Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) in Fantasy-Faction.com

Aug 19, 2017 Paul rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Ready Player One is pure sugar, you know it isn't anything of substance, but it is just so much fun to devour. Let me first say that I was highly skeptical coming into this book. I really thought that any book that relied so heavily on nostalgia to create a story is gimmicky. Do I still think that? Well, yah, this is extremely gimmicky, but it is a fun, fast read. If you are a gamer, like 80s nostalgia, or you just like really nerdy things, you'll probably get some love out of this book. If you Ready Player One is pure sugar, you know it isn't anything of substance, but it is just so much fun to devour. Let me first say that I was highly skeptical coming into this book. I really thought that any book that relied so heavily on nostalgia to create a story is gimmicky. Do I still think that? Well, yah, this is extremely gimmicky, but it is a fun, fast read. If you are a gamer, like 80s nostalgia, or you just like really nerdy things, you'll probably get some love out of this book. If you are neither of these things, I can definitely see how this book would not be for you whatsoever.

The basic premise of this book is that a billionaire passes away but before he does he leaves his fortune to be found inside a large virtual reality video game. Players will use the clues he leaves behind in order to find the easter eggs in the game to seize control of his company. Because the stakes are so high, there is a large corporation that has many gamers trying to figure out how to solve the riddles. This corporation serves as the antagonist of the book. We follow a young boy that lives his life through the virtual world and he is the first one to figure out the clue to the first riddle. He meets friends through his quest and it very much becomes a them vs the corporation book. Each riddle and clue has to do with 80s nostalgia and these players surround themselves in the 80s at all times.

The first thing I want to say is that this glorification of past eras by individuals in the future seems a little hard to believe. Yes, there is a lot of money on the line, but these kids absolutely love watching old 80s tv and movies. Now, most kids I know wouldn't be caught dead watching these old tv shows and movies. For there to be an entire generation of gamers that are preoccupied with the 80s is a bit optimistic. Furthermore, the amount of research that these kids have put into learning and memorizing television shows and movies is beyond believable. Our main character, Wade, has put in so much time watching all these different 80s forms of media, and it just isn't reasonable to be able to believe he had the time to do all this. We are suppose to believe that he has memorized an entire decade's worth of media in his young life? Yah, ok.

Regardless, this book is a ton of fun, and I had a blast reading it. As a former MMO gamer, a lot of the book was very relatable to me. As someone that grew up in the 80s, I loved the nostalgia bits. I wanted more of the actual friendships between the kids and less hype because I never felt like I connected to the characters emotionally in any way. This was a fun read and I'm glad I read it when I did. I purposely waited until the hype died down some with this book and I think that made me enjoy it even more. If you go into the book jaded or cynical from the very beginning, I would recommend just waiting until you are a little more accepting about what Ready Player One will deliver.

4/5
16/25 Possible Score
3/5 Plot
3/5 Characters
4/5 World Building
3/5 Writing Style
3/5 Heart & Mind Aspect ...more

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May 30, 2016 A.E. Marling rated it liked it

If you’re looking for the story where gamers are the heroes, try Ready Player One. In this twenty-first-century retelling of the Matrix, our hero has willingly plugged into a virtual world where he’s playing for the ultimate prize: the inheritance of an eccentric billionaire who created the megagame called the Oasis. Not only does humanity enter this dreamland to escape from the ravaged world but also to go to school, to socialize, and to work. Whoever wins the competition will gain control of t If you’re looking for the story where gamers are the heroes, try Ready Player One. In this twenty-first-century retelling of the Matrix, our hero has willingly plugged into a virtual world where he’s playing for the ultimate prize: the inheritance of an eccentric billionaire who created the megagame called the Oasis. Not only does humanity enter this dreamland to escape from the ravaged world but also to go to school, to socialize, and to work. Whoever wins the competition will gain control of the Oasis and of society itself.

The problem is, an Evil Corporation is throwing all its resources behind beating the game. They have warship upon warship of avatars, and if any one of them win, they’ll monopolize the Oasis.

Our hero has every reason to ally with the other gamers. In fact, many people in this world do form clans dedicated to beating the game together. However, Ready Player One is primarily a single-player story. Most of it occurs in extreme isolation, and the protagonist is the greatest recluse of them all.

I was not thrilled with this depiction of a gaming hero. First, it seemed rather stereotypical. Second, it downplayed the importance of community in such megagames. I’ve played MMORPG’s, and thinking back to the lively banter of guildchat made me realize what a different story this could’ve been. In my experience, very little of importance was done alone.

What relationships there were in Ready Player One also made me uncomfortable. The romance is squeezed mostly into a single chapter. The characters never believed they truly could know each other until they had met in real life. The importance of RL was emphasized again and again, which felt dissonant in a book dedicated to virtual spaces.

The characters doubted the verisimilitude of each other’s avatars. That’s healthy skepticism. But it should be extended to real life. The persona people project in person may not be their only one. We love to believe everyone has fixed personality traits, but that’s a myth. Social situation plays a large role in behavior, and personality can be fluid from place to place, from time to time. People have been false to each other long before online communication. Deception doesn’t require electronic media.

When the hero meets his best online friend in real life, they quickly accept each other (regardless of appearance) because it feels like they already knew everything of import about each other. And yet this same set of values isn’t extended to the romantic relationship, in which it’s suggested that nothing counts unless it happens IRL.

In Victorian literature, I accept that some measure of passion can be exchanged by letter, and I am even more willing to believe in long-distance relationships through Ethernet cables. True, romances begun online aren’t likely to persist in real life. But it’s not as if relationships originating in the real world are infallible.

Ready Player One may isolate its characters and sabotage its own virtual setting, but you are still likely to love it if you enjoy references to classic video games and geeky 1980’s icons. The high-tech competition revolves around both.
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Jul 03, 2013 Joel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: hard-copy, top-30-favorite

Well, what more is there to say? I'm floored. Flabbergasted. Shocked and awed. Completely surprised yet unsurprised. Ready Player One was at once everything I dreamed it would be, and yet so much more.

For some reason, I repeatedly hesitated to buy this book. I'd read the reviews, both from normal readers and from numerous authors whom I honestly respect deeply. I'd noted the fact the book had overwhelmingly positive thoughts pushed towards it, something that's usually a good sign. However, I'd Well, what more is there to say? I'm floored. Flabbergasted. Shocked and awed. Completely surprised yet unsurprised. Ready Player One was at once everything I dreamed it would be, and yet so much more.

For some reason, I repeatedly hesitated to buy this book. I'd read the reviews, both from normal readers and from numerous authors whom I honestly respect deeply. I'd noted the fact the book had overwhelmingly positive thoughts pushed towards it, something that's usually a good sign. However, I'd seen some detractors - those who said it used 80s references for cheap tricks, that it was overdone, that it was cheesy, pointless and childish.

And, honestly, about 75 pages into the book, I sort of agreed. It felt a bit hollow - a cool idea, but the 80s references seemed a bit forced, pressed in for no reason other than to make people of this generation go "awww I remember that!". Then, suddenly, shit got real.

Set in 2044, the entire world is crumbling. Meanwhile, the people of said world manage their depressed lives by spending most of it jacked into a virtual reality MMO, called OASIS, created decades prior by some kind of evil nerd genius who grew up in the 80s and 90s, like most people who read this book will have. Upon his death, a video is released announcing a challenge inside the OASIS game. A series of challenges really - a scavenger hunt. This hunt is as much a method of the 80s/90s obsessed creator getting everyone in the world "into" the amazing nerd cultural items of those decades by force as anything else. The kicker - his entire billions of personal wealth, plus the control of the company that runs OASIS, is the reward for winning this treasure hunt. Wade is a member of a group called "gunters", whose entire life is devoted to completing this contest and winning the bajillions. Many of these are people who are already social shut-ins.

The story is essentially the adventures of Wade and his group of online buddies; others who emerge as the frontrunners in this contest and compete to battle off the evil IOI Corporation, who spend their considerable funds to control much of the OASIS world, and to equip their thousands of professional gunters to win the contest so the corporation can take control of OASIS forever and use it to make money and do other evil somesuch things while cackling and twirling their waxed mustachios. The corporation goes as far as to kill one of the gunters who Wade is associated with, causing the others to band together, with the help of the game's benevolent co-creator, to defeat the evil empire.

The story itself is heartwarming, nostalgic, and an absolute blast. Along with the extreme level of references, many of which made my nerd parts tingle frequently (especially the fascination with RUSH), the story itself had character conflict, a good vs. evil aspect everyone can relate to, ups and downs, twists and turns, romance, bromance, and everything else I look for in a novel. The writing is above average, the dialogue is expertly written to make people like me squee, and the story moves along at a rapid and enthralling pace.

I have very few negative things to say - I could understand why certain groups would find this book much less entertaining. However, in the end, the nerdy references are a bonus more than anything; something to make you happy, make you smile, make you reminisce. The story moves along despite them, and is an excellent tale of a poor shut-in overcoming the evil empire with the help of his friends, becoming a celebrity and a billionaire and getting the girl. It's everything that every nerd fantasy involves.

And I'm a-ok with that. ...more

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Nov 28, 2017 Brett Swanson rated it it was amazing

2nd read: This book was just as fantastic the second time around!

This book was so much fun. If you are an 80's kid, or one at heart, this book is definitely for you. Cline chocks Ready Player One full of references to 80's videogames, movies, and music.

If you love videogames, this book is definitely for you. The majority of the plot takes place in the simulated world of OASIS, the only refuge for the starved citizens of a psuedo post-apocolyptic world. In this virtual reality, you can be anythi ...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Chris Davis rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sci-fi

I recently reviewed Neuromancer by William Gibson, a book that with hindsight was incredibly prophetic and seems to have almost predicted the internet. I wonder whether we will look back on Ready Player One in 50 years with a similar sense of awe. It certainly seems possible.

Ready Player One takes place in about 2045. We are not told a lot about what happened to the world between now and 2045, however it is clear that things have taken a turn for the worse. While not quite being “post-apocalypti I recently reviewed Neuromancer by William Gibson, a book that with hindsight was incredibly prophetic and seems to have almost predicted the internet. I wonder whether we will look back on Ready Player One in 50 years with a similar sense of awe. It certainly seems possible.

Ready Player One takes place in about 2045. We are not told a lot about what happened to the world between now and 2045, however it is clear that things have taken a turn for the worse. While not quite being “post-apocalyptic,” the world is struggling. America is suffering from mass poverty and food shortages, with people living in Stacks, which are effectively towers of mobile homes. Not nice places to live.

Fortunately the world can take solace in the OASIS–a computer simulation that you plug into with a headset and gloves. The OASIS contains many planets and simulations. You can “quest” to level up and earn money and weapons, but you can also attend school on a dedicated planet for education, or work-part time in a virtual clothing store. Faced with the choice of living in the real world which is falling apart, or living in the OASIS, it is perhaps not surprising that people spend most of their lives plugged in.

Interestingly the OASIS still has a rigid economy, so if you are poor in the real world, you may also be poor in the OASIS and stuck on one world unable to travel anywhere. That is the situation Wade finds himself in. In the real world he is a dirt broke 18 year old kid, and in the OASIS he is also a dirt broke 18 year old kid. But slightly more attractive.

The story here starts when the creator of the OASIS, Halliday, dies. He leaves behind a video will that leaves his ownership of the OASIS to the person who can find three keys and open three gates. Halliday was obsessed with 1980s culture, so those who set about finding the keys have to brush up on their 1980s knowledge. Wade is one of these people, and to say he is obsessed with all things 80s is a big understatement. In addition to people like Wade, there is also a big corporation out to find the keys so that they can begin charging for use of the OASIS.

As you can probably tell from the set-up, this book is full of 80s culture. I cannot even begin to cover what is mentioned, but the main references are to things like Dungeons and Dragons, and arcade games. Unfortunately there is a heavy American focus on what is included. I would have liked to see more awareness of things like Doctor Who and Red Dwarf. To be honest though, the references are not that crucial. I am really a child of the 90s, but I still loved this book. I’m sure you will get more from the book if you are into the 80s culture, but it is not a requirement.

This book is one of the best examples of perfect pacing that I have seen in a while. There is no filler here. The story moves along from one point to the next. It is never predictable, but will also not shock you either. I’m not sure if this is officially a Young Adult book, but it certainly reads like one. It reminds me a lot of The Hunger Games, but with a focus on geek stuff. It is also a lot better. My only slight issue with the book was how Wade has apparently read, watched, and played everything 80s about 100 times (he has actually seen one movie 157 times). I get the point that the author is trying to make here, but it is simply not believable that an 18 year old has done all that while also attending school. Just a minor gripe I had.

I think you will already know if this book is for you or not. If the premise doesn’t appeal, then the quality of the writing will not overcome that problem. However, for most people who read science-fiction, I can’t imagine this being an issue. This is not an epic. There will probably be no trilogy (I hope). What it is, is an incredibly enjoyable book that you will not be able to put down.

9/10 ...more

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