#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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If you enjoyed the 80s this is a must-read. Not that it takes place in the 80s, but there are lots of pop culture references to the 80s throughout the book. Plus, it’s just a damn good story.
Great story for ’80s pop culture fanatics!
I loved all the 80’s references! Brought me back to my college days.
I’m his audience: 50-something guy who loved video games.
Absolute geek joy. 🙂
A true love letter to those of us who grew up in the ’80’s. Tons of Willy Wonkaesque fun!
How do you say stupid beyond all reason? Ready Player One.
Loved the 80’s references!
Ready Player One was a fun nostalgia trip for the fantasy/video game nerd. Nothing ground breaking, or very deep, but definitely worth the read if your looking for some escapism!
This was required reading for the incoming freshman class at college to give everyone some common ground for discussions. I loved the mix of new games and vintage games.
I liked everything about it. A spectacular treat of a read – imaginative, fantastic, totally engrossing – filled my mind with an amazing dystopian new world. literally could not put it down at night except to drift off to sleep as my kindle fell from my hand. I highly, highly recommend this amazing alt-world adventure , a griping landscape of stories large and small. This is sci-fi on steroids! A movie is on the way! Can’t wait.
I loved this book long before the movie hype hit. I’ve read it countless times. Anyone who was a child of (or a child at heart during) the 80’s should enjoy the references, music, movies, games and other geek culture described throughout the book.
Was rather excited to find out how rapidly this was picked up for its film rights. Seems to be in the right hands in that respect as well.
More than good enough for a movie! Vivid characters, that could be prophetic. Read today or at least before the movie is released!
Hopefully the film by speilburg will follow the book. Book is an easy read and interesting. It does help having grown up in the 80’s that the stuff the author references makes me fell really OLD
I absolutely loved this book! If your a video game nerd or just love the 80’s this is def your book. Even if you don’t like those things the action and adventure spect of this book will still suck you in and keep you reading all day long!
Fun and cluttered romp that becomes repetitive and bogged down by super juvenile prose style. I’m pretty sure the movie would be much better than this book.
For any fan of the gaming revolution
A great new twist on dystopian future genre. Filled with every 80s pop culture reference you can imagine and mixed beautifully. Ive read it 5x and cant wait for the movie.
Fabulous story, well told. Excited to see the movie!