Having a good book to read is a great feeling, especially when it’s one that hooks you right from the start. Ernest Cline’s novel is one of those unique books that you don’t come across very often, mainly because it’s so different from anything else on the shelves.
“Ready Player One” is a science fiction novel about a videogame, but from the moment you start reading the story you realize it’s not just a game. In a dystopian future, people take refuge in the OASIS, a virtual reality universe, to escape the harsh reality of what’s going on in the world. By putting on the visor and haptic gloves that come with the console, the game is practically a second life, and that’s exactly what it is to some people: a second life. Everyone goes to school in the OASIS since it’s cheaper than schools in the real world.
The book begins with the death of OASIS’s main founder and richest man in the world James Halliday. A super geek, Halliday was obsessed with 80s pop culture, which he referenced often in his life and in the game. His will include a series of clues and indicated that whoever solved the clues would inherit Halliday’s fortune and control over the OASIS. Wade Watts, a kid who embraced life in the OASIS, is set on finding the clues James Halliday left. As you get deeper into the novel, you start to get immersed in the treasure hunt, trying to find the Easter Eggs that will help Watts find to the treasure.
“Ready Player One” is filled with hilarious moments, especially if you’re a fan of 80s and 90s movies and music. The book repeatedly references great John Hughes movies like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and others that helped shape pop culture at the time. In the OASIS, all the popular videogames have been separated into different worlds within the virtual universe; “World of Warcraft,” for example, is mentioned as one of them.
During the story, Watts forms different relationships inside the game with the people he meets along the way. Getting to know these characters, you realize they’re actually only avatars inside the game, and don’t necessarily resemble the people who are playing them. This is a very cool aspect of the book and many gamers can completely relate to this, since gamers often find themselves socializing in games with online friends they don’t really know anything about.
“Ready Player One” is hilarious and the story within it is incredible. The book stays in an upbeat tone no matter how grim the situation is, and you’ll find yourself cracking a smile at the most unexpected times.
This New York Times bestseller is being made into the film, which will be directed by Steven Spielberg.The film adaptation will hit theaters on March 30, 2018.
