Ashley Poston’s Once Upon a Con series has been nothing short of a gift for the nerd community. Her organically crafted characters, wealth of pop culture knowledge, and insider’s understanding of what makes cons click have been a joy to read for the past three years.
Geekerella and its sequel, The Princess and the Fangirl, rose to prominence in part because their most relevant scenes occur against the backdrop of a bustling exhibit hall and rowdy after-party. Whereas the former takes us to ExcelsiCon’s throes towards the final act, the latter story ensnares us for the entirety of the convention’s shenanigans.
Once these novels came to a close, I couldn’t help but feel the con-goer itch and a deep yearning to immediately partake in similar events.
Although 2020 has been far removed from what many of us imagined, Ashley Poston’s third book in the Once Upon a Con series is a welcome sight for bibliophiles and comic con enthusiasts the world over. Geekerella reconnected us with Cinderella’s timeless tale and Princess had us remembering classic stories such as The Prince and the Pauper and the less obvious The Parent Trap. (I insist Annie would be a fascinating Jessica Stone but I digress.)
Spoiler alert for anyone who hasn’t checked out the book yet!
Once I picked up the book, something stood out: ExcelsiCon was no longer an impending event, but a thing of the past that the titular characters wistfully think about throughout the plot. Endless walks, longing stares and ruined cosplays are no longer expectations or fears of what’s to come, but memories of what was. Vance and Rosie’s heartfelt nostalgia for the con’s final night as they pined for each other is a tale as old as time – or a tale as long as conventions have been in existence.
// end spoiler alert
Part of what’s made 2020 appear like a lost year to many is best described by Sartorial Geek’s SGS Fashion Challenge prompt: Missed CONnections.
Last year, thousands of us stressed over priority/open/volunteer/press/pro registration in the hopes of passing through the gilded gates of the San Diego Convention Center the third week of July. I’d rallied my loyal subjects—ahem, friends—and made it my goal that every one of them had guaranteed access to SDCC. I prepared a group chat last summer, followed up with Sartorial Geek and SDCC Unofficial Blog news, and helped them set their bathroom break alarms just in time for volunteer registration, and guess what? All ten of us made it!
As you might’ve guessed, that didn’t come to pass. Whilst we form connections because of places, circumstances and serendipity, they only require consistent nurturing to persist through the passage of time. Communities such as this one and Geek Girl Strong’s, which were unimaginable twenty years ago, are what give us hope in spite of the challenges we’ve had to face this year. Online hangouts, Discord channels, Comic Con@Home and the upcoming DC Fandome keep us going with the promise that no matter how tough the going gets, we have it in ourselves to prevail.
Bookish and the Beast grants us a fresh reminder of the promise of conventions and the inevitable blues we feel afterward. Yet, this melancholy doesn’t simply settle in because we think the dreamlike world of comic cons is as good as it’s going to get: we are afraid of facing real life because a con tasks us with making our lives as great as they can be in a short period of time. The rousing debates, the trailer reveals, life-changing celebrity encounters, and new friendships are what we can have every day of our lives if we trust our guts and the tools at our disposal.
I don’t know about you, but bookending Once Upon a Con’s most recent installment made me look forward to the vigor we’ll permeate future conventions with and the newfound desire we’ll have to make each second count and chase our own fairytales in the magical lands of the Exhibit Hall.
What are you waiting for? If you haven’t read Bookish, you can find it on Amazon, Barnes and a Noble, Books a Million, and other retailers! If you haven’t begun the series, what better time to discover new literature than now?
BONUS: If you purchase the book by August 18, you’ll receive the short story Once a Princess—a short tying into The Princess and the Fangirl! For more information, check out Quirk Books’ website.
P.S: Don’t quote me on this, but I guarantee you’ll run to Jordandené and buy a “Look To The Stars” shirt as soon as you start wishing Starfield was real!
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