As a person who enjoys things that many people have deemed "nerdy" or "geeky," I am naturally drawn to things that market themselves as part of this genre. When I came across a book called Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd by Holly Black, I felt obligated to read what was inside. After finishing the fifteen short stories that it contained, I have to say that it was a really great experience. It was also really cool to see some stories from authors that I recognized, such as M. T. Anderson and Scott Westerfeld. Overall, I loved the book and thought a lot about what it means to be a geek or a nerd because of it, so I felt it easier to just sum up my ideas on these terms in one sentence: being a nerd or a geek (now interchangeable for the most part) shouldn't be an exclusive title and everyone should be excited for others to join the fandom because it means more people to be excited with! But the theme running through all the stories was about embracing your inner geek and enjoying your life because you are being true to you! So since there were so many great stories, I decided to just comment on a few.
Once You're a Jedi, You're a Jedi All the Way by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci
This was the introduction anthology and it was a great choice. It was very engaging, written from both perspectives of the main characters (a male jedi that loves to do light saber routines and an aggressive (duh?) female Klingon), and got deep into the world of cosplay. I remember reading some parts of it with my mouth open because I couldn't believe what was happening. While it's hard to convey the entire culture of cosplay in a short story, I felt the authors did a great job throwing in little details to show how much dressing up like a Jedi or a Klingon can mean to the people that do this. A line that comes to mind: "When I met D'ghor in debate club, it was only a matter of time before I was attending a dipping party and having a life cast made so I could sculpt my first [Klingon] ridge." Another line was during the all out war between Star Wars and Star Trek cosplayers: "No one looks scared. Everyone looks happy." The story was finely crafted and had me laughing throughout, especially at the end when I thought I wouldn't see a specific Star Wars trope until it snuck in with the last line. Great story!
One of Us by Tracy Lynn
Although I first saw this story as an obvious attempt to explain geekdom to the reader, I really loved the transformation from stereotyping cheerleader to someone who can see that people are people, not just their high school clique. The story had a few levels to it between the different members of Springfield High's Genre and Nonsense Club (or SPRIGGAN) such as helping the cheerleader realize her boyfriend doesn't want to work as hard as she does for the relationship, some people have worse problems, and being a geek doesn't make someone part of a lower class. The jokes in the book were pretty good, and while the characters walk the reader (and the cheerleader!) through some basic geek genres (e.g., sci-fi, comic books and manga, video games, high fantasy, and LAN parties), many of the jokes don't explain themselves and it adds to the reality of the story. Definitely a fun read.
I Never by Cassasndra Clare
This story had a pretty cute ending despite it being a little weird in the beginning. It starts off with a meeting of players from an online role playing game that allows people to become their favorite fictional character and interact with other characters. Some of the people at the get-together were Xena the Warrior Princess, Neo and Trinity, Luke Skywalker, and Dracula. Our main character identifies with Catherine Earnshaw from Wuthering Heights and meets her Heathcliff online, slowly building a relationship that culminates with them finally meeting at this party. There is a little bit of a twist in this story, and the party is pretty wacky, but I loved how it shows that geekery can pertain to people that love literature! So of course, this story spoke to me a little bit because of the main character felt like she doesn't fit in because she likes classic literature and advanced writing instead of more mainstream entertainment like movies, tv shows, or video games. This was pretty much a great PSA for inspiring diversity among geeks and nerds, with a dash of romance to keep the story together.
The Quiet Knight by Garth Nix
I love the invention of LARPing and reading this story made me eager to see the fighters at Comic Con! The quiet knight is a LARPer who is uncomfortable with speaking but has found a way to continue his love of fighting while never having to exercise his vocal chords. The adventure that the knight takes part in one night is then replicated in real life at his high school the next day and he is faced with the decision of saving the girl he has a crush on and revealing his interests and voice, or walking away and remaining on the fringe of society. The story is very internal, walking the reader through the knight's thoughts, but I felt like it was a great story because it gives insight into why people hide their geekiness from the world. Just goes to show why exercising your imagination can be lots of fun.
The Stars at the Finish Line by Wendy Mass
In case is wasn't obvious, I'm in love with space, physics, and anything having to do with science and technology, so this story really resonated with me because it was about passion for the cosmos and a little bit of healthy competition between students. There may be a slight infatuation between the main character and his competitor in high school, but that is what has helped both of theses students do their best and try to get into a good school like MIT. When an astronomy competition comes around, an opportunity for these two students to work together is created. The competition has a pretty rocky start, but who couldn't love a smart guy who knows how to find and label different galaxies, set up a telescope, and eats peanut butter and fluff sandwiches? A great story for anyone who wants an introduction to astronomy as well!
This was the introduction anthology and it was a great choice. It was very engaging, written from both perspectives of the main characters (a male jedi that loves to do light saber routines and an aggressive (duh?) female Klingon), and got deep into the world of cosplay. I remember reading some parts of it with my mouth open because I couldn't believe what was happening. While it's hard to convey the entire culture of cosplay in a short story, I felt the authors did a great job throwing in little details to show how much dressing up like a Jedi or a Klingon can mean to the people that do this. A line that comes to mind: "When I met D'ghor in debate club, it was only a matter of time before I was attending a dipping party and having a life cast made so I could sculpt my first [Klingon] ridge." Another line was during the all out war between Star Wars and Star Trek cosplayers: "No one looks scared. Everyone looks happy." The story was finely crafted and had me laughing throughout, especially at the end when I thought I wouldn't see a specific Star Wars trope until it snuck in with the last line. Great story!
Although I first saw this story as an obvious attempt to explain geekdom to the reader, I really loved the transformation from stereotyping cheerleader to someone who can see that people are people, not just their high school clique. The story had a few levels to it between the different members of Springfield High's Genre and Nonsense Club (or SPRIGGAN) such as helping the cheerleader realize her boyfriend doesn't want to work as hard as she does for the relationship, some people have worse problems, and being a geek doesn't make someone part of a lower class. The jokes in the book were pretty good, and while the characters walk the reader (and the cheerleader!) through some basic geek genres (e.g., sci-fi, comic books and manga, video games, high fantasy, and LAN parties), many of the jokes don't explain themselves and it adds to the reality of the story. Definitely a fun read.
This story had a pretty cute ending despite it being a little weird in the beginning. It starts off with a meeting of players from an online role playing game that allows people to become their favorite fictional character and interact with other characters. Some of the people at the get-together were Xena the Warrior Princess, Neo and Trinity, Luke Skywalker, and Dracula. Our main character identifies with Catherine Earnshaw from Wuthering Heights and meets her Heathcliff online, slowly building a relationship that culminates with them finally meeting at this party. There is a little bit of a twist in this story, and the party is pretty wacky, but I loved how it shows that geekery can pertain to people that love literature! So of course, this story spoke to me a little bit because of the main character felt like she doesn't fit in because she likes classic literature and advanced writing instead of more mainstream entertainment like movies, tv shows, or video games. This was pretty much a great PSA for inspiring diversity among geeks and nerds, with a dash of romance to keep the story together.
I love the invention of LARPing and reading this story made me eager to see the fighters at Comic Con! The quiet knight is a LARPer who is uncomfortable with speaking but has found a way to continue his love of fighting while never having to exercise his vocal chords. The adventure that the knight takes part in one night is then replicated in real life at his high school the next day and he is faced with the decision of saving the girl he has a crush on and revealing his interests and voice, or walking away and remaining on the fringe of society. The story is very internal, walking the reader through the knight's thoughts, but I felt like it was a great story because it gives insight into why people hide their geekiness from the world. Just goes to show why exercising your imagination can be lots of fun.
In case is wasn't obvious, I'm in love with space, physics, and anything having to do with science and technology, so this story really resonated with me because it was about passion for the cosmos and a little bit of healthy competition between students. There may be a slight infatuation between the main character and his competitor in high school, but that is what has helped both of theses students do their best and try to get into a good school like MIT. When an astronomy competition comes around, an opportunity for these two students to work together is created. The competition has a pretty rocky start, but who couldn't love a smart guy who knows how to find and label different galaxies, set up a telescope, and eats peanut butter and fluff sandwiches? A great story for anyone who wants an introduction to astronomy as well!
These were just a few of the stories I really liked, but there were several others I enjoyed just as much! The book is not super long or too short, and it's nice to be able to finish a story and come back to the rest later. The diversity in the stories was wonderful, and I really enjoyed the gender role reversals, trope breakers, grittiness, and nonchalant take on social issues that several of these stories pull into the forefront. I highly recommend this book because there are just so many awesome morals, ideas, characters, lines, and of course, geeky moments that take the reader for a ride and you might even find yourself shedding a tear or two. Definitely take some time to learn about the other facets of geekdom with this collection of fun stories!
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