Luke Skywalker can't read : and other geeky truths
Record details
- ISBN: 0606378189
- ISBN: 9780606378185
- ISBN: 0147517575 (paperback)
- ISBN: 9780147517579 (paperback)
- ISBN: 9780147517579 (paperback)
- ISBN: 0147517575 (paperback)
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Physical Description:
xii, 208 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm
print - Publisher: New York, New York : Plume, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC, [2015]
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references. |
Formatted Contents Note: | Out of the sideshows -- The birds, the bees, and Barbarella -- I know it's only science fiction, but I like it -- Luke Skywalker can't read -- Wearing Dracula's pants -- The sounds of science fiction -- Baker Streets on infinite earths: Sherlock Holmes as the eternal sci-fi superhero -- All you McFlys: a Back to the future theory of everything -- Imagine there's no Frodo (I wonder if you can) -- Regeneration no. 9 -- No, Luke, Captain Kirk is your father -- Hipster robots will save us all -- Nobody gets mad about Hamlet remakes: rise of the relevant superheroes -- The fans awaken. |
Summary, etc.: | ""Ryan Britt is the Virgil you want to guide you through the inferno of geekery."--Lev Grossman, author of the bestselling Magician's trilogy Pop Culture and sci-fi guru Ryan Britt has never met a monster, alien, wizard, or superhero that didn't need further analysis. Essayist Ryan Britt got a sex education from dirty pictures of dinosaurs, made out with Jar-Jar Binks at midnight, and figured out how to kick depression with a Doctor Who Netflix-binge. Alternating between personal anecdote, hilarious insight, and smart analysis, Luke Skywalker Can't Read contends that Barbarella is good for you, that monster movies are just romantic comedies with commitment issues, that Dracula and Sherlock Holmes are total hipsters, and, most shockingly, shows how virtually everyone in the Star Wars universe is functionally illiterate. Romp through time and space, from the circus sideshows of 100 years ago to the Comic Cons of today, from darkest corners of the Galaxy to the comfort of your couch. For anyone who pretended their flashlight was a lightsaber, stood in line for a movie at midnight, or dreamed they were abducted by aliens, Luke Skywalker Can't Read is full of answers to questions you haven't thought to ask, and perfect for readers of Chuck Klosterman, Rob Sheffield, and Ernest Cline"-- |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Science fiction History and criticism Science fiction films History and criticism Popular culture Science fiction films History and criticism Popular culture |
Genre: | Science fiction. |
Available copies
- 2 of 2 copies available at Bibliomation.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 2 total copies.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Killingworth Library Association | 814.54 BRI (Text) | 33420145081171 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Putnam Public Library | 809.3 BRI (Text) | 33610133635208 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
BookList Review
Luke Skywalker Can't Read : And Other Geeky Truths
Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Although this sounds like a Star Wars tie-in (it's published in November, just before the new Star Wars movie opens), it really isn't. Instead, it's a collection of essays on a variety of themes, united by a central and self-confessed geeky point of view. The title essay is a clever look at how some science-fiction universes seem to exclude books and reading material in general; in the Star Wars movies, for example, no one ever seems to pick up a book or a newspaper in any form. There are also essays about the guilty pleasures of the movie Barbarella and the legacy of Bela Lugosi; appreciations of the Back to the Future movies and the music of John Williams; a comparison of Isaac Asimov's classic book I, Robot, and the movie that shares its title but virtually nothing else; and, of course, an exploration of what it means, in real terms, to be a geek. This joyful, frequently thought-provoking look at geekdom should appeal to fans of SF/fantasy/horror in particular and to fellow geeks in general.--Pitt, David Copyright 2015 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Luke Skywalker Can't Read : And Other Geeky Truths
Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
If there's such a thing as nonfiction beach reading this is it. These meditations on geek culture are eminently readable and relatable, eschewing the immersion in details of the secondary world that can make geek debates compelling or infuriating in favor of considering how pop culture touchstones both reflect and shape our own selves and our society, from Star Wars and what it means to have a culture apparently without its own literature to robots representing hipsters' passion for vintage experiences. Occasional autobiographical asides may not intrigue some readers and disconcert others, but they ground the essays firmly into the personal and avoid sweeping pronouncements. Journalist Britt also doesn't shy away from the sometimes problematic politics inherent in fan favorites. Essays stand well on their own, making this a solid choice for reading a chapter at a time. VERDICT Likely to circulate well in libraries with strong patron interest in sf.-Meredith Schwartz, Library Journal © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.