Nerdtastic Novels

Armada by Ernest Cline caught my eye because of one word – Nerdtastic. Such a novel would fulfill the reading needs of so many people in my life that I’m going to have to break out of my usual mode of reading – give this one a go – and pass it around.

What makes it Nerdtastic? Booklist says, “Cline presents Zack Lightman, a teen with anger issues obsessed with his late father, who left behind some rocking mixed tapes and notebooks delineating a wild conspiracy theory about the truth embedded in popular science fiction novels, movies, and videogames. When Zack looks out a school window and sees an alien spacecraft just like those he shoots down so decisively while playing the online alien-invaders videogame, Armada (he’s ranked sixth best player in the world), he fears he’s losing his mind. Readers, however, will feel confident that they’re in for another hard-charging adventure that blasts open the barrier between the actual and the virtual. And indeed, Cline once again brings crackling humor and fanboy knowledge to a zesty, crowd-pleasing, countdown-clock, save-the-planet tale featuring an unlikely hero, adrenaline-pumping action, gawky romance, and touching family moments“

What else is out there to satisfy our inner nerd and get our geek on?

Constellation Games: a space opera soap opera by Leonard Richardson features an almost thirty year old who is using his programming skills to create pony themed video games for the under 10 set, while occupying his under-occupied mind with the video games of his youth. When the aliens come, he finds he has the skills necessary for first contact.

Scott Pilgrim is described as a dopey, yet content slacker. Early 20s, chastely dating a teenager, bassist in a band who finds himself drawn into a fantastical adventure involving supernatural martial arts duel and many more adventures and the series unfolds.

Science fiction and international intrigue meet in Walter Jon Williams’ This is Not a Game features four partners in a video game company based in Indonesia who find themselves in trouble in the midst of a revolution. When one of their party is murdered, the rest must rely on their skills and the help of millions of online gamers to track down the killer.