Books for Geeks

The following is a list of fun books to please your inner computer and science geek. I've read them and can vouch for the geekyness.

Saturn Run by John Standford and Ctein (2015)

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (2003) - Considered one of the best cyberpunk novels.

Armada by Ernest Cline (2015) - The second book is not as strong as the first by Cline but this tale tells us what happens when you favorite MMORP space video game becomes reality.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (@erniecline) (2012)
For those of us that have long quit MMORPGs we have a chance to relive our old addiction with this novel. This one was a quick and fun read about a teenager trying to save an online world. Get ready for '80s video game, movie and television pop culture references. The movie rights have already been acquiredå.

The Martian by Andy Weir (2014)
An astronaut stranded on Mars struggles to stay alive while NASA considers rescue options back home. This one is a quick read and reads like a movie script. It is no surprise that Ridley Scott and Matt Damon are rumored to be involved. The story gets pretty detailed with the chemistry and engineering required for life on Mars.

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (2002)
Reads like an Indiana Jones adventure if Dr. Jones was a keyboard jockey. An older book but very relevant today due to the themes of digital security and digital currency. Check out some online reading aids.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel by Robin Sloan (2012)
A geeky and lighter version of The Da Vinci Code and is an ode to books, technology, Google and the mysterious.

You by Austin Grossman (2013)
An inside peak at the video game industry as a tester faces off with an increasingly suspicious glitch in their fantasy MMORPG. Experience life at a video game studio durring crunch time but without the excessive mountain dew and red bulls.

Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner (2004)
An insider's view of the companies and developer's who create Doom, Quake and numerous others. Focused mainly on John Carmack and John Romero. The two main forces behind the company called id Software. This is great if you have ever wonder what it would of been like to work in the early rockstar years of video game development. Lots of dirt on company politics and creative differences. View an interactive timeline for the period described in the book. View an 18 min interview with John Carmack. Bonus: See the source code for Command Keen on github.

Additional Book Lists