Author: Ernest Cline
Series: N/A
Release Date: August 16, 2011
Pages: 372
Genres: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Dystopian
Source: Purchased
It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.
Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.
And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune -- and remarkable power -- to whoever can unlock them.
For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved -- that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.
And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.
Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt -- among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life -- and love -- in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.
A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?
**CONTAINS NO SPOILERS**
This book was such a thrilling ride from start to finish and it has easily crawled it's way up into one of my top favorite books that I've ever read...ever! First off, this book appeased the geek in me and I kept laughing and smiling whenever I ran into a reference from something that I loved. Ernest Cline put together a fantastic story that I truly believe is perfect for pretty much anyone. Although, I will say that the younger audience might have trouble relating to the book when it comes to all of the 80s references, even so, I still think they will enjoy it.
The story sticks to the typical dystopian theme, but the events that take place and the characters are so unique that I didn't feel like Cline was beating a dead horse. It felt fresh and new, even though I have read numerous dystopian novels prior to this one. I absolutely loved the sci-fi aspect of what occurred, and I became so immersed in the details and the world of the OASIS that at times I wished I had this program.
Wade was a delightful character, and I thought he made a fantastic protagonist. He was funny, witty, and at times I could completely relate to him (being a gamer myself). Thinking back I loved each of the characters that played a vital role in this novel. The dialogue between Aech and Wade (Parzival) was hilarious and their friendship was one that I think a lot of online gamers can relate to. I also really enjoyed the relationship that Wade and Art3mis had. Cline was able to incorporate romance in a way that I think a lot of teenagers and young adults can identify with because it wasn't over the top the way a lot of YA authors write it.
I am so happy that I received this book in my LootCrate, and it is one that I will be recommending to a lot of people because it has a little bit of something for everyone. I will definitely be pre-ordering Ernest Cline's second book Armada (due out in Summer 2015) because his ability to tell a fun and exciting story was completely showcased in Ready Player One. If you haven't read it, then I highly suggest you do so!
