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A review by katykelly
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
5.0
Immersive story of the ultimate virtual reality game
I'll admit - I only heard of this when my husband made me watch a trailer for the film a few weeks ago. I'm not a huge sci-fi/computer game fan, but something about the concept struck home, and I determined to read the book before seeing the film (which looks pretty good!).
The creator of the world's most popular and best virtual reality environment, a game changer, has died and left as his legacy a series of clues and 'easter eggs' in his world, the solver of which will inherit his vast wealth. In their dystopian world, many people lose themselves in the OASIS and it is a worldwide hunt for the prize.
Wade Watts is a teenager in an OASIS virtual school, schooling himself in all things OASIS and a 'gunter' (an easter egg hunter) in every spare minute, forgetting the famine and poverty of the real world. Of course, big money corporations take advantage and use their clout to try and get ahead to win control of the OASIS for themselves.
I loved this. It's not perfect, but it does grab you and like the world it portrays, become a story you want to see through. Wade narrates, and he and his group of friends between them take us on a tour of a wonderfully exciting virtual world - one with planets from every major sci-fi you could name, it's a tempting prospect, even I want to spend some time there!
It's very well created, Cline spends a lot of time describing the OASIS, but it's just what I as reader wanted, the world is almost a character in itself, and fascinating to explore.
As a child born in 1980 as well, the story focusing on that decade had a good few nostalgic treats in store (even if the games were completely out of my sphere).
A few things could have made the ending a bigger climax - a proper confrontation with the 'villain' actually speaking, for one, and it also felt a little rushed and over too quickly.
Reading along knowing it's soon to be a film, I could see every scene on a screen, it felt very cinematic, and just perfect for adapting.
Can't wait to see Wade's world on a large screen, the technology may not be up there with the OASIS but it's certainly good enough now to do justice to its world(s).
Great sci-fi/fantasy dystopia. Lots of action, a set of sympathetic characters and an immersive world. One for teens or adult readers.
I'll admit - I only heard of this when my husband made me watch a trailer for the film a few weeks ago. I'm not a huge sci-fi/computer game fan, but something about the concept struck home, and I determined to read the book before seeing the film (which looks pretty good!).
The creator of the world's most popular and best virtual reality environment, a game changer, has died and left as his legacy a series of clues and 'easter eggs' in his world, the solver of which will inherit his vast wealth. In their dystopian world, many people lose themselves in the OASIS and it is a worldwide hunt for the prize.
Wade Watts is a teenager in an OASIS virtual school, schooling himself in all things OASIS and a 'gunter' (an easter egg hunter) in every spare minute, forgetting the famine and poverty of the real world. Of course, big money corporations take advantage and use their clout to try and get ahead to win control of the OASIS for themselves.
I loved this. It's not perfect, but it does grab you and like the world it portrays, become a story you want to see through. Wade narrates, and he and his group of friends between them take us on a tour of a wonderfully exciting virtual world - one with planets from every major sci-fi you could name, it's a tempting prospect, even I want to spend some time there!
It's very well created, Cline spends a lot of time describing the OASIS, but it's just what I as reader wanted, the world is almost a character in itself, and fascinating to explore.
As a child born in 1980 as well, the story focusing on that decade had a good few nostalgic treats in store (even if the games were completely out of my sphere).
A few things could have made the ending a bigger climax - a proper confrontation with the 'villain' actually speaking, for one, and it also felt a little rushed and over too quickly.
Reading along knowing it's soon to be a film, I could see every scene on a screen, it felt very cinematic, and just perfect for adapting.
Can't wait to see Wade's world on a large screen, the technology may not be up there with the OASIS but it's certainly good enough now to do justice to its world(s).
Great sci-fi/fantasy dystopia. Lots of action, a set of sympathetic characters and an immersive world. One for teens or adult readers.