Ready Player One: Ernest Cline

This book is a Willy Wonka Golden Ticket story, set in 2044 amidst a backdrop of futuristic social media and vast amounts of 80s pop culture. It's an absolutely essential read for anyone into retro video games, and would also be enjoyed by any reasonably geeky person who likes 80s music, movie and roleplaying references. I usually critique a book by raising a few points that I felt could be improved, but honestly, everything was spot on for me. The characterisation, humour and pacing were all perfect. The race to win the grand prize is genuinely engaging - I really found myself caught up in the drama of each gate being opened - much like the world's audience in the book itself. The references are incredibly well done which is worthy of note in itself. There would only have had to be a single scene referencing an 80s film that was done badly, for the enjoyment to end and the cringing to start - but it just didn't happen. Time after time (sic) the author drops something in that is just joyously nostalgic. That's not to say I got all the references of course [you'd have to be an Alpha Nerd to get all of them - my own areas of ignorance seem to be with Japanese mecha anime, much to my shame] but it doesn't matter - there is enough in there to please even a moderate geek that is aware that the 80s existed. To me, this is a clear example of a labour of love. Cline has put things in this book that he knows that only one person in fifty will get, and he's done it anyway, as it meant something to him. I think that's part of the secret of why it works - there is no pandering to the masses here, just an extremely original futuristic story brimming with retro charm and zing. I've recommended this to lots of friends, male and female, and they've all loved it too (at least one bought the audiobook version). So, I would say you do need to be a bit of a geek to get the most out of this, but, refreshingly, it appeals equally to both sexes. Not often you can say that!

This is a spoiler free review, which I’m going to find a little tricky considering I just want to gush about how delightful this book was. In the grim future of the year 2044, the world has become obsessed with living inside the virtual world of the OASIS, an online reality created by the late billionaire James Halliday. Upon the news of his passing, it is revealed that when the OASIS was created, an Easter egg was hidden inside the online universe by Halliday himself, and his entire $250 billion fortune, would go to the player who can find it. The contest however, is not that simple – requiring players to sift through every little detail of the creator’s life and his fixation on 80’s pop culture and videogames, to unravel a series of riddles and clues, leading towards finding the egg. That, and being against big corporations working together who will stop at nothing (and I mean nothing) to acquire it. Are you ready, Player One? Every so often, a book comes along that feels like it was written especially for you. This is what Ready Player One felt like to me. It combined everything I could want from a book and ticked all the boxes. It was a breath of fresh air in science fiction and was unlike anything I’ve ever read before and that being said, it’s worth a read. (No seriously, go and pick it up now) Especially if you’re a giant nerd at heart. The first thing I have to mention is, Cline knows his stuff. From the get go, this book is filled to the brim with nods and references to 80’s pop culture and old school video games, which are the driving force behind its epic plot. Like myself, you don’t have to have grown up in the 80’s to understand any of them as Cline never hesitates to go into details of their relevance to the quest, however we could have done with a little less detail as it gets a bit excessive and repetitive at points when it isn't necessary. The concept of the OASIS fascinated me, and at times I was so engrossed I felt as if I was plugged in with a visor and haptic gloves myself (I wish). Although not always the strongest, the world building was very well executed and not so drastic that it became unbelievable, which many apocalyptic/dystopian novels suffer from. This future is not one that I would want to live in, there’s been an energy crisis, resources have been severely depleted and civilization is in decline, and honestly it’s a little frightening how it’s not impossible that this could happen in our future. The cast of characters are what bought this book to life. Unlike those characters you see from time to time who seem too perfect in every way to exist in the real world, Ready Player One is made up of characters who are not perfect, who aren’t anything special but they’re ordinary and relatable. Wade Watts, alias Parzival our protagonist, is a normal kid, slightly overweight and isn’t doing so great at school, but he’s an exceptional and cunning gamer, and doesn’t shy away from risky but brilliant plans which could end in disaster. The rest of the side characters are just as fabulous and have you laughing throughout, but Wade/Parzival still remains my favourite, because.. well, how could he not be? The pace of this story was excellent. It has the ability of keeping you gripped to its pages by remaining exciting and thrilling, never slowing down. At times I even found myself trying to decode the riddles and puzzles which were way too clever for me to ever work out, because Cline seriously is a genius in coming up with these. As I said, Ready Player One for me ticked all the boxes: An unique and epic plot. Solid writing. Well-constructed. Science fiction. Great world building. Geeky sub-culture. Well developed and realistic characters. No irritating love triangles, but a well done romance. Humour. Lots of action. Ridiculously fun. So would I recommend it? Absolutely

Ready Player One is a thrilling adventure with an intriguing plot, captivating characters, and a unique virtual world. Cline's writing style is exciting and fast-paced, drawing readers into the virtual world of the OASIS. The characters are well-developed and real, and the book has great depth and detail. The story is full of suspense and surprise, and readers will find themselves rooting for Wade and his friends as they battle the corporate villains. It follows the story of Wade Watts, a teenage orphan living in a crowded future-world where the only escape is the virtual universe of the OASIS. When the creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves a challenge to find an Easter egg hidden within the virtual world. When Wade finds the egg, he must battle a powerful corporation to prevent them from taking over the OASIS and destroying it. Overall, Ready Player One is a great read for fans of science fiction and virtual reality. It is a captivating adventure that will keep readers hooked from beginning to end. Highly recommended! Thank you

In one sentence, Ready Player One is a geek 80′s retro cyberpunk techno thriller virtual reality love story. But one sentence is not enough. Let me get one thing out of the way first: If you are a child of the 80′s and were a computer geek and/or role player in the 80′s, like I was, you get a lot more out of this book, simply because of all the references to 80′s geek and gamer culture in the novel. If you are not, the book is still an excellent, fun and action-packed read. About the plot: In 2044 the world is a pretty messed-up place, war, recession, environmental destruction and the depletion of natural resources have devastated the world and sent most economies crashing down. The USA have turned into a poverty-stricken, almost lawless place, where civilization as we know it only exists in the remaining bigger cities. Most people flee their harsh reality in an online cyber environment called OASIS (Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation) created by James Halliday and Ogden Morrow of Gregarious Simulation Systems (GSS), formerly known as Gregarious Games. It is World of Warcraft, Second Life, Facebook and your real life combined. People go there to play, work, hang out, shop. You can do everything in OASIS. One of the people who flee their harsh life and live mostly in OASIS is Wade, a destitute orphaned boy who lives with his aunt in a stacked pyramid of trailers and makes a living on the side repairing and scavenging electronic equipment while being enrolled in OASIS-based online highschool. His life changes when one of the founders of GSS, Halliday, dies. In his will, released as an online-video sent to every OASIS player, he declares an Easter Egg hunt of epic proportions. Within OASIS, three keys are hidden and whoever finds them and unlocks the three gates inherits Halliday’s multi-billion fortune. All clues for the hunt are 80′s geek gamer references and things from 1980′s pop culture Halliday loved so dearly in life. The hunt creates a subculture called Egg Hunters (Gunters for short) and leads to a 1980′s revival. Wade becomes a Gunter and on his quest to find the keys gathers a group of other gunters around him who will become known as the High Five. But all is not well, because a multinational corperation, IOI, just another incarnation of Evilcorp Inc. devotes enormous resources to finding the keys and does not stop at extortion and blackmail at all to get what it wants, far from it. But I shall not spoil! Ernest Cline has created a masterpiece, a blend of Matrix, Blade Runner and every sci-fi/cyberpunk movie of the 80′s you love. plus everything you find in WOW and other such games taken to the extreme, after all, computer technology is so much better in 2044, thanks to Moore’s law. There is action, there is cyberpunk, there is a love story, there is a coming-of-age story in there. There is a tale of true friendship and of loyalty. And: There is tons of 1980′s references and some tongue-in-cheek hat-tips to our time (like the Doctorow/Wheaton tac team) A true masterpiece and an excellent read. I devoured it in three days. Highly recommended reading!

My Thoughts: 1. Just like a real videogame, the plot had me addicted from the start. For me, being a medium gamer, I LOVED all the old classic 80's references. It's geeky, sci-fi and fun, all in one! 2. The author does an amazing job building such an intricate and yet simple, futuristic technological world. It felt like I was actually playing the game and experiencing virtual reality through the character. 3. Flawless. Is what I would describe the plot, the writing, and pacing. Cline's writing style seem so effortless and yet detailed enough for the reader to fully experience the story. 4. What I enjoyed most about the plot is that it has a realistic quality and believable element. Most dystopian or sci-fi novels I've read have far-fetched and over-the-top ideas that end up ruining the book. It's scary to think about how much time in our daily lives is spent on the internet and I wouldn't be surprised if in a few decades reality will be overruled by virtual technology. Cline does an amazing job with the plot by adding a few fun twists and turns which makes the journey much more adventurous and exciting. 5. I praise Cline for his ability to make so many connections from the 80's and incorporating them into oridinary clues and riddles. It amazing how every small detail plays such a crucial role in the hunt. I was so engrossed with the hunt that it felt like I was playing it myself. It was smart of Cline to get the reader involved and thinking along with the protagonist in solving the game. 6. I really admire Wade's character. He's just an ordinary, average-looking, slightly overweight teen who, like many of us, undergoes a virtual identity to escape reality (not to mention he has an adorable crush with a famous online blogger). Wade's character is much like James Halliday, the deceased multibillionaire, who never felt at home in the real world and is socially awkward. When Wade embarkes upon this new adventure, he soon realizes that not everyone is excited about his newfound discovery. I love how smart, determined, and calculating Wade is; he picks his battles rather than impulsively jumping into situations. Wade's journey was non-stop action and suspense and a total page-turner that kept me on my toes the entire time. 7. I had to pace myself and tell myself to slow down in order to enjoy the book or else I would have read it all in one sitting. Just like every amazing stand-alone book, I was so sad that it ended. I'm hoping Cline thinks about doing a sequel because there's so much more I want to know! 8. In all, if there's one thing I must say about Ready Player One is READ IT NOW!!

Ce livre est une tuerie. Je l'ai commandé en entendant parler d'une future adaptation de Spielberg en film, et je pense qu'on va se retrouver avec encore un chef d'oeuvre en puissance. Cette histoire de quète du graal pixelisée est palpitante. Et pour tous les enfants des années 80 comme moi, une vague de nostalgie assez rafraichissante. Le style est plutôt classique, mais les personnages sont attachants, les rebondissements nombreux et l'intrigue très bien ficelée. Au passage ces pages sont un vraie bouillon de pop culture qui ratissent large. Vivement le film !!!

Ernest Cline heeft een fantastisch boek geschreven... De link tussen de echte wereld en de OASIS is wonderbaarlijk... En er gebeurt alleen in het begin (eerste 25 bladzijden) weinig Het is vol actie, Popcultuur en een wonderbaarlijke vr wereld Zeker een aanrader