Top 5 get-your-geek on

Ok, I’ll admit it – I’m a Doctor Who / Torchwood / Star Trek / Star Wars pseudo-geek. I know enough to sprinkle references and quotes into pretty-much-every conversation, but I can’t do it word-for-word. [My ex’s PIN is a line from Star Wars: A New Hope. Yes, I still know it. No, he hasn’t changed it.] Some of us at work refer to ‘Worf Days’: from the times Worf said 'maybe today is a good day to die' (from a Klingon phrase Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam). When you know it’s all going to be full on, like an invasion or an attack – and you just go into the day full steam ahead and take on whatever comes.

The preponderance of Doctor Who related titles makes me fully aware of where my geekdom loyalty lies.   Honourable mentions:

The science of Doctor Who by Paul Parsons

Star Wars: where science meets imagination / introduction by Anthony Daniels

U.S.S. Enterprise NX-01, NCC-1701, NCC-1701-A to NCC-1701-E: owners' workshop manual by Ben Robinson and Marcus Riley

The U.S.S. Enterprise is without a doubt the most famous starship in history. The vessels that have carried the name have saved the galaxy countless times and her captains, including Archer, Kirk, and Picard, have been legendary. This Haynes Manual provides in-depth information about these extraordinary ships, from the Enterprise NX-01, to Captain Kirk's Enterprise NCC-1701 and Captain Picard's Enterprise NCC-1701-D including histories of each vessel, technical information about their systems, and discussions of key technologies such as transporters and warp-speed travel. Find out exactly what powered these ships, how they were armed and what it took to operate them... --P. [4] of cover.

This book so totally rocks. I have seen it stop guys in their tracks. The unlikeliest guys. Non-readers. Arty-types. Every single one has stolen it from my desk / table. So, what does that say about it? Get it out! Enjoy the fun / slight sadness that a book like this brings – how sad are we that it exists. A real-life workshop manual on imaginary spaceships.

Chicks dig Time Lords: a celebration of Doctor Who by the women who love it edited Lynne M. Thomas, Tara O'Shea
A host of award-winning female novelists, academics and actresses come together to celebrate the phenomenon that is Doctor Who, discuss their rather inventive involvement with the show's fandom, and examine why they adore this series so much.

This is at one and the same time, one of the most reassuring books I’ve ever read, and one of the most confusing. Reassuring, because I’m no where near the league of fangirl squee of the contributors. And confusing, because I’m not that much of a fan and don’t understand many of the references.  

Star Wars vs. Star Trek could the Empire kick the Federation's ass? : and other galaxy-shaking enigmas by Matt Forbeck
Who rules? Captain Kirk or Han Solo? Could a Jedi knight use his light saber to deflect a beam from a phaser? Could a Cardassian beat a Chazrach in a fair fight? Would a Federation ship making the Kessel Run crack the Millennium Falcon's record of less than twelve parsecs? And most important...in a fight between the Empire and the Federation, who would win? Ever since the first Trekkie walked out of Star Wars in 1977 and said, 'Meh!', fans of the two series have gone head to head over these questions. Now you can line up--side by side--aliens, technology, story points, weaponry, and heroes from the two great SF sagas of all time...  

The summary asks: Who rules? Captain Kirk or Han Solo? From my corner – no contest. Han Solo! Would a Federation ship making the Kessel Run crack the Millennium Falcon's record of less than twelve parsecs? The Falcon. She’s a game ol’bird. And that’s where my loyalties lay. In a fight between the Empire and the Federation, who would win? Ummm…. I’m going Empire. Then the Rebel Alliance will join with the Maquis, and they will sweep in, and run the whole lot.

The Tardis handbook by Steve Tribe

As the Eleventh Doctor and Amy embark on all-new adventures in time and space, The Tardis Handbook gives you the inside scoop on 900 years of travel aboard the Doctor’s famous time machine. Everything you need to know about the Tardis is here – where it came from, where it’s been, how it works, and how it has changed since we first encountered it in a London junkyard in 1963. Including photos, design drawings, floor plans and instruction manuals from different eras of the series, this handbook explores the ship’s endless interior, looking inside its wardrobe and bedrooms, its power rooms and sick bay, its corridors and cloisters, and revealing just how the show’s production teams have created the dimensionally transcendental police box, inside and out. The Tardis Handbook is the essential guide to the best ship in the universe. 

Quite fun and cute. For those of us who have seen ‘The Doctor’s Wife’ (fourth episode in the sixth season of the new Doctor) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doctor%27s_Wife_(Doctor_Who)] will read this with a slightly different perspective than those who haven’t. PS the TARDIS is definitely the best spaceship, ever. Hello. Time AND space.  

Star Trek, I'm working on that: a trek from science fiction to science fact by William Shatner with Chip Walter

In this title, William Shatner - Captain Kirk himself - explores how the imagination of Star Trek is reflected in the cutting-edge science of the early 21st century. The book includes interviews with dozens of scientists who inform readers about the inventions that will revolutionize lives.

An fun and educational introduction to cutting edge science fact – all of which were factors in the fictional Star Trek universe.

- Annie, Central City Library