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Not Your Kind of Nerd

There are many types of nerds out in the world, some of which are: the bookish ones, mathematical and scientific geniuses, and of course, the science-fiction/fantasy obsessed. Nerds can exist in one category, cross between categories, or exist in the in-between.

We are everywhere.


Now, please do me a favour, and do not look up the definition of "nerd" or "geek," as some definitions are not particularly kind. Instead, I ask that we stick to my loose definition above, because I happen to consider myself a nerd, and I don't think that I am socially inept. So the dictionary on my computer might need to broaden its horizons a little bit.

Moving past my imaginary battle with my dictionary, I will say that I consider myself to be a bookish and sci-fi/fantasy obsessed nerd, but I have recently learned that my obsession with science-fiction/fantasy novels does not mean that I love every book that is a member of the genre.

The Atrocity Archives

The title sounds promising, right?

The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross was the first book for my work bookclub, something I was very excited about because I love my coworkers, and I was thrilled that we were bonding over books. My first read through of Stross' novel was bolstered by my excitement, but my second read through revealed that I was not as interested in the book as I initially thought.

Bob Howard is an employee of the British Government, and his job is to help save the world from alien threats, but there are a surprising amount of bureaucratic policies that get in his way. This was what interested me about the book, as there are clearly a lot of British mannerisms throughout. The writing style bears resemblance to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which is not a bad thing, as I enjoyed Hitchhiker's. However, as the book progressed I found that it was a very science-y sci-fi book, and there were a few things I failed to understand. The characters would discuss these science-y things, clearly understanding each other, but often offering no explanation to the reader. 

The Classy Nerd

I am not trying to divide nerds into a class system, so hold tight while I explain. Just as there are many types of nerds, there are many types of science-fiction novels. The first science-fiction author I fell in love with was Ursula Le Guin, and we were introduced through the movie "Jane Austen Book Club."

In this movie, six Californians gather once a month to discuss Jane Austen novels; one of the members is Grigg, a sci-fi enthusiast who has never read Austen but has a crush on one of the other club members, Jocelyn. When he agrees to join the book club (in the hopes that sparks might fly between them), Grigg suggests Jocelyn read Ursula Le Guin, an author he claims will change her perception of what science-fiction is.



Because of this movie (and the book of the same name, by Karen Joy Fowler), I picked up The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin. The author of 22 novels, and dozens of short stories, essays, and children's books, Le Guin introduced me to my kind of science-fiction. Her stories are imaginative, touching, and accessible to those who are not as scientific or tech-savvy as others in their generation. If you are like me, the kind of nerd who is interested in less science-y sci-fi books, then I recommend you read the works of Ursula Le Guin (The Left Hand of Darkness and The Lathe of Heaven are good titles to start with).

Therefore, the "classy nerd" is not better than other nerds, but is merely another kind of nerd. The kind that prefers Jane Austen to the highly science-y books. 

Unfortunately, Charles Stross' book was just not for this nerd. It was enjoyable and entertaining, even funny at times, but I found that I was often lost in the science-y language and had to force myself to turn the page rather than eagerly turning the page. 2.5/5 stars from me. 

For my journey around the world, I am looking for suggestions from South American and African countries; if anyone has any recommendations, please comment or email me at theopinionatedbookworm@gmail.com. I appreciate all of you, thanks for reading <3

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