Ready Player One (2011)

TOTALLY perfect for the geeky, the lover of pop culture, or the gamer. I spent most of yesterday evening cheering, laughing, and biting my nails.

There are a few awkward chunks of dialog where characters are really trying to explain a topic to the reader. For example, using "leet" and explaining the concept. Parzival and Art3mis both use it (therefore know it); but Cline insists on explaining it to the reader. ( )

If you were a geek in the 80's, my friend, this one's for you! :-) ( )

Yes, this book was basically written for me. I still *have* an embarrassingly large amount of Halliday's hardware, I played that *specific* version of Zork, I could go on but Flannery's "nostalgia porn" phrasing pretty much covers it.

It's no Snow Crash; it has about as much depth as Real Genius - but it was enormous fun for *me* and I'd recommend it to my old classmates, but maybe not much more broadly than that :-) ( )

Ready Player One was kindly provided to me by Netgalley for Crown.

Expected Publication Date: August 16th 2011

4.5 stars

When I first heard about this book, I was intrigued but I wasn’t running to read it because I don’t think I was expecting a whole lot out of this. Once I started reading it though, I realized how fascinating it was and how I certainly did not expect it to be as intricate as it was. Wow. Talk about world building.

The summary of the book to me sounded like a cross between the Tron concept (of people being able to insert themselves into video games) and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (where the purpose was to find the golden ticket and compete against the others to win the big prize). But the ‘quest’ in RPO was waaaaay better than Willy Wonka could ever dream of being.

The complexities of the virtual world named OASIS that Ernest Cline created in Ready Player One are astounding. It was so elaborate yet easily understandable and also completely believable. Set in the year 2044, OASIS has become a sanctuary for humans to escape to allowing them to be whoever and whatever they choose. Considering how destitute the real world is, many people spend almost their entire lives plugged into the OASIS.

The creator of OASIS, James Halliday, dedicated his life to his creation. When he dies, he leaves everything he owns including the mass worth he’s accumulated over his lifetime to the single individual who is able to solve the puzzles and acquire the ‘egg’. Sounds easy? A lot of people thought so and many proceeded to dedicate their lives to finding it. Years later no one has been able to decipher any of the clues James Halliday left behind. Wade is the first person to figure out the puzzle and obtain the first key and this is his story.

This sets off a wild chain of events that totally makes you strap on your gear and go on your own quest. I loved the characters and the relationship that they shared with one another. I loved how the author’s writing style had the ability to completely suck you in to the story and almost made you feel like you had your own avatar in the OASIS. I loved everything about this story.

This is highly recommended for video game lovers, lovers of anything 80’s, and anyone who’s looking for a highly enjoyable book!

Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog! ( )

I'm not really a fan of video games and I'm definitely not a fan of books with very overt narrative scaffolding like, for example, completing a series of game levels. So, with two strikes against it, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying this book. It was a quick, light and entertaining read. ( )