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jaimarie's review against another edition
4.0
A really great book, with lots of references to Series, Movies and Video Games! Had me intrigued, and I loved the originality of the story. Level 1 was a little slow for me, but then the other two felt like they were on fast forward. Level 3 had me on my toes the whole time! Didn't love the ending, just because I wanted to see what was going to happen in the future. Overall, I would recommend it, it was an awesome book!
adamdavis41's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know why I was so reluctant to read this, it's a blast!
devonforest's review against another edition
5.0
This was a nice quick and easy read, just what I needed after binge reading Game of Thrones series. I liked that there was a very futuristic feel to the books, while also being realistic.
booktallie's review against another edition
5.0
Ernest Clines brings an epic tale filled with suspense, romance and a lot of humor; Ready Player One. Avid gamer fans, geeks, nerds, and lovers of the eighties will obsess over this will wonderful action packed thriller. The adventure and excitement not to mention the non-stop 80's pop-culture references is relatable and nostalgic.
We are in 2044 and the world is in ruin, fossil fuels and inflation have brought most of the population to poverty and the only escape is through a world wide reality gaming network called the OASIS. The OASIS was created by one James Halliday, a world renowned game designer and all round computer nerd. OASIS allows its players to leave the real world around them and 'jack into' a virtual world inside the game. Within the game you can choose your own name, gender, appearance, sex, race, the possibilities are endless and as for the game itself you can visit anywhere you can imagine from Tolkien's Middle Earth to a Death Star. Although it is free to enter OASIS it still costs to pay for things such as weapons, travel and clothing.
Although most people use the OASIS to escape the horror of their real lives there is also another incentive. On the day of James Halliday's death a message was broadcast to all users of the OASIS telling them that his vast fortune (in the billions) was hidden in the game somewhere and the first person to find it would receive it all plus ownership of the OASIS - very Charlie and the Chocolate factory. To find this illusive treasure they must first find three keys that in turn open three gates, thus leading them to the fortune. This became known as 'Halliday's Easter Egg' hunt.
Most of the storyline in the book is set in the virtual reality world of the OASIS, where we are introduced to the main character Wade Watts or 'Parzival' as his gaming avatar is named, an eighteen year old uber yet classic geek, who spends most of his days plugged into the OASIS, his main goal being to find Halliday's Easter Egg. For five years since Halliday's death no gunter/“egg hunter” or sixer/”IOI” has found any clue as to where the first 'key' was hidden, this is until ‘Parzival’ suddenly shoots to the top of the scoreboard on Halliday's website. He has found the first key.
From then on the story centers around Wade's hunt for the egg. But he has enemies; the demonic company 'Innovative Online Industries' is obsessed with not only finding the egg but killing anyone who gets in their way. IOI wishes to win the fortune and take control of the OASIS so they can charge monthly fees to anyone who wishes to play.
Though Ready Player One is a wonderful and exciting adventure, it is a flawed book. It is hugely front loaded with clarification and even when the plot finally kicks in, expositional infodumps sometime arrive to bring the story to a grinding halt. There is no artful integration here and Cline is just providing information about the extensive world he’s imagined or explaining something about a game, movie, TV show or band, to a hapless noob who’s never even heard of family ties. It is called Wikipedia and Google; learn it, love it. The book tries a little too hard to appeal to a broader type of audience, when this is clearly a niche book. Through this book does have some flaws, it is exhilarating when you are not getting a major infodump.
Cline’s characters and world building are greatly describe in a glorious matter however, making it feel like this could be the not so far future. Cline made this story into such a fun quest for the elusive riches, that we feel involved in the interaction of the story; with the bad guys clearly bad enough for us to hate (Evil corporations are Evil!) and the protagonist relatable enough to wholeheartedly cheer for him in his efforts - after all, we love rooting for an underdog, right? Ready Player One is an intense, action-packed story. Incredibly enough, it is Ernest Cline’s debut novel. I can’t wait to see what he does next!
Overall, Ready Player One was fabulous, and it’s definitely gotten the hype it’s deserved. Certainly a brilliant addition to the sci-fi genre and I’d highly recommend it to all geeks and non-geeks alike. You definitely won’t be disappoint as you follow Wade through his journey to find Halliday’s Easter egg.
We are in 2044 and the world is in ruin, fossil fuels and inflation have brought most of the population to poverty and the only escape is through a world wide reality gaming network called the OASIS. The OASIS was created by one James Halliday, a world renowned game designer and all round computer nerd. OASIS allows its players to leave the real world around them and 'jack into' a virtual world inside the game. Within the game you can choose your own name, gender, appearance, sex, race, the possibilities are endless and as for the game itself you can visit anywhere you can imagine from Tolkien's Middle Earth to a Death Star. Although it is free to enter OASIS it still costs to pay for things such as weapons, travel and clothing.
Although most people use the OASIS to escape the horror of their real lives there is also another incentive. On the day of James Halliday's death a message was broadcast to all users of the OASIS telling them that his vast fortune (in the billions) was hidden in the game somewhere and the first person to find it would receive it all plus ownership of the OASIS - very Charlie and the Chocolate factory. To find this illusive treasure they must first find three keys that in turn open three gates, thus leading them to the fortune. This became known as 'Halliday's Easter Egg' hunt.
Most of the storyline in the book is set in the virtual reality world of the OASIS, where we are introduced to the main character Wade Watts or 'Parzival' as his gaming avatar is named, an eighteen year old uber yet classic geek, who spends most of his days plugged into the OASIS, his main goal being to find Halliday's Easter Egg. For five years since Halliday's death no gunter/“egg hunter” or sixer/”IOI” has found any clue as to where the first 'key' was hidden, this is until ‘Parzival’ suddenly shoots to the top of the scoreboard on Halliday's website. He has found the first key.
From then on the story centers around Wade's hunt for the egg. But he has enemies; the demonic company 'Innovative Online Industries' is obsessed with not only finding the egg but killing anyone who gets in their way. IOI wishes to win the fortune and take control of the OASIS so they can charge monthly fees to anyone who wishes to play.
Though Ready Player One is a wonderful and exciting adventure, it is a flawed book. It is hugely front loaded with clarification and even when the plot finally kicks in, expositional infodumps sometime arrive to bring the story to a grinding halt. There is no artful integration here and Cline is just providing information about the extensive world he’s imagined or explaining something about a game, movie, TV show or band, to a hapless noob who’s never even heard of family ties. It is called Wikipedia and Google; learn it, love it. The book tries a little too hard to appeal to a broader type of audience, when this is clearly a niche book. Through this book does have some flaws, it is exhilarating when you are not getting a major infodump.
Cline’s characters and world building are greatly describe in a glorious matter however, making it feel like this could be the not so far future. Cline made this story into such a fun quest for the elusive riches, that we feel involved in the interaction of the story; with the bad guys clearly bad enough for us to hate (Evil corporations are Evil!) and the protagonist relatable enough to wholeheartedly cheer for him in his efforts - after all, we love rooting for an underdog, right? Ready Player One is an intense, action-packed story. Incredibly enough, it is Ernest Cline’s debut novel. I can’t wait to see what he does next!
Overall, Ready Player One was fabulous, and it’s definitely gotten the hype it’s deserved. Certainly a brilliant addition to the sci-fi genre and I’d highly recommend it to all geeks and non-geeks alike. You definitely won’t be disappoint as you follow Wade through his journey to find Halliday’s Easter egg.
dowryofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
4/5 stars
This quote is way too relatable in 2022:
Having .00000% interest in video games or 80's pop culture, I had way too much fun reading this.
Ready Player One is set in a future where inflation, over-population, and the depletion of natural resources have left the world in a global crisis. To escape this reality, most people choose to spend their time in this virtual reality called the OASIS. The creator of the OASIS dies and leaves behind an elaborate challenge that has 3 riddles, 3 gates, and 3 keys to find an easter egg hidden somewhere in the OASIS. Whoever finds it will inherit the OASIS, along with 240 billion dollars. With no one being able to solve Halliday's riddle, the scoreboard remains empty for five years when one day someone by the username Parzival appears in first place. This would be our main character, Wade Watts. After he lands himself at the top of the leaderboard, it puts a target on his back and it soon becomes an intense race to find the egg before it's found by someone with bad intentions.
This was such a fast, action-packed read I blew through it so quickly. I loved this world and how aspects of it were so realistic. I liked the commentary on where does it leave the world standing when humans spend all of their time consumed by virtual reality?
I also really liked the characters. I wouldn't say I love them or got super attached to any of them though. And I didn't hate the romance as much as a lot of reviews seem to. It actually didn't feel like it was a huge plot point in the story, there was so much going on to overshadow it.
My only two faults with this book are that one, the 80s references were laid on a little bit too thick. About 50% in it's like okay, I get it I don't need a pop culture reference or piece of 80s trivia inserted into every other paragraph to remind me that James Halliday is obsessed with the 80s.
The other thing is that the author never left us hanging for very long when the characters were in peril, a solution always so conveniently came up- way too conveniently. It was never a question that they would all get a happily ever after with a neat bow on top.
One minor thing that didn't aggravate me as much (because it's just the way of the YA genre) is that, of course, a few teenagers outsmarted literally the entire planet. There were millions of people working day in and day out to solve Halliday's riddles but an 18 year old boy conquerors all.
I feel like I've complained more than complimented in this review but it is a solid 4 star for me purely for being a good time and I love the world Ernest Cline gave us and how it was so easy to picture and be there with the characters.
This quote is way too relatable in 2022:
“You were born at a pretty crappy time in history. And it looks like things are only gonna get worse from here on out.”
Having .00000% interest in video games or 80's pop culture, I had way too much fun reading this.
Ready Player One is set in a future where inflation, over-population, and the depletion of natural resources have left the world in a global crisis. To escape this reality, most people choose to spend their time in this virtual reality called the OASIS. The creator of the OASIS dies and leaves behind an elaborate challenge that has 3 riddles, 3 gates, and 3 keys to find an easter egg hidden somewhere in the OASIS. Whoever finds it will inherit the OASIS, along with 240 billion dollars. With no one being able to solve Halliday's riddle, the scoreboard remains empty for five years when one day someone by the username Parzival appears in first place. This would be our main character, Wade Watts. After he lands himself at the top of the leaderboard, it puts a target on his back and it soon becomes an intense race to find the egg before it's found by someone with bad intentions.
This was such a fast, action-packed read I blew through it so quickly. I loved this world and how aspects of it were so realistic. I liked the commentary on where does it leave the world standing when humans spend all of their time consumed by virtual reality?
I also really liked the characters. I wouldn't say I love them or got super attached to any of them though. And I didn't hate the romance as much as a lot of reviews seem to. It actually didn't feel like it was a huge plot point in the story, there was so much going on to overshadow it.
My only two faults with this book are that one, the 80s references were laid on a little bit too thick. About 50% in it's like okay, I get it I don't need a pop culture reference or piece of 80s trivia inserted into every other paragraph to remind me that James Halliday is obsessed with the 80s.
The other thing is that the author never left us hanging for very long when the characters were in peril, a solution always so conveniently came up- way too conveniently. It was never a question that they would all get a happily ever after with a neat bow on top.
One minor thing that didn't aggravate me as much (because it's just the way of the YA genre) is that, of course, a few teenagers outsmarted literally the entire planet. There were millions of people working day in and day out to solve Halliday's riddles but an 18 year old boy conquerors all.
I feel like I've complained more than complimented in this review but it is a solid 4 star for me purely for being a good time and I love the world Ernest Cline gave us and how it was so easy to picture and be there with the characters.
steffski's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely the first time in a while I found myself having a hard time putting the book down and needing to keep reading. A bit predictable in areas but very enjoyable.
peaknit's review against another edition
3.0
I was never a gamer, but I did enjoy the 80's references, especially the ones referring to the band RUSH. Finally, an author recognizes their gift;) overall, the book was well-researched and thought out. That said, it seemed similar to other books in this genre to me - comparable to maze runner, insurgent and hunger games, and I think I'm YA apocolypsed out. It got off to a slow start but did get better as it crescendoed to the ending, in spite of a good ending, I think I am still tagging out of his genre for now.
zatulasma's review against another edition
2.0
enjoyed it much more than i anticipated.
would recommend to any gamers or video game enthusiasts or whatever.
loved the ending
would recommend to any gamers or video game enthusiasts or whatever.
loved the ending
emmawilhite's review against another edition
5.0
Sometimes my little brain couldn't handle all the world building but I still love the race for fortune traced with riddles.