5 Genius Audiobooks for
Proudly Geeky Teens
by Tom Burns
Does your teenager self-identity as a “geek”? Geeks can love science, comics, movies, toys, video games, sci-fi, anime, podcasts … really almost ANYTHING is geek-worthy. If there’s something in the world that can inspire people’s passions, geeks will find it and embrace it. That’s what we do.
If you have a fanboy or fangirl at home who might love listening to something smart and cool, here are five awesome audiobooks that are definitely worth their enthusiastic attention.
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Dune
Dune is one of THE foundational works of modern science fiction and yet it can have a reputation for being dense and inaccessible. (The 1984 David Lynch movie didn’t help.) The audiobook of Dune almost resembles a radio play — complete with sound effects and a score — and it really brings the human element of Frank Herbert’s epic multi-generational space opera to the forefront. It’s the ideal way to digest this sometimes hard-to-digest classic.
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Redshirts
This ingenious novel is a must-read (or must-listen) for any teen who considers themselves a “Star Trek” fan. In Scalzi’s self-aware story, the crewmen of the Starship Intrepid — an obvious parallel to the USS Enterprise — begin to realize that their ship is constantly being thrown into ridiculous adventures and that their crew mortality rate (particularly amongst the red-shirted ensigns) is disturbingly high. This leads to a revelation that’s too fun to spoil here, but it is both hilarious and gloriously “meta.” (Having “Star Trek” star Wil Wheaton as the narrator only ups the “meta” fun.)
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The Legend of Drizzt: The Collected Stories
There are few things as unrepentantly geeky as the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. This anthology collects D&D stories from fan-favorite author R.A. Salvatore, but, truthfully, Salvatore’s compelling tales of dark elves and dragons aren’t the real draw here. The true appeal of this audiobook comes from its INSANE reading cast, a gleefully unlikely all-star team of geek-friendly celebrities like Felicia Day, Dan Harmon, Greg Grunberg, Tom Felton, Danny Pudi, Sean Astin, Melissa Rauch, Ice-T (no, really), Wil Wheaton, Weird Al Yankovic, Michael Chiklis, and David Duchovny.
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams’s widely acclaimed novel is one of the most influential works of both science fiction and British comedy, which means that it is equal parts absurdly clever and seriously funny. (Plus you simply can’t call yourself a true geek unless you know the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.) The audiobook is a great way to introduce your young geek to The Guide — it actually originated as a radio comedy — thanks in large part to its PERFECT narrator, English icon Stephen Fry.
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Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama
While not “technically” an audiobook, the NPR-produced radio play adaptations of the original “Star Wars” trilogy represent some of the most extraordinary (and extraordinarily geeky) works of audio entertainment ever recorded. Not only does Brian Daley’s text expand the scope of the original movies — you learn much more about what Leia and Luke were doing before the movies started — but it also replicates their ambitious scope. The plays utilize John Williams’s score, Lucasfilm sound FX, and many of the original cast members (like Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels). If your kid is excited about “The Force Awakens,” this is a fantastic way to tide them over until Christmas.
