I’m so glad I finally picked this up! This was such an entertaining read!
Rating: 4/5
IN THE YEAR 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them.
But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.
This was voted as my September #EnchantedReadsBookClub pick. And I’m so glad it was! It finally got me to read this one and it was such a fun read!
I’m so glad I finally picked this up. I was wary of it because it seemed like a favorite for so many. I’m always a little nervous about hyped books, but this was an amazing read! A little problematic at times, but overall it was so much fun to follow.
We see a dystopian future of our world set in 2044. The world has been ravaged by climate change now a majority of the world spends their time in a virtual reality called the OASIS. There you can be anyone you want to be. Five years ago, the creator of OASIS, James Halliday dies leaving his entire inheritance up for grabs to the first person to find an easter egg, he’s hidden within the world of OASIS. We follow Wade, who has grown up within this virtual world. And he’s spent the last five years studying everything he can about the creator and his interests in hopes to find the easter egg. No one has had any luck on finding anything until Wade stumbles upon the first key.
All I really knew about this going in was it was filled with loads of 80s references especially video games from that period. I’m not too big on video games so I was worried that I might be a little lost or confused about the references. But in fact, even though I knew almost none of the main references it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of this story. Cline did an amazing job describing whatever the reference was enough that I wasn’t confused.
I’m not too big on video games so I was worried that I might be a little lost or confused about the references. But in fact, even though I knew almost none of the main references it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of this story.
However, this leads me to my biggest peeve about this book. I found the timeline very problematic. Very early on in the book, Wade is describing all the media he studied to try and find the easter egg. Wade lists off several authors that he read every book from including Stephen King, Terry Pratchett, and Neil Gaiman. Then he watched every movie created by a list of certain directors such as Steven Speilberg. Plus, he watched every episode of some shows like all the Saturday morning cartoons. Family Ties and The Simpsons. Some of the films and shows he watched until he had them memorized word for word. But wait there’s more! He listened to all the music ever created within the 80s decade including covers. Oh, and video games! Especially all the games created within the 80s, and played them until he had them mastered.
All of this within 5 years? Unlikely. That’s just not enough time. To go over all the media? I just can’t see it. Not in Wade’s situation, he was still a student, and a virtual student at that, which he was unable to study anything while in class. He also mentioned having the occasional rolling blackouts due to the energy crisis, can’t watch movies during a blackout. With these, studying all that seems implausible because not everything he studied had a time constraint. Like Wade limited himself to only listening to 80s music. He didn’t do this for the authors and directors and some shows. Several of those people were still alive, still creating. And like The Simpsons, that’s stlll going, still releasing new episodes. But even if it was limited to just the 80’s decade, that still seems like way too much media to study given the circumstances. I just can’t see any of that being believable.
In fact, I got so worked up by this detail that after I got to this part in the book, where Wade is describing everything he studied the past 5 years, I had to put the book down. I ended up calling my best friend and going on a rant for a good ten minutes about how questionable this timeline was. It just doesn’t make sense! Do you feel the same?
Rant over! Back to my review!
Despite that questionable timeline, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book! I found the world that Cline built so captivating. The entire idea and concept of OASIS were interesting to learn about. I simply loved every part of the world building. Plus seeing this version of the future ravaged by climate change. Everything was so detailed, it was so easy for me to imagine everything.
I simply loved every part of the world building.
And this quest for the easter egg was so entertaining! I loved seeing just how complicated Halliday made the quest. From where each of the keys were hidden, the references around them to the details the characters would need to know to be successful in retrieving the key. It was so much fun to follow. Especially the battle to be the first one to find the actual easter egg.
I also went into this having not seen the movie beforehand. And after finishing this, I totally wanted to watch it. And now that I’ve seen it, I will admit I was a little disappointed in how much was changed for the movie. It felt almost like an entirely different storyline. Some of the main details were kept the same but they weren’t the same like they were in the book. However, I did still find the movie enjoyable, it just wasn’t what I expected. I will say, I enjoyed the second key from the movie so much more than what it was in the book. I was laughing through that whole scene!
I will admit I was a little disappointed in how much was changed for the movie. It felt almost like an entirely different storyline.
Overall, this was such an entertaining read even with my little rant about the timeline. I loved being able to discuss it with my book club too. It was interesting to hear their thoughts and opinions. From that discussion, I don’t know if I want to read the sequel. I loved how RP1 ended, and I don’t see what could possibly happen next. And from the sounds of it, from the discussion, and other reviews I’ve seen, several think the sequel was completely unnecessary. Have you read it? What did you think?
If you enjoy the 80s decade especially video games and science fiction books, I highly recommend checking out Ready Player One! This is such an entertaining book!