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divvydavvy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
zdrhyne's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
magikspells's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it. But Ready Player One was much better. Still a great book with a fun plot.
protoman21's review against another edition
4.0
Warning, there is nothing believable about this story. It is basically a collection of science fiction tropes thrown together in a big messy mess. I could appreciate certain aspects of the plot and the story, but I never connected with Zack because he is pretty two dimensional, despite his family issues.
There is definitely a lot of hit or miss. Some of the plot elements were fun, but sometimes the action scenes fell flat or Zack was annoying. I definitely wanted this book to be better than it turned out to be, but I still enjoyed the ride. It helped that Wil Wheaton read the audiobook.
There is definitely a lot of hit or miss. Some of the plot elements were fun, but sometimes the action scenes fell flat or Zack was annoying. I definitely wanted this book to be better than it turned out to be, but I still enjoyed the ride. It helped that Wil Wheaton read the audiobook.
katieinca's review against another edition
3.0
You're probably wondering how this compares to [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One|Ernest Cline|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406383612s/9969571.jpg|14863741].
Well. It's a slower start and a more abrupt end. There's a similar level of action and flavor of wit, with corresponding levels of page turning compulsion, at least once you get about a third of the way in. Like RPO most of it is from the perspective of the protagonist, and in his head, but the supporting cast is more thinly drawn here.
The heart of RPO was friendship, and hardscrabble kids making good. For Armada it's more about family, woven around things about responsibility and authority.
The references are again thick on the ground. In RPO they were color and texture, and it didn't necessarily matter if you got them or not (and I say this as someone who knew I was missing plenty). They were there to charm. Here they feel more like gatekeeping. Chestbump? Secret handshake? Something like that. Characters (and therefore readers) who get the references are cooler than those who don't: in RPO everyone had very concrete reasons to study things like 80s video games, but here in Armada it's just about personal taste.
The first third of the book delivers a spot on 80s movie(/game/book) feeling. At least some of this is intentional - self-aware-tropes, ahoy! Everything you want to point to to compare it to, it's already pointing out to you. Okay, fine. But how much? I mean, right down to the stock high school characters of bully and checked out teacher, the Serious Talk with Concerned Mom about Your Future ... and the almost complete lack of female characters, it's straight out of '80s Movies 101. You've got the barely mentioned ex-girlfriend, the mom, and everybody else is dudes, probably white ones. Then Stuff Starts Happening and suddenly everyone varies "drastically in age, gender, and ethnicity." Direct quote. So now we're in 20-something-teen. It's either subtle or accidental, and it's one of those times when I honestly don't know if the author is worse or better than I thought they were. I will be picking friends' brains for their opinions.
Thanks to the folks at ALAAC15's Penguin Random House booth for the ARC.
Well. It's a slower start and a more abrupt end. There's a similar level of action and flavor of wit, with corresponding levels of page turning compulsion, at least once you get about a third of the way in. Like RPO most of it is from the perspective of the protagonist, and in his head, but the supporting cast is more thinly drawn here.
The heart of RPO was friendship, and hardscrabble kids making good. For Armada it's more about family, woven around things about responsibility and authority.
The references are again thick on the ground. In RPO they were color and texture, and it didn't necessarily matter if you got them or not (and I say this as someone who knew I was missing plenty). They were there to charm. Here they feel more like gatekeeping. Chestbump? Secret handshake? Something like that. Characters (and therefore readers) who get the references are cooler than those who don't: in RPO everyone had very concrete reasons to study things like 80s video games, but here in Armada it's just about personal taste.
The first third of the book delivers a spot on 80s movie(/game/book) feeling. At least some of this is intentional - self-aware-tropes, ahoy! Everything you want to point to to compare it to, it's already pointing out to you. Okay, fine. But how much? I mean, right down to the stock high school characters of bully and checked out teacher, the Serious Talk with Concerned Mom about Your Future ... and the almost complete lack of female characters, it's straight out of '80s Movies 101. You've got the barely mentioned ex-girlfriend, the mom, and everybody else is dudes, probably white ones. Then Stuff Starts Happening and suddenly everyone varies "drastically in age, gender, and ethnicity." Direct quote. So now we're in 20-something-teen. It's either subtle or accidental, and it's one of those times when I honestly don't know if the author is worse or better than I thought they were. I will be picking friends' brains for their opinions.
Thanks to the folks at ALAAC15's Penguin Random House booth for the ARC.
crimsoncor's review against another edition
1.0
I liked [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One|Ernest Cline|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1489368740s/9969571.jpg|14863741] well enough (give it 4 stars when I read it). This, unfortunately, is no Ready Player One. Instead you get a weak plot and paper thin characters filled out with a never-ending stream of geek culture fan service. The book seemed designed to trigger an endless supply of in-crowd dopamine when you get "yet another nostalgic nerd culture reference" and leaves things like a believable story or character arcs by the wayside. But we do have a hot hacker chick who immediately falls in love with our protagonist and his mom who is always on the verge of crying but puts on a stoic face. I couldn't tell you which of the hero's best friends was which because they seem to be interchangeable meme-spouters. And this is all before the utterly preposterous ending. I was at a miserable 2 stars until the last 20 pages, but just couldn't take it.
catmegz's review against another edition
4.0
Loved it!
Who didn't daydream about saving the world as a kid? Especially after seeing movies like The Last Starfighter? This was an excellent second book for Ernest Cline. It touched on plenty of nostalgia from when I was little and stayed separate from Ready Player One. I loved it!
Who didn't daydream about saving the world as a kid? Especially after seeing movies like The Last Starfighter? This was an excellent second book for Ernest Cline. It touched on plenty of nostalgia from when I was little and stayed separate from Ready Player One. I loved it!
mavidfromdavid's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0