Scan barcode
lalawoman416's review
5.0
A love story to gaming and the 80s. I'm a fan of the former and a (very young) child of the 80s. This book was so enjoyable and fun. Technically, it's a book set in the dystopian future where we've depleted our natural resources, wrecked our climate, and destroyed our economy. As a consequence, more and more people escape to the Oasis - a virtual world - to escape the harsh realities of life. Truth be told, it seems like a bunch of people forgot how to survive and just gave up. No one seemed to teach their kids resilience and grit and presto - this world. But leaving that plot point aside, it's such a fun read for 80s and gaming nerds that it doesn't even matter what the "real world" is like. It's just fun to yell out all the pop culture references and reminisce about playing games like Adventure, PacMan, and Joust.
jayoz15's review
4.0
This was a fun reading experience! Sci-Fi is not my normal genre, but Cline does a great job at creating an immersive environment that I could truly picture in my head. The story is set in 2044, and the world has gone to sh*t, and everyone spends all their time in a VR simulation called the OASIS. We follow Wade Watts, who is a participating in a competition put forth by the late creator of the game to win all his life's earning and have control of the OASIS. This book is rooted in 80s pop culture, which most of it I didn't understand, but still helped set the tone of the story. The middle dragged a little but the ending was action packed and I couldn't put it down. Overall, a solid read!
jmdaly95's review against another edition
5.0
Book 8 of 40 for 2016
I know I'm late to the game on getting to read this one but I'm glad I did before the movie comes out.
As a child of the late 70's and early 80's my first gaming system was the Atari 2600 and some of those games bring back great childhood memory except that is for the ET game that was just bad.
Ernest Cline does an amazing job creating a story blending in great references to Atari games, science fiction, D&D, and all the great camp of the early years of video gaming. The main game that is discussed is Adventure one of my favorites.
So if your looking for a good read that has some great nerd and geek references pick this up before the movie comes out.
I know I'm late to the game on getting to read this one but I'm glad I did before the movie comes out.
As a child of the late 70's and early 80's my first gaming system was the Atari 2600 and some of those games bring back great childhood memory except that is for the ET game that was just bad.
Ernest Cline does an amazing job creating a story blending in great references to Atari games, science fiction, D&D, and all the great camp of the early years of video gaming. The main game that is discussed is Adventure one of my favorites.
So if your looking for a good read that has some great nerd and geek references pick this up before the movie comes out.
tanwethwen's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
humatariq's review against another edition
4.0
I had no intention of buying this book at the moment, although it was already on my "to read" shelf at Goodreads based on a "similar books" recommendation. I saw this at a kiosk at the airport and immediately bought it. I started reading it on the plane and was immediately hooked. Now I don't understand many of the references here as 1) I'm not American; 2) I'm not really an avid video game player; and 3) I'm a 90's kid, so I have never even heard of some pop culture trivia mentioned. But still I enjoyed reading it very much and I don't believe you need to know anything about the 80s to enjoy this book. Those who do may better understand the clever (I presume) puns, but it is an enjoyable read nevertheless.
The movie adaptation is showing in theatres and I think I will love the movie even if they manage to incorporate even half of the books material in the movie. It's Spielberg who has directed, so the expectations are even higher.
The movie adaptation is showing in theatres and I think I will love the movie even if they manage to incorporate even half of the books material in the movie. It's Spielberg who has directed, so the expectations are even higher.
kcoop93's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-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
4.5
gtjarvis's review against another edition
5.0
Simply put Ready Player One is a fun and exciting page turner for gamers and non-gamers alike. Everyone can relate to at least one of the 80s references, movie quotes, and homages depicted. As one reviewer said, Ready Player One is The Matrix meets Willy Wonka. I promise once you pick up this book you can't help but get swept along with the 80s fluff and charm.
drpuppermd's review
5.0
This book is one of those that has a niche fan base. If you are someone that is emerged in "geek" culture and pop culture, you will thoroughly love this book. The first have is interesting and takes some time for world building but the second half is hard to put down. It may take the less the pop culture savvy to get over the multitude of references and their meaning in the book but this is a first person perspective novel of a fictional character that has dedicated his life to "geek" and pop-culture so in that light they make sense. I give it a five because if you read it with the idea of where it comes from, its a whole lot of fun.