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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
Typical sequel. Not as good as the first, a bit unnecessary, but still entertaining.
For those that enjoyed RP1, RP2 is a maturation journey for Wade Watts and the High Five. Honestly, I appreciated how the author did not shy away from the difficulty in Wade's life as well as the consequences of his actions. Furthermore, once the crisis began I enjoyed that each member of the High Five got to shine in their expertise (aka John Hughes, Prince, Ninja Princess). Also, the introduction of the L0w Five was really neat as well. One star deduction because of the stretch on the sci-fi post apocalyptic sections towards the end of the book regarding human consciousness. Overall, I enjoyed the book and all of the nerd reference yet felt disconnected with some of the future that RP2 portrays will happen in the near future (only 40 or so years apparently).
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book wasn't only disappointing by itself, it also ruined the first book in the series for me, which back in the day I found to be a really fun read. Ready Player Two highlighted all the things I should have noticed back then but didn't, probably because I was just overwhelmed by pop culture references. First of all, the main character, Wade, is a psychopath and as unlikable as someone can get. He is one of the richest and most powerful people in the world, yet he finds joy in destroying people's livelihood, just because they dared to criticize him in public. Or he listens into private conversations, just because he can as an Oasis admin. And again, the pop culture references. For some reason, the people in the future are still fully into the 1980'ies (and 90ies), and somehow they find time to watch and rewatch stuff endlessly and memorize all the dialogue - when do they do that?! Then there's the story. It's basically the same as the first one. Yet another treasure hunt. The stakes? Turned out to be rather inconsequential .
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Almost a complete 180 from the charming and immersive Ready Player One. This story is a meandering and contradictory mess that retroactively cheapens the themes, characters and ending of the first book. Completely unbelievable stakes make for a rocky foundation onto which is placed a confounding story of how Halliday was actually a mass murdering psychopath, bent on killing everyone in the OASIS . Wade and Friends have 24 hours to save the world, but spend a distressing amount of that time cracking jokes, enjoying the scenery of new parts of the OASIS, and taking their own sweet time putzing around Prince Land . The methodical rising tension of the first book is replaced with a breakneck race to the finish that leaves all character motivation feeling incongruent with the insane time limit. That, mixed with betrayals of our favorite character's personal traits and a comparatively uninspired set of localles and references make this sequel feel rushed and sloppy. It seems like this was written with the express purpose of being turned into a sequel to the movie, rather than a worthy follow-up to the first book. It's a much better use of your time to re-read the first one.
I struggled at the start of the book because Wade had become incredibly unlikable. But I told myself this was probably just to set up an arc for character growth and thankfully I was mostly right.
The nostalgia factors that I loved about the first book are definitely back in full force in this one but I do think the puzzles were less creative this time around.
The moral questions about this new version of the oasis and sentient AI is always interesting and it was cool in here, but this is definitely not the book AI ethicists are going to dive into to decide how to handle AI in the future.
The nostalgia factors that I loved about the first book are definitely back in full force in this one but I do think the puzzles were less creative this time around.
The moral questions about this new version of the oasis and sentient AI is always interesting and it was cool in here, but this is definitely not the book AI ethicists are going to dive into to decide how to handle AI in the future.
I like this book, I think it's a good sequel, comparable to the first one. I like how the story progresses at a fast but enjoyable pace. The references to the 80s pop culture have been a highlight to me from the first book to this one. The 5th and 6th quest () were terrific.
This book manages to describe A.I. from another point of view. It shares some similarities to Hank Green's [b:A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor|49003616|A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor (The Carls, #2)|Hank Green|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1576697804l/49003616._SY75_.jpg|74421645] book, especially regarding the AR experience and his view on humanity & the world's problems. Also, I found the ending somehow similar to the Upload (2020) tv show.
I wasn't fond of the moments when Watts (Perzival) was so hung up over Samantha (Art3mis) and I found Samantha's debate with others over the use of technology, money spending, etc annoying but she just grows on me with her optimism and intelligence.
Spoiler
the fight with Prince and the Lord of the Rings questThis book manages to describe A.I. from another point of view. It shares some similarities to Hank Green's [b:A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor|49003616|A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor (The Carls, #2)|Hank Green|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1576697804l/49003616._SY75_.jpg|74421645] book, especially regarding the AR experience and his view on humanity & the world's problems. Also, I found the ending somehow similar to the Upload (2020) tv show.
I wasn't fond of the moments when Watts (Perzival) was so hung up over Samantha (Art3mis) and I found Samantha's debate with others over the use of technology, money spending, etc annoying but she just grows on me with her optimism and intelligence.
The first book wasn't well written, but I enjoyed the nostalgia. The second book was written as well, but the nostalgia is gone.
Should have been better, felt invested in the story after Ready Player One but this was a letdown.
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first. Not only in the story itself, but there is a sadness throughout that I just can't place. Maybe it's because in real life now corporations took the multiverse concept and kind of made it heartbreaking and a capitalist hell scape. It definitely isn't as much fun as it was back when RP1 came out.
I hope the story stays dormant from here.
I hope the story stays dormant from here.
This book was highly anticipated, and rather disappointing.
The pacing was very wrong. The first 40% of the book was prologue- setting up the eventual story.
When we finally got the action of the story, it felt rushed and underdeveloped. You had the feeling that things were happening because they were supposed to happen at that point, not because the characters had earned it (as you did in the prior book).
There were some interesting scenes and some really good ideas in the story, but it needed a rewrite to get the flow right.
The pacing was very wrong. The first 40% of the book was prologue- setting up the eventual story.
When we finally got the action of the story, it felt rushed and underdeveloped. You had the feeling that things were happening because they were supposed to happen at that point, not because the characters had earned it (as you did in the prior book).
There were some interesting scenes and some really good ideas in the story, but it needed a rewrite to get the flow right.