SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
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Ready Player One
Group Reads Discussions 2011
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"Ready Player One" Player One - Ready?(No Spoilers)
message 51:
by
Riona
(new)
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rated it 3 stars
Dec 01, 2011 08:54PM
I've got this one on hold at the library and will be picking it up over the weekend or early next week. I've heard it's great, so I'm looking forward to it, but since I was born in the late 80's and never really got into video games I'm not sure how relatable I'll find it.
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Ala, why did you pick this book? (I read the first few comments, but it wasn't answered there... so :P)
I should be able to get started in a week or maybe two. Looking forward to it. I was already kind of grown up (open for debate) by the 80s but still think the concept sounds fun.
Trike wrote: "It's really a huge list."As he's linked into OASIS for long periods of time, perhaps it's blipverted into his memory. He does some things that require a photographic memory / perfect recall as well, which I think may be a side product of that action.
♥Xeni♥ wrote: "Ala, why did you pick this book? (I read the first few comments, but it wasn't answered there... so :P)"
Because I'm an 80s kid so a lot of it hit me with nostalgia. Plus it was a fun and quick read full of gaming and geekery.
And, Y'know, I'm all kinds of geeky
Because I'm an 80s kid so a lot of it hit me with nostalgia. Plus it was a fun and quick read full of gaming and geekery.
And, Y'know, I'm all kinds of geeky
True... true... Mkay. I found an ebook copy and put it on my phone. So I might just possibly get to it now :)
Uh huh. Suuure.
I know what you med students do in your spare time now. It ain't reading.
Pfft
I know what you med students do in your spare time now. It ain't reading.
Pfft
Hahahaha! It certainly ain't. xD I'll try and squeeze it in though. Just for you <3
I plan on reading this book after Across the Nightingale Floor.
James wrote: "As he's linked into OASIS for long periods of time, perhaps it's blipverted into his memory. He does some things that require a photographic memory / perfect recall as well, which I think may be a side product of that action."I don't think the book supports that conjecture. Although they watch movies and read magazines within the sim itself, they apparently o it in real time. Wade does say it would take decades to go through everything from the 80s, but the sheer amount of stuff he has gone over is ridonkulous.
I enjoyed it despite this issue, though.
And if I read correctly (still going through it), when the story starts, the Egg Hunt is 4 years old... and Wade is 17.. So.. yeah, I think this is unreliable narrator.
Jarrod wrote: "And if I read correctly (still going through it), when the story starts, the Egg Hunt is 4 years old... and Wade is 17.. So.. yeah, I think this is unreliable narrator."
I am leaning towards that as well. I took the list of things he studied as a teenager bragging about how awesome he is.
judging by the blatant exposition and clumsy writing throughout the book, i think that is giving the author too much credit. i don't think he really worked out all the timing issues. his hero had to be the geekiest geek of the geeks for the plot to work, and so he just was.
All that aside, I'm having GREAT fun with this story :)
Planning on reading it in the next few days. I was born mid-80's and am still not all that culturally aware in some areas (music, particularly), so I'm sure I'll miss some of the references, but the geek factor will still be through the roof. :D
Joel wrote: "judging by the blatant exposition and clumsy writing throughout the book, i think that is giving the author too much credit. i don't think he really worked out all the timing issues. his hero had t..."The book was supposed to be a memoir written by Wade Watts. I'll give Cline the benefit of the doubt that the style was intentional until he writes something else.
Having finished it, I have some opinions of it. I'm.. it's a fun read, but the character is very perfect in every way.
Craig wrote: "The book was supposed to be a memoir written by Wade Watts. I'll give Cline the benefit of the doubt that the style was intentional until he writes something else."blaming the character for being a bad writer is giving the author a LOT of leeway. also having it be a memoir doesn't really explain other things, like why would wade go into such great detail on how the oasis works/what it is, when presumably everyone he would be writing to already knows that? unless wade is a bad writer and a bad memoirist.
like i said, i liked the book -- it was a very fun story -- but it wasn't what i think of as well written.
I think it was well-written. The only things I didn't particularly care for were the Marty Stu-ishness of Wade and the fact that information was held back from the reader in order to make the plot work.
maybe well-constructed is a better way to put it. i don't find stopping all the action for long sections of wikipedia-like summary to be very good as a literary technique. at least a third of the book -- if not more -- is just wade explaining pop culture references or flat-out telling us the history of the world he lives in. that's what i mean when i say it doesn't make sense as a memoir. if i was going to write my memoir, i wouldn't start by telling you, say, what 9/11 was and all the players involved. i would write about how it impacted me.
I am hating you quite a bit right now, Ala. >.> I *need* to read this whole entire book NOW. It's annoying how great it is! I'm only 17% into the damn thing and I have no time for this. Argh!
I hereby officially ban you from giving me such awesome books to read while I'm in school.
(but if you don't share your awesome books I'll be even more angry. :p)
On another note, I'm completely amazed at how many of these references I get, seeing as how I was born in 1989 and didn't have the enjoyment of being a teenager in the 80's.
Fear my elite book recommendation skills.
*fears appropriately*
I have had this on hold at the library for weeks; I'm #2 of 2 people in line for it. Here's hoping #1 is a fast reader!
Go to their house, stand over their shoulder and repeat, "are you done yet? How about now? Now?" until they give it to you.
Ala wrote: "Go to their house, stand over their shoulder and repeat, "are you done yet? How about now? Now?" until they give it to you."
I would do this if I didn't already have it on my Kindle LOL.
I'm totally sucked in to this book, not to mention the majority of the references are sending me on a mental time warp. I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to get anything done tonight. I really don't need to clean my apartment or go grocery shopping, right? ;-)
I would do this if I didn't already have it on my Kindle LOL.
I'm totally sucked in to this book, not to mention the majority of the references are sending me on a mental time warp. I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to get anything done tonight. I really don't need to clean my apartment or go grocery shopping, right? ;-)
John wrote: "Ala wrote: "Go to their house, stand over their shoulder and repeat, "are you done yet? How about now? Now?" until they give it to you."I would do this if I didn't already have it on my Kindle LO..."
I kept having to stop reading to go on youtube and watch music videos/video clips from the references.It was awesome.
Craig wrote: "I kept having to stop reading to go on youtube and watch music videos/video clips from the references.It was awesome. "
Certainly that is the biggest draw for me with this book. Quite a few have come up that had me thinking “Oh WOW! I forgot about that!”.
Certainly that is the biggest draw for me with this book. Quite a few have come up that had me thinking “Oh WOW! I forgot about that!”.
Just started this one and I'm really enjoying it. I was a kid during the 80's so I kinda get the references but I've had to stop and pull up some songs on YouTube. I'm looking forward to the spoilery discussions for sure.
I'm in about 6 chapters. I can tell this is going to be a fun read. But we sure have a depressing real world to live in
I still need to buy this - sounds great though.
Got started on this one a little this week in between prepping for an art show. I have to say this is a book where i instantly feel like i'm jacking directly into the story. I love that this is so futuristic while speaking directly to a lot of my memories, but it does make me wonder what this book would be like to say my parents or grandparents, or my brother's kids.
alana (eHawk) wrote: "I love that this is so futuristic while speaking directly to a lot of my memories, but it does make me wonder what this book would be like to say my parents or grandparents, or my brother's kids."
I was wondering the same thing. I could see that if I gave this book to my daughter or son when they get a bit older they would spend half of their time on the internet looking up obscure (to them) references. Having been born in 1972, I’ve been exposed to just about everything mentioned in the book so far, and either got into it or at least had some experiences with it, but someone born a decade later or more might have difficulties with it.
I was wondering the same thing. I could see that if I gave this book to my daughter or son when they get a bit older they would spend half of their time on the internet looking up obscure (to them) references. Having been born in 1972, I’ve been exposed to just about everything mentioned in the book so far, and either got into it or at least had some experiences with it, but someone born a decade later or more might have difficulties with it.
Just started this today and I'm already almost halfway, totally sucked in. Had to stop for a food break! I wouldn't be surprised if I finish it tonight, actually.
I'm 3/4 way finished. The tension continues to build!!
I just started this this morning. I have packed a bag of warm clothing already, though... just in case...
Like I'd send you away, Colleen.
Pffft
Pffft
Aww... I feel so loved. :>
Someone has to be around to tell me I'm wrong
I thought everyone pretty much did that. :-\
Aww, I sorry.Here, has a Star Wars pic:
All is forgiven.
How far are ya and what do you think of it?
How far are ya and what do you think of it?
message 95:
by
colleen the convivial curmudgeon
(last edited Dec 13, 2011 07:12AM)
(new)
-
rated it 2 stars
Yay! :DI'm only on page 22, so don't really have much of an opinion yet aside from "wow, it would really suck to live there/then and I wonder how many conservatives are already pissed off with this book?"
I don't think conservatives really care about it :)
What's in there that you think would piss off conservatives?
Well, not all conservatives, just certain types - like my father - who would probably get irritated at evolution and man-made climate change being presented as irrefutable facts, and the whole 'there is no God, and most likely no afterlife, it's all stories we made up to make ourselves feel better, so deal with it'.Of course, even if you disagree with these assertions you could easily write it off as just beliefs of the protagonist - but I couldn't help but think "damn, this would probably piss dad off" while reading it... and he's not the only one of his particular variety - whatever variety that may be.
*facepalm* I completely forgot about that. I did think about that (when the there-is-no-God thing came up), but then Cline never really went back to it that I noticed, so it slipped my mind.
Well, I just looking at the lower rated reviews of the book on Amazon, 1, 2, and some 3 star ones, only one review mentioned the bit about Wade being an Atheist, and the reviewer is quick to point out that it was just the author pushing his personal beliefs on the reader and it felt out of place. He obviously hasn't read any Heinlein LOL.
