Ready Player One, a review by Cat

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline

Published August 16th, 2011
By Crown Publishers
374 Pages

Find it on Goodreads.

Now feels like a good time to take a minute and talk about Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. The sequel (Ready Player Two) just released. I imagine many a fan is scrambling to get their hands on a copy (mine is currently on the way, with my review intended to post on Nov. 28th).

Wade Watts is a gamer at heart. Now, that may sound cliché, but it really isn’t in his world. Set in 2044, the world has turned…ugly. Virtual realities are one of the few escapes many people have. Though the quality of those escapes varies depending on income, naturally. The biggest one being OASIS.

In this game there is a contest of sorts, and Wade, one of the lower levels of his generation, just stumbled into something major. That something is about to change his life, and spark a war all at the same time. Now he’ll be facing threats, both in the virtual world, and in the real world.

Ready Player One is a novel infused with nostalgia and fondness. It fits in countless references. Both to a time period of the past, and to the love of games, videos, and geek culture. It’s likely one of the many reasons why fans (myself included) have found it to be such a thriller escape.

Admittedly, the idea of a virtual escape takes on a whole new meaning and tone, thanks to current events. Add that to the list of reasons why it’s refreshing to be rereading Ready Player One. It’s an adventurous tale, one that seemed to give the underdogs a chance to truly fight back.

Ready Player One is a dystopian novel that grabbed the attention of an entire fandom. Almost a decade later, it is a novel that is still holding our attention. With gusto, some would say. All of the elements woven into this book make it ideal for multiple read-throughs, as different details seem to come to the surface each time. Here’s hoping the sequel does the same.

Sharing is caring!