#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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Interesting read, informative, great for those interested in the subject
Love it!
I could not stop reading until I had finished it. I just had to see how it would end.
Anyone who lived through the 80’s, and is a bit of a nerd, will enjoy this book.
Great fun! As a kid of the 80’s myself I thoroughly enjoyed, and understood, all of the pop culture references from the book which made it even more fun for me. I had more than a few moments of laughing out loud having been reminded of a long-ago treasure from my childhood. I had hoped for a bit more growth from the main character but can’t complain as the ending is pretty satisfying. There’s plenty that may be lost on readers without a working knowledge of the ’80s but overall a fun read
Some total flashbacks for this 80’s kid!
What an action packed adventure, Wade Watts is new Charlie of the Chocolate Factory in this story taking place in a dark future but filled with 80s references and fun. Could not stop turning the beautifully written pages. I can’t wait to read the sequel
Yes the book is very different than the movie, however the book is equally as good as the movie is, maybe even more so.
The books movies at a fast pace, moving the story along and keeping the reader entertained. The most meta part of the audio book is that Will Wheaton reads the book and it references him at least once if not twice in the book, If you love pop culture and a fast paced movie you will like this book.
Original review: https://myshelfbooks.wordpress.com/2021/02/21/review-ready-player-one-by-ernest-cline/
Young adult: This book tells the adventures of Wade, a.k.a. Perzival, a gamer in a near future who lives in a digital world called OASIS. He must find the hidden egg of that world before IOI, the evil company, does the same. Otherwise, his lifestyle and that of million of gamers will be at risk. But the evil company has resources and no shame. So it will do everything on their power in order to get the egg first.
Sci-Fi, Dystopia: The setting of this book is great. That OASIS world is full of possibilities and that is what I have enjoyed the most. I must admit that my entertainment comes more from my imagination than from what the writer tells us. For such a massive idea, the worldbuilding feels a bit scarce. Maybe I’m thinking too much into it, but I find hard to believe that OASIS could be so popular when it seems it is a pretty hardcore game. Nowadays, casuals in online gaming are more common than “professional”. I try to imagine the current profile of most online gamers inside that OASIS world and I think most of them wouldn’t find it appealing. Too much effort. Too cruel when mistakes are made.
Even though I like the book a lot, I also must say that the author is a bit repetitive. Several trials form the hunt for the egg, but most of them are pretty similar to each other. That is something that was better done in the movie. Although, the quests in the motion picture don’t make any sense. I guess you can’t have all…
Something else I enjoyed more in the movie is the relationship between the characters. In the book there is almost no contact between them and most of the time is pretty tense. Isn’t OASIS a game? Make friends, already!!
Bad cover: No art. All letters… it feels constraining…
I loved the retro vibes of this book, from the 80s references, to the characters, to the simulations—I was immersed. Wade is a great underdog hero, and I’m looking forward to the second book.
Being an 80s baby I was just full of nostalgia the whole time I read it. As always the book is better than the movie.
I loved this book. I read it because I enjoyed the movie. The book was so much better and more detailed. Loved all the pop culture references from the past: movies, music, tech, games. Great friendships. A villain you can really love to hate. Heroes you can really love and root for. Puzzles, riddles, battles, avatars, video games. Wonderful world building. Great narrator. This is excellent entertainment.
This was a reread for me. This time around I did an audiobook and physical book to read it. It is still just as excellent as the first time I read it! Give this one a chance, it will not disappoint.
I really enjoyed this book. I was brought into their world so easily. I love the 80’s so loved all the references. I would definitely recommend this one.
Derivative, but one of my favorite books. Tells a fun story with an optimistic protagonist overcoming obstacles and self-doubt to beat all odds and the mega corporation.
I got this book after I saw the movie and I have to say that it was an interesting read. The book is the same but different from the movie and while the author has a good framework where he creates the world and sets the story in motion I had more fun watching the movie. Mr. Cline wrote a good book obviously or it would not have gotten so much attention but it involved the characters being alone while interacting online which, while indicative of how people are beginning to engage others is not as action packed as the movie. The writing style is simple and seems aimed at the young adult audience, who the material would appeal to. I did finish it because I wanted to see how different from the movie the material would be. At the end it’s OK and is a good book for a pre-teen to read.
Everything pop culture fan as my self would love. Can’t wait for the second book…
I’m not a gamer but I do love dystopian and sci-fi books. This one fit that for me and I loved it. Man the imagination of this author is astounding. I want to watch the movie now but then don’t want to
The fact that I read it in two sittings-one of 4 hours and another one of 6 hours while not being bored for a single second listening to the majestical voice of Will Wheaton all the while smiling that my jaw hurt for like an hour more just to be given the most satisfying ending that I have yet read probably classifies me as a total book noob.But hey IDGAF because I loved this book to its very core because it spoke to the nerd in me,it made me smile for like 3/10 hour audiobook run. I have not wanted two people to meet more than I wanted Art3mis and Parzival to.So yeah,listening to this audiobook was one of the most joyous experience of my 16 year old ass and I felt like parting with an extremely close friend when it ended.
Fun, geeky and filled with 80’s nostalgia.