Ready Player One by Ernest Cline | 2011 | Broadway Books | Paperback $16
In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win — and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.
I didn’t actually intend to review this particular book here on the blog — about half of the books I read will just get a few stars and maybe a quick paragraph or two on Goodreads, especially backlist stuff that I’m not reading for a particular challenge something
But… I’ve been in a little bit of a reading slump lately. Not that I’m not reading; I am, but I’ve been taking it pretty slow, plus I just don’t have much to say about what I’m reading. So maybe it’s more like a reviewing slump. So when I felt like blathering on just a little bit about Ready Player One, I figured I’d better seize that feeling and run with it!
My husband received this book a few months ago in his Loot Crate, a monthly subscription box that delivers themed miscellany for geeks — he’s gotten all kinds of things, from a Fallout Vault Boy bobblehead to a World of Warcraft hearthstone stress ball thing. Now our dog gets a monthly box (Loot Pets), too, and they get matching t-shirts. It’s adorable.
Anyhow, mi esposo really enjoyed Ready Player One, and even though our taste in books doesn’t always match up he was pretty sure that I’d like it, too.
To be honest, I almost DNF’d this book before I even got through the first couple chapters. It starts off like just another teen dystopia, all doom and gloom and “energy crisis” this and “giant evil tech corporations” that. Which, y’know, I get it. The human species is slowly suiciding and taking this little planet with it, yes, OK, but after a while the dystopia fatigue starts to set in. The beginning of the book seemed to me like just another teenager bemoaning the predictably broken state of the world… which I was frankly just not in the mood to pay attention to.
Anyway, I’m glad I continued on with it. Once the plot picks up, the pacing and tension and character development help keep it moving and make the book pretty hard to put down. There are a lot of fun references to 1980’s and 1990’s pop culture — not just arcade and video games, like you’d expect with a title like Ready Player One, but also tabletop games, movies and TV, music (lots and lots and lots of music), and technology.
My only real complaint is the unnecessary amount of exposition, especially at the beginning of the story. I’m normally one of those readers who loves exposition. I can’t resist a carefully built, detailed world, and I don’t do well with stories that are so plot-centric that they have barely a sketch of a setting or history. So, you know the exposition must be pretty excessive if even this gal is getting tired of it. The first quarter or so of the book is like 90% infodumping!
I’m also not sure how to categorize this book for my review index. I think it is being marketed mainly as adult SFF because the whole focus on 20th c. pop culture probably appeals mainly to grown-ups who lived through that time period. But the age of the characters, some of the experiences they go through, and the kind of “stick it to The Man” mentality are all very YA-ish. Anyway, Ready Player One did get an Alex Award for “books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults” from the American Library Association’s YALSA group, so I guess it really does have some serious crossover appeal.
Links:
- Official RPO website, on the Tumblr platform
- Official website of author Ernest Cline
- NYT book review
- Alex Awards from ALA-YALSA
- Loot Crate
Publication information: Cline, Ernest. Ready Player One. New York: Broadway Books, 2011. Print.
Source: Loot Crate
Disclaimer: I am not compensated, monetarily or otherwise, for reviews of books or other products.
Leave a Reply