Review: Ready Player One

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This book was great fun. I think Gregg suggested it and I loved it.

The story takes place in the future, where the world is pretty close to post-apocalyptic. At the very least, it's dangerous with scarce resources and a breakdown of government. Most people, including the hero of the book Wade, spend most of their time in a virtual reality world, even attending school there. When the creator of the game dies, he leaves his fortune as a reward for a treasure hunt within the game. Both individuals like Wade and corporations race to win the game.

The book was fun because it was a race to win something, but also because it was a homage to 1980's video games and movies, references to which were all over the book. But it was not just pulp - parts of it reminded me of [b:Makers|6422238|Makers|Cory Doctorow|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408371819s/6422238.jpg|6611457] in its prescience and pessimistic view of all but a few people living in the future. And parts of it reminded me of [b:Ender's Game|375802|Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet, #1)|Orson Scott Card|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408303130s/375802.jpg|2422333] in its mixing of real world experiences with simulations.

Would love to see what else Cline can do.



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