374 pages
English language
Published June 5, 2012
Ready Player One is a 2011 science fiction novel, and the debut novel of American author Ernest Cline. The story, set in a dystopia in 2045, follows protagonist Wade Watts on his search for an Easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality game, the discovery of which would lead him to inherit the game creator's fortune. Cline sold the rights to publish the novel in June 2010, in a bidding war to the Crown Publishing Group (a division of Random House). The book was published on August 16, 2011. An audiobook was released the same day; it was narrated by Wil Wheaton, who was mentioned briefly in one of the chapters.Ch. 20 In 2012, the book received an Alex Award from the Young Adult Library Services Association division of the American Library Association and won the 2011 Prometheus Award. A film adaptation, screenwritten by Cline and Zak Penn and directed …
Ready Player One is a 2011 science fiction novel, and the debut novel of American author Ernest Cline. The story, set in a dystopia in 2045, follows protagonist Wade Watts on his search for an Easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality game, the discovery of which would lead him to inherit the game creator's fortune. Cline sold the rights to publish the novel in June 2010, in a bidding war to the Crown Publishing Group (a division of Random House). The book was published on August 16, 2011. An audiobook was released the same day; it was narrated by Wil Wheaton, who was mentioned briefly in one of the chapters.Ch. 20 In 2012, the book received an Alex Award from the Young Adult Library Services Association division of the American Library Association and won the 2011 Prometheus Award. A film adaptation, screenwritten by Cline and Zak Penn and directed by Steven Spielberg, was released on March 29, 2018. A sequel novel, Ready Player Two, was released on November 24, 2020.
Part homage to previous XR concepts, part homage to 1980’s geek culture, Cline’s novel doesn’t break any new technological ground. That said it is an excellent examination of how monolithic corporations can use XR technology to control a population. The movie version is a decent interpretation, but the book is a much better experience.
Part homage to previous XR concepts, part homage to 1980’s geek culture, Cline’s novel doesn’t break any new technological ground. That said it is an excellent examination of how monolithic corporations can use XR technology to control a population. The movie version is a decent interpretation, but the book is a much better experience.
Iets te veel nogal Amerikaanse nostalgie naar de jaren 80, maar in het derde deel werd het hier en daar toch nog even een beetje verrassend. Ach, niet onaardig verder, als je de diepgang van een bord soep verder over het hoofd ziet.
I wasn't too sure how this one was going to go because I normally REALLY don't care for pop culture references in books because it dates them like crazy. I'm not sure how well this will hold up in the future since a lot of these references are already lost to the past and that will get worse as time goes on.
But I found this to be a fun ride! I felt like it had a good blend of tension and adventure and emotional connections. It kept my attention through the whole story and didn't lose me along the way. I felt like the characters were written well and had their flaws and issues, but it didn't completely tank the story.
I already have a physical copy of the book and this is one that I'll be holding onto.
Unbearably cheesy and overall ill-conceived. The author is high on his own supply of stale 80s nostalgia.
Overall this was a fun read. The world itself is quite dystopian, but the OASIS is incredible. It feels like a very natural evolution of today's online society, for better or worse. Some of the plot can feel a little sluggish with the exposition and the slowdown in the second arc of the book, but it has a good payoff at the end. The characters are OK, but not developed as well as the focus is almost solely on the main character Parzival and his obsession with the 80s, the hunt, and Art3mis. I think the concept behind this (and the nostalgia) was pretty good, though the narrative could have been better, both in terms of characters and plot.
For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2024/05/book-review-ready-player-one-by-ernest.html
On rereading this I found a lot less satisfaction. Its a cute adventure.
I read this when it was new, and thought it had some interesting ideas and was a fun trip down memory lane. But over time I kept seeing people point out problems, and I'd think back, and realize, yeah, there's not a whole lot of substance there, and it's got some serious issues.
Back then, the nostalgia and scavenger hunt were enough for me. Now, not so much.
Cross-posted from my website.
Fast-paced story, swiftly unfolding yet deep characters, and decent worldbuilding best describe this novel. Despite all of this, I still cannot say that it's an unique book, as the atmosphere and worldview of older cyberpunk pieces leak into Ready Player One too much. A fun read, but not as deep as Neuromancer or Snow Crash.
Příběh, který z větší části vsází na nostalgii čtenáře. Hlavní dějová osa je vlastně triviální. Máme tu dobro a zlo a cíl, ke kterému se musí jedni nebo druzí dostat první. Celé je to však zasazené do kulis 80-90 let, kdy dle autora vznikala ta stěžejní popkultura v podobě arkádových her, starých filmů a rockové hudby. Majstrštyk na skutečnost, že kniha je vlastně zasazená do roku 2045. Čte se to samo. Záleží jen na tom jak velký jste geek, nebo jak moc vás zajímají jednotlivé odkazy na jiné příběhy. Já jsem si to užil. Nutno dodat, že nostalgie mě naplňovala celou dobu čtení.
A great story regarding a late teen engaging in a video game quest with real-world impact. Set in a dystopian future, the tale gives you a blend of a virtual world learing to positive and meaningful real-life changes.
The story is told with enthusiasm and gives you a great insight into a late teen learning there is more to life than a virtual world. It also teaches you persistance, may lead to mindblowing results.
This one brought back a lot of great memories of geek life in the 80s
Even though I didn't much like it, I did actually finish it, which is worth an extra star.
//read in 2012
An enjoyable and quick read. Nostalgia is bound together by a fairly predictable plot line. I wanted to go back and create a playlist of all the music mentioned, but I borrowed the book from a co-worker and needed to return it.
To be honest it's been a while since I read the book so don't expect a full in depht review. Sorry.
I liked it, quite a lot indeed. I also enjoy playing video games and 90% of the action occours on a video game. I think that, as always, the book is quite superior compared to the movie.
In conclussion: I recomend it if you like cifi stuff.
