Book Review: Geektastic

First of all, happy It-Is-Practically-Spring Day. No joke. It reached 45 degrees today. So beautiful!

Now onto the review.

Geektastic is an anthology of geeky short stories, so it's hard to review it as one unit. There are fantastic stories, there are good stories, there are not-so-good stories. Overall, I would say the good and fantastic stories outweigh the not-so-good ones by a lot. There are also geek-themed comics in between the stories, and those are pretty funny. What really stood out to me was how most of the stories were about the geek or the nerd getting the object of their affections or getting together with someone. I mentioned in the Matched review that I usually can barely tolerate romance. But most of these authors handled the romantic elements brilliantly in a non-annoying, and admittedly entertaining fashion.

I promise I'm a girl. :)

So. Here are my thoughts on the stories that really stood out, at least to me. (I'll keep it brief.)

Definitional Chaos by Scott Westerfield
The whole thing is pretty much a TV Tropes story about your moral alignment (see this page for details. I'm neutral good. :D). What I really liked about it was how it kind of blurred the lines between reality and fantasy, somewhat. It's kind of hard to describe. Also, it was one of the few stories where the guy and girl did not get together! Refreshing. It's pretty intense (especially by the end), but pretty brilliant.

I Never by Cassandra Clare
What I really like about this is that it's about Internet fandom and online role playing, something which I'm sure a lot of us are familiar with (admit it), and the main character doesn't really identify as a geek. But then she finds a way to fit in with the others, and it's really a charming piece. I'm not doing it justice. The only con? I kept losing the Game. :/ By the way... I lost the Game.

Quiz Bowl Antichrist by David Levithan
This guy was so pandering to us book geeks. And I happily bought into it. You would have, too. It had everything that makes a story great. The main character had a tragic flaw, he had character development, there were hilarious moments, there were serious moments, there were sweet moments. It was perfect.

Secret Identity by Kelly Link
When I started reading this story, I got the creeps because of the speaker's tone. It freaked me the heck out, but I couldn't stop reading. As the story went on, it became clear that this was not just about fandom or conventions or anything else like that. It was an origin story. Like for a superhero. Once I realized that, it got much more epic. But I am still creeped by the repetition of "Paul Zell, dear Paul Zell" at the beginning.

Freak the Geek by John Green
I love this story because I can kind of see this happening at a larger school, and because the two girls in here remind me of my best friends. We are all such geeks. Anyway. What is really great about the story is that there's a lot of conflict, first between the two friends and the popular kids who are after them; second between the two friends. It's really fantastic and touching without being overly emotional.

This Is My Audition Monologue by Sara Zarr
This is the one I keep reading over and over again. I'm going to need a whole post to explain why this story is amazing. I might need to do a dramatic reading, I love this story so much. It's incredible. You know those stories where you just totally, completely identify with the main character? This was that story for me.
It is perfect. Everything is wonderful. I need a full post for this story.
Just read this part at the end:

The fact that I'm even here auditioning after what happened and the role I played in it just proves that I know the basic truth of plays and of life: that the show must go on. Even when it's hard to watch the show going on without you.
I'll take any part, I will, and if it's Onlooker #8 I will be the best Onlooker #8 this town has ever seen. But if you can't find a part for me I'm going to walk away. I'm not going to hang around in the shadows anymore. This time you'll remember my name.

OK. Those are like, half the stories. That should tell you something about this book. :)

I am totally doing a dramatic reading of This Is My Audition Monologue.