Ready Player Two
Ratings401
Average rating3.1
Executive Summary: I really loved [b:Ready Player One 9969571 Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) Ernest Cline https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571.SY75.jpg 14863741], but this one just isn't as good. If I had to sum it up in one or two sentences I'd say: More of the same/More of Ernest Cline's favorite things. Depending on when you talk to me I might give this a 3 or 4. I decided to round down when I first finished, so I kept it there, but we'll call it 3.5 stars.Audiobook: Wil Wheaton once again does a great job. I really like his narration, and he fits well for this series. I'm glad they were able to get him back again for this one. This is definitely a series that works well in audio for me.Full ReviewThere is a trend on the internet for some people to spend time mocking something other people love to what I'd consider excess. [b:Ready Player One 9969571 Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) Ernest Cline https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571.SY75.jpg 14863741] is one of those things. I love the book. I get that other people didn't and I'd agree that some of the criticism of that book is fair.What I don't get is why people spend so much time and energy hating on something. I probably never will. I bring this up because I've seen a lot of hate for this book too. I think it gives those folks something to once again revel in or something.A lot of the same criticism of the first book can easily be applied here. Mr. Cline is not a great writer. There are times when he just seems to be listing stuff he likes. His dialog is often clunky. There are parts of the book that come off as preachy, and parts that come off as ignorant. Personally I think Cline means well, but just falls flat in his execution. He'd probably benefit either from better editing, or consulting people who know more about the subject matter than he does. Probably both.So all of that probably gives the impression that I didn't like this book. Except I did. I liked it for the same reasons I liked [b:Ready Player One 9969571 Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) Ernest Cline https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571.SY75.jpg 14863741]. I like a lot of the same books, movies, TV and video games Mr. Cline does. I also really like the the idea of the Oasis and the ways it shows both some of the best and worst parts of the internet, social media and gaming/gamer culture.The book started a bit slow, but once it got going I found it pretty fun and kept looking for reasons to keep listening. That said, there isn't really any new ground covered here. I'm not sure what kind of story he could tell that wouldn't have involved another pop-culture influenced puzzle quest, but it would have been interesting to see him try.I'll probably continue to listen to [b:Ready Player One 9969571 Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) Ernest Cline https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571.SY75.jpg 14863741] every few years, and I'm sure every now and again I'll listen to this one after, but it's not going on my favorite list like its predecessor.So will you like this one? It depends on how much you liked the first one. If you loved it like I did, you'll probably like this one. If you thought the first one just OK, you may want to give this a pass.And if you're one of those people who spend more time dunking on [b:Ready Player One 9969571 Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) Ernest Cline https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571.SY75.jpg 14863741] than I do talking about how much I like it..well I'm sure there is plenty more here for you to dunk on. Enjoy I guess?
3 stars - see full video review here : https://youtu.be/WHA7M8yUd1A
While there were many flaws in this story i felt that the hunt was a bit too overdone and there was too much time spent on each topic. Plus it seemed as though the secondary characters pulled all the weight here and that made for a lousy experience.
It is what it is. A sequel to a book that didn't require one. No where near as good as Ready Player One, but I expected as much going into this. Repetition throughout, and the author tends to skim in areas that would otherwise be excellent spots to expand. Felt rushed at times, and overall was what I expected. A sequel to a book that didn't require one.
Where the first book had a bunch of different 80s fandoms that were given a few pages each, this one has much longer sections about a smaller number of 80s fandoms. If you enjoyed the nostalgia of the first one (I did) and you're into the smaller number of specific fandoms that this one goes into in greater depth (I am not), then you might like it as well.
If you didn't read or listen to the first one (e.g. if you just saw the movie), do not read this, or you'll be hopelessly confused. It leans in very hard to things that were in the first book, but were changed for the movie.
