erinwoodruff's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
annabella82's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great book set in a dystopian future where a significant portion of the world's population is competing to win an online virtual reality contest; and oddly enough, I really couldn't put it down. I'm not a video-game person at all, but this book was still very interesting (maybe this was partially due to the 80's pop culture references).
The only draw-back, is that the book was a little too predictable.
The only draw-back, is that the book was a little too predictable.
classicalice123's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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
4.0
vmtysseling's review against another edition
5.0
This is not my favorite genre and I was dragging my feet a bit to read it, but I'm so glad that I did. Now, to see the movie or not to see the movie. That is the question.
vishnu_r1's review against another edition
4.0
This isn't Neuromancer.
Now that that's out of the way, this is pure entertainment, a geek fantasy (a reviewer called it a 'nerd utopia' and I don't disagree). I enjoyed every page of the book right until the end (the last few scenes in the real world were more like a YA romance).
The references to 80's pop culture are everywhere - right from movies, music to video games. And video games are everywhere - literally. The setting for most of the book is a video game masquerading as a virtual world for people to 'live' in. The story arc is 'quest' that the hero needs to complete to get his reward at the end. It's a simple premise, but then it's quite interesting - the pace of the story is quick and an engrossing one at that. The villains are also classic - in the sense that the threat is coming from a corporate behemoth trying to ruin it for everyone and the hero and his group of pesky kids save the day for everyone.
The world building is good. His vision of how virtual reality can be is quite fun; especially now that VR is slowly coming into fruition, this is not too outlandish.
But then, character development was just OK. One doesn't read such books to get deep insight on humanity. One reads this to be entertained and entertained I was. People with any love for video games will find this a fun read - there are so many things that can remind a reader of something they'd played, and nostalgia is always good :)
Now that that's out of the way, this is pure entertainment, a geek fantasy (a reviewer called it a 'nerd utopia' and I don't disagree). I enjoyed every page of the book right until the end (the last few scenes in the real world were more like a YA romance).
The references to 80's pop culture are everywhere - right from movies, music to video games. And video games are everywhere - literally. The setting for most of the book is a video game masquerading as a virtual world for people to 'live' in. The story arc is 'quest' that the hero needs to complete to get his reward at the end. It's a simple premise, but then it's quite interesting - the pace of the story is quick and an engrossing one at that. The villains are also classic - in the sense that the threat is coming from a corporate behemoth trying to ruin it for everyone and the hero and his group of pesky kids save the day for everyone.
The world building is good. His vision of how virtual reality can be is quite fun; especially now that VR is slowly coming into fruition, this is not too outlandish.
But then, character development was just OK. One doesn't read such books to get deep insight on humanity. One reads this to be entertained and entertained I was. People with any love for video games will find this a fun read - there are so many things that can remind a reader of something they'd played, and nostalgia is always good :)
tammyanne's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.25
melodierhae's review against another edition
5.0
I’m only angry it took me 7 years to find this book.
A thrilling read from start to finish...vivid pictures, funny dialogue and absolutely gripping plot lines.
A thrilling read from start to finish...vivid pictures, funny dialogue and absolutely gripping plot lines.
nickfourtimes's review against another edition
2.0
''As soon as the robot was clear of my hangar, I shouted 'Change Marveller!' into the control bracelet (the voice commands appeared to work only if you shouted them).''
hann_readsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
- Strong character development? No
3.75
I liked this, i listened to it on audio and there were parts that were so painfully annoying i almost stopped reading the book. I don’t know if it was the narrator or just the main character in general, but i don’t feel there was much character development for our main character. it seems like he found everything so easily and it matched his skill set easily. some parts were very cool but i didn’t love it enough to read Ready Player Two.