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A review by lenorayoder
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
2.0
This was okay. There were several aspects I enjoyed, but a lot of this book really bothered me.
This is a sequel in the worst way. Two has the same themes, basic plot, and strengths and weaknesses as One. But because I'm reading them for the second time, and because of the ending of the book, everything is diluted.
I like the idea of new characters, but all of them are poorly executed (the L0w Five feel the book equivalent of a backdoor pilot - why are they here??) and except for Wade all of the characters from the first book are less interesting. I like how Wade has evolved from the first book, the way he's changed feels realistic in his circumstance and with the change in age. But everyone else feels like shadows of their characters in the first book - Art3mis' character has a sudden and drastic change of heart and attitude that feels unearned fairly early in the story, Aech feels more like a side character than a long-time friend, and Shoto feels more like a tagalong then ever, even though it feels like after the years spent with the other characters between books, he should be a bigger and more familiar part of the story. The reappearance ofSorrento feels so unwarranted - his motives are never really clear, and he wasn't an interesting enough villain in the first book to warrant bringing back - the most interesting thing about him in One was how he served as a metaphor for corporate greed etc., and that's stripped away here .
The telling instead of showing almost feels worse in this book - both because as a sequel we should already be familiar enough with the world that all this exposition is unneeded, and because many of the quest sequences involve characters telling Wade what's happening, which is even more annoying to read than Wade telling us what's happening (this was especially painful during the quest on The Afterworld planet, and I think would probably be a problem for a lot of readers given the likely small overlap between readers of this book and super Prince fans).
I like the focus on Kira in this story, and using her character to explore how women get don't receive due credit or veneration was nice, though I think it would have made more of an impact if Aech and Art3mis were more fleshed out as well. I think taking a more nuanced look atHalliday and using him to explore some of the toxicity of male-dominated nerd culture was a good choice too.
I think the ending is interesting, but unsuited to this book, it's themes, and the themes and lessons of One. Also, it has to be said - the characters in this book make several huge decisions that they seem entirely unqualified to make. They have the power and time to consult experts who could help them make much more informed decisions but just... never do. Yes, this is ultimately a YA book - but if you're going to delve into these big topics, do it properly! Wade and his friends are no longer the underdogs they were at the beginning of One - with great power comes great responsibility, and the ending makes them come off as stupid, privileged assholes.
This is a sequel in the worst way. Two has the same themes, basic plot, and strengths and weaknesses as One. But because I'm reading them for the second time, and because of the ending of the book, everything is diluted.
I like the idea of new characters, but all of them are poorly executed (the L0w Five feel the book equivalent of a backdoor pilot - why are they here??) and except for Wade all of the characters from the first book are less interesting. I like how Wade has evolved from the first book, the way he's changed feels realistic in his circumstance and with the change in age. But everyone else feels like shadows of their characters in the first book - Art3mis' character has a sudden and drastic change of heart and attitude that feels unearned fairly early in the story, Aech feels more like a side character than a long-time friend, and Shoto feels more like a tagalong then ever, even though it feels like after the years spent with the other characters between books, he should be a bigger and more familiar part of the story. The reappearance of
The telling instead of showing almost feels worse in this book - both because as a sequel we should already be familiar enough with the world that all this exposition is unneeded, and because many of the quest sequences involve characters telling Wade what's happening, which is even more annoying to read than Wade telling us what's happening (this was especially painful during the quest on The Afterworld planet, and I think would probably be a problem for a lot of readers given the likely small overlap between readers of this book and super Prince fans).
I like the focus on Kira in this story, and using her character to explore how women get don't receive due credit or veneration was nice, though I think it would have made more of an impact if Aech and Art3mis were more fleshed out as well. I think taking a more nuanced look at
I think the ending is interesting, but unsuited to this book, it's themes, and the themes and lessons of One. Also, it has to be said - the characters in this book make several huge decisions that they seem entirely unqualified to make. They have the power and time to consult experts who could help them make much more informed decisions but just... never do. Yes, this is ultimately a YA book - but if you're going to delve into these big topics, do it properly! Wade and his friends are no longer the underdogs they were at the beginning of One - with great power comes great responsibility, and the ending makes them come off as stupid, privileged assholes.