Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Summary:

It’s 2044 and the world is more depressing than ever. The economy is hanging on by a thread and people are living day to day coping by living most of their lives inside the OASIS. The OASIS a virtual world where you live, learn, play, and can be whatever you want to be. Wade’s life is just as bad as everyone else’s, if not worse, and he sees the chance to change things when a contest to win unimaginable fortune and power is revealed. The problem is that every other OASIS user has the same dream and will do anything to make that dream come true.

My Thoughts:

This book has a soft spot in my heart because it was the first book I read in the college book club where I met my closest friend. This was the first science fiction novel I really read outside of school and I remember being really apprehensive of the genre. Obviously, I did not have this blog yet so I thought I would take some time to review it and post it here since the second book is now out.

Initially, I wasn’t really drawn into the book or the world. It wasn’t until Parzival found the first real clue that I started to take an interest. Of course that’s exactly where things pick up. So if you decide to read Ready Player One or are unsure, I recommend getting past the point before deciding it’s not for you.

Both a pro and con for this book are the 80’s pop culture references. As someone who is a huge fan of 80’s music and movies, the amount of detail relating to 80s was a lot even for me. In general, the book is written with so much attention to detail describing the setting in OASIS, that it can feel a little too technical but in the end I think it contributes to incredible world building Ernest Cline has done.

Ultimately, Mr. Cline did an incredible job creating the OASIS. I’m not a gamer and I thoroughly enjoyed the virtual world he created. If the idea of a video game like setting is putting you off from reading this book, I don’t think there’s a need to worry. The author does a wonderful job of not getting too technical with the gaming jargon so it’s enjoyable for people like me who don’t have too much of an interest in the video game world.

This book is a great read but may not be for everyone. I can lose myself just thinking about the world he created and even more so when reading about it. Is it a book I would recommend to everyone? No probably not. But, if you are open to something different, I highly recommend this book because I love it!