of reflections of different people of their experiences at NECON
Part 2 are short stories from the first twenty years
Part 3 is called the new blood (which was funny for me as most of the writers were older than I and I'm not a spring chicken)
Part 4 are stories from other countries.
There are a lot of stories in here, more than you would think just looking at the size of the book. As a result, most of the stories are short short stories. Which isn't a bad thing as some of them are quite good.
Of my favorites were "The Lake" by Max Kathleen, "Nocturne" by Thomas Tessler, "And We'll be Jolly Friends For Evermore" by P D Cacek, "Becoming Men" by Douglass Clegg and "Fifteen Painted Cards From A Vampire Tarot" by Neil Gaiman
Dragging down the score for me were a few of the ones that I just didn't understand. (There weren't any I didn't like just some that had me saying Huh? after reading)
If you would like to see a history of Horror than I would suggest giving it a read, if you are a NECON Fan it's a must have
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews