Do you call yourself a gamer? Ever played a classic arcade game? How about Dungeons and Dragons? What about growing up in the 80’s or having a healthy appreciation of the Big Hair Decade? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are going to truly enjoy Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It will have you nostalgic for Duran Duran, your old neon socks and acid washed jeans within a few pages. But even if you aren’t a fan of the 80’s, there is still a genuinely engaging story here that will keep you guessing right through to the end.
Ready Player One tells the story of Wade Watts, a high school kid in the year 2044. It’s a nasty future that lies just around the corner for all of us and like most people, Wade desperately wants to escape. He does this by spending as much time as possible living in the OASIS, a huge virtual reality landscape where you can be anyone and anything as you explore thousands of planets. Now the genius behind it all, James Halliday, has died and left behind the ultimate Easter Egg. Find it, and his company and fortune are all yours.
Wade and thousands of other “gunters” must solve clues left behind by the eccentric Halliday and find three virtual keys that open three virtual gates. The best way to figure it all out? Obsessively studying Halliday’s life and his fixation with the 80’s. Wade and his fellow gunters become scholars of the man and the decade of his youth in this pop culture filled sci-fi adventure turned cyber-quest with very real world implications. Oh, and if I haven’t convinced you yet, guess who reads the audio version? That’s right, the one and only Wil Wheaton. This book hits shelves today so go pick up your own copy and join the quest in Ready Player One.
THANK YOU! I just spent an incredibly enjoyable few days listening to this audio book. I don’t think I have enjoyed something so thoroughly in a while. It will stick with me for a while now as I reminisce about all the cult classics of my teen years – got to go back and watch some movies and listen to some music!