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What Members Thought
Probably two and a half stars, with a dash of generosity. I might change my mind. Never been so glad to finish a recreational book. Ever.
This will be, as often happens with me, long and a little spoilery, though I have retained most of the spoilers for my blog post. Still, please read at your own risk if you haven't read (or listened to) the book.
First of all, Wil Wheaton. I chose the audiobook largely because of him. I mean, okay, I never cared for Wesley Crusher (okay, I couldn't stand him) ...more
This will be, as often happens with me, long and a little spoilery, though I have retained most of the spoilers for my blog post. Still, please read at your own risk if you haven't read (or listened to) the book.
First of all, Wil Wheaton. I chose the audiobook largely because of him. I mean, okay, I never cared for Wesley Crusher (okay, I couldn't stand him) ...more
I wasn't sure if I would like this since I've never really been into video games--but it was great! I loved the 80s references, I loved that the author told you up front what was going to happen (I always cheat and read then endings first) and I think it speaks to our culture today that people can be more concerned with their online personas than their real lives. A great, exciting read.
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This book has problems the way Paris Hilton has problems, but also entertaining in the same way. Three stars means I think it's well done, but I'm not really sure I could call this a novel. I think maybe 20 percent felt like storytelling, while the rest feels like a very straightforward, orderly log (or walkthrough?) of one man's (view spoiler), or a technical manual with a gratuitous, status symbol approach to geek culture. (vie
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It's a page-turner. If any video game more complex than Candy Crush or Mario Kart makes you numb with boredom, you'll hate it. If you can handle some video game talk, you'll be alright.
It's not the best written book I've ever read, but it was cute, funny, and somewhat plausible. Nostalgia galore! One of the blurbs called it "Willy Wonka meets the Matrix," but I think it's more "Willy Wonka meets Ender's Game."
Over all, a completely decent read. ...more
It's not the best written book I've ever read, but it was cute, funny, and somewhat plausible. Nostalgia galore! One of the blurbs called it "Willy Wonka meets the Matrix," but I think it's more "Willy Wonka meets Ender's Game."
Over all, a completely decent read. ...more
I really enjoyed this! No kidding, at the climax my heart was pounding as I read! I think this could make an awesome movie if they can get the rights to all of the pop-culture stuff mentioned. A really fun read.
It's a novel for my generation. It's dystopian in all the ways it should be. It gives us our dreams and then makes us shudder in wonder and horror to see them come true. Our nostalgia is a solitary pop culture wet dream.
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Good bit of escapism in a time when the world seems on a tipping point. Got a bit bogged down in the middle with references to it's own 80's sense of cool. But overall the book was super enjoyable if a little predictable and a bit laden with 'in the nick of time' scenarios. Worth a read.
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I actually found this book extremely problematic. I'm the only person I've encountered who has this opinion, but there it is.
I think writing a book for the geek subculture at large in and of itself isn't a problem. It made my inner pop culture nerd extremely happy to try and piece together all the various 80's references. The problem was thatasidefrom the popculture references there wasn't much of a story with characters I cared about. I've read other, more interesting takes on puzzle type scena ...more
I think writing a book for the geek subculture at large in and of itself isn't a problem. It made my inner pop culture nerd extremely happy to try and piece together all the various 80's references. The problem was thatasidefrom the popculture references there wasn't much of a story with characters I cared about. I've read other, more interesting takes on puzzle type scena ...more
I enjoyed this one, but I think it is better appreciated by gamers or people with more knowledge of 80s pop culture than I do.
Really enjoyed the book. Very well done and researched.
So far I'm loving it!
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Total geeky fun.
Jun 06, 2015
Abbie Graham
marked it as to-read
