Let's get this out of the way and say this is no [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One|Ernest Cline|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406383612s/9969571.jpg|14863741]. Perhaps, in fact, because it's too much like Ready Player One. Video games will save the world! One gamer, in particular, will save the world! '80s references will save the world! The world will be saved, period.

The thing is, an '80s obsession made sense for the plot of Ready Player One. It was the impetus of the plot, and the entire novel was a love letter to the era. Armada is loaded with '80s references as well, but it doesn't make sense for the plot so much. Sure, Zackary inherits his father's things and sort of inhales them into his persona in an attempt to understand the man. But Zackary doesn't seem to have developed as his own person with his own interests -- he's an 18 year old kid who, against all odds, seem to have ignored all peer pressure and failed to become a fan of any media that emerged after 1999 with the exception of the titular computer game. Any references to media post-'90s (and even mid-'90s) is glancing, perfunctory, and insincere. It's like Ernest Cline's fandom peaked, if not crystallized in the '80s and he's incapable of liking anything past the era. He pays lip service to newer fandoms, but he'll never really understand them.

Once past the shakiness of the premise and the whole "this is an alien invasion novel populated by characters who have read/seen/played alien invasion stories before" gimmick, the plot is perfectly serviceable and it can actually be a fun, if sometimes nonsensical read. Most of this section of the book is left waiting for the other shoe to drop, though.

And when that shoe drops... well, it's pretty disappointing. Zackary and his father are aware that the situation they find themselves in feels very manufactured, and the novel drives that point home with multiple references to media involving manufactured realities. So what I was expecting was to find out that the entire scenario was maybe a virtual reality, a world that began existing the minute Zackary put on his Oculus Rift (nice, though cheesy name drop) helmet. That was predictable, but it actually would neatly explain any plot holes that arose. It's a video game, after all: coincidences and awkward moments abound. Instead, though, it all turns out to be disappointedly real: a "test" devised by an alien species to see if we're worthy of joining them. And Earth passes, but only at the cost of millions of lives (including a few of the characters we get to know and like, for the brief portion of the book we have them). Now, we get to reap the benefits of this new friendship and advance our civilization into a new, evolved era.

It certainly seems like that, in itself, could be the beginning of a story. Instead, it's the ending: we rush toward a conclusion, with Zackary mourning his losses and promising he'll keep an eye on these new "friends" of ours. That's fine if a sequel is incoming, but as a standalone novel it's sloppy and unsatisfying.

It's also the plot of a Stargate SG-1 episode. COME ON! ( )

Doesn't hold a candle to "Ready Player One", but it's still a fun, pulpy kind of read. I like the underlying concept and could easily see this as a Star Trek plot or other fun little sci-fi romp. ( )

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.





( )

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! ( )

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). ( )