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dcmcclain's review against another edition
4.0
Great read! Hard to compare to Ready Player One (possibly my favorite book ever), but if you enjoy alien invasion stories, this should keep you entertained.
pagedaddy's review against another edition
1.0
If you like Enders game and the last star fighter and ready player one then don’t read this cuz it’s like they all got together and made this
librarydoc's review against another edition
3.0
Ugh. I read this one with my 7th grader after finishing Ready Player One. Didn't compare. This one was so slow, and it wasn't until the very end that things picked up enough to get interesting.
puddinghead's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
linari's review against another edition
5.0
I hate how people compare this book to Ready Player One, because it’s not. It’s not supposed to be a sequel to Ready Player One. With that being said I really enjoyed the book. I’m not one to read a lot of sci fi novels, but this really kept my attention.
There was a solid plot to the book, the characters were all really interesting, and it had a lot of twists that I didn’t see coming. Although there was closure at the end, I wouldn’t mind reading a sequel to this book to find out how humanity deals with Sodality.
There was a solid plot to the book, the characters were all really interesting, and it had a lot of twists that I didn’t see coming. Although there was closure at the end, I wouldn’t mind reading a sequel to this book to find out how humanity deals with Sodality.
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
2.0
Bullet Review:
And in one fell stroke, Ernest Cline killed my trust.
In all seriousness, those stars are there solely for that final chapter. This entire book could be called "80's Night: Too Little Too Late".
I need to go back and reread "Ready Player One" to remind me that this world doesn't suck.
Full review to come when I'm done angry crying into my cat.
Full Review:
"In the year 2017, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Zachary Lightman really feels alive is when he's jacked into the video game, Armada. Wade's devoted his life to becoming an ace pilot, just like his father, Xavier, who died in a mysterious waste management explosion. When Zach spots an enemy Glaive fighter at school, he finds himself beset by an entire world he never knew existed and an alien armada intent on wiping out humanity. The clock is counting down, and if Zach is going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape."
If that above sounds a little familiar, it should: it's the blurb to the smash hit, "Ready Player One", a fascinating book that combined 80's nostalgia, video game culture, and an introspective look at the world of virtual reality vs reality-reality. It was funny and smart and clever, and at every moment in RPO, I was riveted.
But with Armada? Not so much.
I honestly feel like Armada is actually Cline's first book. It reads like a debut novel from a Young Adult author - half-@$$ed plot, paper-thin characters, slapshod worldbuilding, unrealistic and dorky romance thrown in so the male protagonist has a trophy girlfriend, copying from better books or movies ("Ender's Game" features prominently in this one), and making the critical mistake that just mentioning Star Wars or Star Trek or The Hobbit or Mass effect does not make a joke.
(NOTE: These flaws aren't limited to Young Adult fiction, but in my experience, they seem to run pretty rampant.)
I read in a review on Goodreads that Armada is Cline's "Go Set a Watchman" - it was a first book, not that well done, that editors told him to revisit, wherein "Ready Player One" was by far the better result. (The comparison is amusing as both Armada and "Go Set a Watchman" came out on the same day last year.) I can't speak to "Go Set a Watchman", as I haven't and won't read it (I love "To Kill a Mockingbird" too much), but I realize the sentiment and must agree.
Armada was a book that just kept disappointing me after every page. I was ecstatic when I heard about Cline's new book; I was devastated that I would miss a book signing of this very book, and my sister went in my stead, braving mad crowds of nerds. This book was signed by both the author AND the cover artist. And yet, it's prettier and more pleasurable to look at than to read. And you have NO IDEA how much that tears me apart inside.
Look at my status updates. They start with me SO EXCITED AND PUMPED to read a book I've been waiting nearly a year to read. But it doesn't take long and suddenly everything I was looking for was shattered. And I'm left in a despairing state at the end.
I'm really having trouble focusing and just giving reasons and explanations for why this book is bad, why I didn't like it, why it was disappointing. I LOVED "Ready Player One". RPO was a top 10 book for me - maybe even top 5! To say this is a "massive disappointment" is somewhat of an understatement; I am DEVASTATED that I didn't like this, wonder if Cline just had a one-hit wonder with RPO, wonder if perhaps RPO wasn't all that good after all.
Fine, fine, maybe I can put the tissues away long enough to give some reasons.
Top 5 Reasons Why Armada Broke My Heart
1. The Protagonist. Zach Lightman is the more annoying version of Wade from RPO. His flaws include "Hulking out" - but only when a bully is picking on another kid. He's miraculously cured by the end of the book and never like Hulks out during any of the many scenes where people lie to his face. Zach Lightman's biggest skill is reciting lists of 80's nostalgia, which as a child born in 1999 or 2000, he has very little reason to know. (Oh, but he has a REASON: his dad was born in 1980 and is dead, so it's totes OK for Zach to know all this 80's stuff.) He has friends, but no one, not even the author, cares about them so moving on. Zach in three words? Boring. Dumb. Annoying.
2. The Chicks. Tokens, all of them. Mom? Ellen Ripley/Sara Connor. May be nearly 40, but she's MILF territory (joked about by several characters). Lex? *SIGH* I didn't realize that Manic Pixie Dream Girls were big for nerds, but I can be wrong. Perhaps if they swig from R2-D2 flasks, that doesn't make them MPDG. Debbie and Whoadie? Token girl gamers and token minority characters to prove that Cline is acknowledging his White Male Privilege. (AKA: "I'm not sexist, I have female characters and they are bad @$$ like Ripley! And everyone KNOWS that Ripley is the quintessential feminist!")
3. The Plot. AKA The Excuse to Recite 80's Nostalgia. I should be kind because, at the last chapter, the plot blew me away. (Hence the 2 stars, going to the final chapter.) But seriously, there was WAY too little too late. The book goes nowhere for the longest time, until like the last 100 pages wherein Cline realizes that there has been no action or forward movement and throws everything and the kitchen sink it. Don't look too hard at the plot or it will unravel before your eyes.
4. The 80's/Nerd/Geek References. Just last night, after finishing this book, I drove home listening to Wang Chung "Everybody Have Fun Tonight". Have of the music on my iPod is from the 80's. I also happen to adore several notable 80's nerd movies - Star Wars and Indiana Jones are just two. The 80's was a fun time (even if I was only a wee one for most of the decade), and I'm a self-proclaimed geek (who can argue endlessly about Star Wars Expanded Universe) but holy crap, throwing these references in a mile a minute (because there were several paragraphs that were just one 80's reference after another) does not make a joke! This is as bad as those TV shows or movies that think making sex jokes or fart gags immediately garners a laugh - IT DOES NOT.
5. The Big Spoiler. This one will have to be spoiler tagged because for those who want to read it, it's a surprise.
I call bullshit on this entire plot. My dad spent most of my childhood wrapped up in work. I have some odds and ends memories with us together, but really, our relationship even today is seriously crippled because he spent more time at work than bothering with us. I can't even imagine how I'd feel if my dad faked his death and then popped into my life when it was convenient for him. I would be furious beyond belief and would want nothing to do with him. So I don't buy this bullshit business of Zach immediately forgiving his dad - even if I realize that it's pulling all those 80's tropes.
And Zach's mom's response? Fuck you. A man fakes his death, leaving you to care for his offspring ALL ALONE for 18 years, and you just fuck him when he returns? You are a fucking moron.
And that's that, people. Armada destroyed me. RPO set me up to love everything Cline ever wrote, and Armada demolished those hopes like an 80's explosion. And the man walking away from the flames of my heart is Cline.
I need to go back and cry some more.
And in one fell stroke, Ernest Cline killed my trust.
In all seriousness, those stars are there solely for that final chapter. This entire book could be called "80's Night: Too Little Too Late".
I need to go back and reread "Ready Player One" to remind me that this world doesn't suck.
Full review to come when I'm done angry crying into my cat.
Full Review:
"In the year 2017, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Zachary Lightman really feels alive is when he's jacked into the video game, Armada. Wade's devoted his life to becoming an ace pilot, just like his father, Xavier, who died in a mysterious waste management explosion. When Zach spots an enemy Glaive fighter at school, he finds himself beset by an entire world he never knew existed and an alien armada intent on wiping out humanity. The clock is counting down, and if Zach is going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape."
If that above sounds a little familiar, it should: it's the blurb to the smash hit, "Ready Player One", a fascinating book that combined 80's nostalgia, video game culture, and an introspective look at the world of virtual reality vs reality-reality. It was funny and smart and clever, and at every moment in RPO, I was riveted.
But with Armada? Not so much.
I honestly feel like Armada is actually Cline's first book. It reads like a debut novel from a Young Adult author - half-@$$ed plot, paper-thin characters, slapshod worldbuilding, unrealistic and dorky romance thrown in so the male protagonist has a trophy girlfriend, copying from better books or movies ("Ender's Game" features prominently in this one), and making the critical mistake that just mentioning Star Wars or Star Trek or The Hobbit or Mass effect does not make a joke.
(NOTE: These flaws aren't limited to Young Adult fiction, but in my experience, they seem to run pretty rampant.)
I read in a review on Goodreads that Armada is Cline's "Go Set a Watchman" - it was a first book, not that well done, that editors told him to revisit, wherein "Ready Player One" was by far the better result. (The comparison is amusing as both Armada and "Go Set a Watchman" came out on the same day last year.) I can't speak to "Go Set a Watchman", as I haven't and won't read it (I love "To Kill a Mockingbird" too much), but I realize the sentiment and must agree.
Armada was a book that just kept disappointing me after every page. I was ecstatic when I heard about Cline's new book; I was devastated that I would miss a book signing of this very book, and my sister went in my stead, braving mad crowds of nerds. This book was signed by both the author AND the cover artist. And yet, it's prettier and more pleasurable to look at than to read. And you have NO IDEA how much that tears me apart inside.
Look at my status updates. They start with me SO EXCITED AND PUMPED to read a book I've been waiting nearly a year to read. But it doesn't take long and suddenly everything I was looking for was shattered. And I'm left in a despairing state at the end.
I'm really having trouble focusing and just giving reasons and explanations for why this book is bad, why I didn't like it, why it was disappointing. I LOVED "Ready Player One". RPO was a top 10 book for me - maybe even top 5! To say this is a "massive disappointment" is somewhat of an understatement; I am DEVASTATED that I didn't like this, wonder if Cline just had a one-hit wonder with RPO, wonder if perhaps RPO wasn't all that good after all.
Fine, fine, maybe I can put the tissues away long enough to give some reasons.
Top 5 Reasons Why Armada Broke My Heart
1. The Protagonist. Zach Lightman is the more annoying version of Wade from RPO. His flaws include "Hulking out" - but only when a bully is picking on another kid. He's miraculously cured by the end of the book and never like Hulks out during any of the many scenes where people lie to his face. Zach Lightman's biggest skill is reciting lists of 80's nostalgia, which as a child born in 1999 or 2000, he has very little reason to know. (Oh, but he has a REASON: his dad was born in 1980 and is dead, so it's totes OK for Zach to know all this 80's stuff.) He has friends, but no one, not even the author, cares about them so moving on. Zach in three words? Boring. Dumb. Annoying.
2. The Chicks. Tokens, all of them. Mom? Ellen Ripley/Sara Connor. May be nearly 40, but she's MILF territory (joked about by several characters). Lex? *SIGH* I didn't realize that Manic Pixie Dream Girls were big for nerds, but I can be wrong. Perhaps if they swig from R2-D2 flasks, that doesn't make them MPDG. Debbie and Whoadie? Token girl gamers and token minority characters to prove that Cline is acknowledging his White Male Privilege. (AKA: "I'm not sexist, I have female characters and they are bad @$$ like Ripley! And everyone KNOWS that Ripley is the quintessential feminist!")
3. The Plot. AKA The Excuse to Recite 80's Nostalgia. I should be kind because, at the last chapter, the plot blew me away. (Hence the 2 stars, going to the final chapter.) But seriously, there was WAY too little too late. The book goes nowhere for the longest time, until like the last 100 pages wherein Cline realizes that there has been no action or forward movement and throws everything and the kitchen sink it. Don't look too hard at the plot or it will unravel before your eyes.
4. The 80's/Nerd/Geek References. Just last night, after finishing this book, I drove home listening to Wang Chung "Everybody Have Fun Tonight". Have of the music on my iPod is from the 80's. I also happen to adore several notable 80's nerd movies - Star Wars and Indiana Jones are just two. The 80's was a fun time (even if I was only a wee one for most of the decade), and I'm a self-proclaimed geek (who can argue endlessly about Star Wars Expanded Universe) but holy crap, throwing these references in a mile a minute (because there were several paragraphs that were just one 80's reference after another) does not make a joke! This is as bad as those TV shows or movies that think making sex jokes or fart gags immediately garners a laugh - IT DOES NOT.
5. The Big Spoiler. This one will have to be spoiler tagged because for those who want to read it, it's a surprise.
Spoiler
Xavier isn't dead. Zach spends about 17 minutes being mad at him for faking his own death and then forgives him and loves him as if nothing happened. It's worse for Zach's mom, who isn't even mad and promptly bones Xavier, farting out a child at the end.I call bullshit on this entire plot. My dad spent most of my childhood wrapped up in work. I have some odds and ends memories with us together, but really, our relationship even today is seriously crippled because he spent more time at work than bothering with us. I can't even imagine how I'd feel if my dad faked his death and then popped into my life when it was convenient for him. I would be furious beyond belief and would want nothing to do with him. So I don't buy this bullshit business of Zach immediately forgiving his dad - even if I realize that it's pulling all those 80's tropes.
And Zach's mom's response? Fuck you. A man fakes his death, leaving you to care for his offspring ALL ALONE for 18 years, and you just fuck him when he returns? You are a fucking moron.
And that's that, people. Armada destroyed me. RPO set me up to love everything Cline ever wrote, and Armada demolished those hopes like an 80's explosion. And the man walking away from the flames of my heart is Cline.
I need to go back and cry some more.
sirrydactyl's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book, but I much prefer Ready Player One.
jenscott's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
I unexpectedly loved [book:Ready Player One|9969571], so I went into this book with high expectations, and I ended up being disappointed.
This was a bit anti-climatic, and I hate it whenan author brings a character back from the dead just to kill them off later in the book.
Ah well, you win some you lose some.
This was a bit anti-climatic, and I hate it when
Ah well, you win some you lose some.