Ready Player One

[BookFellas]

1. After reading Ready Player One, which of the following best describes your reaction:

A. I’m ready to revisit playing early video games.
B. I’ll never read another sci-fi book again.
C. “Alex, I’ll take 80’s movies for $1000.00.”
D. I wish parachute pants were back in style.

R: Um… Why aren’t parachute pants back in style? But I’m somewhere between A & C. I’ve never been a huge gamer, but if I could VR myself into classic games and movies, I’d probably end up like some of those characters described as never leaving the house. (And I could even shamelessly rock some VR parachute pants…)

M: You don’t want to see me in parachute pants, so I’ll go with A. This book triggered a nostalgic desire to play Missile Command, BattleZone, and even Pong. It also gave me a renewed appreciation for 80’s movies and music.

2. Which character resonated with you the best? Why?

R: I dug Aech. How s/he could totally be true while hidden, both versions still 100% who they are. Plus, throughout the book s/he was a solid wingman, which from Robin to Chewy, is no easy feat.

M: I liked Wade for his skill and bravado, but the one who resonated with me was Og. His resourcefulness and his determination to see that Halliday’s challenge was achieved without cheating was the mark of a true friend and business partner. Plus, his retirement home in Oregon sounded ideal to me .

R: Oregon would be legit.


3. There is a dichotomy between being by yourself in a virtual world and being with friends in the book. How did Cline bridge these two worlds in the book?

R: Well, in the most literal sense, no one could win alone since the final gate needed three keys. But Cline really pushes this theme throughout with how the friendships in the Oasis led to dropping hints (the first key on Ludus, which side to play the Lych in joust) that wouldn’t have been found as quickly/otherwise, to the High 5 (4) literally coming together in person to defeat the sixers and win the egg. Even the relationship between Halliday and Og furthers this: even when it’s game over and the last level is played (you know, death), friendship, winning together in life, is greater than winning alone.

M: I thought this was one of the underlying dilemmas in the book. We live in a world that is becoming increasingly compartmentalized and self-absorbed. It is a challenge to develop meaningful relationships because of this. Cline describes a future like this, yet he doesn’t lose sight of the need for meaningful relationships. His development of the friendships between Wade, Art3mis, Aech, Daito & Shoto was definitely one of the strengths of Ready Player One.

4. Were you surprised by anything in Ready Player One? Would you have changed anything in it?

R: This is my second time on this adventure, so I think what surprised me most is how much more I enjoyed it this most recent go ‘round. The first time I might have overhyped it for myself (I mean, Spielberg of all people was making the adaptation). But this time, even knowing where the story was headed, the gates, and the outcome, I noticed how the writing still had me turning pages in anticipation. So, yeah, the first time I could probably have listed a slew of this-that-and-the-others I would have done (not to say I didn’t like it, but more, you know, everyone’s a critic). But this time I’d say it was a solid read.

M: I was surprised at how good it was. I didn’t think I would like this book at all. I thought I would have to slog through it and finish it on March 31, but that wasn’t the case at all. I finished it in a week. I read it with anticipation. This one was definitely a hidden gem for me.


5. One of the criticisms of the book is that it “reads like it was written by a high school student.” What is your response to this?

R: Well, parts were since it’s told by, get this, a high school student. But I feel as the book progresses, so does Wade and the writing. For instance, in his meeting with Sorrento, I feel Wade is especially juvenile. But I can forgive this because he’s a scared high school kid in way over his head. But as Wade matured in life, how he accounted events did as well.

M: I agree. You certainly have to factor in that the main character is a high school student telling his story in first person. I would also argue that the technical/sci-fi nature of the book lends to more mature writing due to the subject matter.

6. With the 1980’s backdrop, which appealed more to you and why?
___ Films and TV shows
___ Music
___ Video Games

R: Generally I’d go with movies. I’m a movie person, for sure. But I enjoyed the games. I was unfamiliar with most of them (see: nearly all of them) but enjoyed doing a bit of research into the games and the history of them. Granted, I’m still not a gamer, so seeking out gameplay still isn’t my cup of tea. But the ideas and stories and just seeing how far we’ve come (in our and the novel’s realities) fascinated me. Like those text based games: it’s amazing how so much was done with so little.

M: The music appealed most to me. I remember when those songs came out, so it was a nice trip down memory lane. Cline’s use of 80’s songs added to the depth of the story as well. There were even a few songs that I had forgotten about until I got into the book. Good memories!

R: Yeah, I’ll give you that. I’d never been more compelled to listen to Rush…

7. Wade’s OASIS pass phrase is “No one in the world ever gets what they want and that is beautiful.” How do you reconcile this philosophy with the conclusion of the book?

R: The pass phrase vs. the conclusion seems contradictory—Wade wins the egg, Wade gets the girl, both what he wants, both beautiful. But he sets this up prior to this knowledge. To him, at the time, a relationship with Art3mis and winning the hunt were just dreams, fantasies that couldn’t be fulfilled in the Oasis. So the pass phrase becomes a way to reconcile with the perceived failures in the unknown. You may not get what you want, so in the end that must be beautiful. Otherwise, so what? Well, that “what” becomes the beauty only seen in retrospect, the beauty in not giving up.

M: I think the pass phrase is brilliant. While Wade got what he wanted in the end, he was prepared to fail. I think that realization is healthy today. None of us get everything we want, nor should we. The journey to achieving what we want is worthwhile, however. While we may not get everything we desire, we get the satisfaction of going after it and working hard for it. There is honor and dignity in that if we approach it in the right way (“The sixers have no honor.”). Sometimes we get surprised in the struggle to achieve what we want. Sometimes we get things we would never have dreamed of.

R: And, fun fact speaking of enjoying the music: it’s a lyric from a They Might Be Giants song.

8. Would you recommend Ready Player One to a friend? Why or why not?

R: I would. And knowing me, I’d probably say something along the lines of “have you seen the movie?” [ If yes] “Then you totally need to read the book. They’re totally different.” [If no] “Then you should read the book. It’s totally different than the movie.” And that being said: I shall award the novel a solid 4 out of 5 Halliday Easter eggs.

M: I recommend it without reservation! It was a joy to read. 5 stars from me.

[Mike]

Hi fellas, just wanted to say hi and thanks for making this group. I finished the book last night and I thoroughly enjoyed it from the beginning. I grew up playing Joust and Dungeons of Daggarath so it was a lot of fun reading about them again. I had completely forgotten about a lot of those games and movies so the whole book was a trip down memory lane. -Mike

[BookFellas]

We're so glad you enjoyed it! We were big fans of it on our end too. And we're sure your knowledge of those games brought a whole new level to your reading experience. (Ryan, for one, had to do some research...)

And speaking of trips, if you're up for the adventure, although it's a departure from RPO, we're currently making our way through Jon Krakauer's (so far) fascinating Into Thin Air.