Ready Player One

About the Book:

Title: Ready Player One
Author: Ernest Cline
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: June 5th, 2012
Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction

A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready?

In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days.

When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune—and control of the OASIS itself. 

Then Wade cracks the first clue. Suddenly he’s beset by rivals who’ll kill to take this prize. The race is on—and the only way to survive is to win.

Book Review:

A sci-fi story full of nostalgia, action, and adventure that also offers some food for thought, ready player one is fun and exciting!  I really enjoyed this book! I had watched the movie already, which is very uncommon for me (i am a firm believer in books first),  I also enjoyed it. Going in, I was a little nervous because my cousin. Who had already read the book, had mentioned that it was quite different. However, despite the difference, i thoroughly enjoyed both the book and movie.

Ready Player One takes place in a dystopian future where most people live in the oasis, a virtual world. Wade Watts, the main character has found freedom and community in the oasis among those who seek to uncover the mysteries of the founder of the Oasis. When he cracks the first riddle, Wade is suddenly swarmed with rivals and acclaim. However, there is much more that remains to be discovered and more danger than Wade realizes. 

This book was full of nostalgia, intrigue, and sci-fi action. Wade felt relatable and real, with his often less than heroic behavior and struggles. The story was unique and intriguing, with sci-fi that was not too intimidating for a relative newbie to the genre. It was interesting to see the imagining of a future that felt almost plausible in this current time. It was thought-provoking to also consider the dangers that were found in wade’s world as a possibility for the future. 

I would recommend this book to those who like sci-fi or are interested in these dystopian futures. It was interesting and felt classic. However, it is not for young readers. It is not clean, with some language, suggestive texts, and a fair amount of violence. I recommend discretion, some teens will be able to handle it and for some it would not be helpful. I personally would not suggest my younger siblings as younger teens, to read it now.