Ready Player One
Author: Ernest Cline
Published: 2011
On Goodreads
My Rating: 
In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place…
The only place Wade Watts feels like himself—feels alive—is in the OASIS, a virtual world that spans beyond what the eye can even imagine. He’s devoted most of his life to going to the virtual school, but when not in school, he’s obsessing over Halliday’s Easter Egg Hunt, the great hunt created by James Donavan Halliday, creator of OASIS. The winner receives not only all of the billions that the great creator has left behind, but all of OASIS as well.
When Wade stumbles across the first clue the race is on. With all of his knowledge on his hero, he must avoid people who want to kill him and false friends if he has any hopes of being the first to reach the end. His greatest test will be confronting what he’s been so desperate to escape. The real world.
I am a big gamer, or at least I used to be. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time to fire up my games. I really ought to though. I’m a big lover of pop culture. I’m always excited to learn new things, too. Each of the pop cultural mentions were drawing me in more and more. They weren’t just there for effect. They had purpose and life. It took my breath away with how much Cline intertwined it with the story.
I loved the feeling this book gave me. The storyline was gripping. I was hooked. So much action and emotions. This wasn’t the typical sci-fi story. If you do gaming then you know there are cut scenes and then there is game play. Or if you watch gameplay you know this. I love both. Anyway, this book covered both avenues and I LOVED IT!!! It was watching gameplay all over again. I got so excitable that I was jumping around from time to time. Cline really covered both of these perspectives with grand skill. I’ve never read anything like it.
The first couple of chapters work as a tutorial of sorts, giving you the lowdown of how OASIS works and how you maneuver around in it. If you’ve played video game or really any kind of electronic game then you know tutorials can be kind of boring, but necessary, which also mean you want to speed through them and be done with them. Exactly what I was feeling. And on the cusp of chapter 6. Legit, BAM and you’re in the story/game with Wade.
Each of the characters were intriguing. Wade, Art3mis, Aech, Daito, and Shoto are incredibly individual. By that, I mean that they each reach out with a sense of self that really connected with me. From comical to honorable to sarcastic and blunt, they each stood out on their own. That is always soooo important to me. They each came across as big players. Nobody felt small.
When it comes to the film, I get angry. I did watch it. As somebody that loves gaming and following the book to a great degree, I was so incredibly disappointed with the movie. The setting with the beautiful graphics and dedications to great icons of pop cultures were amazing, but it was as if it followed its own story. Nothing was the same. Now, I can’t give too much away because I don’t like to be a spoil-sport, but I just couldn’t believe how far from the book the movie went. It took away
Overall
Book was beyond what words can really say. Cline brought about a world most people only imagine, see during gameplay, and wish for. This brought out my inner nerd. There were os many moments I held my breath. This world, OASIS, it’s one that millions of people dream of, I think. A place where we can be anyone, anything, and never feel afraid or judged or unsafe. Where we can do anything, and feel free. *sighs* I miss video games.
Also, I heard about that cube in Fortnite…what the what? I’ve seen the videos and I am just as curious about why a bright, purple cube is crawling around.
Quotables:
“I felt like a kid standing in the world’s greatest video arcade without and quarters, unable to do anything but walk around and watch the other kids play.” (Wade, p. 51)
“Nobody ever gets what they wand and that is beautiful.” (Wade, p. 199)
“It’s not over until the fat lady is singing, right?” (Shoto, p. 248)
More to come soon…
-K.
P.S. Song today? Video Killed the Radio Star by Buggles.
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The Scarlet Reader 
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