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 On 03/24/2017 at 09:05 PM by KnightDriver See More From This User » |
Armada, by Ernest Cline, is about Zack Lightman (that name's words are almost Luke Skywalker) who plays the MMO space shooter Armada. Zack's father dies suddenly so he becomes obsessed with his dad's interests in 70s and 80s gaming and pop culture. Eventually, as a teenager, he finds his dad's journal outlining a conspiracy and from there the plot thickens.
Just like Cline's previous novel, Ready Player One, Armada is so chock full of nerdy pop culture references it made me blush and feel ashamed to recognize it all. He even used two nerdy curses in one sentence, one from Firefly and one from Battlestar Galactica (the 70s one); I think it was, "frakin' gorram", or something like that. And who else knows Conan's prayer to Crom but Mark and I, who repeat it regularly? This book goes deep into nerdy pop culture references.
I enjoyed the story, sort of Ender's Game meets 2001: A Space Odyssey, and all the nerdy game, film, and music references. I just found it a little bit unbelievable that Zack, a millennial, and his circle of friends would all be into the same 70s and 80s ephemera. I mean, as an 80s kid, I always looked back to the 70s but millenials looking back twenty or thirty years? Seems incredible to me. Also, the adults in this story are also insufferable king kong, godzilla nerds. I mean, I'm nerdy but these characters are up over the fence nerdy. I felt embarrassed for them and for myself reading it. Is "nerd porn" a term? I think this book might define it.
Aside from my disbelief that anyone can outnerd me, I think the story is well written and presents an interesting story that's tailor made for a film script conversion.
Never underestimate the nostalgia a millenial can feel for a time in which they hadn't been born yet.
The adults on the other hand I find unbelievable as well.
I brought up an article re: generational use of Internet and mobile phones on NYT to my class a while ago, and many Generation X folks were unsurprised they were found to be more buried in their phones than the previous generation, since especially younger millennials have always had this tech and don't find it near as fascinating.
I kind of realize that the internet makes anyone a possible fan of any time in history. I saw a teenager with a Pink Floyd t-shirt and another with a King Crimson one. I was shocked, and pleased.
That's interesting, but when I was at my job, the amount of phone time seemed to decline with age: teenagers used it constantly, Gen Xers a little less (but not much less), and Baby Boomers little or not at all. Of course, that's just a survey of maybe thirty people.
Well, t-shirts could just mean they like the design. Lots of misfits skull tees out there worn by kids who never heard of them
Well this study was about leisure time, so work mileage may vary. It was based on phone data , not just self report, so more reliable too boot.
That's why I didn't ask any of them about the music. I was afraid of that.
When I saw Firefly dialogue, I was waiting to see how you'd spell out something in Chinese. I've only seen Conan a handful of times, but I was always partial to the Red Sonia flick where Arnold shows up as a Conan like guy.
The book sounds interesting especially with all the pop culture references. Hell I'm still shocked that the 80s were thirty years ago. I grew up during that time and I don't think its that long ago...maybe I refuse to believe it was that long ago.
I saw that Red Sonja flick too. It's good to watch along side the Conan movies.
Lately, thinking about the 80s makes me feel very stupid. I was there when computers were becoming a thing and I turned away from it. I'm literally nowhere right now.
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