Another review? Ready Player One book review coming up...
So lately I've been really into audiobooks, they pass the time well, keep my mind occupied, and allow me to multitask while I do them.
So I joined Audible.com and wasnt sure exactly what series I really wanted to go through. I had gotten a free credit and had heard really good things about the a book called Ready Player One. It was an author I had never heard of, but it came with rave reviews and was narrated by Will Wheaton, so hey, how could I say no? I was hooked right from the begginning.
The premise of the book isnt that far fetched, its 30 years or so in the future, the world is ravaged and falling apart, and the most of the population spends the majority of their time in The Oasis, a virtual reality world that is more powerful than any world government. The currency in The Oasis is worth more than any actual real money, most peoples jobs revolve around the oasis, and even the homeless live in tent citys with used virtual gear leaching off free wifi access spots.
In the beggining of the book the creator dies and leaves a contest, a scavanger/easter egg hunt for clues. When you follow the clues and complete the tests, you move on. The person who completes all of them, and finds the easter egg, gets all of the wealth of the original designer plus the controlling share in the company that owns and runs The Oasis. Now everyone in the world is off to complete the egg hunt and win the prize, including, of course, an evil multinational corporation that is bending the rules to try to win, in order to turn The Oasis, which is a free to access reality, into a premium pay site with more adds, and less individualism.
The book goes on from there, with the main charactor being instantly likable and relatible, expecially for anyone who has ever been nerdy, outcast, anxious, don't fit in, or awkward. This book is for those people an escape, it is a book where everything is set up for the nerd to win. Where against all the odds, the nerds keep coming out on top.
The amount of nerd, cult, pop, and retro culture refrences in this book is insane. Seems every other paragraph makes a reference in some way to some new item, no matter how obscure. Not only are there tons of references, but, they are ALL spot on as well. The author is not only a huge nerd, but his research skills are on point. I have a goal to watch every single movie mentioned in this book, and at least check out every tv series, band, and comic book mentioned as well. The list is insane, and as soon as I find a complete list online I will link to it on here. Check back in a few days for the link in the comments.
There are bumps in the story along the way, twists, turns, surprises, and so on in the story. All of them are just enough to keep you hooked, and not too much to confuse you or make it seem overdone. As the charactor list grows, there is still plenty of development for all of them and they will make you laugh, cry, cheer and see red. It is everything I wanted in a book, and a few things I didnt know I needed. I highly recommend that everyone should either read, or like I did, listen to this book. There is a movie coming out as well based on the book, and from what I read, it is being directed by Steven Speilberg. I am so excited and pray so very hard that they don't screw this book up with the movie like they have done to so many other movies of its kind.
I have listened to the book twice through now and still enjoyed it just as much the second time, even when I knew all the twists and turns that were coming up. It is such a great book to just sit back and get lost in, I plan to listen to it many more times to come.
So yeah, please, go read this book, you will not be dissapointed. Trust me, the Bloodwine isnt talking this time.
So I joined Audible.com and wasnt sure exactly what series I really wanted to go through. I had gotten a free credit and had heard really good things about the a book called Ready Player One. It was an author I had never heard of, but it came with rave reviews and was narrated by Will Wheaton, so hey, how could I say no? I was hooked right from the begginning.
The premise of the book isnt that far fetched, its 30 years or so in the future, the world is ravaged and falling apart, and the most of the population spends the majority of their time in The Oasis, a virtual reality world that is more powerful than any world government. The currency in The Oasis is worth more than any actual real money, most peoples jobs revolve around the oasis, and even the homeless live in tent citys with used virtual gear leaching off free wifi access spots.
In the beggining of the book the creator dies and leaves a contest, a scavanger/easter egg hunt for clues. When you follow the clues and complete the tests, you move on. The person who completes all of them, and finds the easter egg, gets all of the wealth of the original designer plus the controlling share in the company that owns and runs The Oasis. Now everyone in the world is off to complete the egg hunt and win the prize, including, of course, an evil multinational corporation that is bending the rules to try to win, in order to turn The Oasis, which is a free to access reality, into a premium pay site with more adds, and less individualism.
The book goes on from there, with the main charactor being instantly likable and relatible, expecially for anyone who has ever been nerdy, outcast, anxious, don't fit in, or awkward. This book is for those people an escape, it is a book where everything is set up for the nerd to win. Where against all the odds, the nerds keep coming out on top.
The amount of nerd, cult, pop, and retro culture refrences in this book is insane. Seems every other paragraph makes a reference in some way to some new item, no matter how obscure. Not only are there tons of references, but, they are ALL spot on as well. The author is not only a huge nerd, but his research skills are on point. I have a goal to watch every single movie mentioned in this book, and at least check out every tv series, band, and comic book mentioned as well. The list is insane, and as soon as I find a complete list online I will link to it on here. Check back in a few days for the link in the comments.
There are bumps in the story along the way, twists, turns, surprises, and so on in the story. All of them are just enough to keep you hooked, and not too much to confuse you or make it seem overdone. As the charactor list grows, there is still plenty of development for all of them and they will make you laugh, cry, cheer and see red. It is everything I wanted in a book, and a few things I didnt know I needed. I highly recommend that everyone should either read, or like I did, listen to this book. There is a movie coming out as well based on the book, and from what I read, it is being directed by Steven Speilberg. I am so excited and pray so very hard that they don't screw this book up with the movie like they have done to so many other movies of its kind.
I have listened to the book twice through now and still enjoyed it just as much the second time, even when I knew all the twists and turns that were coming up. It is such a great book to just sit back and get lost in, I plan to listen to it many more times to come.
So yeah, please, go read this book, you will not be dissapointed. Trust me, the Bloodwine isnt talking this time.
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