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).

Strata - Terry Pratchett

Before you read any further, please note that this review may contain spoilers.

Saddened by the news of Pratchett's passing on March 12, I figured it was time to pick up one of his books.  Pratchett has often been recommended to me with my first delve into his writing being Good Omens earlier this year, a novel he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman (that I haven't yet written a review for).  As Strata is on my PopSugar reading challenge list as the book published the year I was born, I decided I needed to pay my own small homage to the man who entertained so many with his wit and intellect.

The third novel from the author and only one of a few sci-fi novels he wrote, and although the story features a disc world, it is not part of his Discworld series.

Kin Arad, high ranking officer of 'The Company' finds herself chastising a couple of her young charges, for adding fossils not only to the wrong strata of earth, but with the added addition of a "end nuclear testing now" sign, suspending them for three weeks without payment.  Payment from the Company is in days, days with which you can extend your life, as Kin Arad had done, by hundreds of years.

The Company is in the business of planet terra-forming, sculpting planets to suit the species which will inhabit the finished product, using strata machines to complete the projects.  The company didn't build these strata machines, they were discovered, artifacts of the Spindle Kings who built planets before evolution had allowed human kind to to be a space faring species.

As Kin reflected on her own misadventure in planet scultping, a mountain range in the shape of her initials, a strange man appeared in her office, Jago Jalo.  The man spoke of a strange disc shaped planet. Intrigued, Kin agreed to listen to his tale and eventually agreed to head along on a voyage to see the planet for herself, even if she didn't believe such a thing existed, the logistics just weren't viable.

Kin, along with two others that Jalo had spoken to, Marco a, slender, 4 armed Kung raised on earth and Silver, a bear like creature called Shand, embarked on a journey of discovery and historical significance, using their knowledge and skills to transverse the disc planet and discover its origins.

Strata is well written, Pratchett was a natural story teller.  The characters were well written and had a depth to them that really brings a story to life.  My one disappointment, it lacked the humour that I enjoyed in Good Omens.  Though over all, I'm not sure humour would have been beneficial from the story.

I gave Strata 4.5 stars out of 5. Losing that half a point for the lack of humour I've come to love.