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roboxa's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted on My Nerdy Little World
I saw this book on the shelf at the bookstore and knew I had to have it. I’m really into this interesting sub-genre of books that are by people with similar interest as me, and they just write about that interest. I have read multiple books about people adventures reading books. And I love them. I’m weird like that. So a book of essays full of nerdy opinions and observations by a fellow nerd. Count me in!
Ryan Britt did not disappoint. There were some essays that focused on fandoms that I’m not really a part of. However, this didn’t make the essays uninteresting to me. Rather, they made me want to learn a little more about them. I am now aware that I need to read more science fiction about robots and androids, and now have a reading list a mile long. (This is another reason I love books like this. Recommendations!)
What I loved even more were the essays about fandoms that I am a part of. Like Star Wars and Doctor Who. No only did these essays make me feel like Ryan Britt and I could be great friends, but they brought up ideas and viewpoints that I never thought of about the things that I love. His essay, “Luke Skywalker Can’t Read” was intriguing, and he brings up some points that I never even considered, but totally make sense.
I also enjoyed the moments when he would tie in multiple fandoms to explain or demonstrate a theory. It made it possible for me to see cross-fandom connections that I would never have made, but now fascinate me to no end. Making connections between things that don’t seem to have anything to do with one another is something I did a lot while getting my undergrad degree in literature. (I once connected Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Pride and Prejudice.) However, it’s something I don’t do as often now that I’m not forced to come up original ideas about books that have been written about for generations. This book has reminded me how fun that can be.
I could go on forever about how great this book was, but I figure I should leave you to discover that yourself. If you are any kind of nerd or geek, you would be doing yourself a favor by reading this book. Even if you don’t agree with everything Ryan Britt says, it’s a great conversation starter and I personally love debating about nerd related anything.
Ryan Britt is funny, smart, has obviously put a lot of thought into the fandoms he loves, and has gifted us with some of his conclusions. I’m looking forward to more from him, and I’m sure it will be great.
ultimatumman's review against another edition
3.0
Fun essays on geeky topics. Britt can be all over the place, but there's a lot of thought that goes into his writings.
bookhoarding's review against another edition
5.0
Great collection of nerdy essays, ranging from Luke's illiteracy to Barbarella and sex ed. I highly recommend this for my fellow sci-fi readers.
bandherbooks's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic set of essays that reflect on fandom, geek culture, and various other topics. I would love to sit down with Ryan Britt, have a beer, and totally fangirl out on The Force Awakens, as this was published right before the movie was released.
My favorite essays were the Star Wars specific ones (obviously), especially the essay from the title regarding literacy in Sci-Fi and Fantasy worlds. However, after finishing this book I did re-watch Return of the Jedi and noticed Luke Skywalker communicating with R2-D2 via text on a screen in his X-Wing, giving me fodder to disagree a bit....
I also enjoyed the audiobook, although it was not narrated by the author.
My favorite essays were the Star Wars specific ones (obviously), especially the essay from the title regarding literacy in Sci-Fi and Fantasy worlds. However, after finishing this book I did re-watch Return of the Jedi and noticed Luke Skywalker communicating with R2-D2 via text on a screen in his X-Wing, giving me fodder to disagree a bit....
I also enjoyed the audiobook, although it was not narrated by the author.
jrc2011's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this as an audio book after hearing it mentioned in "Set Phasers to Stun." I didn't research the book too deeply - and didn't find a descriptive index for the audio book. The author starts off talking about literacy in Star Wars, but covers a wide range of topics including literacy in Star Trek, the making of the modern vampire, Doctor Who and heaps of other fun sci fi genres and media. Very enjoyable as an audio book , though there were some places where I disagreed with the author's opinions and the copy editor's skills. Worth a listen.
mistercrow's review against another edition
4.0
This was pretty funny, and some pointers I didn't know about, some subjects he raised well while some others I disagreed with.
deepfreezebatman's review against another edition
3.0
Entertaining geek rant. I laughed way too hard at the J.R.R. Tolkien vs. C.S. Lewis part.
kmg365's review against another edition
3.0
I find it interesting that in the 21st century, people are able to make a living by expressing opinions about fannish things. This was not a career option when I was of an age to decide what I wanted to be “when I grew up” (still waiting, btw). Sure, I could have been a literary critic, or a movie critic. But there were no listings like “Explainer of what was wrong with the episode Spock’s Brain ” in the help wanted section of the classified ads.
I’m mildly miffed that you can now do exactly that. Before anyone suggests there’s nothing stopping me now—you’re wrong. There are a lot of things stopping me.
Those were the thoughts lurking in the back of my mind as I listened to the essays in this book. While the author does mention at one point the fannish tendency to complain about anything and everything, believing that the only true and correct opinion of any tv show, book, or movie is one that is identical to one’s own, at the same time, he advances his own opinions about various fannish franchises with an assumption that he’s occupying the intellectual high ground.
I enjoyed the parts dealing with classic Trek, and was surprised that anyone as young as the writer would consider TOS his original fandom—the thing that turned him into a fan in the first place. I’m still not sold on the idea that Luke can’t read, though. He simply represents a society that doesn’t value literature—much like the one I find myself living in now.
drew1013's review against another edition
3.0
Mostly personal essays about nerd culture, with some theories about fictional universes sprinkled here and there. There’s humor and nerd analysis, but there wasn’t a lot that surprised me or said anything unique. Even the main essay, which argued that people in the Star Wars universe are functionally illiterate because no one reads books or talks about stories, seemed like it was converted from a blog post (turns out, it was published online first in some fashion).