It’s been a little over a week since I made it home after World FantasyCon. So now that the dust has settled and my brain has had time to become less frazzled, what better time than to do a quick write-up of how it went?

What is World FantasyCon?

Okay, for those who aren’t in the know, every year in the UK we have a literary convention called FantasyCon. It’s a three day event where readers, writers, and those in both the business and the community can all gather together and talk about fantasy literature. Because fantasy is a broad umbrella, a lot of science fiction creeps in under the radar, alongside horror and all manner of weird subgenres. It’s held all over the country, usually in large hotels, and this year was in Brighton.

There is also a different convention called World FantasyCon. Same concept, but it travels the whole world. Though in practice this largely means the USA. Think WorldCon on a somewhat smaller scale. World FantasyCon does not have a dedicated convention centre of its own, but instead attaches itself to local conventions. This year it merged with the British FantasyCon to create one mega convention. In practice, this meant there were a few more international authors and fans, and some extra awards given out over the weekend when compared to a traditional FantasyCon.

The Venue

Brighton is a pricey town, with some of Britain’s most unpredictable weather on display. Plenty of places to eat around town, and a very nice sea front. On the Sunday, there was also a vintage car rally ending in Brighton, which made for a surreal end to the event.

FantasyCon itself took place within the confines of the rather luxurious Double Tree by Hilton Metropole. This hotel boasts several conference rooms ranging from 30 seats to 60 seats, which were perfect for panels, and one much larger room for the main stage. There was also an art gallery, dealer’s room, and a few social areas. It was all nicely mapped out, although the corridors linking these rooms were a real maze, especially when dead end walls had mirrors on them. Oddly for a seafront hotel, there were no windows in the rooms used for the convention, which made it hard to track the time. Also, with around a thousand people in attendance, it could get quite hot and stuffy. An overwhelming experience if you don’t like crowds, but at least it means the ticket sales were healthy.

The Authors

As with any convention, the attendance of many authors was advertised ahead of time, but you never really know who’s going to be there until you arrive on the scene. I saw a great number of fantasy authors I’ve read, from Stephen Aryan to Anna Smith Spark (who was doing an excellent job of moderating panels over the weekend). Obviously, Sci-Fi pickings were thinner on the ground. I saw but did not get a chance to speak to Adrian Tchaikovsky, Nicholas Binge, or Peter F. Hamilton, but I did get to speak to some others. In no particular order, here are some interactions that stuck out.

Numerous Black Library authors were present across the event, and while I missed most of them (and the Warhammer panel on Sunday was cancelled at the last minute), I did get a chance to have a proper chat with Victoria Hayward about books, cows, bookshops, and a few ideas for the blog. She was also kind enough to introduce me to Mike Brooks.

Matt Adcock, the star of my very first author interview on the blog, was in the dealers’ room, and we had a good chat about the ongoing graphic novel adaptation of his work, as well as his upcoming novel, which I will definitely be keeping an eye out for.

Ian Whates, head of NewCon Press and author of various science fiction books was also selling wares at the event, and I picked up two of his books along with a brief chat.

Stewart Hotston’s new space opera Project Hanuman was launched at the event ahead of it’s full release this week. I was lucky enough to snag a copy before they sold out (and so was my reading buddy, so a buddy read this month is a must), and was also happy to know that I was not the only LARP nerd at FantasyCon.

Last and certainly not least, I got to meet Joe Haldeman. The veteran author of The Forever War, and a man I would consider a living legend. I barely managed to get a word out through my nerves, but I am now the proud owner of a copy of Forever Free, signed by the author with the fanciest pen I have ever laid eyes upon.

The Community

I attended FanatsyCon with a small group of friends, all but one of whom I was meeting in person for the first time. Though we were hardly ever in the same room, we did get some good chats about books, and a delicious Chinese meal that really hit the spot.

Then it was time for my community service. For the first time in my life, I was a panellist at a convention. The Role of Reviewers was a well-attended panel, and no one booed me out of the room, so I’m taking it as a win. Full credit goes to my excellent panel companions Frasier, Ant, and Dev. It’s an experience I would definitely repeat in the future, as not only did I get to stutter out some words about books and blogging, but the chat and questions were a great mixing pot of ideas and opinions, which is exactly what a panel should be like.

The Dealers’ Room

One of the unspoken benefits of FantasyCon is getting to buy directly from indie authors and small presses. I’ve already mentioned NewCon Press, but I also picked up books from Elsewhen PRess and Flame Tree Press, along with some used books from deals at the convention. Couple that with a book crawl the day before and after the event, and I walked away with enough books to double the length of my TBR. That’s what I call a win.

What Next?

Though it could get overwhelming at times, I absolutely loved FantasyCon, and will definitely be going again. For 2026, the World FantasyCon is heading back to the US, while the British side of things is heading north to Glasgow. I’m reliably informed that the Warhammer representation might be quite strong at Glasgow’s event, so I am going to make every effort to be there next October. Hopefully I’ll get to see some of you there too.