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Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd

by Holly Black (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Cecil Castellucci (Goodreads Author) (Editor)

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 4,868 ratings · 662 reviews

Acclaimed authors Holly Black (Ironside) and Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof) have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature: M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, John Green, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott West...more

Paperback, 432 pages

Published June 7th 2010 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (first published August 1st 2009)

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Jul 10, 2010 Cara rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: For true geeks

Shelves: 2010, male-protagonist, realistic-fiction

I seriously thought I wasn't going to be able to finish this book. I had gotten to around page 60 and I felt like I wasn't going to be able to connect with these stories. In a way I'm glad I pushed through it but I wasn't as happy with it like I thought I would be.

Clearly what interested me was the whole culture of being a geek and there were a good collection of young adult authors who contributed to this book, so I totally expected to be thrilled with it. I figured out fairly quickly that I di...more I seriously thought I wasn't going to be able to finish this book. I had gotten to around page 60 and I felt like I wasn't going to be able to connect with these stories. In a way I'm glad I pushed through it but I wasn't as happy with it like I thought I would be.

Clearly what interested me was the whole culture of being a geek and there were a good collection of young adult authors who contributed to this book, so I totally expected to be thrilled with it. I figured out fairly quickly that I didn't get the concept of being a geek. Honestly I thought I was pretty geeky, boy was I wrong. I totally felt out of my realm at first. A lot of terms and things that were mentioned would just whoosh over my head. It had sci-fi, LOTR, role-play (real and not real), gamers, nerds, drama people, and so many other hobbies I couldn't really keep track of. I did have a general knowledege of most of these things, but I did notice how much I actually didn't know.

Since this is a collection of short stories it was kind hard for me to really connect with any of the characters. A lot of the time I thought any of the good stories would be great full length novels. Really understanding the characters is important to me, and it's hard to establish that kind of kinship toward the characters without a lot of pages to do it in. Short stories remind me of when you're in school and assigned to read a story and answer a list of questions. Not fun times. A lot of the stories had teen drinking, which is realistic. I'm not naive or oblivious and I know teenagers drink, but there were only a handful of stories that did not have drinking, and it kind of felt like it was stuck in there to make geeks look cool. Isn't that a bit I don't know... trying too hard? It just didn't sit right with me.

I did enjoy a few of the stories, my favorites being the second to last one that dealt with astronomy and the one that Garth Nix wrote. Some of the stories concentrated a lot on the geeky hobby (more like obsessions) and others had that as a sidenote and dealt with deeper issues. I'm glad I picked it up, but not as funny as I had hoped. (less)

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May 03, 2012 AennA rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: love-love-love-it, light-read

I would like to believe that we all are geeks at a certain degree. We may not be like the stereotype geeks but we geek when something hit our geeky nerves. Geektastic is a fantastic tool to wake up the sleeping geeks inside us. Reading this book helped me get in touch with my inner geek, and helped me remember those times when I was addicted to watching and collecting trading cards of Street Fighter, Ultraman and other Japanese superheroes in my younger days. Funny though, I cannot remember much...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Mon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya

I don't have much geek-cred.

The only star trek I've seen is the new one with Simon Pegg, and I only read Lord of the Rings because it was on sales. I watched Firefly because my ex was a massive fan, and I still confuse Star Trek with Star Wars (don't even talk to me about Battlestar). Although I love comix, JLA and anything too DC is out of my league. Most superheroes are misogynistic and my appreciation of fantasy is limited to the one Discworld I borrowed for a train trip. I also failed histo...more I don't have much geek-cred.

The only star trek I've seen is the new one with Simon Pegg, and I only read Lord of the Rings because it was on sales. I watched Firefly because my ex was a massive fan, and I still confuse Star Trek with Star Wars (don't even talk to me about Battlestar). Although I love comix, JLA and anything too DC is out of my league. Most superheroes are misogynistic and my appreciation of fantasy is limited to the one Discworld I borrowed for a train trip. I also failed history, and physics if it wasn't for the maths. People think of me as a geek not because I can play chess or code in Python, but rather my indifference to other non-geek interests. I can't tell if video games are geeky anymore, is L4D or Modern Warfare geeky? Or only MMORPGs like Age of Empire?*

What makes someone a geek? After all, it doesn't matter if you're into comics or dinosaurs or guns or Lovecraft, they are almost all equal in terms of geek-cred. Is it the cult following aspect? If so, why isn't NBA or Ingmar Bergman geeky? Or is it the escapist tone? Then unrealistic mainstream chic flicks should also be part of the nerd culture. I think what makes a geek has more to do with devotion and obsession rather than the subject. I know geeks who are into ancient history, as well as geeks who are into argumented reality programming or Mexican culinary, fields that are completely unrelated. A fan of something usually remembers trivial details and has a concern for continuity and character profile. It isn't so much about the story, but rather identifying familiar quotes and references. Geektastic is an example of this. Most of the stories consist of little more than just a bunch of nerd brands put together. For a geek, it's exciting because you can laugh at so many names and places nobody else would 'get', yet feel frustrated at the same time because We are worth more than a machine that can recite the complete history of the doctor. Contrary to other reviews, I didn't find the geekeries in the book too hard-core. The first few stories may require more than rudimentary knowledge of pop culture with titles that go STAR-something (starfleet, starcraft, stargate, star-in-case-you-don't-know-I'm about-science). Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed Scott Westerfeld's story which exempts itself from the name-dropping humour (since when is Westerfeld a geek? I guess most of his fiction deals with vampire and random monster/magic things, but wasn't his fist book worshiped by hipsters?). Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley's drawings are adorable as well (in a geeky way, of course).

Anyway, you've done it. I'm officially renting the whole series of Star Wars tonight.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

*Edit: Apparently AoE isn't a MMORPG, I guess this proves my geekiness. (less)

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Sep 19, 2011 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: short-stories, the-kids-are-all-right, contemporary, favorite-authors, holy-shit, gmba

It’s 7:55am. I’m at the light at Susie Wilson Road. (Local folklore states that Susie Wilson was the town Madam. Bit of trivia for you there…) I woke up 10 minutes ago, showered, dropped my kid off at school and here I wait. I hate this light. I hate driving. Most of all, I hate vanity plates. ‘GOTHAM1’ is in front of me. A blue mid 2000s Durango. I’m sure that Batman would be honored. I wonder if other superhero fans nod or finger pistol the driver like there is some sort of unspoken clubhouse...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: anthologies, detailed-reviews, excellent-anthologies, good-books-have-good-covers, why-is-there-no-hype

Rating: 3.5/5

As its name suggests, this anthology consists of 15 stories about geeks. There are a lot of different kinds, with a main focus on sci-fi fans. I thought that the stories would get repetitive and the geeks would be cliched, and while there was some of that, it was largely not a problem. There were a bunch of stories that I really liked, and only one that I hated. Here we go:

Once You're a Jedi, You're a Jedi All the Way by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci: 5/5
I didn't like Tithe, whi...more

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Dec 28, 2011 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: collections

Have you ever wondered what would happen if a Klingon and a Jedi slept in the same room together? What if the popular girl fell down the teen social ladder and become awkward and lonely (and thus, relatable to Geeks around the world)? Or if one boy discovers LARPing as a form of social expression; if another cruelly teases GEEKS only to realize he's become one himself? Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd is a collaborative effort between several Young Adult authors, born of the minds of Holly...more Have you ever wondered what would happen if a Klingon and a Jedi slept in the same room together? What if the popular girl fell down the teen social ladder and become awkward and lonely (and thus, relatable to Geeks around the world)? Or if one boy discovers LARPing as a form of social expression; if another cruelly teases GEEKS only to realize he's become one himself? Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd is a collaborative effort between several Young Adult authors, born of the minds of Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci (who edited the collection and co-wrote the opening short story) that includes fifteen short stories about what it means to be a Geek. While the collection offers a witty, tongue-in-cheek definition sure to make readers smile in recognition of their inner Geek, the stories all share something deeper: Geekdom is the long and often trying journey of learning it's okay to be ourselves, even if it's contrary to popular opinion ans especially if it's with our friends. That's a message sure to resonate with teens everywhere.

There were, of course, some authors I recognized (and implicitly became excited about their contributions), some I was familiar with by name and reputation only, and others I had never heard of before. Not surprisingly, I found a few new authors I want to read more from! Most of the stories involved geeky interests (comic books, role playing, established and cult franchises such as Star Wars, Star Trek, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," etc...) and idols in a marvelous mixture of similes that bring perspective to identify and help shape the young protagonists' most formative years. Very rarely were any of these overwrought, but the euphemistic flair really only served to remind me of the fact that if I can recognize the comparisons, I am a Geek too (as if there was ever any ever doubt). There were so many wonderfully beautiful and hilarious stories in the collection that I'll mention a few that really struck a chord with me. Did I like all of them? No. Did I love most of them? Yes.

The first story, "Once You're a Jedi, You're a Jedi All the Way"--a cooperative effort between Black and Castellucci--was naturally one of my favorites. I say naturally because if even you're only remotely familiar with popular culture, you know this story is going to be about Jedi and thus, Star Wars; I am a huge Star Wars fan (do I have to explain the term 'jawa' to you? Hopefully not!). I'm so glad the collection opened with this story. It's about a couple of fans who take their fandom so seriously, they even stay in character during the private moments of their lives, away from the convention (with so many SF/F/Comic Cons, you fill in the blank) floor. These fans are, metaphorically speaking, on opposing teams.

One is part of a Lightsaber Demonstration group and dressed as Jedi, the other is costumed as a Klingon. When they wake up in the same hotel room together--nee, the same bed--deep suspicion and horror emerges, mixed with guilt and the kind of shame that arises when one begins to wonder, "what will my friends think?"--There is of course, the inevitable Star Wars vs. Star Trek argument that turns from flirtatiously probing to a convention floor brawl, but it sets the mood for the rest of thee book: All of these characters will be Geeks. Let's not split hairs over the types of Geeks and risk dividing the more important loyalty and solidarity derived from that common ground.

While this story was one of the most entertaining, it also had two of the most glaring typos and errors one could ever make in a book that sets out to appease Geeks everywhere. The irony of such errors being acutely recognizable by it's key audience is not lost on me. I will, in fact, point them out to you. Anakin (Skywalker, not Solo--yes, there are two) is spelled "Annakin" on page 6. On another, Padawan Pete apparently has a cape (p.9) when it's rare even for Jedi Masters to have capes (Obi-wan only had his as a General--a Republic, not a Jedi, designation), but Padawans might as well forget that fashion trend. It isn't rare, however, for Sith Lords to have them, which is why that particular slip is so amusing to me. So there you have it. A spelling error and a costume error.

David Levithan's "Quiz Bowl Antichrist" was absolutely beautiful. Alternate Alec feels awkward with the other members of his Quiz Bowl team who are quite gung ho about their team spirit and nurture a love of winning. Alec has less than altruistic motives (bloating his college application, getting an 'A' in Physics, etc...), but his literary prowess also brings him closer to a boy he doesn't quite know what to make of. A boy he doesn't yet realize he has feelings for. Levithan's writing is equal parts funny, penetrating, and accessible. He has a studied understanding of the intricacies and complications of teenage relationships and interactions. He can elucidate the hidden desires that motivate them, captures the confusing mess of identity development and the unsettling murkiness of hormones. It's one of the most poignant stories and best of all: It's sandwiched in the middle of the collection like the most perfect little treat.

Honest;y, these two stories aside, there were so many I enjoyed, so many I want to gush about, that all I can do at this point is tell you to go find a copy of Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd and read it for yourself. From the bitter sweetness of M.T. Anderson's "The King of Pelinesse," to Garth Nix's uplifting tale ("The Quiet Knight") about a boy who uses LARPing to unearth the hero inside of himself, John Green's empowering story of friendship ("Freak the Geek"), Barry Lyga's evolutionary showdown of Geektastic proportions "The Truth About Dino Girl," Wendy Mass' hilarious competition of wills, tempered by attraction and rivaled only in the genuine sweetness of the romance, to Libba Bray's "It's Just a Jump to the Left"-- an amazingly polished nostalgia tale of friendship, the strange and uncomfortable reality of adolescence--most of these stories are fulfilling in their own way.

Clearly these authors enjoyed engaging their inner Geek with full and unabashed embraces. The collection is also pulled together rather nicely with each story progressively less about the minutiae of Geekery itself (what we love that makes us Geeks) and more about the feelings and repercussions resulting from an utter love of dinosaurs, or an obsession over a new movie, and the friends that help us stay true to ourselves. With that in mind, readers unfamiliar with some of the more nerdy concepts or geek lingo won;t feel too alienated. Most of the stories don't engage the unapproachable "inside info" universally believed is recognizable by Geeks everywhere very often. The protagonists are all ultimately just teenagers; Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd is a reservoir of their innermost confessions. Teens everywhere, and even adults, can relate to that. Although seen through the lens of geekdom, it's extremely entertaing and incredibly absorbing.(less)

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Jan 13, 2011 joanna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So awesome! Made me want to write my own geektastic tale and get in into Vol. 2 (IS there a Vol. 2? There should be!) There's something for everyone - gamers, Trekkies, LARPers, even those geeks with vengeance in their hearts for their suffering in high school. Some of the stories are straight up nerd anecdotes woven with a little character and plot development, and in others the geek element is a little more difficult to spot. Any geek will see themselves in here somewhere. I really enjoyed rea...more

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May 31, 2011 Tortla rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: short-stories, ya-like, dragony-dragons

Decent stories, but the geekiness was often so specific to online gaming or star trek/wars that I felt kind of alienated (punnn). Someone else's review commented on the prevalence of drinking, but I was more troubled by the prevalence of geeky revenge and/or cruelty. Like the paleontologist-aspiring-girl...that story was so enjoyable until the verrrry end. And the quizbowl antichrist was, at first, irksome because of the protagonist's persistent teasing. David Levithan made a point of that geeky...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Jane Lee rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-books

I had tons of expectations for this book, mostly because I considered myself geeky (nerdy even). I was surprised when I read the book and I couldn't relate with the facts. I felt alienated at some point, but I related with the emotions, and I guess, that's what really matters. The stories that I liked the most include One of Us by Tracy Lynn, The Quiet Knight by Garth Nix, Everyone But You (5 stars) by Lisa Yee and The Stars At the Finish Line by Wendy Mass (4 stars).

The rest were just an disint...more

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Jan 27, 2011 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

This is the best short story collection I’ve read thus far in my life. Typically, I rate anthologies a three or a three-and-a-half because there are inevitably stories I like and stories I don’t so the book as a whole ends up somewhere in the field of “average”. Consequently, I don’t read that many anthologies. However, when I saw that this one included John Green and Libba Bray writing about geekdom of all things, I immediately ran out to buy a copy. And I’m happy to report that my impression o...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Selene rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So far, I have read 12 of the 15 short stories in this book. My favorite is This is My Audition Monologue by Sara Zarr. It's short, but really deep and memorable. When my friend read it, she stopped midway because she just saw it as someone whining about her life. So I guess these stories aren't for everyone.

Also, a lot of these stories have at least a tiny bit of romance (8 of the ones I've read so far), but Sara Zarr's short story did not. That's part of why I liked it, because as much as I li...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Criss rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: short-story-collection

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 09, 2012 Stevie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: short-story, teen-life, humor, geek-nerd-love

3.5 stars

This book isn't just for the casual geek, most of the stories revolve around MMORPG, LARPing, Cosplaying, and the sci-fi obsessed. Because of this, I found some of the stories hard to relate to. However, even the stories that involved LARPing and MMORPG (which I don't do), I found them fun or entertaining. I definitely loved some stories more than others.

Once You;re A Jedi, You're a Jedi All the Way
by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci
18 pages
4/5 stars. A Klingong girl wakes us in a my...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Val rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-lit-class-books

Summary: A collected celebration of all things Geek, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Jedi Knights to theater, band, cosplay and LARPING. Filled with short stories and comics from authors such as Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield and Lisa Yee, Geektastic has something for almost every geek out there. Meet a Jedi and a Klingon who end up spending the night after Comic Con, a teen obsessed with Rocky Horror Picture Show, Quizbowl drama, a budding paleontologist and much more. Get your geek on!

Themes: Fro...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Laura added it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, geek-week

This is a collection of tales from the world of Geek and the geektastic authors that take their time to nod their heads and tip their hats to the fantoms and geek world that's been part of who they are as writers and people. Let's take a minute to just enjoy that geekiness. MMMM Nerd-ilous.

The Geek shall inherit the Earth and without the world of Geek it's very likely that the world as we know it wouldn't exist. There are all shades and degrees of Geek as this anthology proves and in that way it...more This is a collection of tales from the world of Geek and the geektastic authors that take their time to nod their heads and tip their hats to the fantoms and geek world that's been part of who they are as writers and people. Let's take a minute to just enjoy that geekiness. MMMM Nerd-ilous.

The Geek shall inherit the Earth and without the world of Geek it's very likely that the world as we know it wouldn't exist. There are all shades and degrees of Geek as this anthology proves and in that way it's one of the most variety stuffed delights of Geekdom and Geekery in all it's forms. I won't say that I loved every single story because that's just plain lying but it's given me a load of new authors to look into and add to my wish list that's for sure!

Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci are out and out geeks and have brought together the cream of their writing circle and nerdy co-writer peers to put their writing talents to good use and also give us a peek into their individual world of geekhood. The little touches from RPG (Role Play Gaming) and Klingon speak makes this collection a gem of a find. I loved that feeling that you were getting a really honest look at the highs and lows of being the social outsider and the 'win some, lose most' ideology. These are normal people with a very select passion that to many seems weird and down right disturbing but to the like minded (such as myself) they are gorram awesome.

A few favourite tales for me were One of Us by Tracy Lynn as a little Miss Popular pays the school geeks to teach her the world of nerd to find common ground with her boyfriend, It's Just a Jump to the Left by Libba Bray where the love of Rocky Horror meets reality, The Star at the Finish Line by Wendy Mass, a tale of secret crushes, rivals and star gazing and I Never by Cassandra Clare when online fiction RPG becomes a difficult realm to bring into the real world.

I would pass this book on to anyone that is a self proclaimed geek already or those just trying to understand why oh why their loved one is obsessive about action figures (not toys), Firefly and science.(less)

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Jun 17, 2012 Caly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Caly by: Laura

Shelves: modern, anthologies, realistic, lgbt-characters

I am a geek. I know this, I don't hide it. I'm a second generation Trekker, who lives in a house with an annual tradition known as "The Great Star Trek Tree" at Christmas, when it got to the point that there was no room for anything but the Star Trek ornament collection on the tree. I have a tendency to quote random Shakespeare including Titus Andronicus at the dining table, and have spent years in Harry Potter roleplays.

So, I was unsurprised when I found this book absolutely amazing, as it wea...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Cassie-la rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads

REVIEW ALSO ON: http://bibliomantics.com/2011/05/06/i......

In high school I was a nerd. I am still a nerd. I have an unhealthy love affair for Wolverine, I have a Fellowship cloak in my closet and a ring of power on my dresser. There’s a plush Necromicon in my living room and a vorpal blade on my bookshelf. I dressed up as Sango from “InuYasha” complete with life sized hiraikotsu (AKA giant boomerang) in high school. And no, I didn’t have to look up the spelling for hiraikotsu, I just know it of...more REVIEW ALSO ON: http://bibliomantics.com/2011/05/06/i......

In high school I was a nerd. I am still a nerd. I have an unhealthy love affair for Wolverine, I have a Fellowship cloak in my closet and a ring of power on my dresser. There’s a plush Necromicon in my living room and a vorpal blade on my bookshelf. I dressed up as Sango from “InuYasha” complete with life sized hiraikotsu (AKA giant boomerang) in high school. And no, I didn’t have to look up the spelling for hiraikotsu, I just know it off the top of my head. I even worked in a comic book store. I was and am in all senses of the word, a nerd. Albeit a high functioning one.

It was the tie to the subculture of all things nerdy that drew me to Geektastic. My first impression was that this anthology was going to be similar to Zombies Vs. Unicorns (also edited by Holly Black). I found that Geektastic was a lot more entertaining, particularly because half of it wasn’t devoted to lame ass unicorns. It also features a lot of my favourite young adult authors like M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, John Green, Kelly Link, and Scott Westerfeld.

The anthology opens with a short story from its two editors, Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci and was the spark for the entire collection. Once You’re a Jedi, You’re a Jedi All the Way tells of a romance between two unlikely figures, a Klingon and a Jedi. As popular culture has taught us and constantly uses as fodder, Star Wars fans and “Star Trek” fans are mortal enemies. As the editors mention in the introduction, no one in their right mind would publish such a story, so they were determined to edit an anthology in which this romance would be accepted. And let me tell you, it fits in perfectly and opens the anthology up just right. I’m not a fan of either series and it had me giggling the whole way through, and not just for the fact that there’s inexplicably a Stormtrooper at every convention. Seriously, why is there always at least one Stormtrooper?

The next story which definitely hit high marks for me was Scott Westerfeld’s Definitional Chaos, but I’m probably biased because I’m a huge Scott Westerfeld fan. It tells the story of gamers going on a non consequential mission and discussing the moral alignment of various characters in popular culture and their own lives as deemed necessary via Dungeons and Dragons. Whether a character is lawful or chaotic, good, evil, or neutral or any combination of those is important to the plot and comes up quite a lot. It also has the reader question the motivations of the characters, from the lawful good of Temptress Moon to the chaotic good of his crazy ex-girlfriend. I bet it’s that crazy chick who dresses as a Stormtrooper at Harry Potter/horror movie conventions for no good reason.

As a fanfiction superstar who later lucked out and gained a real writing career, Cassandra Clare is no stranger to the nerd fandom. I Never is about people who play RPG onlines having a party and meeting in real life. I particularly appreciate the references to classic literary characters like Heathcliff and books such as Watership Down, but equally appreciate her more popular references to “Buffy” and “Xena”. Props to you Miss Clare. If that is your real name. Which it’s not.

The strangest and longest story is Secret Identity by Kelly Link, which is completely removed from reality. It is written like most Kelly Link stories, with a strange disjointed narrative and a style which is off putting and intriguing all at the same time. In her world, a girl meets a man in an online game and agrees to meet him in a hotel. However, at the same time there is a superhero convention going on, and everyone there are actual superheroes. It’s not just a convention with pretend heroes, it’s a convention with real heroes. These heroes include someone who is a mass of floating goopy blood. I can’t even think of an English major related metaphor for why such a character exists.

There’s so much nerdery in this one little collection that I could not possibly fit it all into one post. Although I certainly wish I could. The Wrath of Dawn talks about a hated character in the “Buffy” fandom, Garth Nix’s The Quiet Knight talks about LARPing, The Truth About Dino Girl is about a girl with an unhealthy dinosaur obsession, This is My Audition Monologue is for theatre nerds, and It’s Just a Jump to the Left by Libba Bray is for all fans of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The stories that didn’t work so well were One of Us by Tracy Lynn, about a popular girl who pays nerds to teach her how to connect with her boyfriend over LotR and “Star Trek” and magically accepts them for who they are. I didn’t like this story more because it’s extremely implausible. Leopards generally don’t change their spots. The same can be said for Everyone But You which is about a baton twirler who struggles to fit in when she moves to Hawaii. M.T. Anderson’s story The King of Pelinesse was also disappointing, especially since I have read some wonderful short stories from him in the past. I highly recommend his story Watch and Wake in the anthology Gothic.

The little niggling problem I had with the anthology was the comic strips between each story. I’ll probably get a lot of flack for this, but I am not a fan of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s artwork AT ALL. All his characters look the same, both in that they’re all shaped in exactly the same way but with varying degrees of height and I can’t tell any of them apart except that some are men and some are women. It doesn’t help that I really disliked Scott Pilgrim, which I think is a tale about a bunch of horrible hipsters with no ability to hold relationships or be real human beings.(less)

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May 06, 2012 Jeanine Allen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: short-stories-read

Jeanine Allen
Short Stories

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci is a collection of short stories written for teens. Each of the stories are about teens who have a passion about a particular topic and because of that passion have been called "nerds" or other names. Some of the topics talked about in the short stories are: Star Wars, Star Trek, role playing games, conventions, astronomy, comics, theatre, Rocky Horror Picture Show, etc. The book doesn't...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: short-stories, kindle-library

I read this only to fulfill the requirements of a challenge task - but I'm going to admit it was kinda fascinating. It was like sampling life in another dimension. I did have to have my husband translate many times - as so much of the book was over my head. But, this book was a FUN trip to geekville!
Geekiness is not completely new to me. I do live with some genuine weird in my life as my husband (and now my 12 year old son) is(are) TRUE GEEKS! Being married to a geek and not being one has been i...more I read this only to fulfill the requirements of a challenge task - but I'm going to admit it was kinda fascinating. It was like sampling life in another dimension. I did have to have my husband translate many times - as so much of the book was over my head. But, this book was a FUN trip to geekville!
Geekiness is not completely new to me. I do live with some genuine weird in my life as my husband (and now my 12 year old son) is(are) TRUE GEEKS! Being married to a geek and not being one has been interesting. It is a life of much eye rolling and constantly reminding myself to keep an open mind. I have had to give in WAY more often than I want to. Like, I really wish I could dress my family properly - the preppy look is my thing but it just does NOT go over well in my house. I have given in - I have had to buy MORE than anyone's fair share of character tee shirts, stuff with weird statements that mean nothing to me but they roll on the floor over, funky costumes (to be used for halloween ONLY), home decor (which belongs in certain areas of the house ONLY), games, action figures galore...I've learned to be always 'on the look' for what they consider the good stuff & making phone calls to see if what I found is acceptable.
Me...I have always liked to be middle of the road - this is where I'm comfortable. But...THEY (the geeks of the household) fight against that at every possible moment. They actually TRY to be different and abhor my middle-of-the-road. One example from a million/zillion...I brought my son home some $106 zigs recently and he refused to wear them. I often feel so unappreciated! I do slip into their closets American Eagle jeans and GAP & Pottery Barn have had some pretty good character items...this I can live with. But admittedly, it's a daily challenge to be SO different from each other.
Now, I must make clear that though I am (and will always be) complaining and will never truly understand their "language"; I am PROUD of my geeks. I LOVE that my husband and now my son too - are genius'. They have great vocabulary (from comics I hear) and have great ability to communicate with the world. (When my husband needs a little attention, he only needs to start speaking GEEK...he knows what melts my heart!) I LOVE that my husband cares about something, has passion & interests in things(even if I think they are strange), and I even get a kick sometimes from the embarassment I sometimes have to go through. And though I may not fully understand...I would defend them to the end!
Loving a geek has not been a boring life for sure. But, as my daughter has had drilled into her head by me - to marry a geek is where it's at! Geeks are responsible, passionate, open minded, intelligent, trustworthy and best of all...COMMITTED! They make GREAT spouses! Girls...I don't know why I was stupid for so long, but thank goodness I finally figured it out! :o)
Oops...guess this book inspired a little more appreciation to geekiness than I thought! Oh, and I wanted to mention that my FAVORITE story was Cassandra Clare's contribution. Sooo romantic and cute and written for even those who don't speak Geek. I needed no help with it and even read it a second time! (less)

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Jan 24, 2012 Kathleen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, read-in-2012, young-adult, short-stories

Like all anthologies, this one needs to be taken story by story. Some of them are utterly fantastic. Seriously, five stars for Klingon/Jedi star crossed romances, cheerleaders taking classes in dorkdom, and a brilliant pre-paleontologist who is utterly perfect in every way. Read those stories if you have ever been called a geek by anyone: your life is not complete without them.

On another page, of course there are stories like the two about terrible internet meetups that I could really only skim...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Maximillian Jackson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english-412

A Klingon warrior and a Jedi apprentice play out a cosmic rendition of "Romeo and Juliet" at a cosplay convention. A young man of the neutral good persuasion, handcuffed to a briefcase with $84,000, holds off his thieving chaotic evil ex-girlfriend in a cramped cross-country train cabin. Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff from "Wuthering Heights" fall in and out of love at Xena, Warrior Princess' suburban home.

These are just a few of the outlandish set-ups to be found in this collection of short...more A Klingon warrior and a Jedi apprentice play out a cosmic rendition of "Romeo and Juliet" at a cosplay convention. A young man of the neutral good persuasion, handcuffed to a briefcase with $84,000, holds off his thieving chaotic evil ex-girlfriend in a cramped cross-country train cabin. Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff from "Wuthering Heights" fall in and out of love at Xena, Warrior Princess' suburban home.

These are just a few of the outlandish set-ups to be found in this collection of short stories from some of the most popular writers in young adult fiction today. I have to admit that as both a self-proclaimed "geek" and "nerd', I was predisposed to love this book for its premise alone but I'll try not to give a completely biased review.

Every story has its own youthful voice, charm and quirky/sarcastic sense of humor common to YAL that makes each piece enjoyable to read and even re-read. However, the entire collection maintains a rather "light" tone when it comes to the issues it confronts. At its "heaviest", a story only deals with the ideas of ostracism, loneliness, or being an outcast in the context of being a "geek" and the divide between The Popular and The Unpopular. Although these themes can no doubt be deeply reflective, the collection approaches them with a comedic, "feel good" vibe that generally keeps things upbeat. This is not to say that that there aren't heartfelt tales here. Stories like "The King of Pelinesse" by M.T. Anderson, "Everyone But You" by Lise Yee and "Secret Identity" by Kelly Link feature slightly darker or more serious tones that many of the more comedic stories avoid, giving these pieces a more lasting impact.

There are some formulaic YA stories like "I Never" by Cassandra Clare and "The Stars at the Finish Line" that definitely fall into the "Light and Fluffy" category of YA, in addition to memorable ones including "Freak the Geek" by John Green and (my personal favourite story) "The Quiet Knight" by Garth Nix. This book is definitely aimed toward teens in terms of its subject matter and style, (though many adults would no doubt enjoy its humour)and readers accustomed to more mature, thought-provoking fiction may be put off. Those looking for a "hard-hitting book" that tackles "the tough issues head on" (or that don't know what a "klingon" or "jedi" is) might want to look elsewhere, but I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, summer/spare-time read, and if you're a fan of anything even remotely "geeky," it's required reading.(less)

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Jun 26, 2011 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

I finally got around to reading Geektastic today. And by 'finally' I mean I got in the mail yesterday and started it but I finished it earlier and re-read some of the beginning stories I semi-rushed into.

First of all, I was surprised. I bought Geektastic because of the authors I recognized and like -- John Green, Wendy Mass, Scott Westerfeld, and Holly Black. I recognized quite a few of the other authors, and have even read their works before, but I was never a big fan of them, such as Libba Bra...more

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Feb 08, 2011 Madeline rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed

Not only was this a collection of geek, but a collection of geek love. I did not enjoy how many of the stories had romantic elements. Sara Zarr's story was a girl giving a monologue, John Green's was a story about two girls being harassed. Those were the only two with no romance.
I'm not against love, but it got annoying. Geeky teen love OVER and OVER.

I'm not a geek. Well, maybe. Well, not by the books standards. I've not seen/read most sci-fi, I am at least a little knowledgeable about theatre,...more

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Dec 28, 2010 Laura Lam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, short-stories, young-adult

Rating: 3.5 stars

Background/Synopsis:

Holly Black and Cecil Castelluci are both successful young adult authors. They wrote a short story together that was too geeky for many conventional publishers. So they decided to have a call for other geeky stories and collect them. Many big names are featured in the collection:

Holly Black, Cecil Castellucci, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, John Green, Hope Larson, David Leviathan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Tracy Lynn, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Bryan Lee O'Malley, C...more Rating: 3.5 stars

Background/Synopsis:

Holly Black and Cecil Castelluci are both successful young adult authors. They wrote a short story together that was too geeky for many conventional publishers. So they decided to have a call for other geeky stories and collect them. Many big names are featured in the collection:

Holly Black, Cecil Castellucci, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, John Green, Hope Larson, David Leviathan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Tracy Lynn, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Cynthia & Greg Leitich Smith, Scott Westerfeld, Lisa Yee, Sara Zarr.

The stories encompass a wide array of geekdom: Cons, in-person and online roleplaying, online dating, quiz bowls, Rocky Horror, etc. Many of the stories focus around being the new girl or boy at school, and falling in love or having a crush on a member of the same or opposite sex.

Strengths:

My favourite stories were the one about quiz bowls by David Leviathan, and a story by Tracey Lynn called "One of Us" about a cheerleader who pays a group of geeks to teach her about geeky things so that she can get along better with her quarterback boyfriend who likes fairly mainstream geeky things like Star Wars. Some of them were so fun and so touching.

Weaknesses:

For me personally, a lot of the geekery didn't hit home for me. Now, I've got a nerdy bent, as evidenced by this blog, my past attendance at comic-con, my unabashed love of fantasy and science fiction. But I don't personally connect with cosplay or fanfic or roleplaying games. Some of the stories I didn't like. Unfortunately, Scott Westerfeld's did less than nothing for me, which is a shame because I love his books. I also can certainly say I am not a fan of Kelly Link. I've tried multiple times to get through her collection of short stories, Stranger Things Happen, and this story was weird. She likes to delve between first and third person at random and none of her characters ever strike me as remotely realistic. There was also a story about a girl who was obsessed with dinosaurs and is meant to show her triumph over the girl who humiliates her, but she plays a prank that is straight out of Mean Girls and is unoriginal and extremely cruel, but it's painted in a positive light. Some of the stories are already fading from my mind, soon to be forgotten almost completely.

Verdict:

Fun enough for geeks and non-geeks alike, but nothing that's going to stick with you long-term most likely. It's a good place to start if you don't read much young adult fiction, because it lets you sample work from a wide array of pretty popular authors.(less)

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Sep 17, 2010 Craig rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A cute round-up of YA authors taking a stab at the various obsessions that keep a "geek" outside of the typically posh social circles...

5 stars to "Quiz Bowl Antichrist," "Secret Identity," "The Truth About Dino Girl," "This is my Audition Monologue," and "It's Just a Jump to the Left." All of these authors really 'got it' and presented deep stories that weren't flat approximations of life based on an assignment they were given for an anthology.

The opening story by the collection's editors was q...more

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Mar 17, 2010 Todd rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humor, philosophy, fantasy, sci-fi, self-improvement

Tales from the Nerd Herd, when I first saw this book I wasn't sure to be insulted by the Title and this was given to me as a gift. So I took it with a grain of salt. While its really for YA readers as a kind of "been there, done that and lived to survive the tale" book. I would say I did like it, but it seemed like there were a lot more female authors in the mix, which is good seeing a large female demographic.

However, being a geek or nerd growing up in the 70s and 80s, it was kind of not somet...more

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Feb 06, 2010 Amy (Aye.Me?) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First of all, how adorably cute is the cover of this book!?! Each of the authors is represented by one of the little character/avatar things. Don't ask me which is which though because my memory is horrible!

And another thing, how many big name authors does this book have!?!? Holly Black, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, David Levithan, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfeld.... these are some of the heavyweights in the YA book world at the moment and they're all here in the one book!

This book is made up of one...more

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Jan 31, 2010 Melody rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It probably says more about me than about the book that the first, most important thing I need to say about it is that John Green, in his story 'Freak the Geek' got his facts about Aragorn and Arwen from LotR wrong. The story of their wedding is not told in the appendix, but rather in the final book. The story of their lives together is what's told in the appendix. Also, it's spelled orc, not ork. Ahem.

Now that I've qualified myself as one of the herd this book was aimed at, let me tell you how...more

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Oct 08, 2009 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, young-adult

Full review at http://yannabe.com/2009/10/08/review-...

Summary: A collection of stories from YA authors celebrating geekdom in all its many forms—from roleplaying to Buffy to being the smartest kid in school.

Review: I recently told a friend of mine about this collection. She’s been reading some YA lately, she’s a huge Buffy fan, and she’s one smart cookie to boot. So I thought she might be into the whole “celebrate your inner geek” thing. But when I suggested that she might like it, I’m pretty s...more

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Sep 29, 2009 Lexie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-fandom, review-blog, genre-young-adult, book-type-anthology, books-owned

My question is this: How can you not want to read this book? Even if your interest in (any) fandom is casual to the point of 'I kind of remember that blond chick with a pointy stick' this book will have you in stitches, tears or ready to be a more active member of some wonderful community. Whether you are a Trekkie (or is it Trekker now?), Star Wars fan, Whedonite, Otaku or a more obscure fandom (Blake's 7? Does anyone remember that show?) you'll enjoy this book.

It's not perfect, I sometimes won...more My question is this: How can you not want to read this book? Even if your interest in (any) fandom is casual to the point of 'I kind of remember that blond chick with a pointy stick' this book will have you in stitches, tears or ready to be a more active member of some wonderful community. Whether you are a Trekkie (or is it Trekker now?), Star Wars fan, Whedonite, Otaku or a more obscure fandom (Blake's 7? Does anyone remember that show?) you'll enjoy this book.

It's not perfect, I sometimes wondered if some of the stories rely too heavily on some prior knowledge of the geeky topic at hand or took some of the examples to extremes (though to be fair I knew a guy who literally grew up Klingon. It was the first language he learned--yes before English--started 'developing' forehead ridges around the age of five and who's parents left him out in the wilderness at the age of 13 for a month in the summer for his 'Rite of Passage' ceremony--since beating him with sticks is considered illegal of course. By the time he was twenty-one, you'd be hard-pressed to know that he was human underneath all the make-up, Klingon cursing and bloodwine guzzling), but the book made me feel less odd.

I grew up in a school where sports were #1, academics #2 and theater #3. Geeky things like Star Trek or D&D or comic books came in distant distant last place. Golf was considered cooler then Star Trek or comic book reading. The rare few who were part of the 'Nerd Herd' with me did so in severe secrecy--our school's QB for my 9th and 10th grade years would trade X-Men cards with me under the pretense of me tutoring him in english. The leading 'brain' of the school played Q-Bert down at the shore (a good hour and half away from us) twice a week--far away from anyone who would know him. I was out in the open about my interests, mostly because I had long since given up caring about my image. I got teased, taunted, ridiculed and scorned at (and these were my friends), but I couldn't help that I couldn't fake interest in how badly our school's football team sucked (it was pretty bad).

Some of the stories were simply hilarious, some were moving and some took itself as seriously as a Jedi Master takes going to the dark side. As to be expected of a Compendium of Geekness, pop culture references abound. Subtle (Mr. Pointy for example), not so subtle (pretty much elvish or Klingon word uttered throughout) and the convention oriented (Jedis vs. Klingons vs. Stormtroopers vs. Peacekeepers vs. Cylons....with some Starfleet Cadets/Officers thrown in for good measure).

For anyone who has ever been to a major (or even small) convention you'll probably appreciate the humor behind Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci's story about cosplayers who take things to the extreme, gamers will definitely fall in line with Scott Westerfield's story and Tracy Lynn's story about a cheerleader trying to learn Geek is wonderful. It hits all the fandoms, all the stereotypes and then presents them differently without being insulting.

As I won a copy of the ARC edition, some of the art pages and at least one story was missing. Regardless I think that Geektastic is a great anthology with its own pitfalls, but for the casual Geeky young adult (or hell even an adult) its the perfect gift--either to show them that they aren't that alone in the world or hey you could always be that kid who wears his Jedi robes to school and tries to use the Force to get passing grades.(less)

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About Holly Black

Holly Black is a best-selling author of contemporary fantasy novels for kids, teens, and adults. She is the author of the Modern Faerie Tale series (Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside), The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), and The Good Neighbors graphic novels (with Ted Naifeh) The Poison Eaters and Other Stories, a collection of short fiction, and The Curse Worker series (White Cat, Red Gl...more

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Books by Holly Black

The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #1)

The Wrath of Mulgarath (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #5)

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“An unarticulated crush is very different from an unrequited one, because at least with an unrequited crush you know what the hell you're doing, even if the other person isn't doing it back. An unarticulated crush is harder to grapple with, because it's a crush that you haven't even admitted to yourself. The romantic forces are all there -- you want to see him, you always notice him, you treat every word from him as if it weighs more than anyone else's. But you don't know why. You don't know that you're doing it. You'd follow him to the end of the earth without ever admitting that your feet were moving.” — 250 people liked it

“I'm not a very happy person," I told him."But sometimes I can trick myself into thinking I am.” — 67 people liked it

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