Before you read any further, please note that this review may contain spoilers.
I've seen numerous mixed reviews for Ready Player One, but I tried to keep myself mostly spoiler free, and I think I managed that. Set in a none-to-distant, dystopian future where climate change and greed have ruined the planet, the only escape people have is to the virtual reality of OASIS. Due to its popularity, the games own virtual currency has become a more profitable commodity that that of actual cash.
The value of which shot up when the games creator, James Halliday, died. The multi billionaire had no family to leave his fortune to, so instead he created an epic scavenger hunt across the OASIS universe, the player who solves the riddles and passes the challenges would win his fortune.
Halliday, as it turns out, was quite nostalgic. A big fan of the 80s, the era in which he grew up in, Halliday left hints and clues in his memoir the Anorak Almanac, Anorak being the name of his Dungeons and Dragons character from his school years.
The puzzle left people stumped, for 5 years after Halliday's death not a single person was any closer to finding the first key mentioned in the riddle. Billions of people had begun searching, but as time wore on, only those dedicated individuals, known as Gunters, kept up with the research and dedicated study of Halliday's life.
This is the story of Wade Watts, a likable, tech savvy, overweight teenager. Born to teenage parents at the height of the global crisis, Wade was forced to live with his Aunt, in a trailer at the top of a stack, after his parents had died, one shared with numerous other people. The people were poor, and the living conditions even poorer.
Early on Wade discovered that he had to fend for himself, his Aunt pocketing the food stamps meant to cover Wade's meals. Because of this Wade created himself a hideout, a place where he spent most of his life, a place where he had privacy. It was here he went to school inside the OASIS, rigging up a charging system for his Oasis gear, scavenging and repairing technology to pawn off in exchange for food. It also covered some sundry costs while Wade researched Halliday's riddle.
The story is filled with 80s references, from Atari to Dungeons and Dragons, music, movies, games and books. You name it, Cline referenced it, to the point that, at times, I felt it was too much. Yes I'm a geek, gamer, and a child of the 80s, I love looking back upon my childhood just as much as the next person, but sometimes the references were just overkill.
For this, the book lost half a star, giving it a 4.5 star rating out of 5.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves cheesy 80s references, or gaming, or general geekery (Players of Kingdom of Loathing, I'm looking at you).
Saturday 27 June 2015
Obernewtyn - Isobelle Carmody
Before you read any further, please note that this review may contain spoilers.
I have to admit, I've had the Obernewtyn Chronicals on my shelf for a few years now but just never got around to reading them, making them the perfect choice for the PopSugar challenge item "a book you own but have never read". After reading the first in the series, Obernewtyn, I wish I'd read them sooner, though I'll hold off on the rest of the series until I catch up on my challenge reads.
Set in a post apocalyptic future, Obernewtyn is a first person narrative centered around teenage protagonist Elspeth Gordie, who was orphaned when the overseeing governing body, the Council burned her parents for sympathising with people the Council called as Misfits.
Elspeth and her brother Jes, were sent to various orphan homes, and moved regularly, to prevent them forming any kind of bonds with other people. Elspeth hides a terrible secret, she too is a misfit, with the power to read minds, talk to animals and humans telepathically, influence the actions of others and small amounts of telekinesis, she and Jes live in fear of her being discovered, which creates a rift between them.
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, for the pair Elspeth is soon discovered, (though the blame is put on some water she fell in during an excursion early in the book, and not her inherent abilities) and sent off to the secretive, misfit treatment facility/farms, Obernewtyn. Here Elspeth meets and befriends a couple of other misfits, and learns some horrible truths about the Obernewtyn farm.
Carmody began writing this series when she was 14, I think her youthfulness comes through in Elspeth, making the character much more believable, and far less pretentious than teen characters written by adults, (this could also be a cultural thing? many of the other young adult books I've read recently are by American authors, where as Carmody is Australian)
One of my favourite characters in this book is the cat, Maruman. I'm a sucker for animals, and the neurotic Maruman, reminds me of my own fur baby. There are many parallels between the fictional cat and my own, making it easy for me to imagine Elspeth's one true friend.
I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series, especially since the final book of the series, The Red Queen, is due out later this year. If you're a lover of fantasy fiction, that has elements of science-fiction then this may be the book for you.
I gave Isobelle Carmdy's Obernewtyn 5 stars.
I have to admit, I've had the Obernewtyn Chronicals on my shelf for a few years now but just never got around to reading them, making them the perfect choice for the PopSugar challenge item "a book you own but have never read". After reading the first in the series, Obernewtyn, I wish I'd read them sooner, though I'll hold off on the rest of the series until I catch up on my challenge reads.
Set in a post apocalyptic future, Obernewtyn is a first person narrative centered around teenage protagonist Elspeth Gordie, who was orphaned when the overseeing governing body, the Council burned her parents for sympathising with people the Council called as Misfits.
Elspeth and her brother Jes, were sent to various orphan homes, and moved regularly, to prevent them forming any kind of bonds with other people. Elspeth hides a terrible secret, she too is a misfit, with the power to read minds, talk to animals and humans telepathically, influence the actions of others and small amounts of telekinesis, she and Jes live in fear of her being discovered, which creates a rift between them.
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, for the pair Elspeth is soon discovered, (though the blame is put on some water she fell in during an excursion early in the book, and not her inherent abilities) and sent off to the secretive, misfit treatment facility/farms, Obernewtyn. Here Elspeth meets and befriends a couple of other misfits, and learns some horrible truths about the Obernewtyn farm.
Carmody began writing this series when she was 14, I think her youthfulness comes through in Elspeth, making the character much more believable, and far less pretentious than teen characters written by adults, (this could also be a cultural thing? many of the other young adult books I've read recently are by American authors, where as Carmody is Australian)
One of my favourite characters in this book is the cat, Maruman. I'm a sucker for animals, and the neurotic Maruman, reminds me of my own fur baby. There are many parallels between the fictional cat and my own, making it easy for me to imagine Elspeth's one true friend.
I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series, especially since the final book of the series, The Red Queen, is due out later this year. If you're a lover of fantasy fiction, that has elements of science-fiction then this may be the book for you.
I gave Isobelle Carmdy's Obernewtyn 5 stars.
Monday 8 June 2015
The Universe Builders: Bernie and the Putty by Steve LeBel
Before you read any further, please note that this review may contain spoilers.
I received a free e-copy of The Universe Builders in exchange for my honest review.
It's not often I find a book that grabs me like The Universe Builders did. I found myself reading this every chance I could get, and cursing the things that kept me from reading, sleep be damned. A witty young adult novel, with a fantasy, sci-fi theme. I'll admit that it was the cover that first drew me to this book, so when the author offered an e-book in exchange for my review I jumped at the chance.
I was captivated right from the start, having felt a Terry Pratchett/Douglas Adams vibe about the story. Bernie, a young god who had just finished god school, graduating as a universe builder, the toughest and most sort after occupation a god could want. I'm a sucker for an underdog, and Bernie certainly was that, with his personal cloud full of chaos and hi-jinx, it's a wonder he ever graduated at all. But Bernie was determined, he worked hard at keeping his chaotic cloud under control and managed to scrape through.
Landing his dream job right out of school, Bernie was both delighted and relieved, that was until he was placed next to his school bully, Billy. Billy and Bernie had a troubled history, Billy, ever the bully had targeted Bernie early on, just around the time Bernie's award winning father divorced his mother leaving the latter to raise Bernie on her own, which also meant moving into the 'bad' neighbourhood. On one of these occasions Billy took things too far while heckling a young goddess called Susie. Bernie, or more to the point, Bernie's cloud, had had enough and fought back, leaving Billy deeply scarred.
From that day on Bernie tried to settle everything peacefully. This softness meant Bernie was always trying to find options to avoid wiping out any of his creations. Bernie didn't want them to die, whether from old age, disease or disaster. It was this softness that almost saw Bernie miss out on his dream job, but ever in his debt, and quite infatuated, Susie convinced her boss to hire Bernie on probation, to see what he could do.
I enjoyed the writing style, switching between third person narration to first person for Bernie's diary entries, or from Billy's perspective. Fairly evenly paced throughout, the tempo made it an easy and enjoyable read, suited to the target audience.
Bernie's triumph over adversity is something we all love to read, and I think the idea that bullies will always be caught out in the end is a great moral to pass onto youth. Even in those times when we don't think the authority figures care, it shows that the truth has a way of finding its way to the surface.
I gave The Universe Builders Bernie and the Putty 5 stars, and have been trying to convince my kids that they would really enjoy this book too, even though Mum loves it. I am looking forward to the sequel.
The Universe Builders can be purchased through the website. The publisher, Argon Press, only ships to the US, so if you're in the market for a hard-copy the book can also be purchased through other online retailers, also linked at that page.
It's not just me who loves this story, LeBel's story has won many awards over the last year or so
GRAND PRIZE – Writer’s Digest – 2015
FINALIST – Stargazer Award – 2015
FINALIST – Beverly Hills Book Awards – 2015
GOLD – eLit Book Awards – 2015
FINALIST – Next Generation Indie Awards – 2015
WINNER – San Francisco Book Festival – 2015
FINALIST – International Book Awards – 2015
I received a free e-copy of The Universe Builders in exchange for my honest review.
It's not often I find a book that grabs me like The Universe Builders did. I found myself reading this every chance I could get, and cursing the things that kept me from reading, sleep be damned. A witty young adult novel, with a fantasy, sci-fi theme. I'll admit that it was the cover that first drew me to this book, so when the author offered an e-book in exchange for my review I jumped at the chance.
I was captivated right from the start, having felt a Terry Pratchett/Douglas Adams vibe about the story. Bernie, a young god who had just finished god school, graduating as a universe builder, the toughest and most sort after occupation a god could want. I'm a sucker for an underdog, and Bernie certainly was that, with his personal cloud full of chaos and hi-jinx, it's a wonder he ever graduated at all. But Bernie was determined, he worked hard at keeping his chaotic cloud under control and managed to scrape through.
Landing his dream job right out of school, Bernie was both delighted and relieved, that was until he was placed next to his school bully, Billy. Billy and Bernie had a troubled history, Billy, ever the bully had targeted Bernie early on, just around the time Bernie's award winning father divorced his mother leaving the latter to raise Bernie on her own, which also meant moving into the 'bad' neighbourhood. On one of these occasions Billy took things too far while heckling a young goddess called Susie. Bernie, or more to the point, Bernie's cloud, had had enough and fought back, leaving Billy deeply scarred.
From that day on Bernie tried to settle everything peacefully. This softness meant Bernie was always trying to find options to avoid wiping out any of his creations. Bernie didn't want them to die, whether from old age, disease or disaster. It was this softness that almost saw Bernie miss out on his dream job, but ever in his debt, and quite infatuated, Susie convinced her boss to hire Bernie on probation, to see what he could do.
I enjoyed the writing style, switching between third person narration to first person for Bernie's diary entries, or from Billy's perspective. Fairly evenly paced throughout, the tempo made it an easy and enjoyable read, suited to the target audience.
Bernie's triumph over adversity is something we all love to read, and I think the idea that bullies will always be caught out in the end is a great moral to pass onto youth. Even in those times when we don't think the authority figures care, it shows that the truth has a way of finding its way to the surface.
I gave The Universe Builders Bernie and the Putty 5 stars, and have been trying to convince my kids that they would really enjoy this book too, even though Mum loves it. I am looking forward to the sequel.
The Universe Builders can be purchased through the website. The publisher, Argon Press, only ships to the US, so if you're in the market for a hard-copy the book can also be purchased through other online retailers, also linked at that page.
It's not just me who loves this story, LeBel's story has won many awards over the last year or so
GRAND PRIZE – Writer’s Digest – 2015
FINALIST – Stargazer Award – 2015
FINALIST – Beverly Hills Book Awards – 2015
GOLD – eLit Book Awards – 2015
FINALIST – Next Generation Indie Awards – 2015
WINNER – San Francisco Book Festival – 2015
FINALIST – International Book Awards – 2015
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