Ready Player One
Ratings2,247
Average rating4
Outstanding book and can understand why so many gamers in my generation love it.
Fun and interesting future-set sci-fi. Creative. You better know your 80's trivia!
Increible. Creo que no tengo más palabras para describir lo que pienso de la historia que creo Ernest Cline.
3.4 stars,
I think I had too high expectations for this book when I started it. I didn't really clicked all that much with the main character and the dystopian society in the story was pretty gentle compared to others I have read. However I enjoyed the author's references to 80's movies and videogames, as well as picturing young people's culture during the 80's , specially on videogame/fantasy/sci fi themes.
Truly a nerd utopia. Each and every chapter sends chills down my spine. Can't wait for the movie to see Spielberg work his magic.
This book and I had issues. I first of this book in my Reading Videogames class, where I with my casual gamer knowledge attempted to learn more about videogames and other games. I've been requesting this book since about the beginning of the semester (around Feb?) Apparently, it came in like 2 or 3 times and the e-mails telling me when it arrived never came, or I didn't check my eReader in time...
Such frustration. The semester ends in one week and I've finally FINALLY finished this book.
Phew~ Now that that is out of the way on to the review!!
Brief Summary:Why live in reality when you can live in virtual reality? In the year 2044 reality sucks and most people spend as much time as they can as their avatars inside the VR game/program OASIS. There is pretty much nothing you can't do in OASIS. The creator of OASIS passes away and in his will he says that the person to find the hidden egg within OASIS will inherit his mass fortune and ownership of the company. This starts a mad hunt and a revival of 1980s culture since he was obsessed with his childhood. Wade Watts is determined to find the egg and rise up out of his poor life. Unfortunately, he has no money to travel within the game, therefore unable to actually search for the egg.After years of no clues of progress by anyone, Wade (Perzival) stumbles upon a clue and starts the hunt up once again. It isn't just normal people he is competing against either, a vicious money and power hungry company (IOI) will do anything in order to have the egg. Anything.————————————–This book was a wild ride. There is just so. much. here! There is so much information needed to understand the riddles given to aid people in their quests to find the egg so, I felt like I just had to hang on and enjoy the ride. I do not know 80s pop culture all that much. I recognize names and places, most of the games really, but not to the extent of the characters. –I sometimes found this to be a downside of the book because the author had to explain out the games, the movies, pretty much everything so that the readers could understand. It adds to the book but, I also thought it took me out of the book. But the world of this book was really so cool. I mean... it sucks big time but, OASIS and the way the author set everything up was so awesome. OASIS is an utopia with no limits. Yet, this makes the story a dystopia because as the book mentions, the real world sucks and is more obvious because of OASIS. Sometimes while reading I would forget that Wade wasn't really in OASIS. The characters were interesting. It is one of those cases where ‘beauty is on the inside.' Personality is much more important than looks. And it really shines here. Also there is character growth. Wade goes from being a nobody -to- a celebrity. He has to deal with this change and he isn't perfect. He has to learn from his mistakes and mature. Since the characters are geeks, some with anxiety issues and afraid of the outdoors there are lots of issues that are brought up and addressed. Trust is lost and earned and in OASIS one of the biggest pieces of showing trust is knowing the other person's face and name.–One little thing I had a problem with was that Wade developed a fear of the outside (Doesn't affect story much so I don't think it is a spoiler). But, he gets over it really quickly with no mention ever again... I wanted a little more on this. LOVED the diversity of the characters and mention of variety of shows and games – not just American ones. So, seeing Gundam and Ultraman mentioned was super cool to me. Really enjoyed this book and I'm glad I finally got to it. I might read the author's next book Armada but, it seemed most people in class didn't like it so, I might pass. If you like 80s references, shows, classic arcade games as well as futuristic aspects –this is a book I think you should read.If you like adventures and/or quirky characters – probably a book you should try out.
Pese a partir de una premisa un poco más interesante que la que presenta el grueso de la literatura juvenil, este libro es tan malo, estúpido y mal escrito que mientras uno lo lee es imposible no desviar la atención hacia el mayor de sus misterios: por qué se le ha prestado tanta atención a un material tan deficiente.
A very quick read and a fun ride for the most part. It did become increasingly predictable, though, because I felt the narrative, blazing forward with incredulous speed, seemed to take the easy way out more often than not, effectively killing off any suspense it would have needed to keep me invested in it.
It was addictive enough, though, and made me start Armada, too.
I had big expectations going in to this book, and it surpassed every one of them. I never lost interest. Not once. The only thing I'm disappointed in was that I didn't get to read it cover to cover. All the 80's pop culture references really fed my nostalgia, and what I didn't recognize, I found myself looking up. He also really did a great job of building the world and creating it's own history. Every geek should read this book.
Gave me pacman fever
Brought me back to the 80's arcade adventure, D&D and early computer hacking. I'll re read this one when I want to feel nostalgic again. Vector games ruled.
Hated it from the minute I started reading it, didn't make it past a few chapters to see if it ever gets better. Nerdy on a level that I couldn't identify with.
I found Ready Player One quite enjoyable to read, with references to beloved movies and other nerdy things. I loved the scavenger hunt/game/contest aspect of the book and, of course, the technology used by the characters.
First off, I'd just like to say that I could kick myself right now.
Why? Because this book started showing up on my “to-read” and suggested books lists in various places like Shelfari, Goodreads, and Amazon about 2 years ago. Maybe longer. I actually bought it over a year ago with a credit in Audible (unabridged and read by Will Wheaton, yes that Will Wheaton. And I started listening to it/reading it about a week and a half ago.
WOW! I've just completed this and I feel that near-gut-punch feeling of having finished a GREAT book. One with no sequel. If you're a reader, you'll know what I mean by saying “it feels like I've lost a close friend.” This book is instantly in my top 10 of all time and probably in my top 5.
RPO is set in a dystopian 2044 where the real world is ravaged by poverty, food shortages and economic collapse. But most people don't care because they spend the majority of their “lives” in The OASIS, which is a virtual reality universe. Because of the instability of the economies of the real world, the credits of the OASIS are actually more valuable than those in the real world.
Into this milieu is dropped our protagonist (Wade Watts, essentially a high-school senior) who is a self-proclaimed gunter. The creator of the OASIS has died and left his vast fortune as the prize for the first person to find the ultimate game Easter Egg in the OASIS. Millions of people spend their lives as egg-hunters (hunters) trying to find that egg. Wade has very little in the real world, but he has a good friend “H” and a much-better-than-average grasp of the knowledge needed to find the Egg.
The twist is that the creator, James Halliday, was obsessed with 80's culture and geeky pastimes. Video games like Pac Man, Zork, and the like, awesome 80's music and movies. You name it and it's probably references in Ready Player One.
Through an incredible set of discoveries and adventure, Wade makes new friends, falls in love, nearly calls it quits, nearly gets killed (several times) and takes us, the readers along for an incredibly fun, fast-paced ride into the future AND the past.
If you're a geek of the 80s (like me), jump in the way-back machine and pick up this book immediately. Just do it. Don't waste your time waiting. This is a FANTASTIC book.
And if you enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend the audiobook. Will Wheaton's performance is fantastic. There's nothing distracting about it whatsoever. He's simply the perfect choice for narrating this one.
This book was Awesome! One of the most enjoyable books I have read and will now hold a place at the top of my list. It was fun and full of gaming and geek references that made me laugh and smile. I also now have a list of books, movies, and games that I want to dig into.
Under all the geek culture references was a truly engrossing story and adventure to make any reader excited.
I may be biased, but I truly believe this book deserves 5 stars.
I detest this book. References to obscure 80's cultural objects purely for the sake of nostalgia and a collection of the worst impulses of nerd-culture. Self-insert fantasy about the power of being the king of trivia.
I'm so glad this book was recommended to me, I have already recommended this book to numerous people. If you love geeky culture (tv, movies, games, music, etc), then you'll most likely love this book.
This is an amazing book. A great adventure story that would be just as good in a fantasy or wizard setting. However putting it in the pop culture of my youth was a bonus.
Really fun, quick read.
It also reminded me that even 80s geeks can have wildly different expertise in different sub-genres...
One of the first puzzles to get solved was something about Dungeons and Dragons that felt so esoteric to me that I almost lost interest in the book, thinking “These are not the 1980s references you were looking for.”
Later, I was rewarded with a clue that should have been so obvious to anyone who played text adventures. But, bafflingly, the clue was so challenging to the general population of players in the book that this puzzle went unsolved by any character for a significant length of time in the book.
If you ever wanted to read a book that had a similar feel to say Goonies - quite a bit goofy, dorky but lovable heroes, epic quest for treasure while being doggedly pursued by bad guys - then I've got the book for you. I found the countless regurgitation of my childhood a bit much which is why I just “like” the book. The story is a feel good yarn, nothing really amazing happening in here. The story is a well-worn but loved one.
I want to give this book 0 stars.
Here is my biggest issue with geek culture: gatekeepers. You know who the gatekeepers are. They're the guys who tell you you're not a true fan of the thing unless you know this-this-and-this obscure fact. Unless you've seen every permutation of this thing. Unless you've seen every episode of this show or every film this director made. You can't call yourself a fan unless you've read every book in the series. Multiple times. The gatekeepers are the guys who think they're special because they like things. The guys who think they're elite because they like things, and don't want other people into their super special nerd club. The guys who drill you to name non-singles by a band if you are wearing a t-shirt. Those guys.
Here is my biggest issue with this book: it's one gigantic metaphor for the gatekeepers of geek culture. Complete with actual gates! Gates you can only open if you Get The Reference!
It takes winking and nudging nerds to a point where it stops being cute. There is a literal 2-page spread dedicated to name dropping all of the hippest possible geeky pop-culture references from between 1975-2010. The author of this book desperately wishes for you to pat him on the back for liking things. In return for liking all of the same things he likes, you can wade through the clunky references to unlock the otherwise decently clever plot underneath.
We get it. Ernest Cline likes Firefly. The number of lampshades he hangs on the fact that he likes Firefly/Kurt Vonnegut/Monty Python/80s movies/pick a thing is exhausting. I shouldn't have to be as immersed in geek culture as he is to get all of these jokes (unluckily for me I sortof am). It's a lazy, amateur crutch. The story can depend on silly references without forcing the reader to. The references should be a bonus to those who get it, not the entire point.
I wish there was something meta in the story, which forces all of these characters into being obsessed with everything geeky this video game creator had been obsessed with in order to unlock his puzzles. There's not. You have to also be obsessed with everything geeky this author is obsessed with in order to unlock the plot.
I think, as a geek, I'm supposed to feel catered to? I sortof just feel insulted.
I've re-read this book once a year or so since it came out. It stays as enjoyable every time.