The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy – Guest Book Review

Author: Sam Maggs

Published: May 12, 2015

Note: I received an early, uncorrected proof from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Per my review policy, if I can’t give a book 3 stars or more, I won’t feature the review on W.o.B. This is one of those rare occasions where everything fell into the right places, and I’m pleased to post it up here.

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BOOK BLURB: Fanfic, cosplay, cons, books, memes, podcasts, vlogs, OTPs and RPGs and MMOs, and more—it’s never been a better time to be a girl geek. The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy is the ultimate handbook for ladies living the nerdy life, a fun and feminist take on the often male-dominated world of geekdom. With delightful illustrations and an unabashed love for all the in(ternet)s and outs of geek culture, this book is packed with tips, playthroughs, and cheat codes for everything from starting an online fan community to planning a convention visit to supporting fellow female geeks in the wild.

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Geek culture is no longer the domain of guys. In fact, this book points out that geek demographics have begun to skew toward women, who now account for a serious portion of gamers, comic book enthusiasts, and viewers of the SyFy channel. The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy is a primer for newcomers to all the greatness that is geekery. Although oriented toward women, the book certainly would be informative to guys who are new to certain aspects of geekery, as well. There’s no man-hate (which I don’t tolerate), and all of the genres of fandom described in the book are well-loved by both men and women.

This is a quick, fun, and informative read. Author Sam Maggs addresses different genres of geekery, such as Star Trek (a personal favorite of mine), manga, and gaming. Something for every geek. There’s a quick and dirty guide of how to get started in each genre, if one is interested.

Musings of various high-profile geek girls are interspersed throughout the book. These interludes make a nice, empowering counterpoint that encourages individualism. I thought this was a nice way to tie the different parts of this book together. I particularly liked that each person interpreted the term “fangirl” differently. It further illustrates the fact that no one needs to be hemmed in by the expectations of others.

The most useful part of the book, in my opinion, is the guide to cons. Cons are like the holy grail of geekery. The author details various cons and how to prepare for them, including how to plan and what to pack. Essential reading for a first-time con-goer. Also useful for someone who has done a con before, but wants to do it better. Because planning is everything.

This book started off by amusing me in the dedication. “And to my dad who had me on his lap as a toddler to play Doom and Myst, which was questionable parenting at best but seems to have worked out pretty well.”

I also had some “Yeah!” moments here and there. So this geek girl was pleased with the Fangirl’s Guide. If you give it a read, let me know what you thought about it.

This guest post was contributed by the Women of Badassery. Be it informative or entertaining, these women mean business when it comes to book reviews, author interviews, and articles. And you can’t go wrong with that name.