[Books Nerds Like] A Test for Nerdiness
Jon Bard of The CBI Clubhouse twittered the link to a list of "10 Books (Or Book Series) That Nerds Love," and I wanted to share it with you. How many of the books on this list have you read?
10. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
)This series includes five books, each following the life of Arthur Dent as he meets an alien, Ford Prefect, whom is writing a guidebook. The two escape death and travel aboard Prefect’s semi-cousin to find the question to the ultimate answer.
Why nerds love it:
Aliens, humor, the destruction of Earth, and the ultimate answer. If these four things were written on a piece of toilet paper, no doubt it would be picked up by a nerd and stashed away for future reference.
9. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
)A future where firemen burn books and pleasure is the ultimate importance. The protagonist is a fireman who learns how to be a free thinker through a series of events. Crimes against both humanity and animals are consistent throughout the book. Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 was his way of critiquing the American society.
Why nerds love it:
Although society hasn’t jumped that far down the creek yet, many aspects ofFahrenheit 451 are seen today. Many books are banned in various countries and almost anything out of the ordinary is looked down upon. Know what is out of the ordinary? Nerds. We can easily relate to the books theme.
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
)This novel has become famous for its portrayal of a futuristic, totalitarian regime. Many terms and concepts created by Orwell’s 1984 have now entered popular culture, including “Big Brother”, “Newspeak”, and “Doublethink”.
Why nerds love it:
It’s the future man! That, and the fact that, sadly, many of the Orwellian societies features are being implemented today and/or have been talked about being implemented–particularly thought crimes, big brother, and the manipulation of language.
7. The Ender’s Game Series by Orson Scott Card
)Sure, the series isn’t just novels, but when it’s one of the most significant science fiction series of the 1980s, it just has to be mentioned. The first book revolves around Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, a child soldier when Mankind is facing annihilation from the Formics, an insect-like bug species. The series follows Ender’s life and struggles as he deals with his training, space travel, and other species.
Why nerds love it:
The Ender’s Game Series has been criticized for being morally unclean, some comparing Ender to Adolf Hitler. Although this does bring some curiosity to the table in relation to the character’s thinking, the relationships at the training school and with other species allows readers to relate to today’s society and problems.
6. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
)Even if you have never seen the movies, you must have an idea of what the books are about. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel series about a Dark Lord who created One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power and conquer Middle Earth. The series follows the lives of a group of Middle-earth humanoids who venture across the land to destroy the ring and end the War of the Ring.
Why nerds love it:
The books bring together many of the nerd popular humanoids (elves, dwarves, orcs, humans with wizard powers) and puts them in Middle-earth surrounded by war fought with swords, arrows, and magic. What isn’t there to love?
5. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
)This book is perhaps most famous for introducing the phrase ‘time machine’ into the English language to mean any vehicle which travels through time. But of course, this novella has much more to it than that. Wells’ The Time Machine was one of the first books to discuss a dying Earth.
Why nerds love it:
Not only does this book discuss the future, but it discusses the future of humans, their evolution, and a utopian society. The fact that this is all being experienced by a time traveler only adds to the nerdiness. Once you add in the cannibalism and crab-like human ancestors, you have one hell of a read.
4. Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
)This science fiction novel follows the life of Juan Rico, a military recruit, as his career progresses. The story takes place during an interstellar war between mankind and “the Bugs” and includes several social philosophical subjects.
Why nerds love it:
This book has the best of both worlds, a man’s journey from military recruit to officer with a political and philosophical ideas which make the reader think seriously about their own society. Starship Troopers has been criticized for being racist, fascist, and utopian, but this just adds to a nerds curiosity.
3. The Sprawl Trilogy by William Gibson
)The Sprawl Trilogy is made up of Neuromancer, Count Zero, and Mona Lisa Overdrive. The books are based in the near-future shortly after World War III in a world dominated by corporations. The main theme focuses on artificial intelligence and it becoming the sum of all human knowledge.
Why nerds love it:
The books have tons of action and futuristic details (like “jacking in” similar to the Matrix) while still being cutting-edge over 2 decades later. Any mention of black market organs, artificial intelligence, and space habitats in the same book, nonetheless series, is likely to get nerds drooling.
2. Enemy Mine by Barry Longyear
)In the late 21st century the humans are at war with a reptilian humanoid race, the dracs. After a human and drac pilot crashland on Fyrine IV the two eventually learn how to cooperate in order to survive the harsh environment.
Why nerds love it:
War, the future, and interspecies relations are just a few reasons why Longyear’s novella is loved by so many. But the interspecies relations which can be seen as a metaphor for struggles between our own human racial groups is why this novella has become so famous.
1. The Dune Chronicles by Frank Herbert
)The Dune Chronicles is a series of books about a desert planet, Arrakis, in a time some 20,000 years in the future. The human race is now scattered across many planetary systems with ongoing battles between aristocratic houses. Arrakis is home to a spice called melange which is used in both space travel and longevity. As the series moves on the planet and aristocratic rulers change, but one thing remains, the importance of Arrakis.
Why nerds love it:
Space travel, longevity, super humans, all in a time when aristocrats are at war for power. Herbert blends politics, finance, and religion into one of the finest science-fiction masterpieces. The first novel of the series, Dune, was the first recipient of the Nebula Award for best novel and remains the best-selling science fiction novel in history. Of course, that isn’t so much why nerds love it as it is how much nerds love it.
Personally, I've read everything but The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the Sprawl Trilogy, and Starship Troopers; I guess that definitely makes me at least partially nerdy. I'm excited about that, as the books/series here are some of the best written ever. I guess it's good to be a nerd.
How many have you read? How nerdy would you consider yourself?
If you haven't read any, start with the Dune Chronicles. One of my absolute favorite series!
Cheers!
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