and was kind of surprised when one of the characters was killed. But by the end of the second plot... well. I think most, if not all, the characters are based on real people (including himself, in a bit of a Mary Sue character) and then... he kills lots of them off (including the Mary Sue - so, is it really a Mary Sue?).
Seriously, this HAD to have come from a Con conversation, and I am really sad I missed it.