Ernest Cline: Ready Player One (2011)
English language
Published Aug. 16, 2011
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.
A four-star book, in that I enjoyed it whilst grimacing through many of the stylistic choices. Can't argue that it has charm, narrative momentum and originality.
This book is an 80's geek's paradise. I grew up on video games, D&D, and John Hughes movies, and I want to have this book's babies. Not everyone will appreciate this book, but 90% of the references made me squeal with delight. And I loved the plot, pacing, and even the clever dialogue. Read this book.
I haven't had this much fun reading a book in a long time.
Ready Player One is a combination of dystopian sci-fi, cyberpunk and a whole lot of eighties nostalgia.
When this book was recommended to me, I wasn't sure I'd be geeky enough to enjoy it. Actually, I'm pretty geeky, but I was worried I wouldn't be enough of a gamer. I'd forgotten just how many video games I played as a kid. Even the video games I thought I didn't know, it turned out I did know. Although I may not have known the names, I immediately recognized the screenshots when I googled them.
The story itself is a pretty straightforward adventure story: three keys and three gates. Find them all and you win. Around that basic structure Cline builds a world that manages to take in the highlight of a 1980s childhood. Not just the video games, …
I haven't had this much fun reading a book in a long time.
Ready Player One is a combination of dystopian sci-fi, cyberpunk and a whole lot of eighties nostalgia.
When this book was recommended to me, I wasn't sure I'd be geeky enough to enjoy it. Actually, I'm pretty geeky, but I was worried I wouldn't be enough of a gamer. I'd forgotten just how many video games I played as a kid. Even the video games I thought I didn't know, it turned out I did know. Although I may not have known the names, I immediately recognized the screenshots when I googled them.
The story itself is a pretty straightforward adventure story: three keys and three gates. Find them all and you win. Around that basic structure Cline builds a world that manages to take in the highlight of a 1980s childhood. Not just the video games, but the movies, the music and even the books.
If you were young in the eighties and were even slightly geeky, I'd highly recommend this book. But be warned: there is a high nostalgia factor. You might just find yourself revisiting the movies and music of your childhood. You might even start playing classic video games (I have a young son, so I can get way with this by playing them with him, right?) Don't let that stop you, though. Read it and enjoy.
This was a fast read for me, very engaging. Riveting. Of course the 80's trivia was fun and nostalgic for me. I absolutely adored the ending, in more than one way.
One reason I have so much love for this novel is the good messages the four main characters help to illustrate. It is ironic that the these young people, who spend so much time plugged into OASIS because they feel like social misfits, would eventually forge such a strong bond--and they get to know each other before having the chance to be prejudiced by appearances or circumstance. (An avatar can be a good thing.) It is a virtual reality game that finally forces Aech, Parzival, Shoto, and Art3mis to become friends, outside of OASIS.
Some timely issues poke up, as well--greedy corporations, environmental devastation, an ever-growing chasm between ultra-rich and very poor, and even net neutrality.
This is good …
This was a fast read for me, very engaging. Riveting. Of course the 80's trivia was fun and nostalgic for me. I absolutely adored the ending, in more than one way.
One reason I have so much love for this novel is the good messages the four main characters help to illustrate. It is ironic that the these young people, who spend so much time plugged into OASIS because they feel like social misfits, would eventually forge such a strong bond--and they get to know each other before having the chance to be prejudiced by appearances or circumstance. (An avatar can be a good thing.) It is a virtual reality game that finally forces Aech, Parzival, Shoto, and Art3mis to become friends, outside of OASIS.
Some timely issues poke up, as well--greedy corporations, environmental devastation, an ever-growing chasm between ultra-rich and very poor, and even net neutrality.
This is good stuff! I'd recommend it to anyone.
I definitely found flaws in this book, but I couldn't stop reading it (listening actually). I liked Wil Wheaton's narration. This book didn't challenge my world view, but I enjoyed the story.
Absolutely brilliant! I can't wait for the movie. Let's hope they do a great job on that (similar to the movie for [b:The Martian|18007564|The Martian|Andy Weir|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413706054s/18007564.jpg|21825181]).
Overall fun read that occasionally strays a bit too far into nostalgia for nostalgia's sake, lengthy backstory dumps, and nerd dream fulfillment... I recommend the audio book read by Wil Wheaton to multiply the geekiness (plus, I just really like his reading voice).
I have to admit, I was sceptical when I started this book. The premise of teen boy in virtual game world is sooooooo... been there done that got the t-shirt and the underpants.
But this book feels fresh from the first page. A bit unsteady on its feet, but with a nice bouncy spring in it. Not stale at all.
For the first third of the book it's just "OK". Nice to read, light and fluffy. And then it gets started. It remains light, for a book that could have jumped on the dark-drama-dystopian-future bandwagon, which is a very good thing.
It is very heavy on the infodump side, and not all people will appreciate that. The author appears to be either a highly functional autistic person (nothing against that, I'm one myself) or has a fetish for 80s trivia. But it works, in this book.
I like that it …
I have to admit, I was sceptical when I started this book. The premise of teen boy in virtual game world is sooooooo... been there done that got the t-shirt and the underpants.
But this book feels fresh from the first page. A bit unsteady on its feet, but with a nice bouncy spring in it. Not stale at all.
For the first third of the book it's just "OK". Nice to read, light and fluffy. And then it gets started. It remains light, for a book that could have jumped on the dark-drama-dystopian-future bandwagon, which is a very good thing.
It is very heavy on the infodump side, and not all people will appreciate that. The author appears to be either a highly functional autistic person (nothing against that, I'm one myself) or has a fetish for 80s trivia. But it works, in this book.
I like that it doesn't go heavy on the "virtual life isn't real life and virtual friendships aren't real" preaching that seems to be the latest fad. Instead it illustrates nicely how virtual relationships can be just as real, just as precious.
The book is entertaining, engaging, lightweight, with some nicely done heartstring-plucking without going overboard on the YA-drama. Refreshing. I can certainly see why Spielberg picked up this book and is making it into a movie.
I have enjoyed myself immensely and I couldn't put the book down in the last third of the story, which meant a loooooong sleepeless night listening to the audiobook.
It's nothing literary or sophisticated, but is very much fún.
I only read the first 9 chapters, around 30% of the book. I figured if I didn't like anything about it by that point, I would probably not start to enjoy it later. I find that I have a dislike for books that are just about wish-fulfillment.
If you grew up in the 80's and played a lot of video games, it's satisfying to fantasize about a future where this will be a crucial skill. And those cute ukulele playing girls will like you and blush when you say something. I can understand that someone thinks so much about these things that he ends up writing a book. But I just don't get anything out of reading it.
I think I had basically the same issue with [b:Altered Carbon|40445|Altered Carbon (Takeshi Kovacs, #1)|Richard K. Morgan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387128955s/40445.jpg|2095852], [b:Snow Crash|830|Snow Crash|Neal Stephenson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424472532s/830.jpg|493634], and [b:Old Man's War|51964|Old Man's War (Old Man's War, #1)|John Scalzi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402867788s/51964.jpg|50700]. …
I only read the first 9 chapters, around 30% of the book. I figured if I didn't like anything about it by that point, I would probably not start to enjoy it later. I find that I have a dislike for books that are just about wish-fulfillment.
If you grew up in the 80's and played a lot of video games, it's satisfying to fantasize about a future where this will be a crucial skill. And those cute ukulele playing girls will like you and blush when you say something. I can understand that someone thinks so much about these things that he ends up writing a book. But I just don't get anything out of reading it.
I think I had basically the same issue with [b:Altered Carbon|40445|Altered Carbon (Takeshi Kovacs, #1)|Richard K. Morgan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387128955s/40445.jpg|2095852], [b:Snow Crash|830|Snow Crash|Neal Stephenson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424472532s/830.jpg|493634], and [b:Old Man's War|51964|Old Man's War (Old Man's War, #1)|John Scalzi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402867788s/51964.jpg|50700].
Plus this book just requires too much suspension of disbelief. It would be fine with me if it just said they have this crazy virtual reality system and everybody uses it. But it tries so hard to establish how it came to basically take the place of today's Internet, it's hard to read it and stay calm. Sure, you could order a pizza on a web page, or press a button in an app. But the author thinks everyone will prefer to put on VR gear, fly their spaceships to pizza planet, and talk to a clerk there. (This is not an actual example from the book. An actual example is a VR school where you have to sit in a classroom the same as real school.)
75% nerdy 80s references, 25% plot. Luckily, both are actually pretty cool.
It has been said before, but it is true: This is a pop culture geek's wet dream.
This book is genius! It manages to mesh together magic, technology, music and movies in a single coherent sci-fi universe. And it pulls it off in a way that is not at all unlikely and even probable in the upcoming future.
I will refrain from the specifics to keep this spoiler free. Will say that I am excited about the news of a movie being made from it in the near future.
It is an easy read, moves along quickly and has a lot of fun elements everywhere. It gets cheesy and almost predictable, but pulls it off by constantly paying homage to the 80s, which where themselves cheesy and almost predictable. It's got some of the most epic battles ever and keeps taking you back to this nostalgia of tokusatsu, old videogames, …
It has been said before, but it is true: This is a pop culture geek's wet dream.
This book is genius! It manages to mesh together magic, technology, music and movies in a single coherent sci-fi universe. And it pulls it off in a way that is not at all unlikely and even probable in the upcoming future.
I will refrain from the specifics to keep this spoiler free. Will say that I am excited about the news of a movie being made from it in the near future.
It is an easy read, moves along quickly and has a lot of fun elements everywhere. It gets cheesy and almost predictable, but pulls it off by constantly paying homage to the 80s, which where themselves cheesy and almost predictable. It's got some of the most epic battles ever and keeps taking you back to this nostalgia of tokusatsu, old videogames, awesome movies and overall coolness.
Definitely worth a second read to unravel all it's Easter eggs and references, and also because as much as it feels great to recognize the stuff it references, it does a great job of inspiring curiosity for the myriad references you fail to get.
A great book to learn about a whole lot of other pop culture stuff, with fun and relevant plot twists that add a lot to the depth and discussion of the reality suggested in the book.
You'll be surprised! You'll have fun! You'll learn! Your curiosity will be poked!
What else can you look for in a book?
The ultimate 'junk food' book sprinkled with an unsavory topping of bad characters and clumsy storytelling.
Not all of it was bad. In fact, there were often times where I found myself enjoying the total mindlessness of it. It's a lot like a Michael Bay movie in the silly fun of it, especially near the third act with the INSANE battle royal between mecha godzilla and giant robots. I'll also say that I really loved the idea of the slums being several enormous towers of mobile homes. Those aspects alone are letting this rating jump up just one more star.
Despite whatever fun the book brings, it's repeatedly bogged down by some of the most exhaustive 80's pandering that I've ever seen in a published work. It's ASTONISHING just how much of this book is just the author giving little nods to cultural references. Speaking as someone who grew up …
The ultimate 'junk food' book sprinkled with an unsavory topping of bad characters and clumsy storytelling.
Not all of it was bad. In fact, there were often times where I found myself enjoying the total mindlessness of it. It's a lot like a Michael Bay movie in the silly fun of it, especially near the third act with the INSANE battle royal between mecha godzilla and giant robots. I'll also say that I really loved the idea of the slums being several enormous towers of mobile homes. Those aspects alone are letting this rating jump up just one more star.
Despite whatever fun the book brings, it's repeatedly bogged down by some of the most exhaustive 80's pandering that I've ever seen in a published work. It's ASTONISHING just how much of this book is just the author giving little nods to cultural references. Speaking as someone who grew up in the 90's and early 2000's, some of them were lost on me and just seemed so tedious.
This doesn't even touch on the characters. Never mind the fact that the protagonist is an unlikable know-it-all since the supporting cast is so much worse. Two characters are borderline racist Japanese stereotypes and one is revealed to be a fat black lesbian girl. Literally all of your 'token' characters wrapped up into one neat (and mostly disguised) package!
Ultimately, "Ready Player One" is brain candy. It's legitimately fun to read for all of its narrative stupidity, but there are those problem parts of it that bring it down for me. I'd say it's worth a look-see only if you know what you're getting into.
Great fun. Definitely not without its flaws but damn, did I enjoy it.
I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. Sure, the fact that my teenage years were in the 80s meant that I got nearly all the trivia referenced in the book, but that isn't what made it an enjoyable read. It's the pacing and storytelling that made it such a good read.
Possibly the best fiction I've read this year.
An opinionated foretelling of human society after the advent of VR and continual ecological devastation.
