I was very lucky to get to snag a free albeit unfinished copy of Geektastic at this years Comic Con and have a short chat with Castellucci (there may be a third installment to Plain Janes? You don't say)... as well as get a very cool personalized autograph for Corinne (it's the only one she did that day so I have to brag at our awesomeness, mine and Corinne's sheer awesomeness!) Anyway....
Geektastic is a collection of short stories put together by Holly Black (Tithe, The Spiderwick Chronicles) and Cecil Castellucci (The Plain Janes, Boy Proof) with contributions from some of the best fiction writers of today. The book offers a variety of tales with insight into the different worlds within the nerdom (Nerd + Kingdom=Miss Clever likes to mix words darn it!). It all started with Black and Castellucci entertaining the thought of a pair of star-crossed lovers containing a Klingon and a Jedi while at the San Diego Comic Con. This became the books first story "Once you're a Jedi, You're a Jedi All the Way."
Knowing that there were not many publishers willing to put out a story about a Jedi and a Klingon falling in love despite their friends not getting along Black suggests an anthology “so that we can have a home for [their] story.”
Thus, Geektastic is born!
From the awkward and alienated (“The Truth About Dino Girl,” “Quiz Bowl Antichrist”) to stories of community within geek culture (“I Never”), and even from the perspective of the high school “in-crowd” as the outsiders looking in (“One of Us”), Geektastic provides a quintessential overview of what it means to let your geek flag fly.
It does not go without saying of course that there are a few duds among the pack. “Secret Identity” is a bizarre story of a young girl who is meeting her beloved online boyfriend who thinks she is her sister at a hotel that is holding a dentist convention as well as a real superhero convention (with sidekick tryouts and all!).
Knowing that there were not many publishers willing to put out a story about a Jedi and a Klingon falling in love despite their friends not getting along Black suggests an anthology “so that we can have a home for [their] story.”
Thus, Geektastic is born!
From the awkward and alienated (“The Truth About Dino Girl,” “Quiz Bowl Antichrist”) to stories of community within geek culture (“I Never”), and even from the perspective of the high school “in-crowd” as the outsiders looking in (“One of Us”), Geektastic provides a quintessential overview of what it means to let your geek flag fly.
It does not go without saying of course that there are a few duds among the pack. “Secret Identity” is a bizarre story of a young girl who is meeting her beloved online boyfriend who thinks she is her sister at a hotel that is holding a dentist convention as well as a real superhero convention (with sidekick tryouts and all!).
While “Secret Identity” deals with a different reality Scott Westerfeld’s “Definitional Chaos” brings the reality of an online game into the real world. The story is confusing and the characters are unlikable. Maybe Westerfeld’s story makes perfect sense to others out there; it’s just not my cup of tea I suppose.
Saving the best for last is an understatement with Libba Bray’s “It’s Just a Jump to the Left.” The story is one of the best works of fiction I have read in a long time. The story centers on Leta and her best friend Agnes and their obsession with “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The theme hit home right away, drawing my memory to a time when my group of friends where just as obsessed. Beyond the simplicity of connecting together in freaky unity with a bunch of weirdoes who like a strange film with no plot whatsoever (no matter what the stories Miss Shel—I mean Amy says), it’s about why the movie and the experience means so much of Leta.
Saving the best for last is an understatement with Libba Bray’s “It’s Just a Jump to the Left.” The story is one of the best works of fiction I have read in a long time. The story centers on Leta and her best friend Agnes and their obsession with “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The theme hit home right away, drawing my memory to a time when my group of friends where just as obsessed. Beyond the simplicity of connecting together in freaky unity with a bunch of weirdoes who like a strange film with no plot whatsoever (no matter what the stories Miss Shel—I mean Amy says), it’s about why the movie and the experience means so much of Leta.
The story progresses into a myriad of different themes. The most prominent dealing with loss of innocence, boys (obviously!), and dealing with a broken home as well as broken hearts. It’s a story of becoming who you will be as well as the struggle to hold on to who you were.
Geektastic, just like geek culture itself, is full of diversity in a single genre with many facets of interest and levels of loyalty to the cause (it’s that important folks); Whether you are a geek, freak, gay lit boy, supportive cheerleader girlfriend, or internet liar, nobody is safe from the title: Geek!
And it’s totally Geektastic!
Geektastic, just like geek culture itself, is full of diversity in a single genre with many facets of interest and levels of loyalty to the cause (it’s that important folks); Whether you are a geek, freak, gay lit boy, supportive cheerleader girlfriend, or internet liar, nobody is safe from the title: Geek!
And it’s totally Geektastic!
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