#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Now a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg. “Enchanting . . . Willy Wonka meets The Matrix.”—USA Today • “As one adventure leads expertly to the next, time simply evaporates.”—Entertainment Weekly A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready? In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is … the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days.
When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune—and control of the OASIS itself.
Then Wade cracks the first clue. Suddenly he’s beset by rivals who’ll kill to take this prize. The race is on—and the only way to survive is to win.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Entertainment Weekly • San Francisco Chronicle • Village Voice • Chicago Sun-Times • iO9 • The AV Club
“Delightful . . . the grown-up’s Harry Potter.”—HuffPost
“An addictive read . . . part intergalactic scavenger hunt, part romance, and all heart.”—CNN
“A most excellent ride . . . Cline stuffs his novel with a cornucopia of pop culture, as if to wink to the reader.”—Boston Globe
“Ridiculously fun and large-hearted . . . Cline is that rare writer who can translate his own dorky enthusiasms into prose that’s both hilarious and compassionate.”—NPR
“[A] fantastic page-turner . . . starts out like a simple bit of fun and winds up feeling like a rich and plausible picture of future friendships in a world not too distant from our own.”—iO9
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The protagonist is a computer-game developer who must resolve riddles in the game he is working on, which becomes linked to real life. Nice if you are into computer games, otherwise meh.
Great techno scifi
I really enjoyed this book, it makes you think about games in a new way
One of my favorite books of all time. Eagerly awaiting Spielberg’s movie adaptation next year.
If I rated this on pure enjoyment, I’d go five stars. Because it’s probably the most fun I’ve had reading a book in a decade. Apart from that, I’m not really sure how “good” this one is from a literary standpoint. Definitely not great. But it’s so much fun that it seems to transcend its own failings.
A very entertaining look at an entirely possible future.
“And the geeks shall inherit the earth!”
Huge amount of fun and wonder about this book. Ernest Cline has been very clever in that he’s written a book that will appeal to the teens of the world today, but incorporated so many references to 80s cult TV programmes, films, albums and computer games that there is plenty for the parents of the teens who loved it to also love.
Okay, the premise is totally bonkers and ridiculous, if you step back for just a moment and think about it. But why do that with such a joyous and vibrantly imaginative novel? An awesome Sci-Fi romp, that’s as much an inventive walk down memory lane as it is a dazzlingly clever geek-dom masterpiece.
LOVE THIS BOOK
Loved this book!
Epic little guy against the immoral corporate behemoth.
More than just a “gamer” book (although if you love classic games, it makes it even more fun!), this is an action packed, entertaining read about a futuristic race for wealth and glory, with a protagonist who is easy to root for.
Ready Player One is a love letter every gamer and nerd that ever played a video game. Its immersive and engrossing world is populated by believable characters in an utterly brilliant idea: you are in the game as much as part of the game and vice versa. This is one Matrix that no one would willingly leave behind because I’m not sure if I read a book or played a game. That is the sign of a truly remarkable read.