Ready Player One

I'm 30 years old at the time of this review and this book reminds me of things from my childhood. 80's movies, video games, clothing. All kinds of stuff, past that, it was a well written book I thought and it clicked with me. I suggest it to my generation of folks.

A fun popcorn read.

I liked it alright. I didn't hate it, but there were parts that made it hard for me to read. All of the blatant 80's videogame and pop culture references made me a little uneasy. For the most part they were really cool, but then some parts seemed like one of those moments where the author is just simply trying too hard. (A ship modeled after the Serenity named Vonnegut? A delorean that had the voice of Kitt and Ghostbusters paint?) It was just too much, too obvious, and lacked a light touch. Jpod did it right IMO, and this one went waaaaay overboard. Not to mention the cheesy love story that was in the story, ick. I would have loved the book a lot more without it.

I did, however, love reading about the competition and the story of how the OASIS came to be.

This book was charming, fun & even a little insightful about our human tendency to to disengage with the real world in favor of a more attractive virtual alternative. Try it!

The novel had a great premise but a mediocre execution. The writing was pedestrian at best and the author told when he could have showed. For example, we didn't need to be told that IOI is an evil, heartless corporation - it's clear from the moment we learn they want to charge a monthly fee for access to the OASIS. Likewise the author should have made the reader do a little work to piece things together, instead of spelling out the entire bleak futuristic premise in the first few pages.

In spite of these weaknesses, Ready Player One is a quick, run read that doesn't require any knowledge of gaming (although familiarity with 1980's pop culture helps). Our hero is easy to root for given his underdog status, even if he doesn't have a lot of depth. There's a sweet nerd romance that helped keep me interested and a rousing finish.

I was looking for something a little different and Ready Player One fit the bill nicely. It will make a great movie.

Awful writing. A simple plot with a moderately likable protagonist who can do no wrong. Whatever the circumstance, Mr. Watts seems to have spent more time preparing than seems possible, or else the rules change.

In a world where anything is possible, nothing is unexpected. Therefor it's not surprising when everything “barely” works out for the best.

The story is shallow and panders to retro-nostalgic pop-culture lovers without doing much work of its own. While I enjoyed the trip down memory lane, I feel anyone could quote and reference 80s pop culture and the story was very, very weak without it as a crutch.

This is a fantastic read! I'm such a sucker for books that involve pop culture references and that is basically the premise of this book. Miix in there that it's also pulling from some clearly dystopian themes and you have a book made perfect for reading. I loved the plot. Ernest Cline's adventure was fast paced, filled with enough details and riddles to keep the reader engaged, and also pulled you back to some of the great things from your childhood. Even if you were never a gamer, children who were raised in the 80s of have an appreciation for that era will appreciate the references to 80s bands, movie, and novelists. I especially liked the FlickSync challenges that the main character had to go through. I found myself hoping that if our world ever goes to shit, that someone will be smart enough to build an OASIS for me to play around in.

So overall, fantastic read. I really enjoyed it.

Quick read but really good. Reminds me of a simpler Snow Crash, Daemon, Scott Pilgrim mashup.

Anyone who loves the 80s, trivia, video games, RPGs, or is looking for a fun read.

I enjoyed this book's pace, and the story is somewhat clever. There are a LOT of 80s references; actually, that's pretty much the whole book. So if you don't know anything about the 80s, I don't know what you'd think of the plot. Without all of the references, the plot is rather simplistic with no real surprises. Still, an enjoyable and worthwhile read, just nothing amazing in terms of ‘science fiction.'

I have to caveat this review before it even gets started. Like the near mythical James Halliday in “Ready Player One,” I was born in the mid-70's. That means my perspective on the 80's is skewed through the lenses of someone who saw them as a child to teenager. Cline's use of Halliday's obsessive fascination with the 80's and all things geek, then, fits into my world picture just fine. But if the rousing call of “Thundarr!” doesn't even tickle a memory cell, or if the thought of Ultraman and Mechagodzilla make you just scratch your head in bewilderment, then Cline's book is going to be a tough and/or boring read. The book seems to have been written for and caters to the sci-fi and computer geeks who came of age in the 80's, and despite its future setting was intended to pull on those nostalgic heart strings.
On to the review!

The year is 2044, and life is about as we expected. Fuel shortages, housing shortages, poverty, its all there in spades. The only saving grace in this near dystopian future is the OASIS, an MMORPG so vast and pervasive that it has its own equipment for accessing it, and nearly everyone in the world actually does. The inventor of the OASIS, James Halliday, is wealthy beyond measure. And then he dies, willing both his fortune and ownership of the OASIS to whoever can solve the quest he has designed to find the Easter egg. “Ready Player One” is the story of Wade Watson, told in the first person as he takes part in this global quest, to find the three keys that open the three gates that lead to Halliday's prize Easter egg. Its a fairly fast paced story, where a lot of the action takes place in the OASIS itself, the augmented virtual reality that is so key in this world.

As far as complaints go - well, you can see that Cline is a fanboy of Whedon with his references to the Whedonverse and Firefly, but where's Farscape? Where's Earth Above and Beyond? Was there really too much culture to be able to reference in under 400 pages?

More seriously, the biggest problem I see folks having with this book is that it is so niche. I'm not unfamiliar with the marketability of the culture in question, believe me, but outside of our circle I can see this book being a very boring read for folks. The book could have taken place in 2014 as much as 2044 - most of the technology that is critical is at least at the speculative layer today. Which means when you peel back the “sci-fi” of it taking place in the future, all that you are really left with is a book that's reminiscent of an 80's movie that takes place in a virtual reality where knowledge of the 80's is key.

And yet, I loved the book. I couldn't put it down, reading it within a week of getting it, which says something this time of year. If my caveats have done nothing to disuade you, then go grab a copy now, and enjoy!

A perfect holiday novel. I'm not sure how interesting it would have been if I hadn't grown up in the 80s and been a video arcade junkie. But I did, and I was, so it was jam packed with nostalgia for me.

Loved this book!

I lost sleep because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

This is an absolutely fun, retro, geek fest. I won't say that the story is fantastic but it's an extremely enjoyable read. Especially so if you're an 80s kid, like video games, and is a geek. Some things in the plot is rather unbelievable but you won't mind. Plus, there's Ultraman!!!

Ready Player One is one of those books that I'll be recommending to people for a long, long time. If you love geeky media... books, videos, TV shows, music (and especially if it's from the 80s) this book will be a favorite of yours as well.

The characters are engaging, the descriptions of the scenes inside OASIS are vivid, and it's fun (and thrilling) at the same time.

Does the 80s trivia come on a little thick? Yes, but that's kind of the point (and the plot).

I enjoyed this book with all of its 80's references. It was a different type of book to read. Sometimes it got a little to wordy during some of the battles but it was still enjoyable.

I guess if I could, I'd give it 2.5 stars. Interesting concept, but pretty juvenile characters, dialog, and plot progression. Don't think I'd recommend it.

I enjoyed this book immensely. When it started off I was a little put off by the topic and writing style, but by the 3rd or 4th chapter I couldn't put it down.
I really liked the twists, the characters, and especially the ending.
As usual I wish they show more “after”, how they live after everything is done, but I'm glad they don't, because not knowing is fun.


SO MANY REFERENCES!
I have so many things I now have to look up.

Anybody with fond memories of the 1980's will be entertained by this book. Full of geek culture, likable characters and plenty of suspense and action.

This was one of the best stories I have ever read.

Ernest Cline was raised in a world of orange shag carpeting and wood panelled dens. An era where grimy arcade games were stuffed in the corners of pizza joints and bowling alleys and John Hughes movies were our teenage touchstones.

Cline may not be a great writer and frankly Ready Player One plays out like a screenplay that foreshadows the inevitable movie. Still, that's not to say this isn't a hella fun read.

We're talking competitive bouts of Pac-Man,Tempest and a memorable head-to-head against a Lich King playing Joust. It's walking the marbled halls of the Tyrell Corporation, flying the Serenity with Max Headroom as your personal AI or racing your own DeLorean. Throw in some School House Rocks, Family Ties, Ghostbusters and mix well. It's guilty pleasure in the form of geek lore. I blazed through this in a weekend.

All that's missing is the denouement where the villain is escorted away shaking his fist and screaming “And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!”

I really enjoyed this book, but I can only recommend it to the fellow nerds of today for whom it was written. It contains references to all kinds of modern geek culture, ranging from Galaga to Cory Doctorow to Cap'n Crunch (not the cereal), and feels like the author is “one of us,” and not in a trying-too-hard way. If you can identify all three of the things I listed, give this one a good look.

If you grew up in the 80's, this book is both wish-fulfillment for your former child-self and a trip down memory lane. One of the best science fiction books of 2011, don't miss this one. Think Ender's Game meets the Thursday Next novels in 80's geek and chic culture.

The writing is brisk and the characters are well developed. Don't be surprised when you find yourself really rooting on Wade in his quest or wishing that the story could keep going on and on.

Fast, fun read that made me want to dust off my walkman and rock out to my best mixtapes while playing Atari. Like, oh my god!