Softcover, 374 pages
English language
Published March 25, 2011 by Broadway Paperbacks.
A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready?
In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days.
When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune—and control of the OASIS itself.
Then Wade cracks the first clue. Suddenly he’s beset by rivals who’ll kill to take this prize. The race is on—and the only way to survive is to win.
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.
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.
Si eres una persona que a vivido la experiencia de un mundo virtual como Second Life, Osgrid(OpenSim) o otro este libro te va a encantar.
Soy un residente del mundo virtual Second Life y este libro me hizo sentir muy identificado. Esto es el futuro
A fun book that brings a video game to life. I read very little fiction but I thoroughly enjoyed this. The author is creative and has some fun twists on the combination of the real word with the game world.
One takeaway was the comparison of our pandemic school vs. the OASIS school. The contrast emphasizes that the pandemic move of school online was nothing more than adding a remote broadcast. Despite the incredible opportunity, we didn't innovate or re-invent. We just started lecturing through a computer screen.
Nine years later it still holds up as a great exercise in fun SF world building. Cline isn't a particularly gifted writer from a technical perspective, and some of the middle part is cringey but it is important to note that this is a book for children.
Eight years later, I needed to reread this slice of science fiction bacon, in anticipation of the sequel that comes out in November.
I just can't get into this book. The premise is corny, and reads like a screenplay. Maybe it's because I actually know what goes into building virtual worlds. Sure, lone-programmers built entire games--in the Atari era--but today games are built by teams of THOUSANDS of programmers, each toiling on a minute detail. People get famous developing techniques for animating hair, but nobody builds entire games all by themselves. Even if they do they must use tools developed by thousands more developers. Easter eggs are ferreted out by decompiling and analyzing source code. A process that's not nearly as glamorous as pouring over '80 pop culture for clues. Everything about the world this is set in is disorienting and hard to follow. You're never quite sure what the rules are, and without any visuals to back it up you're lost. I'm sure the movie is better, though I've not seen that …
I just can't get into this book. The premise is corny, and reads like a screenplay. Maybe it's because I actually know what goes into building virtual worlds. Sure, lone-programmers built entire games--in the Atari era--but today games are built by teams of THOUSANDS of programmers, each toiling on a minute detail. People get famous developing techniques for animating hair, but nobody builds entire games all by themselves. Even if they do they must use tools developed by thousands more developers. Easter eggs are ferreted out by decompiling and analyzing source code. A process that's not nearly as glamorous as pouring over '80 pop culture for clues. Everything about the world this is set in is disorienting and hard to follow. You're never quite sure what the rules are, and without any visuals to back it up you're lost. I'm sure the movie is better, though I've not seen that yet.
Listened to the audio book performed by Wil Wheaton, and I highly recommend. He does an amazing job. It helps that the book is well-written and has a great story.
Probably the cheesiest book I've ever read.
