Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)

by Ernest Cline

#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 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

• ISBN10: 030788743X
• ISBN13: 9780307887436
• Publish Date: 16 August 2011 (first published 1 January 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Random House Inc
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780307887436

Reviews

[Angie]

Calling all geeks! Go read this book now! Seriously. Just do it. It is amazing! Epically awesome. Really. This needs to be a mini series, because a movie is not enough. I really do not know how to express how much I loved Ready Player One. It is the epitome of all things geektastic. I pretty much missed the 1980s—born in October of ’89, boo!–but I still have quite the fondness for 80s music. A lot of the references did go over my head, but it was still fun to see the ones I did recognize! Usually pop culture references are annoying and immediately date a book, but in Ready Player One it works.

As awesome as this book is, I don’t think that it’ll work for all readers. The writing is very info-dumpy. I do mean very. Every little thing is explained in extreme detail, and I loved it! Many chapters of Ready Player One read like articles on the history of OASIS (the worldwide virtual reality world) and its creators. At some points I completely forgot that I was reading a fiction novel. I’d also forget that OASIS isn’t even real, and when I’d get sucked back into the plot portion of the story, I’d get a little disappointed. Anyway, I did love all of the details and 80s references that are the backbone of this book. There was only one section where I felt it got slow and I wanted it to just move on, but that was it. Everything else was simply amazing.

OASIS is awesome! It’s like a utopia! It’s a real life simulation but it also has a gaming side to it, where you can level up your avatar, do quests, learn magic, and pretty much anything you can imagine. The real world has gone to hell. I think Ready Player One could be classified as a kind of dystopian, but then again, I’m not sure. Poverty and homeless is at a record high due to the energy crisis. It’s something that could very well happen to us. Thankfully, the OASIS exists so that people can escape their less than satisfactory lives from just about anywhere. Our hero, Wade, even attends school inside the simulation, which of course has its benefits and some drawbacks.

The actual plot, the hunt for James Halliday’s Easter Egg, was super exciting! I felt like I was witnessing the events unfold in real time or something, instead of just reading a book. I was completely invested and I was cheering Wade on. Of course, there’s an evil corporation in the game and they’ll stop at nothing to win the multibillion dollar prize and control of OASIS. I could not put my Kindle down during the third part of Ready Player One. I couldn’t tell if there would be a happy ending or not, or who would win the contest. It truly was a nail biting finish!

Ready Player One has made its way onto my all-time favorites list. It was so much fun! It’s not only a gamer and 80s lovers paradise, there’s also some romance and friendships included. I actually loved these parts, because even though this high stakes contest was essentially every gunter (egg hunter) for themselves, it was necessary at times for Wade and his friends to work together. Those last few lines were also super adorable and I had the hugest smile on my face upon finishing! I highly, whole heartedly, sincerely recommend this one!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[boghunden]

After trying out a sample of this book, I was hooked. I knew I had to read it. Unfortunately, the action kind of stopped after the prologue. It was a lot of world building, which of course is important, but I kind of missed the action from the prologue. Also, the way the world building was told, was rather boring.

When the story started to unfold, everything got better. It's not that exciting a story, but it still has that kind of "just one more page..."-feeling to it.

What makes this book interesting is that you kind of forget that there is an actual world outside of this computergame. The writer uses the reality to make a very realistic-looking game, and you have to concentrate hard not to forget that it's a game. It's not the easiest thing to seperate the two worlds. And this is where the writing is good.

Over all this was a good book, but I found it to be a bit too predictable, even though it had a twist. I was disappointed with this book, because after reading the sample, I had really high expectations. Sadly, this book couldn't reach them. This book is made of cliffhangers at the end of each chapter.

[lisacee]

This book is the perfect combination of geek-references and general 80s pop culture.

I am a big fan of both geekiness and the 80s, so I got many of the references. It also inspired me to make-up for some of the holes in my 80s/pop culture knowledge. I rented Lady Hawk from the library. I sought out a Ready Player One soundtrack (there's one on Spotify!) In other words, I loved this book.

My husband, on the other hand, grew up in the 80s but isn't nearly the geek that I am. He heard me listening to the book and suggested we listen together on a long car ride. He was instantly hooked! He is not much of a reader, but he couldn't wait to listen more. He didn't get as many of the specific references, but got enough to really enjoy it.

But more than just all of the references, this is just a really good story. It is the story of an underdog up against a big, bad Evil. It's fast paced and definitely keeps the reader guessing. I have listened to it three times already and haven't yet been bored.

P.S. I hear they're already planning to make a movie and they better do it right! Much of the charm of this book is in the details and I worry some of the more obscure references (Japanese fighting robots, for example) might be left out of a film. My only casting suggestion is to see Wil Wheaton as Sorrento. He's too old for Wade, though a perfect reader for him, but it would be fun to watch him as the "bad guy."

[Kelly]

Holy freaking crap, this book was beyond awesome. It was slow to start, but as soon as the contest kicked in, I couldn't put it down. I think I may be on the verge of a nerdgasm. Definitely recommended for gamers and kids of the eighties.

[mary]

Finally got around to reading this book. In between classes, research, my TA job, and part-time job I finally squeezed this fun fast-paced book to read during my spare quiet moments. I highly enjoyed it. I am a complete video game nerd myself, and this definitely satisfied that side of me. Read it all in in a matter of two seatings.... I didn't get much sleep those nights though. haha. I recommend this book for all the geeks out there who enjoy 80s pop culture.

I think the one thing that will make or break this book for most readers, is that the book is obsessed with the 1980s. Wade and the other characters are easy to relate to and their motivations are clear. What’s more is that the book is extremely easy to read and it moves along at a very fast pace–once the plot is setup it’s a race to collect the three keys and battle the evil for control of the OASIS.

[violetpeanut]

What a fantastic read!

A billionaire and 1980's obsessed video game designer dies and his will states that the first person to find the "easter egg" hidden inside his virtual world will be his sole heir. Thousands of people make it their mission to be the first to solve the riddles and inherit the fortune.

Having been born in 1979 and spending my early childhood during the 80's, much of the pop culture referenced throughout this book was familiar to me. It was a fun ride through my earliest decade. At the same time, this was an amazing look at modern technology and video games (virtual reality in particular) and is a history lesson for fans of video games. The quest to find the Easter Egg mirrors the quests from my favorite video games of today.

On it's surface this book is full of action, bad guys, good guys, a little romance. Underneath, this book is a look at what happens when people throw reality away in favor of a virtual existence. It's also a look at relationships. What makes us like someone? How much can we trust the persona that someone shows us online? It's a look at greed and how money can be a blessing and a curse. It's a commentary on where our society is heading (or already is?).

I enjoyed Wade and his supporting cast. They were all fleshed out enough to make them believable and each had distinct personalities which were sometimes unexpected.

The only thing I wish is that the "real" world had been fleshed out some more. It wasn't necessary for this story and the book is not missing anything without the extra information. I'm just curious as a reader how things got the way they did. Who is in power and why? How did things deteriorate so far? Some of these questions are alluded to but I would love to read more about this world. Maybe another book? In my opinion, that's the mark of a great author. He makes me want to know more and read more about the world he created.

Highly recommended! If this author continues writing, I'll continue reading his work.

[Hillary]

http://www.adventuresinneverneverland.com/2012/07/30/ready-player-one/

[SilverThistle]

Back in the day I was a bit of a girl gamer. A 'tiny' bit. Ok, quite a lot actually but it was the 80's and I was a teen and geeks were cool back then and Summer lasted 10 months of the year...ok, some of that was probably made up but the rest is true.

As soon as I saw that Ready Player one was about game geeks with strong links to the 1980's I was hooked and from start to finish I couldn't put it down. It's fantastic. I don't know if it's because the 80's are my era and games are in my blood and but I suspect it would be just as epic a read for anyone who doesn't share my history. It's just fantastic. The story telling is spot on and there are so many twists and turns that it's hard to put down.

The 80's references are everywhere, since the whole idea of the contest in the book focuses on the 80's but the author has either done his homework very well or was in fact a geek boi himself. I'm guessing it's the latter and he probably still is. I'm still a big game geek at heart too. I'm a high lvl warrior on a popular MMORPG which I've played for over 10 years now and not ashamed to admit it...well, not here anyway :D

Although it's set in the future the story took me right back. The music references were like a trip down memory lane and the author has kindly compiled a mix tape for listening to alongside the book. Epic soundtrack! http://www.ernestcline.com/blog/2011/09/21/the-official-ready-player-one-soundtrack/

Apart from all of that, I really, really liked the hero Parzival and cared about what happened to him. Total geek but that's the point of the book - they're all geeks. Even the non-geeks are geeks. Everyone plugs into the virtual reality known as the Oasis, it's the norm for just about everyone on the planet. Even Parzival's elderly neighbour plugs in for hours and hours on end so she can sit in the pews of her virtual church and sing hymns and listen to sermons. Business meetings take place in the Oasis where attendee's don't even leave their own office/home if they don't want to, they just sign in to the Oasis, put on their virtual reality goggles and gloves and their avatars do their business dealings in the comfort of virtual rooms/workplaces, with collegues who live on the other side of the planet. Kids don't go to school much, they just plug into the VR schools in the Oasis. Everything is done via the Oasis, even the very poor homeless people have access to free VR goggles and gloves so that they can hook up via free wireless and immerse themselves in a reality that's favourable to their own. There's nothing that can't be done on the Oasis and nowhere that can't be visited.

I barely know where to start with this one. It's really hard to say much about it without ruining the plot. And the good bits that aren't about the plot are just too many to single out one or two to write about. It's all good. It's just...really, really good and I'd recommend it. It brought back to mind lots of things from my youth that I thought I'd forgotten and for that I'm grateful. Plus, I got a fantastic story to immerse myself in so all-in-all it was money well spent.

Ah, the 80's. It's like I never left :D

Back then we lived in a house by the beach and there was a permanent Carny just 10 minutes walk from us on the beachfront. Arcade games aplenty! Nothing could beat the thrill of seeing your own three initials on the scoreboard and achievements like that took a LOT of practice (and a lot of cash.) We spent a LOT of time huddled round those machines. Boys really seemed to sit up and take notice of you when you kicked their butt and replaced their initials with your own...

Happy days.

Oh, and one of my favourite games at the time, that I played in the privacy of my own room on my ZX Spectrum was....'My name is Uncle Groucho, you win a fat cigar'. Seriously. Catchy game name, huh?! Don't laugh, the game's designer Mel Croucher went on to be better known for his later works Deus Ex Machina so he got a bit better with the game titles - and the gameplay.

Geek out!

[remo]

Novela de aventuras inspirada en la cultura de los 80. Muy divertida, muy tierna y totalmente adictiva. De calidad literaria anda justita y tiene además fallos de novelista novato (repeticiones, obviedades, lagunas...) pero no hemos escogido este libro para leer literatura.

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

Parzival (Wade Watts) is on a hunt to find the Easter egg James Halliday left within his game The Oasis. This egg will entitle the winner to entire fortune of Halliday’s and control over the game. The game is huge and the egg only have three keys needed to unlock it; each key leading to the next but you need to skill and knowledge to find them with the clues provided. Though this book is set in 2044, the book does nothing but reference the 1980’s; Bladerunner, Atari, DeLoreans, Pac Man, Monty Python, Wargames, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc this book is full of nostalgia and for any nerd growing up in the 80’s, will bring back so many memories. The hunt is exciting, the characters are great and it’s just a complete nerdfest. For any gamer, or fan of 80’s pop culture, this is the book for you.