Room for display and sales

On both Saturday and Sunday there will be displays and bookselling on the second floor at Iðnó theater. Displays will include Iceland’s main SF&F store, Nexus, a variety of Icelandic publishers, authors, video game designer, and, last but not least, the opportunity to take a VR steampunk airship ride using Oculus Rift.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28th

4:30 pm

Elizabeth Bear and Scott Lynch will be signing at Nexus (the main SF&F store in Iceland). Besides getting books by great authors signed, it’s a good opportunity to see the heart and the meeting place of SF&F in Iceland. Nexus’ address is Nóatún 17, 105 Reykjavík. Here is the Facebook event.

8:00 pm

Bar meet for IceCon members at the designated bar, Klaustur (Kirkjutorg 4, 101 Reykjavík). Meet, greet, rejoice! The bar is really close to the main venue.

Registration starts.

Also at Klaustur: The Icecon Reading Group – off venue

In collaboration with the reading group Caligari’s Book Cabinet there will be an open book discussion of M.R. Carey’s best-selling sci-fi horror The Girl With All The Gifts. Magnea J. Matthíasdóttir, the book’s Icelandic translator, will lead the discussion which is open to all interested participants. The discussion will be in English.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29th

9:00 am

Iðnó theater opens. Registration continues.

10 am

Fandom: an introduction

International veterans give us an insight into the exciting world of fandom. What does it look like in different countries? The cons, the people, the culture, the atmosphere; how is local fandom formed?

Moderator: Dagbjört Kjartansdóttir. Panelists: Crystal Huff, Dave Lally, Carolina Gómez Lagerlöf, Johan Anglemark.

11 am

The Logic of Magic and Steam: Crafting a Fantastic World

How does magic work in this environment, where do you get steam to run all this machinery, how do mutants survive in these ruins, how will these laws make any sense? Wait — we’re not in our world. These worlds follow other principles, but which ones?

Moderator: Jóhann Þórsson. Panelists: Scott Lynch, Kristján Már Gunnarsson, Elizabeth Bear, Giti Chandra.

12 pm

Lunch

1 pm

Interview with Guest of Honor: Karin Tidbeck.

Interviewer: Johan Jönsson.

2 pm

The Multi-Media of Science Fiction: Adaptations, Borrowings and Rewritings

As with other speculative genres, science fiction offers endless possibilities. And nowadays there are no restrictions when it comes to various media: science fiction literature is adapted for the screen and vice versa, TV-shows become books, books become games, comics become movies, fan-fiction becomes canon. Can we see science fiction as a discourse, a collective exploration of the possibilities in the universe?

Moderator: Einar Leif Nielsen. Panelists: Thorey Mjallhvit H. Omarsdottir, Per C. Jørgensen, Nahal Ghanbari, Johan Jönsson.

3 pm

The Young, the Adult, and the Fantastic

Some of the most popular fantastic literature is aimed at younger readers, but is enjoyed by adults as well. Is young adult a clever marketing trick or do these stories play a vital role in bridging gaps between generations? On this panel we’ll hear about the important young adult stories, the must reads, and why adults should read them.

Moderator: Brynhildur Heiðar- og Ómarsdóttir. Panelists: Ragnhildur Hólmgeirsdóttir, Dagbjört Kjartansdóttir, Giti Chandra, Snæbjörn Brynjarsson.

4 pm

Weirder Things

In the past, we’ve had plenty of weird tales. In the present, there’s something called the “new weird”. But what exactly is it? Is it a genre with specific aesthetics and structure? There are also whispers about a sub-genre, the Nordic Weird. But what’s so weird about it? Is it different from horror or dark fantasy? On this panel, we’ll delve into otherness and the uncanny.

Moderator: Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson. Panelists: Karin Tidbeck, Emil Hjörvar Petersen, Nahal Ghanbari.

5 pm

Representations of the North in Fantastic Narratives

Throughout time, fantasy and related genres have drawn from Norse and German mythology and cultures. That is the obvious fact. But isn’t there more to it, the North? In what way is Norse heritage used in various genres? Does the representation differ between fantasy and science fiction?

Moderator: Elizabeth Bourne. Panelists: Elizabeth Bear, Kjartan Yngvi Björnsson, Ævar Þór Benediktsson, Billy O’Shea.

6 pm

INTERLUDE

8 pm — 3 am

Costume Ball at Iðnó Theater. There will be a prize for the best costume, as voted by IceCon members.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30th

12 pm

Hangover lunch at Iðnó.

1 pm

Interview with Guest of Honor: Elizabeth Bear.

Interviewer: Crystal Huff.

2 pm

Bottomless Wells? Rendering Folklore and Myths in Fantasy

Is there any limit to what can be done with folklore and myths in fantasy? Have we emptied the wells or are we only starting to dipping into them? What happens to folklore and myths when they’re rendered into fantasy, what is kept and what is left out?

Moderator: Fjalar Sigurðarson. Panelists: Kij Johnson, Katharine Kroeber, Ævar Þór Benediktsson.

3 pm

Inclusive Futures: Diversity in Speculative Fiction and Publishing

When it comes to inclusivity, speculative fiction is a lot different than it was before — but there is still much work to be done. In what ways has SF&F changed when it comes to gender, race etc.? How can we encourage and develop it?

Moderator: Brynhildur Heiðar- og Ómarsdóttir. Panelists: Kij Johnson, Anna Bark Persson, Karin Tidbeck, Arnar Heiðmar, Jóhann Þórsson.

4 pm

Climate Change, Nationalism, Famine: Addressing Contemporary Problems in SciFi and Fantasy

The world today is going crazy. Well, the world has always been a bit crazy, but we are facing serious problems despite having so much knowledge, and we are aware how each footstep affects future generations. Can speculative fiction address these problems? In what ways? Is there a moral responsibility for authors to address the problems?

Moderator: Hildur Knútsdóttir. Panelists: Scott Lynch, Kristján Atli, Ian Sales, Carolina Gómez Lagerlöf.

5 pm

Carving a Path to the Future: Icelandic Sci-Fi and Fantasy Writers

Meet Icelandic SF&F writers, hear about how the genres here were practically non-existent and how the Icelandic SF&F wave came into being. Hear about the struggles, the wins, the past, present and future of Fantastic Iceland.

Moderator: Snæbjörn Brynjarsson. Panelists: Hildur Knútsdóttir, Emil Hjörvar Petersen, Einar Leif Nielsen, Ragnhildur Hólmgeirsdóttir, Thorey Mjallhvit H. Omarsdottir.

6 pm

INTERLUDE

8 pm

Dead Dog Party at Klaustur bar.