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danka66's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Death, Stalking, and Murder
Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
_nem_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is my go to book whenever I'm in a reading slump. I can just whizz through the pages and it gets me excited about reading again. I like how there are almost two stories running in parallel with real life and the world inside the OASIS. The world building is amazing and could be expanded on so much as well. I like the puzzle aspects as well and how it isn't immediately obvious to the characters what the solution is.
I didn't understand all of the 80s references but that didn't take away from the book. Everything was explained so you could know what it was without having come across that media before.
I didn't understand all of the 80s references but that didn't take away from the book. Everything was explained so you could know what it was without having come across that media before.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Murder
Minor: Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and War
wesleyreads's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
The writing style was very dry, at times cringy, at the level of a teenager. I was bored throughout almost the entire book. Many descriptive words are used and re-used a lot throughout a chapter and the whole book, sometimes even within a page. Often the only description given to a place/thing is that it looks like [insert 80s reference]. The pacing was off, there were large parts of the book where nothing really happened but there were massive detailed unnecessary descriptions that added nothing to the plot or character development. When there were finally scenes that were supposed to drive the plot forward, they were described in a rushed pace without any tension, making them fall flat.
(spoiler warning for this paragraph:)
The characters themselves lacked depth, were unlikable, with the main character being the worst. He was self-involved, arrogant, transphobic and fatphobic, and way too good at 80's pop culture knowledge and playing video games to be believable. Allegedly he had dozens of complete movies, video games and tv shows as well as this whole 'Almanak' memorised. As in, their entire scripts, all the words, in their entirety. He also pulls off some elaborate stunts which are left unexplained (e.g. after being detained at one point he simply hacks into the system of this highly secured building to let himself literally walk out, conveniently avoiding any security). His romance was clumsily done (and included our 'hero' obsessively stalking his love interest) and added nothing to the plot. The deceased inventor of the OASIS, who for some unknown (plot hole?!) reasons after his death set out a competition for all OASIS players to go on a quest and ultimately win ownership of the OASIS, was widely regarded as a hero, yet many of the descriptions of him were about how hard he was to work with and how rude he was?? None of the characters experience any growth. Two Japanese sidecharacters are portrayed as racist stereotypes.
To be fair, I don't know much of the 80's pop culture. But the book is clearly written in order to show off the author's extensive 80s pop culture knowledge as there are so many references per page that it gets extremely repetitive.
The worldbuilding is interesting but since a lot of time is focused on describing OASIS and its technology, the dystopian state of the world is left unexplained.
Overall, this book is just bad. Would only recommend for people who love 80's pop culture or are interested in the way the fictional technology of the OASIS functions.
The characters themselves lacked depth, were unlikable, with the main character being the worst. He was self-involved, arrogant, transphobic and fatphobic, and way too good at 80's pop culture knowledge and playing video games to be believable. Allegedly he had dozens of complete movies, video games and tv shows as well as this whole 'Almanak' memorised. As in, their entire scripts, all the words, in their entirety. He also pulls off some elaborate stunts which are left unexplained (e.g. after being detained at one point he simply hacks into the system of this highly secured building to let himself literally walk out, conveniently avoiding any security). His romance was clumsily done (and included our 'hero' obsessively stalking his love interest) and added nothing to the plot. The deceased inventor of the OASIS, who for some unknown (plot hole?!) reasons after his death set out a competition for all OASIS players to go on a quest and ultimately win ownership of the OASIS, was widely regarded as a hero, yet many of the descriptions of him were about how hard he was to work with and how rude he was?? None of the characters experience any growth. Two Japanese sidecharacters are portrayed as racist stereotypes.
To be fair, I don't know much of the 80's pop culture. But the book is clearly written in order to show off the author's extensive 80s pop culture knowledge as there are so many references per page that it gets extremely repetitive.
The worldbuilding is interesting but since a lot of time is focused on describing OASIS and its technology, the dystopian state of the world is left unexplained.
Overall, this book is just bad. Would only recommend for people who love 80's pop culture or are interested in the way the fictional technology of the OASIS functions.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Racism, and Transphobia
jasminrain's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I really enjoyed this book. I think it's a very beautiful portrayal of the gaming community and an ode to pop culture. It was researched really well and it was just an absolute joy to immerse myself to the story even though I have little to no connection to the world.
I was a bit hesitant to read the book having seen the film, but the storyline was actually quite different to the film adaptation and brought more layers to the story. I listened to the audiobook read by Wil Wheaton and it just really brought the story to life in all the best ways possible.
All this being said, there was some problematic language and transphobia that were left completely unaddressed, which I found really problematic considering the target age and audience of this book. So not a five star but really good read.
I was a bit hesitant to read the book having seen the film, but the storyline was actually quite different to the film adaptation and brought more layers to the story. I listened to the audiobook read by Wil Wheaton and it just really brought the story to life in all the best ways possible.
All this being said, there was some problematic language and transphobia that were left completely unaddressed, which I found really problematic considering the target age and audience of this book. So not a five star but really good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Transphobia, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
skyejay95's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I thought the world was fun but overall, there wasn’t that much happening and I hated the main character. Really didn’t like being in the head of an 18-year-old incel. Also, didn’t like the way the Japanese characters were painted like stereotypes. I’m not that well versed in the culture but I doubt they bow as much as they do in this book.
It’s also difficult to build tension when for the most part the stakes are limited to a fake world. The mc literally ignores all the major major issues in the real world for a video game and it isn’t really addressed at all. Wade does not grow as a person by the end. He just made me mad
It’s also difficult to build tension when for the most part the stakes are limited to a fake world. The mc literally ignores all the major major issues in the real world for a video game and it isn’t really addressed at all. Wade does not grow as a person by the end. He just made me mad
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Racism
Minor: Sexism and Transphobia
ishouldbereading's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Death
Moderate: Violence and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Confinement, Drug use, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
sshelbyreadss's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Fun and nostalgic. I’m not a big gamer, but I have a love of the 80s I inherited from my parents that made the many references enjoyable.
While this book did include diverse characters, it also included homophonic slurs and cultural stereotypes. I haven’t watched the movie yet, but this is an area that filmmakers could improve and expand upon for more accurate and respectful representation.
While this book did include diverse characters, it also included homophonic slurs and cultural stereotypes. I haven’t watched the movie yet, but this is an area that filmmakers could improve and expand upon for more accurate and respectful representation.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Cultural appropriation
random19379's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Classism
Moderate: Racism, Slavery, and Transphobia
cianarae's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I liked this a lot! The story was great, the characters were funny, I liked the ‘80s references. I think it could have done a little bit better with the representation of women and people of color. Also I’m not a big fan of the benevolent billionaire trope so that was another thing I didn’t love. Last complaint, a lot of the riddles and things that were supposedly so difficult that no one could figure them out for years seemed really obvious. All-in-all, the writing isn’t perfect but it’s a fun book that I enjoyed reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Classism
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
emmykyhil's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Abandonment