One of the decisions a con chair gets to make is who the guest of honor will be. Now granted, the guest has a lot to say in the matter, too. A guest need not accept the invitation. Because I am very mindful of this, I am very grateful to Steven Brust for accepting my invitation to be the Author Guest of Honor at Loscon 32.
Why did I choose Steven Brust? Well, first and foremost, because I can. I did, and he accepted, and I like his stories.
You want something that fits the theme of the convention? OK, how about this?
Anna Russel once said, "you can do anything in grand opera, so long as you sing it." Likewise, you can do anything in a story, so long as you set it on another planet. You can write about the most bizarre customs, once you make it clear that it's happening someplace else.
In his own particular someplace else, Steven Brust introduces us to a professional assassin we can actually sympathize with, and whom we might consider having as a friend. Of course, an assassin isn't nearly as threatening in a world where the victims don't always stay dead, where reincarnation is a fact of life, and magic works.
It's also a world where humans are not the dominant players, and an alien species is in charge. Humans may befriend their betters, but can never become their peers.
Steven Brust writes fun stories that stretch the mind.
Take a journey into his world, and this one won't be quite the same.
Karl Lembke
Chairman, Loscon 32
