Ready Player One
By Elle Maurer
Happy almost Spring Break! I've taken another break from A Series of Unfortunate Events, and decided to re-read an all time favorite of mine, Ernest Cline's Ready Player One. Before I begin my review, I'd like to make a disclaimer I have only read the book and I couldn't stomach the movie due to the absurdity of the first scene as I am completely loyal to the book and it just wasn't the same for me. Side note: I was super excited for that movie and having Steven Spielberg direct it was the worst decision ever due to his apprehension of referencing his old works, which is critical in the book to the plot, but completely screwed the movie up. Anyway, I apologize if there are any spoilers and I will try to do my best to steer clear of them.The year is 2045 and the world has fallen apart, governments are full of celebrities doing nothing, cars are obsolete due to the fact oil prices have sky rocketed, and most of humanity ignores their real world plights and logs on to the OASIS, the Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation. The OASIS was created by two best friends, the business savvy Ogden Morrow and the genius James Halliday. When Halliday dies, he leaves no heirs leaving his massive fortune up for grabs. He creates a contest to find his Easter Egg open to every single user of the OASIS, which comes in the form of three keys and three gates. Halliday was obsessed with the 1980's which meant whoever wanted to win his Easter Egg had to be too. The book is jam packed with obscure video game, movie, and book references all relating to the "hunt" as the search for the egg is dubbed. As you read, Wade (the narrator) explains all the pertinent information and why it's useful for the tasks he has to complete.
The story follows Wade Watts, the first person to obtain the first key and open the first gate as he works with the first five avatars who obtained the key to defeat IOI, a company set on destroying the OASIS itself. A major perk of the OASIS is the ability to completely anonymous, so instead of Wade he uses Parzival as his avatar name. The high five never meet while they are trying to find the egg but still become extremely close, especially Parzival and Art3mis who is the only female member of the High Five.
Ready Player One was first given to me by my brother when he didn't want to read it but our dad wanted one of us to. The first night I had the book, I forgot to sleep and finished the whole thing by the time the sun rose. I fell into the immersive story and forgot I wasn't there with Wade, going on his adventure through the digital and very real world. I enjoyed learning a bunch of obscure references to thing I had no idea existed and the third or fourth time I read the book, I even made a list of all music, movies, and books referenced in the plot. The most recent time I read it, I found myself able to know exactly what the next sentence said before I read it.
Though this is my favorite book, I do have a few critiques. The plot is slow in the middle of the book when there is a lull in action and it focuses almost solely on describing what Wade does with the money he got for being the first to obtain the copper key and the romance subplot. Describing the physical settings of the real world isn't a horrible idea on the part of Cline, as it did make me feel I was in that tiny hotel room, but he went into a tedious amount of detail about Wade's journey, fixing up the apartment, and his job outside the hunt. I found it especially annoying when Parzival's whole love story with Art3mis, as he spent a lot of time giving vague non-specifics that didn't supplement the plot very much in my opinion as I was reading it. I have to give it a break though as later in the book Wade goes through an extremely dangerous situation all based on his love for Art3mis.
Overall, this book is an absolute must read for any teenager whatsoever as it has the romance story, an action story, and an absurd amount of geeky references. I give this book a 4.999999999/5 bologna slices for it's complex plot, immersive story, and Cline's amazing writing style. If you've seen the movie, I'm so sorry and you will get a much better experience out of the book, so I strongly urge you to go check it out and read it.
Thanks for reading! -EM
Though I have not read it, I have heard many positive comments about this book. You give a nice, no-spoiler summary from which I can understand what's going on in the book without not having a reason to read it. I like how you gave a little background story of how you came across this book. I hope to check it out soon. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteI have read this book a couple times now and have really enjoyed it both times. I agree with Vraj that the no spoiler summary was very nice for people who have also heard good things about this book and are interested in checking it out. Your review was very well structured and detailed and I agree with many of the critiques that you had along with all of the positives that were listed as well. Great review!
ReplyDeleteReady Player One is a pretty epic book. I especially enjoyed the main thing you mentioned in your review--the geeky references to random stuff. They made the book really interesting to read and like you, I learned a decent amount. I definitely agree that the middle is slow and pretty unnecessary, and I also think some stuff at the beginning (like the extensive descriptions of the outside world) is tedious to read. However, RP1 is still a great book and this is a great review of it!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Ready Player One - although I have seen the movie, so I'd would definitely like to know the difference in the opening scene, as you mentioned! I did love the movie - its portrayal of the plot and its production were both top-notch, in my opinion (although I'm not a diehard fan, so I'm open to clarification, haha). I'm glad you did put your thoughts on the difference in there, adding a personal bit to the already amazing review! As others before me have said, the zero-spoiler summary was impeccably executed, and acknowledging the flaws in the book is a good way to attract new readers who now know what to expect. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI saw the movie Ready Player One a while back and thought it had too much action and lacked complex setting and character development. Judging from your review, the book sounds like it has a lot more detail and background information that makes it an immersive reading experience. Nice job giving a no-spoilers summary that reflects your love for the book without being afraid to point out its flaws. Awesome review, and I can't wait to check out this book!
ReplyDeleteI've read the book and watched the movie of Ready Player One as well and I have to agree with you; the book is much better than the movie. Your review did a nice job of summarizing the story (without giving away any spoilers!) and I liked how you both praised and critiqued the book. I also wholeheartedly agree that Parzival and Artm3is's love story barely contributed to the story. Overall, great review!
ReplyDeleteNice review! Ready Player One is one of my favorites and I agree that the movie just wasn't the same. It was kinda weird seeing the descriptions in the book come to life in a different way than I had imagined it when I was reading the book. I really like how you critiqued the book even though it was your favorite. It's been a while since I read it, and your summary perfectly summed up the book for me. I look forward to your next review!
ReplyDeleteI’ve heard of this book from many friend recommendations, but have not yet had the chance to read it, nor watch the movie. Your review was very detailed, and highlighted the best parts of the book as well as your few criticisms. Despite avoiding overly detailed writing for the most part, you may have won me over with your enthusiasm, and I’ll need to check this out soon.
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