The Great Geek Manual

Audio Fiction and Podcasts

• Listen to “Dreams of the White City” by Jay Lake at Transmissions From Beyond.
• Listen to “Farewell Performance” by Nick Mamatas.
• Listen to “Fluff and Buttons on the Teddy Bear Range” by Matthew Sanborn Smith at Cossmass Productions.
• Listen to “Restless In My Hand” by Tim Pratt and “When Shakko Did Not Lie” by Eugie Foster at PodCastle

Novels and Preview Chapters

• Read Part 76, Part 77, and Part 78 of Cory Doctorow’s Makers.
• Read the first chapter of John Scalzi’s The God Engines.

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Book: Under the Dome
ISBN-13: 978-1439148501

Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Science Fiction/Horror
Release: November 10, 2009
Length: 1,088 pages (Hardcover)

Rating: B+ (90%)

Verdict

At first glance, Under the Dome is intimidatingly long. However, unlike earlier King’s doorstops, this story holds your attention from beginning to end, leaving you with the sensation of having just seen an excellent movie.

It’s a must for King fans, and a great introduction to King for readers who are typically of a more literary bent.

Pros: Deeply engrossing. Enormous cast of highly believable characters. fast-paced. Most literary King novel yet.

Cons: Somewhat heavy-handed on the social commentary. Abrupt ending. Extremely long… (even if it doesn’t feel that way.)

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Audio Fiction and Podcasts

• Listen to Ringworld by Larry Niven at Audible.com.
• Listen to In Order to Conserve by Cat Rambo at PodCastle.
• Listen to “To Go Boldly” by Cory Doctorow at the New Space Opera Anthology.

More Links

• Inkmesh ebook search engine will search across these sites to find free books and compare prices on titles that aren’t free.
• Read over 600 popular magazines online for free at Maggwire.

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Book: Heat Wave
ISBN-13: 978-1401323820

Author: “Richard Castle”
Series: Nikki Heat series
Publisher: Hyperion
Genre: Mystery
Release: September 2009
Length: 208 pages (Hardcover)

Rating: D+

Verdict

Sadly, what might have been a golden opportunity to add some depth to a funny but often overly simplistic mystery series (Castle) has turned out to be little more than a cheap marketing gimmick. Hardcore fans of the series will enjoy a few chuckles from this book, but anybody expecting any real mystery is going to be sorely disappointed.

Pros: It will evoke a few chuckles from fans of the TV series.

Cons: Short, shallow, and seriously simple plotline. Poor dialog. No real twists.

Synopsis

In Brief: The fictional title character of ABC’s hit television series Castle kicks off his new series of books featuring tough and sexy New York police detective Nikki Heat.
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Book: The Gathering Storm
ISBN-13: 978-0765302304

Author: Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan
Series: Book 12 of The Wheel of Time
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Release: October 27, 2009
Length: 784 pages (Hardcover)

Rating: A+

Verdict

After years of waiting and worrying, fans will be relieved to discover that they will not be cheated out of a fitting end to the greatest fantasy epic of our generation. Sanderson has risen to the challenge of filling Robert Jordan’s shoes and produced one of the best books yet released in the Wheel of Times series.

Pros: Quicker pacing. Serious progress towards an ultimate conclusion. Manages to give most major characters face time. Some satisfying justice is finally doled out.

Cons: The mindf*** of wondering whether or not what you’re reading is as good as it would have been if Jordan had finished it himself. The almost painful desire to read the next book once you’ve finished this one.

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Audio Fiction and Podcasts

• Listen to “Child Of An Ancient City” by Tad Williams at StarShip Sofa.
• Listen to “The Death of Blessed Terence Albert O’Brien” by C.P. Meehan.
• Listen to “Incubus” by Tim Pratt at PodCastle.
• Listen to “Infestation” by Garth Nix at Escape Pod.
• Listen to “The Man who Carved Skulls” by Richard Parks at PodCastle.
• Listen to “Something There Is” by Joe Nazare at Pseudopod.

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Read the flash fiction “Seven-Year Itch” by Joshua M. Reynolds at 52 Stitches.
• Six-Word Tales is an awesome blog featuring Illustrated Six Word Stories.

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Audio Fiction and Podcasts

• Listen to “Carnival Park” by Greg Van Eekhout at Starship Sofa.
• Listen to “Come All Ye Faithful” by Robert J. Sawyer at Podcastle.
• Listen to “The Firemen’s Fairy” by Sandra McDonald at Podcastle.
• Listen to “Halloween In July” by Kevin Anderson at Dunesteef.
• Listen to “Images of Anna” by Nancy Kress at Fantasy Magazine.
• Listen to “Little Ambushes” by Joanne Merriam at Escape Pod.
• Listen to “Sleepy Joe” by Marc Laidlaw at Escape Pod.

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Read “The Automatonist’s Assistant” by Luc Reid at Daily Cabal.
• Read “The Creek Didn’t Rise” by Melanie Brown at Powder Burn Flash.
• Read “Deus Ex Machina” by Graeme Reynolds at Flashes in the Dark.
• Read “Getting Rid of the Monsters” by Nancy Jane Moore at BookView Cafe.
• Read the flash fiction “My Girlfriend Leaves the Atmosphere” by Angi Becker Stevens at SmokeLong Quarterly.

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