A Fangirl's Guide To The Galaxy | Sam Maggs | Reviewed by Ria
*image via GoodReads
Ever wondered how you go about packing for a convention? Or which episode of Doctor Who to start with (do you go with Classic Who? Or NewWho?) Or how to deal with Internet trolls getting all misogynistic in your personal space? Never fear, this book is here!
A Fangirl's Guide To The Galaxy is a whirlwind guide to to fandom life. Whether you're a self-confessed nerd girl, or are just dipping your toe into your first episode of Sherlock (good-effing luck to you my friend), this book will help you through the journey of living - and LOVING - the geek lifestyle.
The book includes a breadth of resources including step-by-step chapters on topics such as conventions, cosplay and the fandoms themselves. As well as short interviews with women of the fandom, such as Beth Revis, Kate Beaton and Erin Morgenstern to help inspire you too.
So what's my verdict?
How do I preach the ways in which I loved this book? Because guys...I seriously love this book.
Fantastically detailed and incredibly up to date - there are mentions of the newest plans for the Marvel Movie Universe and references to Sherlock Season 3 - as I said in my intro 'Fangirl's Guide...' is your one stop shop to the geek-life.
Approaching a new fandom can be daunting, especially ones with a history spanning decades (like Marvel or DC Comics), hundreds of episodes (like Doctor Who or Supernatural), or they can just seem a bit intimidating to get into (Anime and Gaming). Which is why the ‘where to start’ guides on each fandom are great for those wading in for the first time and come with helpful pointers on which books/movies/episodes/comics/games to start with.
There's such a breadth of resources that I’ll keep coming to again and again, including websites, Youtube channels and blogs. Plus the book's own step by step guides are pretty slick. The Convention survival guide, in particular, is something I wish I had read before attending my first one back in 2013. The section itself includes a countdown on how you should prep, before, during and after conventions.
There's also some brilliantly written pieces on feminism, including a glossary of terms, popular feminist myths, and feminist critic. The book goes further into more issues than just ‘cis-gendered geek girls always get bullied by misogynistic geek guys’, covering additional topics about LGBTQ issues, healthy relationships (both platonic and romantic) and consent.
It's not all serious though - of course - there's some laugh out loud funny inside jokes and fandom references that put a smile on my face (and made me seriously snort on the bus) at many points.
What I love most about this book is that all the advice is offered out without that 'self-help-y' vibe you get from a lot of 'nerd' guides. There's no condescending tone or pandering to the masses by making fun of how weird being a geek is. If anything Maggs clearly celebrates how wonderful, inclusive and supportive fangirl culture can be.
Whether you're already well established within your chosen fandom or are just venturing into the wonderful world of geek-dom this is the perfect book for you.
For lovers of...anything and everything nerdy/geeky, but especially useful for those delving into fandom life for the first time.
So what's my verdict?
How do I preach the ways in which I loved this book? Because guys...I seriously love this book.
Fantastically detailed and incredibly up to date - there are mentions of the newest plans for the Marvel Movie Universe and references to Sherlock Season 3 - as I said in my intro 'Fangirl's Guide...' is your one stop shop to the geek-life.
Approaching a new fandom can be daunting, especially ones with a history spanning decades (like Marvel or DC Comics), hundreds of episodes (like Doctor Who or Supernatural), or they can just seem a bit intimidating to get into (Anime and Gaming). Which is why the ‘where to start’ guides on each fandom are great for those wading in for the first time and come with helpful pointers on which books/movies/episodes/comics/games to start with.
There's such a breadth of resources that I’ll keep coming to again and again, including websites, Youtube channels and blogs. Plus the book's own step by step guides are pretty slick. The Convention survival guide, in particular, is something I wish I had read before attending my first one back in 2013. The section itself includes a countdown on how you should prep, before, during and after conventions.
There's also some brilliantly written pieces on feminism, including a glossary of terms, popular feminist myths, and feminist critic. The book goes further into more issues than just ‘cis-gendered geek girls always get bullied by misogynistic geek guys’, covering additional topics about LGBTQ issues, healthy relationships (both platonic and romantic) and consent.
It's not all serious though - of course - there's some laugh out loud funny inside jokes and fandom references that put a smile on my face (and made me seriously snort on the bus) at many points.
What I love most about this book is that all the advice is offered out without that 'self-help-y' vibe you get from a lot of 'nerd' guides. There's no condescending tone or pandering to the masses by making fun of how weird being a geek is. If anything Maggs clearly celebrates how wonderful, inclusive and supportive fangirl culture can be.
Whether you're already well established within your chosen fandom or are just venturing into the wonderful world of geek-dom this is the perfect book for you.
*disclaimer review copy c/o NetGalley
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