Rating: 
Summary: For SF/Fantasy FEN, this could be de ja vou...
Review: I am a recovering fan. This means I haven't been to a con or a SF club meeting in over 5 years, but I still crave them.
I personally have a hard time viewing this as 'satirical' mystery, because I have known ALL the people in the story. I have been part of a Fen-house, full of hopeful writers and Big Name Fan wanna be's. At one point I was active in 5 different fan groups. I editted the SF club newsletter. I helped plan a moderately sized local convention for 5 years. Of course, I was quite sophisticated and not nearly as silly as all the others I hung around with...
I love the Jay Omega books and I hope Ms McCrumb is forthcoming with more. I have to say that I also enjoyed Bimbos more, but this was a close 2nd.
A word of warning for other recovering fans, reading these two novels and Highland Laddie Gone (about Scottish Recreationists (closely akin to SCA-ers)) made me crave fannish activities intensely. Fortunately, my recovery support group was there for me. If you are still active in fandom, you will probably recognize most of your friends or at least their type.
A 'must read' for anyone with a sense of humor, though those not involved in sf/fantasy fandom may not 'get' all the satire.
Rating:
Summary: For SF/Fantasy FEN, this could be de ja vou...
Review: I am a recovering fan. This means I haven't been to a con or a SF club meeting in over 5 years, but I still crave them.
I personally have a hard time viewing this as 'satirical' mystery, because I have known ALL the people in the story. I have been part of a Fen-house, full of hopeful writers and Big Name Fan wanna be's. At one point I was active in 5 different fan groups. I editted the SF club newsletter. I helped plan a moderately sized local convention for 5 years. Of course, I was quite sophisticated and not nearly as silly as all the others I hung around with...
I love the Jay Omega books and I hope Ms McCrumb is forthcoming with more. I have to say that I also enjoyed Bimbos more, but this was a close 2nd.
A word of warning for other recovering fans, reading these two novels and Highland Laddie Gone (about Scottish Recreationists (closely akin to SCA-ers)) made me crave fannish activities intensely. Fortunately, my recovery support group was there for me. If you are still active in fandom, you will probably recognize most of your friends or at least their type.
A 'must read' for anyone with a sense of humor, though those not involved in sf/fantasy fandom may not 'get' all the satire.
Rating: 
Summary: a trifling mystery, but oddly endearing..
Review: I bought 'Zombies of the Gene Pool' at a charity shop because, well, how can one pass up a book with such a cool title?!? Then I saw the amazon.com reviews and worried I wasted what little money I spent on the book. But ... surprise! The book was actually a pretty decent read.
The story is about a bunch of sixty year old former science fiction afficionados returning back to their former stomping ground in eastern Tennessee. They are returning to retrieve a buried time capsule in which they stuffed some literary assets. Yes, there is a bit of a mystery swizzled in towards the end of the book. It doesn't add much to the story. But the author does an excellent job on capturing the feel of those quirky individuals completely absorbed in science fiction writing and publish articles in fan magazines. Very well-observed and endearing.
Bottom line: a book that should be read by science fiction geeks, not those in search of a good mystery. Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: None Too Thrilling But Still Better Than "Bimbos..."
Review: I bought these books because of their amusing titles, but the storylines just don't deliver. I saw the ending of this book coming from a mile away. Still, it wasn't as cutesy and smirking as its predecessor, of which I'm grateful. Read "If I Ever Return, Pretty Peggy-O" for a good McCrumb novel.
Rating:
Summary: Great Quirky Characters
Review: In the 1950's, a group of science fiction fans decided to drive to WorldCon to meet their writer idols (and basically to have a big blast). They didn't make it to WorldCon, but they did make it to Wall Hollow, Tennessee, where all the members each wrote a story and buried it in a time capsule. 30 years later, several of the members of the group have hit it big as SF writers. Their reunion at Wall Hollow becomes a huge media event, with publishers bidding on the rights to the stories buried in the time capsule. But just before the reunion starts, someone is murdered. `Zombies of the Gene Pool' is an entertaining book which includes well-drawn, quirky characters straight out of the science fiction world. McCrumb's writing and characterization are right on target. The payoff, for me, wasn't as satisfying as the journey, which in itself was quite fun. Fans of science fiction will enjoy this humorous, sometimes bittersweet look at the world of science fiction authors.
Rating:
Summary: Great Quirky Characters
Review: In the 1950's, a group of science fiction fans decided to drive to WorldCon to meet their writer idols (and basically to have a big blast). They didn't make it to WorldCon, but they did make it to Wall Hollow, Tennessee, where all the members each wrote a story and buried it in a time capsule. 30 years later, several of the members of the group have hit it big as SF writers. Their reunion at Wall Hollow becomes a huge media event, with publishers bidding on the rights to the stories buried in the time capsule. But just before the reunion starts, someone is murdered. 'Zombies of the Gene Pool' is an entertaining book which includes well-drawn, quirky characters straight out of the science fiction world. McCrumb's writing and characterization are right on target. The payoff, for me, wasn't as satisfying as the journey, which in itself was quite fun. Fans of science fiction will enjoy this humorous, sometimes bittersweet look at the world of science fiction authors.
Rating: 
Summary: Something the Other Reviewers Missed
Review: The other reviewers left out the sadness in this book. For me, the best part is the Lanathides' nostalgia for their lost youth and their readjustment upon meeting their former closest friends after a lapse of decades. I also liked the effective, though obvious, symbolism of the drawdown of the the artificial lake that exposes the long-covered countryside where lay the Slan Shack.
Rating:
Summary: Something the Other Reviewers Missed
Review: The other reviewers left out the sadness in this book. For me, the best part is the Lanathides' nostalgia for their lost youth and their readjustment upon meeting their former closest friends after a lapse of decades. I also liked the effective, though obvious, symbolism of the drawdown of the the artificial lake that exposes the long-covered countryside where lay the Slan Shack.
Rating:
Summary: Totally different mystery/adventure.
Review: This highly readable story works on several levels. It apparently contains a lot of insider references to the sci-fi fandom genre, but most of them passed me by. And it didn't matter. I still enjoyed it thoroughly, as usual with her work. McCrumb writes so well, and so solidly, that it's all one can do to take a break rather than read through to the end in one sitting. But I did miss the humor of her funnier books.
Rating:
Summary: None Too Thrilling But Still Better Than "Bimbos..."
Review: This is the sequel to Sharyn McCrumb's earlier novel,*Bimbos of the Death Sun*, which dealt with the foibles of science fiction conventioneers. Here, the writing is a bit more substantial and there are some interesting twists and turns in the plot. As a serious mystery, however, the work falls flat. McCrumb is at her best as a humorist, particularly when she is lampooning particular human stereotypes, such as sci-fi fanatics. But she hasn't really mastered the art of creating a convincing mystery that draws the reader in and then is wrapped up in convincing fashion at book's end.
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