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In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines-puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win-and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.… (more)
bahuman: In both stories, the protagonist protests the status quo and takes on established rulers, in the online world of MMORPG as well as the "real" world.
TheDivineOomba: Similar type setup, except where Ready Player One bombards a reader with references to 80's video games, Rabbits references a wide range of topics, from art to modern sculptures and everything in between.
The novel is set in a post climate change-induced, apocalyptic world, where everyone escapes to their virtual reality utopia. A billionaire who had passed away unleashed a posthumous message that whoever completes the end of a virtual reality quest, chocked-fill of nostalgic references, inherits his wealth.
Seriously, based on the premise alone, this book did not age well. Not to mention, none of the characters are likeable, including the protagonist, who we are supposed to root for. ( )
Was better than I thought based on the blurbs.. Yea, it WAS full of pop culture references, but the story was excellent and well, had a good message.. ( )
Was better than I thought based on the blurbs.. Yea, it WAS full of pop culture references, but the story was excellent and well, had a good message.. ( )
Ready Player One is an interesting take on the current fiction fad of a dystopic future, with a dash of nostalgia for the 1980s. In the future, people live their lives online through a virtual reality interface called OASIS, and it is just that: an escape from the dire situation that the real world is in. A competition is ongoing, to find the secret Easter egg within OASIS, and the person who finds it gains ownership of OASIS itself. Though people have searched for years, one young man believes his only way out of a terrible life is to find it and become rich beyond his wildest dreams. The adventure has many twists and turns, and is richly engaging and fun. ( )
Ready Player One borrows liberally from the same Joseph Campbell plot requirements as all the beloved franchises it references, but in such a loving, deferential way that it becomes endearing. There’s a high learning curve to all of the little details Wade throws out about the world, and for anyone who doesn’t understand or love the same sect of pop culture Halliday enjoyed, Ready Player One is a tough read. But for readers in line with Cline’s obsessions, this is a guaranteed pleasure.
The breadth and cleverness of Mr. Cline’s imagination gets this daydream pretty far. But there comes a point when it’s clear that Wade lacks at least one dimension, and that gaming has overwhelmed everything else about this book.
For Susan and Libby Because there is no map for where we are going
First words
Everyone my age remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the contest.
Quotations
Like most gunters, I voted to reelect Cory Doctorow and Wil Wheaton (again). There were no term limits, and those two geezers had been doing a kick-ass job of protecting user rights for over a decade.
It was the dawn of a new era, one where most of the human race now spent all of their free time inside a videogame.
"No one in the world ever gets what they want and that is beautiful." [199]
And now the conditions at any schools had gotten so terrible that every kid with half a brain was being encouraged to stay at home and attend school online.
The Great Recession was now entering its third decade, and unemployment was still at a record high. (2045)
...his obsessive adherence to routine and preoccupation with a few areas of interest led many psychologists to conclude that Halliday had suffered from Asperger’s syndrome, or from some other form of high functioning autism.
...contrary to popular belief, the OASIS won’t change that drastically when IOI takes control of it.
I could barely believe it myself. IOI had actually tried to kill me. To prevent me from winning a videogame contest. It was insane.
Capitalism would inch forward, without my actually having to interact with another human being.
The sight of my tiny one-room apartment, my immersion rig, or my reflection in the mirror—they all served as a harsh reminder that the world I spent my days in was not, in fact, the real one.
I could vote, in both the OASIS elections and the elections for U. S. government officials. I didn’t bother with the latter, because I didn’t see the point. The once-great country into which I’d been born now resembled its former self in name only. It didn’t matter who was in charge. Those people were rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic and everyone knew it. Besides, now that everyone could vote from home, via the OASIS, the only people who could get elected were movie stars, reality TV personalities, or radical televangelists.
Questing kept me busy and served as a welcome distraction from the growing loneliness and isolation I felt.
You know you’ve totally screwed up your life when your whole wid turns to shit and the only person you have to talk to is your system agent software.
It’s not over until it’s over.
Try and use your powers only for good. Okay?
I created the OASIS because I never felt at home in the real world. I didn’t know how to connect with the people there. I was afraid, for all of my life. Right up until I knew it was ending. That was when I realized, as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it’s also the only place where you can find true happiness. Because reality is real. Do you understand? (James Halliday)
Last words
It occurred to me then that for the first time in as long as I could remember, I had absolutely no desire to log back into the OASIS.
In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines-puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win-and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.
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Ready Player One
Wikipedia in English (1)
6
Seriously, based on the premise alone, this book did not age well. Not to mention, none of the characters are likeable, including the protagonist, who we are supposed to root for. (