A review by naychapman
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

adventurous funny informative mysterious tense 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

5.0

Set in a dystopian future, technology has evolved to the point where no one really needs to set foot outside in the real world anymore with the brilliant invention of the OASIS - a fully immersive, multidimensional virtual reality experience that allows users to escape their dull, often poverty-stricken existence and become whoever they want to be. Every introvert's paradise.

Very cleverly written, this book is akin to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade -  if Indy were a teenage computer hacker. When the eccentric creator of the OASIS (James Halliday) dies, he bequeaths his multi-billion dollar ownership of the OASIS to whoever can solve his riddles to find a hidden Easter egg within the system. This sparks a major hunt and 17-year-old Wade, aka Parzival, joins the heated competition. As a fan of all things 80s, all of Halliday's references in the clues are to past video games, movies, songs, and TV shows from that decade. Making this book a fantastic trip down memory lane! 

The book, in my opinion, is MUCH better than the recently produced movie adaptation. Although also very entertaining, there are major scene and sequencing changes to the movie, and a lot of great content was left out. My guess is due to copyright issues! 
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