Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

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).