Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Feb 11, 2016 Chessa rated it really liked it

Shelves: sf_fantasy, own_it, sf-f-challenge, debut, popsugar16

4.5 ⭐️! So fun. I was pretty sure I was going to love this, and I did. 80's references galore, dystopia, cool tech and a bit of romance? It's like it was written with me in mind!

Through the latter third of the book, I couldn't help but notice the idea of "CONVENIENT!" flash across my brain (often!) but the story was so fun and fast-moving that I just ignored that part of my brain and decided to enjoy the ride. This is going to be a great movie - it reads just like one.

Loved how Cline plays with ...more

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Mar 03, 2016 Astrid Lim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adventures, fantasy, dystopian, culture, science

This book is so geeky it's actually becoming cool :D I love almost every part of it - revenge of the nerds vibe and all. Totally a page turner and prepare to lose some sleep when you start it. You can't help but rooting for the main character, Wade aka Parzival, and following his adventures to win the greatest game in history of OASIS. What's OASIS, you said? Well, read by yourself. Seriously. I recommend this to every bookworm. And a hint: loads of 80's pop culture references so that's an added This book is so geeky it's actually becoming cool :D I love almost every part of it - revenge of the nerds vibe and all. Totally a page turner and prepare to lose some sleep when you start it. You can't help but rooting for the main character, Wade aka Parzival, and following his adventures to win the greatest game in history of OASIS. What's OASIS, you said? Well, read by yourself. Seriously. I recommend this to every bookworm. And a hint: loads of 80's pop culture references so that's an added bonus point!

UPDATED REVIEW (FROM THE BLOG):
It is the year of 2044 and the Earth becomes more and more hostile. Energy crisis, degrading environment and human moral problems, make the world a not so nice place to live anymore. Fortunately, there’s a virtual reality called OASIS, where people can create their own avatars and live in a whole new life in a utopian world, including go to school, battle a combat, collect money and treasures, and even find a girlfriend and get married- all without having to move from their chairs, using their OASIS consoles.

Wade Watts is one of the most dedicated OASIS users- not only because his life really sucks, but because he’s sure, the only thing he could do to get a better life is by winning the OASIS ultimate game, the Halliday’s Easter Eggs.

James Halliday, the founder of OASIS, left an unpredictable, crazy will when he died. He will leave his company (along with billions of dollars worth of shares and stocks) to the user who will be successfully finding his Easter eggs, and solving all the puzzles that were hidden somewhere in the OASIS universe. ‎Because James Halliday grew up in the 80s and very into anything 80’s related- from pop culture like movies and songs, to the geekdom like games and techno things, the puzzles are also related to that era.

Considering that the OASIS universe is really huge and the users of OASIS are very eager to win this prize, Wade doesn’t seem to have too much chance. But he’s not gonna give up.

And along his journey, Wade also met with some incredible characters- some become his new friends and some are the worst enemies he’s ever known- especially when his life ‎-not his avatar’s life, but his real life- is threatened by this ruthless enemy who doesn’t care if he needs to kill someone for the prize.

Ready Player One is a nerd galore, full of surprises and unexpected twists and turns. I myself grew up in the 80s, and know some of the references mentioned in this book. I played Atari with my brother, had a cute obsession with Pac Man, and I watched most of John Hughes’s movies. But even though there are things that I’m not familiar with in this book, ‎I can still enjoy the story very much, because this book could relate with mostly everyone, especially all the nerds, bookworms, ans geeks out there:)

The puzzles itself are pretty good, and the solutions are satisfying. Wade is the underdog that every reader will root for because he reminds us so bad about ourselves, a nerd who just wants to have a better life (Revenge of the nerds mode on!).

Despite the fun storyline, Ready Player One also plays with more serious issues though- a contemplation for all of us, people who love virtual world more than our real life- people who use the utopia to run away from our own harsh reality. And I think it’s really really relevant for current days.

For me, a book that can combine the fun with some serious talks without being pretentious is a book worth of praise, and I can’t clap hard enough for Ready Player One. Very recommended. ...more

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Nov 09, 2014 Jenni rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, read-finished-in-2014

I loved this book! From the moment I finished the prologue I was hooked. I couldn't put it down, so it made a great candidate to finish during the #24in48 readathon. All the pop culture references and geek culture woven in was so much fun. An epic quest that was very well written with characters who were relatable! Definitely a favorite! ...more

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May 19, 2015 Patricia rated it did not like it

Shelves: fiction, scifi

I wanted to like this book, I really did. The 1980s are very special to me. The premise is fun but the execution was... no good. The writing is pretty bad. Like, really quite bad. Every time I read a cliché some of my brain cells committed suicide. This book is so full of clichés that I am now actually writing this review from a vegetative state.

Two stars for a fun premise and for not killing me completely.

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Jan 16, 2015 Kristen rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015, sci-fi, book-club, post-apocalyptic-dystopian, audio-book, 2020

When this book was selected for book club and I heard the description, my first thought was, "How boring." Reading numerous mixed reviews on it merely reinforced my hesitation to read it.

Then I bit the bullet, started reading it, and basically didn't stop until I was finished. I blew through this one in a few hours, stopping only to sleep and, like, take care of my daughter.

What a fun book! I thought the premise was unique enough and the bad guys were just bad enough. The heroes were socially ...more

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Jun 06, 2015 Jenny rated it really liked it

Hey, you got 80’s nostalgia in my dystopian novel. No, you got dystopian novel in my 80’s nostalgia.

And, if you get this reference, then you are the target audience for this novel, which is a fun read so chock full of 80’s references that it made my teeth ache. It’s a great set-up. It’s the year 2044 and teenager, Wade Watts, lives in the future version of a trailer park (only imagine all the trailers stacked on top of each other), trying to stay out of the way of his abusive aunt, who would lov Hey, you got 80’s nostalgia in my dystopian novel. No, you got dystopian novel in my 80’s nostalgia.

And, if you get this reference, then you are the target audience for this novel, which is a fun read so chock full of 80’s references that it made my teeth ache. It’s a great set-up. It’s the year 2044 and teenager, Wade Watts, lives in the future version of a trailer park (only imagine all the trailers stacked on top of each other), trying to stay out of the way of his abusive aunt, who would love to sell his computer to buy drugs. Luckily, Wade has a number of ways to escape this sad existence—an abandoned van that serves as his “real” home, the virtual world, OASIS, that most people spend a lot of time in since 2044 is a pretty dreary place, and school, which just happens to be located in OASIS, where he has friends that he has never met in person, only as avatars.

One thing that many people dream about, and Wade is no exception, is solving the puzzle/quest/game that the creator of OASIS, James Halladay, left behind after his death. The person who finds three “keys” hidden in this virtual world will not only inherit Halliday’s fortune but also (shades of Willy Wonka) control of OASIS itself. Halladay came of age in the 1980’s so Wade, like all his fellow gunters (term for those who are obsessed with searching for the keys) has become an expert on all things 80’s—from video games to music to movies to television shows.

Our story begins as Wade discovers the first key, the first person to do so, and then the race/quest is on. Can Wade get to the next key before an evil corporation, with thousands of minions in its employ, who wants complete control of OASIS so it can monetize everything?

I read this novel over a month ago so a lot of the specifics have started to fade but my overall impression was that while this didn’t rock my world writing-wise (pacing and characterization are a little clunky), it was just so much fun that I didn’t care. If you think you’d like a book that name checks everything from Rush to War Games to “insert obscure video game title here,” then this one is definitely for you.
...more

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Aug 25, 2015 Kate rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult

An entertaining read, especially if you're into video games and 80s pop culture. Started out a little slow because so much set up was required to bring the reader up to speed on the world (OASIS) that most of the book took place in. Got a little predictable towards the end too, but I'm always a sucker for the happy ending. ...more

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