Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) in Niners (io9)

Jan 26, 2013 Andreas rated it it was amazing

Ready Player One – Ernest Cline
The year is 2044. Human civilization is hanging on by a thread. Recession, energy crisis, disillusionment, unemployment, starvation and poverty have reigned for decades. The only escape most people have is in a massive interactive simulation, the OASIS. The OASIS is also where most people work, a virtual universe with everything from shopping malls to space monsters. Thirteen year old Wade has grown up in a slum and has nothing to show for himself but being a geeky Ready Player One – Ernest Cline
The year is 2044. Human civilization is hanging on by a thread. Recession, energy crisis, disillusionment, unemployment, starvation and poverty have reigned for decades. The only escape most people have is in a massive interactive simulation, the OASIS. The OASIS is also where most people work, a virtual universe with everything from shopping malls to space monsters. Thirteen year old Wade has grown up in a slum and has nothing to show for himself but being a geeky kid with some computer skills when OASIS co-founder and creator James Halliday dies, leaving his entire multi-billion dollar fortune and control of his company to the winner of an elaborate and mysterious quest throughout the OASIS. During the next five years, Wade becomes one of millions of “gunters”, short for “egg hunters”, trying to crack the quest and win the prize, fittingly an “Easter Egg”. This mostly involves ridiculously extensive research into the pop culture of the nineteen-eighties, Halliday’s favorite decade, to the point that Wade can recite every line of dialogue of every popular movie of the day, sing along to every hit song, and win at every old arcade game. He also knows the most obscure details of Halliday’s life. Then one day, Wade makes a breakthrough.

Ready Player One is a fast-paced, exciting, page-turning thrill-ride which proudly displays its early Cyberpunk roots. As Wade progresses on his quest, he encounters both allies and rivals. In particular, a large and ruthless multinational corporation is aiming to take control of the OASIS by running an entire division of gunters and battling for the prize. The majority of the action takes places in the OASIS, providing a stark contrast to the bleak and impoverished world outside. In the real world, people are jobless and homeless, and even debt slavery is often a better option than freedom since at least it provides room and board. In the virtual world, the poor but skilled can be wizards and warriors, paladins for justice or evil villains. The virtual world affects the real one in worrying ways, however, and domination of the real one is very much tied to winning the battle for the virtual one. For our recluse hero, this is a shocking and painful realization. He is mighty in the OASIS, but really only a geeky and powerless kid in the real world. The transformation of Wade's real self to match the heroism of his avatar is the true underlying quest in the book.

It is clear Mr. Cline did a lot of research on eighties pop culture himself. The entire novel is one big orgy of fanservice, specifically aimed at those fans who grew up in the eighties. As an avid consumer myself of John Hughes movies, old computer games and era music, it pushed all the right buttons. The question is this: can a person who is not at least casually versed in eighties pop culture truly appreciate it? I would say yes. Even without understanding the myriad pop culture references, it is a great adventure novel, and an excellent metaphor for our despondent times. Just be prepared for the massive geek-outs.

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May 09, 2012 Jose Solis rated it really liked it

Al leer este libro no pude evitar sentir como si estuviera dedicado a mí. Al igual que el autor (y Halliday), yo también viví mi adolescencia en los 80s y disfruté enormemente la gran cantidad de referencias a música, series de TV, anime, cómics, videojuegos, películas, etc, que tapizan esta historia.

La historia se deja leer muy bien y no te suelta hasta el final. En un futuro distópico (alrededor del 2050) un adolescente huérfano se escapa de sus circunstancias, al igual que la mayoría de la po ...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Jeremy rated it really liked it

This book was a really fun ride. The plot is predictable, but it's meta-narratively appropriate given the subject matter (I'll stop there to avoid spoilers). Some of the fun in this book is straight nerdstalgia, but a lot of it is the juxtaposition of pop and not-so-pop culture from so many eras. The notion of a virtual world as the future internet has a bit of a dated feel, but it makes a great stage for all of these ideas and images to interact, bringing the meta without breaking the pulpy act ...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Chris rated it liked it · review of another edition

I have to say, considering all the hype I expected a lot more from this book. What I got was YA writing with numerous reference to things that YAs wouldn't get (70's and 80's music, movies, and video games). It was entertaining, but the references were often unnecessary and overbearing. Some of the ideas presented could have really used some exposition. The idea that in 30-some-odd years the entire world will be fixated on nostalgia for the 1980's rather than the usual pattern of nostalgia for a ...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Charlotte rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Even though I usually find watching other people playing video games very boring, reading about it proved much more entertaining. I avoided being nostalgia-bombed by being neither an 80s kid nor an American, but still every now and then a reference hit home. The book certainly has its faults (some deus-ex-machina action - or should we call them cheats?), but in the end I was thoroughly entertained. Just what you'd expect from a good game. ...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Benjamin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sci-fi

Exhilarating and fun! I didn't want to put it down! Cline does a fantastic job building not just one but two worlds--the future Earth and inside the game. You try to predict what would happen or how situations would play out, and then Cline does something different entirely to twist the action on its head and give the characters struggle yet a fighting chance.

Definitely one of those "why didn't I read this sooner?" books. I can't recommend it enough for geeks of all types, from classic sci-fi mo ...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Adam Armour rated it liked it · review of another edition

As a nerdy child of the 1980s, I enjoyed all the references in "Ready Player One." Unfortunately, the story wrapped in them was pretty thin. Characters are fairly cliche, the villain is a laughably generic evil corporation and the story's overall message is about as thought-provoking as an episode of "Jem." Although "Ready Player One" has its fun moments and wasn't terrible by any means, I found it pretty disappointing given all the good buzz. ...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Dana rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, genre-schmanre

Diverting. Admittedly, I'm a bit too young for the 80's nostalgia to charm me past some of the weaker points (I'm more Donkey Kong than PacMan), but all in all, it was an entertaining read. The backdrop to the lighthearted pop culture references was a chilling vision of the near future that seems not so far-fetched.

I really love this cover, too. My compliments to the artist and designer! ...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Cat VonAwesome rated it it was amazing

Could not put this one down! Amazing quest story and hero's journey through a maze of awesome villains and final bosses with an 80's soundtrack. ...more

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