Armada by Ernest Cline

     I was born in the... well, I grew up in the 80's.  I wore big hair, neon shoe laces and half-shirts with huge words like "Wake ME UP" across the chest.  I also grew up on Star Wars, The Last Straighter, E.T., He-Man, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Atari, Moncheechees, Smurfs, Duran Duran, Culture Club, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam and so much more!  These things are now considered classics (shut up!), but this book takes you back to a lot of it!  This book is also, evidently a follow up to Cline's previous novel, Ready Player One,  so there was a story before this story.   Armada is about a foul-mouthed teenager named Zach.  He's part of a group called EDA (Earth Defense Alliance) Evidently the inhabitants of planet Europa have decided to test Earth.  Giving three waves of attack, using ships Zach recognizes from a video game, Europa wants to know if earthlings deserve to be a part of an alliance of planets, where they can benefit from advanced technology.

Zach is taken to Nebraska, then to the Moon for training, where he meets an unexpected family member.  There, he discovers all the game play of Armada- his game- it's been simulation  training.  Now it's up to him and a select few to defend Earth and earn the rights to join the planetary alliance with EDA.

     This book wasn't one of my favorites.  First, it reminded me of The Last Starfighter, way too much!  Then I grew weary of his foul mouth- everything gave him the right to drop the "F"-bomb and the storyline just didn't hold me.  There was a lot of cool stuff and references to there nostalgic adventures of my youth, via the silver screen or books, but it just wan't enough to this to think it was more than a cool read.  I found myself saying, 'Oh, I know where that came from!' or "Hey something like that happened in..."  So yeah, the originality wasn't all there for me.  

     It's a cool read, but it's definitely a YA novel- the middle readers don't need this.  Way too much cursing for them and honestly, without the coolness I was hoping for- too much for me too.  On to the next adventure!.