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Armada: A Novel by Ernest Cline
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Armada: A Novel (edition 2015)

by Ernest Cline (Author)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3,3322413,882 (3.24)115
"THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF READY PLAYER ONE It's just another day of high school for Zack Lightman. He's daydreaming through another boring math class, with just one more month to go until graduation and freedom--if he can make it that long without getting suspended again. Then he glances out his classroom window and spots the flying saucer. At first, Zack thinks he's going crazy. A minute later, he's sure of it. Because the UFO he's staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada--in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders. But what Zack's seeing is all too real. And his skills--as well as those of millions of gamers across the world--are going to be needed to save the earth from what's about to befall it. Yet even as he and his new comrades scramble to prepare for the alien onslaught, Zack can't help thinking of all the science-fiction books, TV shows, and movies he grew up reading and watching, and wonder: Doesn't something about this scenario seem a little too... familiar? Armada is at once a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming of age adventure, and an alien-invasion tale like nothing you've ever read before--one whose every page is infused with author Ernest Cline's trademark pop-culture savvy"--… (more)
Member:weejane
Title:Armada: A Novel
Authors:Ernest Cline (Author)
Info:Crown (2015), Edition: 1st, 368 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:None

Work Information

Armada by Ernest Cline

  1. 50
    Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (brakketh)
    brakketh: Both books focus on 1980s culture, similar narrative ark for isolated teen to hero.
  2. 40
    Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (Mind_Booster_Noori)
  3. 00
    Tin Men by Christopher Golden (Scottneumann)
  4. 00
    Constellation Games by Leonard Richardson (psybre)
    psybre: Highly recommended for readers who love video games and science fiction and geek. No military/space wars in the plot, but an entertaining and unique one instead.
  5. 00
    The Roar by Emma Clayton (Cecrow)
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» See also 115 mentions

English (236)  Swedish (1)  French (1)  Italian (1)  Spanish (1)  All languages (240)
Showing 1-5 of 236 (next | show all)
This book is fun and silly and completely predictable. Like Ready Player One its full of 80s references. If that is OK with you, please read. If that's going to bug you, steer clear.

I totally enjoyed it but got a little bored with the endless action scenes even though they were important to the plot. I'd rather have had the timeline expanded a bit with more character development/story than pure action but I understand why it was the way it was.





( )
  hmonkeyreads | Jan 25, 2024 |
I hate everything this book chose to be. Maybe I'll right more later, but it must be said this book is one of the worst things I've read in quite awhile! ( )
  sweetimpact | Jan 18, 2024 |
Story: 5 / 10
Characters: 7
Setting: 7
Prose: 6

Cline asks two questions with this book:
1. Can you retell another, famous story and make it worthwhile?
2. Why are popular culture book and movie references taboo in storytelling?

Though I enjoyed the book, my answers are very encouraging:
1. I always thought you could effectively "remix" a book by changing the story in fundamental ways. In fact, I was eager to have a few authors all explore variations of the same book at the same time, creating 3 or more separate, standalone works. However, while I enjoyed "ARMADA", everything previously covered in Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" was effectively boring: I'd certainly heard it all before. I'm not convinced.

2. Could I have enjoyed the book more if it didn't explicitly say it was a remix of Ender's Game? Most likely. When another story, like Star Trek, is mentioned, the world of the book (diegesis) is suddenly interrupted and possibly merged with a very different fictional setting. It is unnecessarily distracting and I believe strongly that it is taboo. Nevertheless, if Cline didn't mention Ender in Armada, that could be considered a more serious crime (stealing). ( )
  MXMLLN | Jan 12, 2024 |
Fairly predictable plot, but I don't actually mind that. Filled with references to things I love, which had me smiling even at tense moments in the book. I didn't really feel like I got to know the main character as well as in Ready Player One, and the setup didn't feel quite as fleshed out, either. Overall I enjoyed it, but didn't have the same can't-put-it-down reaction that I had to Ready Player One. ( )
  stardustwisdom | Dec 31, 2023 |
It was fine. More like "Ready Player Six", I'd say.

I enjoy the occasional pop culture reference, but good lord that was a lot of them.

I knew I was in trouble when, as soon as he met a girl, I said to myself, "How much you bet he accidentally says something clever and they kiss before the day is out.", and whaddaya know. Of course that's what happened.

Also, "The Last Starfighter" and "Enders Game" did this already, and arguably better. Still, it was a quick, mildly entertaining read.
( )
  jbaty | Dec 29, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 236 (next | show all)

» Add other authors (11 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Cline, Ernestprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Walks, RussellIllustrator (EDA logo)secondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Fowler, RalphDesignersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Mäkelä, J. PekkaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Schmidt-Foß, GerritNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Spratt, SamCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Staehle, WillCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Wheaton, WilReadersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Epigraph
The only legitimate use of a computer is to play games. --Eugene Jaris, creator of Defender
Dedication
For Major Eric T. Cline, USMC

The bravest person I have ever known

Semper Fi, little brother
First words
I was staring out the classroom window and daydreaming of adventure when I spotted the flying saucer.
Quotations
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Wikipedia in English (1)

"THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF READY PLAYER ONE It's just another day of high school for Zack Lightman. He's daydreaming through another boring math class, with just one more month to go until graduation and freedom--if he can make it that long without getting suspended again. Then he glances out his classroom window and spots the flying saucer. At first, Zack thinks he's going crazy. A minute later, he's sure of it. Because the UFO he's staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada--in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders. But what Zack's seeing is all too real. And his skills--as well as those of millions of gamers across the world--are going to be needed to save the earth from what's about to befall it. Yet even as he and his new comrades scramble to prepare for the alien onslaught, Zack can't help thinking of all the science-fiction books, TV shows, and movies he grew up reading and watching, and wonder: Doesn't something about this scenario seem a little too... familiar? Armada is at once a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming of age adventure, and an alien-invasion tale like nothing you've ever read before--one whose every page is infused with author Ernest Cline's trademark pop-culture savvy"--

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Book description
Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure.

But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe.

And then he sees the flying saucer.

Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders.

No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it.

It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar?

At once gleefully embracing and brilliantly subverting science-fiction conventions as only Ernest Cline could, Armada is a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming of age adventure, and an alien invasion tale like nothing you’ve ever read before—one whose every page is infused with the pop-culture savvy that has helped make Ready Player One a phenomenon.**
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