Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

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

Reviewed by Angie on

5 of 5 stars

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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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 November, 2019: Finished reading
  • 13 July, 2013: Reviewed