Transfer Orbit's 2024 holiday gift guide

A whole bunch of items for the nerdy person in your life (Or for yourself)

Image: Andrew Liptak

Are you ready for the annual onslaught of holiday spending ahead of the end of the year? As I've done the last four years, I've put together a gift guide for Transfer Orbit readers: a roundup of items that go a bit above and beyond the usual books that I throw your way, and neat things for your home or office that you or your nerdy friends and family members might like and enjoy this holiday season.

As the shopping rush arrives, check with each retailer, as there might be some Black Friday or holiday sales coming up that you might be able to score some discounts on. As usual, any purchases made through Bookshop might result in a commission to Transfer Orbit. (Most aren't affiliates though.)

Items from recent years also make great gifts! Here are the lists from 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. You can also check out the Book List tag to find other books that caught my eye over the course of the year. You can also find more specific recommendations under the Reviews tag.

Here's what I'd recommend this year:

Reads

Folio Society's Player of Games by Iain M. Banks, $130

I really enjoyed Iain M. Banks' Culture novel Consider Phlebas when I re-read it last year, and it's had me wanting to return to the series. The next installment is Player of Games, which I've had more than one person tell me they enjoyed more than its predecessor, and I'm looking forward to digging into it.

The Folio Society released its edition of the book earlier this year, and like the first, it's a really nice volume: I love the artwork and feel of this edition.

Folio Society's Weird Tales, $75

For the horror fan in your life: The Folio Society produced a neat edition of weird / horror stories, selected by critic Michael Dirda. I found this to be a really intriguing collection of classics, which includes authors such as Algernon Blackwood, M.R. James, Shirley Jackson, H.P. Lovecraft, Arthur Machen, and quite a few more. Each story comes with a neat illustration from artist Harry Campbell.

The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin, $180

Earlier this year, Orbit announced a new lineup of special editions of some of its classic books. One of the first books out of the gate is a fancy edition of N.K. Jemisin's outstanding Broken Earth trilogy (The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, and The Stone Sky), which comes in a nice boxed set with new covers, silver edges, ribbons, and come signed.

The Art and Soul of Dune: Part Two by Tanya Lapointe and Stefanie Broos, $60

One of the books I enjoyed reading last year was a behind-the-scenes companion to Denis Villeneuve's Dune: The Art and Soul of Dune: Part One. As Dune: Part 2 has since been released, it's been accompanied by another excellent behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. It comes with plenty of great photographs and details about the film's production. It makes for a great book for the coffee table to page through for the devoted Dune or movie fan.

Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire by Chris Kempshall, $30

One of my favorite reads of 2024 has been Chris Kempshall's engrossing, in-universe history of the Star Wars franchise, which takes a historian's perspective to put all of the books, comics, films, games, and television shows into a cohesive story of the formation, rule, and fall of the Galactic Empire. It's a gripping narrative that tells not only how the galactic Civil War occurred, but why the Empire quickly crumbled. It's something a little different from the flood of tie-in novels.

The Force of Creativity by LEGO, $150

I distinctly remember when Lego announced it was producing Star Wars kits for the first time, 25 years ago, and I equally remember the day that I got and built the ones that I ordered. Lego has produced a new book that looks at that 25 year journey, looking at the behind-the-scenes process to create the toys and stay true to the look and feel of the franchise's characters, vehicles, and worlds.

The History of Middle-earth series by Christopher Tolkien and J.R.R. Tolkien (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four) $100-$125

HarperCollins has been steadily releasing new editions of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth stories in a nice hardcover format for nearly ten years now, and as part of that program, it released new editions of Christopher Tolkien's History of Middle-earth series (in four boxed sets), which covers the conception, development and writing of this epic world. I particularly like this first boxed set in the series: it contains a great edition of The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and both volumes of The Book of Lost Tales.

Folio Society’s Children of Dune by Frank Herbert, $110

The Folio Society kicked off its run of science fiction and fantasy releases years ago with a nice edition of Frank Herbert's Dune, and last year, it followed up on that with a fine edition of Dune: Messiah. This year, the publisher has continued with a new edition of Children of Dune, bringing the entire first trilogy of stories together into a handsome set of editions. This volume comes with some great artwork from Hilary Clarq, and it looks great on my shelf.

Watch / Listen

Star Wars: Andor Blu Ray, $60

My favorite entry in the Star Wars franchise of recent years has been the streaming series Andor. I've rewatched it a handful of times, and every time, I come away with some new thoughts and appreciation for this grim, serious take on the franchise. I was thrilled to see that Lucasfilm has begun releasing physical editions of its streaming shows, and this was an instabuy for me. This steel book edition comes with a bunch of special features as well.

Tickets, Twenty-Sided Tavern, $40-$70

This is a little more geographically-limited to folks near New York City (or who're willing to travel to the city), but if you're interested in Dungeons & Dragons and the theater (or know someone who is), Twenty-Sided Tavern would make for an outstanding night out. It's a licensed D&D production, and you follow along as a party goes off on an adventure. The coolest part? You in the audience can help influence where they go and how successful they are at it. My wife and I attended a performance earlier this year and it was an incredibly fun time.

Time Is The Playground, $10-$40

I just wrote about this album earlier this week, and I've had it on my mind for a while. If you're looking for a new album to add to your digital or vinyl collection, or if you have someone in your life who likes Alternative/Rock music, this would be one that I'd recommend.

Play

LEGO Space Astronaut, $55

I've long been a fan of Lego sets, and while I've bought my fair share of sets for my kids, I'm always on the hunt for some neat ones for my office. (There's a whole article or business study to be written about how Lego has really embraced the adult collector's market.)

I love this astronaut set: it's one of three sets you can construct here, but this one is just perfect: an astronaut floating through space. I love the detail on this one, and I'm enjoying having it perched on the desk in my home office.

LEGO Dune: Atreides Royal Ornithopter, $165

When I first read Frank Herbert's Dune way back in high school, I never had an inkling that someday, Lego might make a detailed set of the Ornithopter that House Atreides flies over the sands of Arrakis on. But here we are: this is a really cool, detailed set from the company's Icons line, and should make for an excellent display piece for the Dune and/or Lego fan in your life.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, $60

In 2019, Nintendo released an updated version of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening for the Switch. The game was one of the first ones I ever played, and I was thrilled to see it come to the console with some updated graphics: it brough back plenty of memories.

Nintendo released a new entry in the series, this time featuring Zelda as the game's protagonist for the first time. It matches the same look as the updated Link's Awakening, and while I haven't gotten too far into it, I've really enjoyed the story and gameplay of this one.

Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, $50

Somehow, I missed including another Legends of Zelda game in last year's gift guide: Tears of the Kingdom. The sequel to the critically acclaimed Breath of the Wild, this game expands the world even further, giving you a vast underworld and sky islands to explore. While Breath of the Wild remains a vivid and striking world that I continually return to, Tears of the Kingdom is just as much fun: there are new abilities, enemies, and places to climb up, swim around, fly, and build. I've been enjoying the journey in this one.

Lifestyle

Maya Script Hand Carved 15 oz Ceramic Mug, Cognitive Surplus, $20

Last year, I recommended the Cuneiform Mug from Cognitive Surplus, which I'm still using. It's a handsome black mug with etchings of Cuneiforms from ancient Mesopotamia. I ended up getting the Hieroglyphics mug for my wife, and since then, the company has released a couple of other excellent-looking ones: one featuring Mayan script, taken from an inscription over a doorway in Yaxchilán, and depicts "a ritual of protection to keep the building and its occupants safe."

They also have ones of Norse runes, cave paintings and oracle bone scripts that are also quite snazzy.

Vario 1918 Trench Watch, $390

I featured a watch from AVI-8 last year, and that was my near-daily thing to wear until it had an unfortunate trip through a washing machine. (I'm waiting for it to come back from the shop.) I did finally save up to add a long-coveted watch to my collection this year: a watch inspired by the trench watches from World War I made by Vario. I love this watch: it's sturdy and practical, with fantastic lettering and comes with a great strap. I wear it constantly, and I've had a lot of people comment on it when I do so. It's a great accessory.

Cosplay: A History by Andrew Liptak, $25

I'd be remiss if I didn't toss my own book onto the pile. This came out in 2022, and I'm still very proud of how this book turned out. Saga did a wonderful job with the design, and I've really enjoyed using it as an excuse to talk about the field of cosplay and where it came from.

This book makes for a great gift: I envisioned this as a book that would appeal not just to dedicated cosplayers, but also to folks who like pop culture and science fiction history. It should make for a good gift to that nerdy person in your life,.

It's available through all major retailers, but I also have a stack of copies! If you'd like a personalized copy, contact me directly! (I'm going to limit this to US shipping only: I don't have the bandwidth to process international orders at this time.)

War Stories: New Military Science Fiction edited by Andrew Liptak and Jaym Gates, $19

Cosplay: A History wasn't my first book. That honor goes to a project that Jaym Gates and I cooked up, an anthology of modern military science fiction stories: War Stories: New Military Science Fiction. It includes stories by authors like Ken Liu, Karin Lowachee, Linda Nagata, Maruice Broaddus, Joe Haldeman and more.

I'm very proud of this little book: there are some incredible stories in here, and I think they hold up nicely, even as the battle lines around the world have changed since it first came out. I don't have copies of this on hand, I'm afraid, but it's also available from major retailers.

Transfer Orbit subscription, $40/year

Know someone who likes science fiction and fantasy and who wants to keep up to date on the state of the genres? Consider gifting them a membership to TO. Not only would you help support this publication, but you'll give them access to a small community of like-minded fans and readers.