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Nov 01, 2011

Flannery rated it:

This book is nostalgia porn. If you grew up in the 80s, enjoy video games, or go crazy for popular culture, you will devour this one. I was supposed to be reading this with a friend but I couldn’t stop. I read the beginning and thought, “what’s the big deal with everyone’s obsession?” Then Ernest Cline got his meat hooks into me and I read it while I was making dinner, while I was eating dinner, and then afterward until I’d finished it. I think I am just a few years shy of this books prime audi More...

19 comments like (76 people liked it)

Nov 01, 2011

Kemper rated it:

Adventures in Time Mowing

After my laptop fused to my lawn mower due to a freak lightning strike, I discovered that I could use it to travel through time.

“Wow, where’d you come from?”

“I’m from 2011. Got a time mower and decided to come to the future. I’ll spare you the full origin story. My name’s Kemper.”

“I’m Wade Watts. Welcome to 2044.”

“Thanks. I gotta say, things are looking kind of grim around here. Are those mobile homes stack More...

39 comments like (82 people liked it)

Dec 23, 2011

Lou rated it:

Three hidden keys open three secret gates Wherein the errant will be tested for Worthy traits
And those with the skill to survive these traits
Will reach The End where the prize awaits.;

James Halliday a video-game designer created The Oasis. It made him one of the wealthiest people in the world. He had no successors to hand down the corporation he built. When he died he left a message to the world, one that called for the finder of 'The Egg' in a video game to gain ownersh More...

10 comments like (29 people liked it)

Aug 26, 2011

Stephen rated it:

WOOT, WOOT and UBER WOOT all you MMORPGers, this book is the perfect calm down, happy face diversion next time you find yourself offline and frustrated because:

** you’re stuck medding back in a safe zone after nearly being ganked by some douchey griefers who jumped your camp site when the mob you were going to farm spawned so they could kill steal it and abscond with your loot;

or maybe

** some group of questing ubers turned asshat and refused to let your alt More...

37 comments like (90 people liked it)

Feb 04, 2012

Jo rated it:

“Somewhere along the way I started to go overboard. I may, in fact, have started to go a little insane.”

Initial Final Page Thoughts.
I’m already recommending this to everyone I know. EVERYONE.

High Points.
*Deep Breath* Alternate Reality. Virtual Insanity.Scoreboards. Quests (More books should have quests).Good old fashioned competition. W-O-W. Aech. At3mis. Best friends forever. Corruption. Damn the Man. Eccentric Billionaires. Retro. Duran Duran. Matthew Broder More...

71 comments like (21 people liked it)

Jun 03, 2011

Joel rated it:

There's this conceit that keeps popping up in sci-fi dystopia novels that it is only a matter of time before we will all be glued to our virtual reality goggles 24 hours a day as elaborate MMPORPGs slowly take over the world.

I think this is stupid. No matter how increasingly ubiquitous computers become, I just don't foresee Second Life replacing the first one (FarmVille may have replaced actual farming, but that conversation involves a lecture on government subsidies that I just don' More...

20 comments like (78 people liked it)

Dec 11, 2011

Sam rated it:

WOW. Just, wow.

This book was mind-blowing. I really didn't think I would like it as much as I did. This is, by far, one of the best science-fiction novels I have read in a long time.

Ernest Cline has delivered a rare master-piece. This book has created a lot of buzz lately, and rightly so! It's everything a hard-core sci-fi fanatic could want in a book and so much more. And the brilliant thing about this novel is that it's so wonderfully written that it has the ability to app More...

5 comments like (20 people liked it)

May 23, 2011

Greg rated it:

In a bleak near future, which doesn't seem all that implausible from the way things are going these days, large parts of the population escape the misery of everyday existence by plugging into this thing called OASIS that is part Second Life and part MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online game). OASIS is a full immersion simulated world where people go to recreate themselves, have adventures, goto school, make a living; or to sum it up to virtually live. The creator of this world (which costs only More...

20 comments like (32 people liked it)

Nov 09, 2011

Brooke rated it:

4.5 stars.

This book was clever. And I thoroughly enjoyed every page of it.

Ignoring the fact that I'm by no means a 'gaming' addict (Xbox, PlayStation, Computer Games etc.), I thought I'd find it hard to relate to the obvious addiction the characters have to the OASIS. I was pleasantly surprised when I realised that was not by any means the case. I found the plot fast paced, action packed and incredibly detailed.

That being said, I suppose I'll just sum it up as be More...

4 comments like (14 people liked it)

Jun 15, 2011

Maja rated it:

4.5 stars

I have to admit I don't know the first thing about videogames. The only game I've ever played was StarCraft, a gazillion years ago, and to be honest, I sucked at it. So when this book started with a story about videogames and their creators, I figured I was in serious trouble. However, Cline really took the time to explain OASIS, and he did it in a way that is accessible to everyone, even someone like me. What's more, his descriptions were detailed, but never boring. I thor More...

13 comments like (27 people liked it)

Jun 11, 2011

karen rated it:

let me get the gripes out of the way first, because despite overall being a fun, escapist book, there are things that rankle.

i have a crush on the 80's (not an obsession, mind you, but a crush. when i was little i managed to simultaneously want to make out with both jon cryer and molly ringwald and to this day depeche mode's album black celebration soothes many sorrows.

so a book that revolves around 80's pop culture sounded like my kind of thing, even if a lot More...

59 comments like (69 people liked it)

Sep 29, 2011

William rated it:

For most of the first half of this book, I was unimpressed. The writing was flat, and the story was unremarkable. The book gets hype because of its pervasive use of 1980s popular culture, particularly its references to science fiction, fantasy, and video games. The problem was that most of these references served no purpose. Something would be describing by pointing out its resemblance to something from a film or television show—a particularly annoying form of "telling, rather than showing" More...

10 comments like (44 people liked it)

Feb 01, 2012

Mith rated it:

How do I begin to review this book? Is it enough if I say - "IT'S FRIGGIN' AWESOME WHAT ARE YOU DOING WASTING TIME READING THIS REVIEW GO READ THE FRIGGIN' BOOK INSTEAD!!!!!"?

No?

*sigh*

I though not. Fine.

It's the year 2045. The world as we know it no longer exists - the ongoing energy crisis has driven everybody poor and on to the streets. Unable to afford a roof over their heads, people are living in trailers stacked on top of each othe More...

18 comments like (6 people liked it)

Feb 14, 2012

Sissyneck rated it:

That one star is probably misleading...I thought this was going to be a 4-5 star book for a good portion of the time I spent reading it. The 80s pop-culture references are so pervasive and so relevant to my life that, at times, the book felt like it been written specifically for me. (The love interest is described as being like Jordan, from Real Genius...c'mon!)

But.
All of the Star Wars, Ferris Bueller, and Highlander references in the world can't hide that this story is at be More...

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Nov 02, 2011

Sesana rated it:

This may be the geekiest book that I've ever read. The story is set almost entirely in Oasis, a sort of World of Warcraft on steroids. The Oasis is an entirely immersive VR simulator, which is so awesome it's managed to license content from basically everything good. In practice, this means that I could spend Monday flying my X Wing into battle against geth and Tuesday riding my unicorn across Middle Earth with my trusty vorpal sword in hand. I bet I could even spend Wednesday in early 19th cent More...

2 comments like (8 people liked it)

Sep 15, 2011

Katie rated it:

Totally awesome! I loved this book! You do not have to be a child of the 80's or a computer-playing, arcade-going geek to appreciate it, but it would probably help. Enough people have been raving about it that I don't have much to add. Ernest Cline is my new hero for using all his obscure 80's knowledge to make money, and he deserves it. I'll be buying a copy for myself when it comes out :-)

GAME OVER

I also wanted to add that one of the first things Ernest Cline boug More...

0 comments like (9 people liked it)

Feb 19, 2012

Pamela rated it:

I should probably change my rating from one star to two as I did manage to finish this piece of garbage. Is this supposed to be a YA book? I did the math, and the people the references seem to be appealing to are those who were young in the 80s. They aren't YAs today.

Some observations:

The author explains why things are so bad that people are happier in a virtual world, but he never says why IQs have dropped 20 or so points. I mean, come on! That first clue...and the More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Oct 09, 2011

Crowinator rated it:

While writing this review, I am listening to Ernest Cline’s
official Ready Player One soundtrack mix, a list of all the songs used in the book. Now I don’t have to spend hours hunting down all the songs on my own! He even made it so I could subscribe on Spotify (one of my favorite new music resources), and it’s a pretty damn good playlist.

I love geeking out over the 80s, even though officially I didn’t hit my teen years until the end, so I probably remember the late 80s and 90 More...

5 comments like (9 people liked it)

Oct 22, 2011

Mike (the Paladin) rated it:

I finished this a few days ago and thought I'd let my thoughts about it, percolate. There were times when I found this book annoying. I'm tired of authors who feel obligated to send me a message about all the politically correct claptrap they have to peddle. This book does have it's share of said claptrap. Other than that however there are parts of this book that I like greatly.

I wasn't a teen in the '80s...my kids were. BUT I am a nerd...maybe I'm a proto-nerd? How far back can you More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Oct 05, 2011

P.J. rated it:

A must-read for Geeks and Gamers and fans of all things 80s.

So there are books I love, and then there are books I *love*. Seriously.

READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline (Crown, August 16, 2011)

I managed to pick this book up at ALA with zero clue what it was about and never having heard of it. I was actually standing in line waiting for an ARC of THE NIGHT CIRCUS. This one had a cool title and looked a bit like the 80s. But it wasn't until I saw it in the Audible r More...

7 comments like (5 people liked it)

Nov 17, 2011

Melissa rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Feb 06, 2012

Carlos rated it:

Aviso para navegantes: le pongo 5 estrellas a un libro sin valor literario, de prosa plana, efectista y con mil trucos de la peor especie. Pero.

Ready Player One es un libro para una generación. Explota la nostalgia de quienes teníamos en casa un Spectrum 16K y, admirados del Amstrad de nuestros primos, perdíamos adrede las partidas de Barbarian sólo para ver cómo nos cortaban la cabeza y caía la sangre en enormes píxeles de color. Y lo hace tan increíblemente bien que acabas pensando More...

4 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 29, 2011

drea rated it:

Enjoyed the crap out of this one, although I should give a disclaimer in the form of a couple of key personal facts.

1. A cousin and I used to think it was the height of coolness to act out episodes of the Super Mario Brothers Super Show, where the couch was Bowser's castle and the neighborhood cats were Goombas.
2. I have, in my possession, several hand-drawn, intricately detailed maps of the labyrinths in the original NES Legend of Zelda--all circa second grade, all written i More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 07, 2012

Stacia ~ platonic rated it:

4.5 stars. We have another winner!

By the halfway point I was giddy with all of the gamer fan trivia. How flipping crazy is this that ONE scene had references to D&D, MMO's, and the 80's game Joust? It's as if the heavens opened and decided to rain awesomeness.

We won't even go into all of the classic t.v. sitcoms, cartoons, movies, and technology which have been mentioned. Star Wars, Thundercats, War Games, and Atari, indeed. NERDGASM!

This book is a must read More...

4 comments like (5 people liked it)

Sep 23, 2011

Patrick rated it:

"Now I see that your dystopia is more of a Fruitopia."

Ready Player One had a lot of trouble getting on its feet. The first 100 pages are 99% summary, much of it explaining how the world of the book works, what its rules are, and what the stakes are. This made it difficult to create John Gardner's "vivid and continuous dream" that I'm always hoping for in fiction. Every time I wanted to get into the story, to be carried away by it, the narrator would stop to explai More...

11 comments like (8 people liked it)

Feb 21, 2012

Crystal Starr Light rated it:

Let me cut to the chase and ask a few pointed questions:

1. Were you raised in the 80's and/or love 80's geek culture?

2. Are any of the following movies among your favorites: Monty Python and the Holy Grail, War Games, Blade Runner, Ladyhwake?

3. Do you love video games, tabletop RPG games, D&D, or MMO's?

4. Is your iPod filled with Rush and ACDC?

If you answered "YES" to any of those questions, stop reading this review RIGHT NOW More...

14 comments like (4 people liked it)

Nov 29, 2011

Blair rated it:

I'm an idiot. I spent the whole of October working through a pile of supposedly 'light' books which often turned out to be anything but. Meanwhile, I'd been avoiding this, an almost-400-page novel about videogames (a subject I know next to nothing about and have never been much into) because, despite having heard very good things, I wasn't convinced it'd be to my taste. It turned out to be exactly what I'd been after for the past month - light and fluffy, incredibly readable, and fantastic fun. More...

3 comments like (8 people liked it)

Jan 19, 2012

John Paul rated it:

Ernest Cline has real respect for the geek culture. I couldn't be any more the target demographic for this book. I grew up playing most of the computer games and watching scifi movies and tv shows from the 80s that were mentioned in the book.

The idea about reading a novel on a MMO game (solving quests, fighting monsters, looting items, gearing up characters, etc) brought me back to the time when I was neglecting opportunities to hang out with real-life friends because I was too busy p More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 25, 2011

Cathy rated it:

It was fun. I almost passed it up because some early reviews were poor, but then some later reviews were raves, so I decided to try it and judge for myself. For me it falls somewhere in the middle. It's a quite fun book but fluffy book. I'm just the right age to enjoy all of the '80s references, so that was enjoyable, I had a lot of laughs with it. Even though I'm not a huge geek, I probably picked up on at least 75-80% of the references. It might be pretty annoying to anyone who wasn't at least More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Nov 25, 2011

Kaethe rated it:

<edited to add 2011 November 25>In all fairness, this is going to make an awesome movie.</edit>

The first hundred pages are a bit info-dumpy. Cline spends a lot of time explaining the whole set-up, how virtual reality works, etc. But once the actual quest gets going it perks up a lot. Then it slows way down again for another interlude. I'd give it five stars for the sheer depth of 80s nostalgia, but I'll have to detract a star for the pacing.

Okay, two stars det More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)