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Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Well. As you may (or not) have noticed, I failed to read three books in January per my New Years Resolution. So. Big fail for January. That does not, however, mean I'm giving up on my resolution to read 3 books every month and tell you about them, which brings us to Ready Player One.


You may have heard of this book because of the a movie coming out in March which was directed by Steven Spielberg. I had read Ernest Cline's other book, Armada, which I enjoyed quite a bit, and then happened to see the trailer for the movie, which prompted me to buy the book. A real hold in your hands book. Those are the best. Anyway. Holy Shite! I loved this book to death and as of now, it's my favorite of the year. Granted, it's only February, but it's going to be hard for another book to top this one. It has everything I love. Scifi, VR, gaming, and heroes who don't look like heroes, at least, not in RL.

In 2044 Wade is a senior living in the stacks (picture a bunch of trailers stacked on top of one another) with his not very nice aunt in a future that has none except for the exceedingly wealthy. The only thing it does have is OASIS, a virtual reality that acts both as an MMORPG and a virtual society, with its currency being the most stable in the real world. It was created by James Halliday who, when he died, announced that he'd left an Easter Egg* inside OASIS, and the first person who could find it would inherit his whole fortune and corporation.

The trick is, in order to win, you have to know Halliday, who was a massive fan of all things 1980s. Lucky for Wade, he's a huge fan of Halliday and the era the man loved which leads him to discover the first clue. After that, things get very interesting indeed because some people are willing to kill to win the contest, namely IOI, an evil corporation bent on finding the egg and controlling OASIS along with its creator's wealth.

I'll say no more except that I ripped through the second half of the book last Sunday and am now totally psyched to see the movie. This is a five star book all the way.  


* The use of the term "Easter egg" to describe secret features originates from the 1979 video game Adventure for the Atari 2600, programmed byWarren Robinett. At the time, Atari did not include programmers' names in the game credits, fearing that competitors would attempt to steal their employees. Robinett, who disagreed with his supervisor over this lack of acknowledgment, secretly inserted the message "Created by Warren Robinett". This message would only appear if a player moved their avatar over a specific pixel (the "Gray Dot") during a certain part of the game. As a side note, I played Adventure back in the day though I never did find that Easter Egg.

Speaking of Gaming...

Skyrim Log 01/27/2018 I completed a small quest to return an amulet to Ethnir at the Mages College in Winterhold. I tried again to find the place where Shalidor's writings are - to no avail. I then began the quest, "A Night to Remember" by engaging in a drinking contest at the Bannered Mare in Whiterun. Ended up in Markarth at the Temple of Dibella. The Priestess made me clean up the mess I'd made and apologize...

Oh, and Lydia (my other companion - I like Inigo better) finally found her way home from Kilkreath Ruins where I received Dawnstar in exchange for purifying (read: kill the bad guy) the temple.




Skyrim Log 01/28/2018 I completed the "A Night to Remember" Quest, which ended with my acquisition of Sanguine Rose, which summons a Dremora for 60 seconds. Very helpful in a fight!



I am now reading Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence, which I'm liking even though the mc/narrator is not really a very good person at all. And yet, I'm rooting for him...

32 comments:

  1. I'm not sure I'll have time to read the book before the movie comes out, but you've intrigued me further.

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    1. omg, you should totally read it. I think you'll love it as much as I did. If you do, I hope you'll review it :)

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  2. This sounds like a book made-to-order for you. I've never been a gamer, so the gaming references would probably leave me scratching my head. However, the overall premise sounds exciting. It might make for a movie Smarticus and I would both enjoy.

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    1. It is definitely my kind of book, altho I am not a hardcore gamer by any stretch. I play maybe once a week.

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  3. Sounds like this book is right up your alley!

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  4. With the movie coming out, this will be a big year for Cline. I've never read his books but I still find myself rooting for his success. SciFi film, for all of its recent success, is in need of a new, exciting voice.

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    1. I enjoyed Armada, but I definitely Liked Ready Player One better. Great ending, and that is so important.

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    2. Just talked about RPO over dinner tonight - definitely a lot of buzz around it right now.

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  5. I used to love to play Adventure. Never found the Easter egg, either.

    I did enjoy this book. My husband and I are looking forward to seeing the movie.

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    1. I'm looking forward to it more now that I've read the book.

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  6. I've never read those books or played that game but boy do I want to now!

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  7. Now that I know what the book is about, I'm more likely to read it. Early reviews were light on the plot. And the trailer for the movie helped.

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    1. I've actually been wanting to read the book for a while, then saw the trailer, which prompted to me to buy and read.

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  8. I'm glad you enjoyed this book so much. Honestly, it doesn't appeal all that much to me. But now that you've shared your excitement I think I should give it a try. I'm always up to read something out of my norm. (I don't believe I've heard about it coming out as a film. Yes, I live under a rock.)

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    1. I really enjoyed the book a lot. Like tons. But it probably isn't everyone's cup of tea.

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  9. Sounds like a really different story. Like Alex, not sure if I'll have time to read it before the film. And Sheri isn't the only one living under a rock. Not up on the movie either.

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    1. I happened to catch the trailer when I went to see The Last Jedi, which was a had to go see movie for me. I did know about the book though I can't remember how...

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  10. I've heard of this one and I'm looking forward to reading it. Thanks for the review!

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    1. I hope you'll review it if you read it. I'd love to see what someone else thinks!

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  11. Sounds intriguing, but I will probably wait for the movie...

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    1. March...by which time hopefully spring will have crept in.

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  12. Hey Marcy how's it going. I used to read books before the movie. lately it's the other way around. I really need to read more fiction but the non-fiction is takinf up a lot of my time.

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    1. Well, I'll only say that if you like this kind of thing, then I wouldn't pass up reading it, cuz it's awesome!

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  13. I just read this last month to be able to discuss it with my son. I enjoyed it, though for me it was more of a 4 star book. Still, it was a fun return to the 80s video game lifestyle.

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    1. I loved all the 80s references, even the ones I wasn't into. You should write a review. I'd love to read your take on the book.

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  14. I recently discovered that it's better for me to watch the movie before reading the book. The book is always better, and then I'm able to enjoy the movie to its fullest too. I'll have to add this one to the list--after I've seen the movie.

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    1. See, I'm the opposite. I want to read the book first so I know how the story is supposed to go and then can see how close the movie comes to my imagination. LOTR did a pretty good job overall, I thought. It will be interesting to see how Ready Player One translates to the screen.

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  15. Thank you for sharing. Reading the above comment and your reply, I have to admit enjoying both scenarios over the years. ~grin~ Be well!

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  16. I find that if I see the movie, I'm not as interested in the book.

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  17. I wonder if the movie will be successful or not. I wasn't impressed with the trailer

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