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Bad geek Dec 05

Via Thinking Aloud, theguardian’s best geek novels since 1932. I won’t be highlighting those I’ve read because that would be, um, one.

11 Responses

  1. 1
    Sarah Thomas 

    Woo, I’ve read 5 of them (1,2,3,9,10, predictably). Adam keeps hassling me to read Cryptonomicon, which probably means I’ll *never* read it.

  2. 2
    James Graham 

    I’ve read The HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, The Colour of Magic and Watchmen. I read most of Dune before getting bored and the first couple of chapters The Man in the High Castle, American Gods and The Illuminatus! Trilogy. Of those unfinished books, American Gods was by far the most pointless waste of my life.

  3. I’ve read 14! (The HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Neuromancer, I, Robot, Foundation, The Colour of Magic, Microserfs, Snow Crash, Watchmen, Cryptonomicon, The Man in the High Castle, The Diamond Age).

    Surprised not to see Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle (which I loved) and amazed Michael Moorcock didn’t make the cut (I particularly loved Gloriana and the Warhound and the World’s Pain – although I’d guess the Eternal Champion stuff would be more likely to feature on a top 20 list).

    I wonder what proportion of geeks have a subscription to 2000AD?

    I guess I should read the remaining six books on the list now. 🙂

  4. 4
    James Graham 

    I wonder what proportion of geeks have a subscription to 2000AD?

    I don’t have a subscription but I haven’t missed an issue in 19 years.

    As for Moorcock, I would have thought that Jerry Cornelius would be more worthy of geekdom.

  5. Not sure what it means if you’ve read precisely half of the list but there you have it.

    The HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Brave New World, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Dune, I, Robot, Foundation, The Colour of Magic, Consider Phlebas, The Man in the High Castle

  6. As for Moorcock, I would have thought that Jerry Cornelius would be more worthy of geekdom.

    Doesn’t that count as proper literature? 🙂

  7. 7
    Neil 

    I have read three and a half of these.

    I therefore bow down to Lib Dem uber-geek Martin Tod;-)

    (Although I have also read every Doctor Who novelisations, new adventure, past doctor adventure going – over 400 in all – which is pretty damn geeky in my book!)

  8. 8
    Will 

    I’ve read a fair chunk of the novelisations and New Adventures, but I’m still yet to read a BBC PDA and I stopped after three EDAs. There’s still even existing TV episodes I haven’t seen…

  9. 9
    Alan 

    I’ve hit 15.

    1,2,5,6,7,9,10,11,12,13,14,17,18,19,20

    I should get out more.

  10. 10
    James Bee 

    I’ve read 7, which I consider a goodly enough amount, I also have 2 more sitting on my bookshelf waiting there turn to be read.

    I do wonder why the 1932 cut-off date is in place though, after all surely no self-repecting geek has never read something by Jules Verne, or as Will alludes to in his new banner, HG Wells?

  11. I’ve read 9.

    I think my geek tendencies first showed themselevs when I read TV21

    Anyone else remember that comic?