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This is our discussion of the Contemporary SciFi novel....

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
(2011)

So, mount your ostrich, swallow a power pill, get out your D&D Players Handbook, and pop in that VHS tape of War Games...

I read this about a year and a half ago. I enjoyed it a lot - after all I grew up in the 80s and the book is really a big pile of 80s nostalgia mixed in with a hefty amount of nerd cred - but it wasn't exactly groundbreaking or anything. At least Cline moves the story along quickly and gives the reader something to cheer for.

I'm bowled over by the idea of this becoming a movie - the licensing costs are going to be staggering. I did enjoy seeing the Iron Giant in the preview, even though IG wasn't exactly an 80s movie. And Tom Sawyer! Thank God it wasn't Wham!

I read this in March. I was born in late 1989, so I didn't really grow up with most of this stuff (I've been a Trekkie practically since birth and I at least knew of most of the movies, but I was never much of a gamer). But I didn't feel like that detracted from this for me in any way. It was still an enjoyable read.

The story moved along quickly enough that it wasn't boring.
I liked the world the way he developed it- even if a part of me thinks that a world like he described is way too much of a possibility.

Randy wrote: "I read this about a year and a half ago. I enjoyed it a lot - after all I grew up in the 80s and the book is really a big pile of 80s nostalgia mixed in with a hefty amount of nerd cred - but it wa..."

The first thing I when I heard that somebody was making a money was that half the budget was just going to have to go to all the licenses and royalties. Fingers crossed its a good one.

When casting was announced, I immediately felt Simon Pegg was the perfect choice for Ogden Morrow. Not 100% sold on the rest of the casting, but we just have to wait and see.

The poor but honest boy living in poverty & his chance at riches is a fairly tired plot device, but I thought Cline gave it new legs in this story by the addition of the virtual world. Still very like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so the 80s nostalgia distracts from that very well.

I was in my 20s & 30s during this decade & all 3 of my kids were born, so probably a decade older than the optimum audience. In some ways, I think that made the decade even more mind blowing, though. I certainly remember the arcade games with a lot of fondness & could conjure up most of the music in my imagination easily enough.

This is the third time that I have read this book and I still really enjoy it. I was born in 1980 so am a bit young for some of the references but I do get most of them. I read about 100 pages or so last night anxiously getting through the backstory of the world and into the meat of the story. The opening seemed so long this time, probably because when I read a book I've already read I get very excited for the parts I know are coming and actually read the book faster than I would if I didn't know what was coming.

Like Jim, I'm on the far side of the nostalgia curve for this book. Seen the movies, because SF fan; aware of the TV shows but not a viewer; no recollection of the music, some familiarity with D&D, never played Joust, and the only reason I know Pac-Man is it was built into the tabletop at Garcia's where we used to slosh down margaritas after work. :) So I come to the novel with a slightly skewed appreciation of the background.

I read it many years ago (pre-twins) so it’s fuzzy but I remember loving and handing to many friends....and we were all born in 1980 - so it’s spot on for us haha.
I actually liked the world he built with the poor living in car stacks and the way school worked

I liked the way the school worked, too. It brought back memories of the technological divide that I saw with my own kids. We never had much money when they were little, but computers were a hobby & I'm a tinkerer, so my kids had access to good computers early & it made a big difference.

Becky, daughter of my high school buddy, lived across the road & was very studious. Brandon, my wild child, was the opposite. They were in the same class & it was remarkable if he ever outperformed her scholastically. He did on a report & it was all due to tech. His paper was printed with a color printer, neatly typed with proper footnotes. Hers was handwritten with pasted pictures & gray-scale copies. He spent an hour on the computer using Archie & Veronica, she spent hours in the library.

Since then, I've tried to make sure any kids I know about have access to computers, even if they're old ones. Not really an issue any more, but for a while, I gave away quite a few. I think it made a difference in a couple of cases.

I read it earlier in the year and found it pretty silly nerd wish fulfillment but forgave it completely because it was just so much fun. It was not far off fan fiction with good production values.

When so many of our genre authors seem to pride themselves on making their books as long and/or as dense and/or as slow as possible this was a definite palate cleanser.

I was an adult in the 80's with young children so I'm not the target audience but I still enjoyed this a lot on audiobook read by Wil Wheaton. I do remember a lot of the movies and TV mentioned, even if I never played video games.

Read this a couple of years ago, while born in the early 80's, I wasn't an arcade child, so many of the games weren't in my wheel house. I think the saving grace of the book is the tickling of the nostalgia bone, which some people often feel is overdone.

I recently was engaged and flipping through this book again because it came up as a subject of an article arguing that Artemis was essentially sexually harassed through the whole book, geez when even foolish child romance turns into a call for boycotting.

It was a fun read after having just finished Neuromancer which felt like a chore with all its made up terms.

I'm about a third of the way through the book, which apears to be a mashup of The Westing Game and Sword Art Online. Highlight so far has been the first sentence of chapter 1, a nicely constructed cyberpunk intro. The vision of the slow-motion apocalypse in middle America that Cline provides is interesting, though the book spends very little time on it.

Lowlight is the unironic use of the word "suxorz". Eighties references are doled out similarly to how Family Guy uses them: liberally and without jokes or context. Wade's description of what he called "the Canon" made me sad in its myopia, though in that respect it does accurately reflect most conversations around SF.

I just read it this summer and loved it. I guess since the 80's were my just out of high school years I have a fondness for that stuff. I loved the idea of the story and how that vision of the future was handled.

I'm really looking forward to the film and hope for a good translation.

Brendan wrote: "Wade's description of what he called "the Canon" made me sad in its myopia, though in that respect it does accurately reflect most conversations around SF. "

Having spent a lot of time in LotR and HP oriented newsgroups some years ago, the approach to "canon" in the book is pretty accurate.

The most fun part of reading this novel for me was pulling out my old memorabilia from the 80's that was part of the plot of the novel. They are the paper version of the Tomb of Horrors module for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, a vinyl record album by the band Rush called 2112, a VHS copy of the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and the computer game Zork with the 5 ¼�� disks.

I’m only on page 14, but I started smiling on page 3 at the mention of Oingo Boingo. One of my older sisters used to blast Dead Man’s Party.

I was born mid 70’s, so think this might be my kind of book.

Haven't read anyone's posts yet to avoid spoilers but wanted to say I'm enjoying it quite a bit. The 80's references was what made me want to read it in the first place, though it turns out I'm not all that well versed in 80's culture even though I lived through it :) But it turns out I'm also enjoying the plot and the main character, he has some interesting mental commentary at times:

“I watched a lot of YouTube videos of cute geeky girls playing '80s cover tunes on ukuleles. Technically, this wasn't part of my research, but I had a serious cute-geeky-girls-playing-ukuleles fetish that I can neither explain nor defend.��

But every now and then there's a reference that makes me smile (hey Aech, Legend is an awesome movie, it's got unicorns in it!! Ok, I know their horns kind of flop about as they move around, but still, live action unicorns! That was seriously important to me back then)

Gary wrote: "...and the computer game Zork with the 5 ¼�� disks."

Do you still have anything that can read them? I put all my old games into directories years ago & can play most of them via DosBox. I still play 'Joust' or 'One Must Fall' occasionally. I think OMF was one of the most overlooked video games of the 90s. There are a lot for free here:

I enjoyed this book but I suspect I was born a little bit late to get all the references (born in the late 80's). I'm sure a few went straight over my head. Given my gamer friends and DnD friends that I know, I think it was a pretty accurate portrayal of them. So I quite enjoyed hanging out with the main characters.

While I enjoyed the fast-paced, action-packed nature of the story, I definitely found the idea of being plugged into a virtual world all the time a bit disturbing. The book was a fun, light-hearted read with a lot of nostalgia... which I think made the dystopian glimpses every so often were pretty disturbing. There are already people who've died from playing video games for too long, so I find the idea of an immersive world which is more real than reality is terrifying. As a result I got stuck with characterising this book, because I want to call it a feel-good book, but I also think it's very dystopian!

So did the native Japanese speaking character not know that the Japanese word for suicide isn't seppuku, or what was the deal with that?

Cat wrote: "As a result I got stuck with characterising this book, because I want to call it a feel-good book, but I also think it's very dystopian!"

Definitely! Its tone may be light, but it's got people living in unstable stacks of cars escaping their grim reality by plugging themselves online. I found the part where the hero goes through a physical transformation for the game the most disturbing.
I'm surprised so few people addressed this.

Jim wrote: "Gary wrote: "...and the computer game Zork with the 5 ¼�� disks."

Do you still have anything that can read them? I put all my old games into directories years ago & can play most of them via DosBox..."

Unfortunately no, not the 5 1/4". I can read the 3 1/2" disks I have.
Some of the old games I own I have used DOSBOX to access them, Sword of Aragon and King's Bounty for example.

I have also purchased some games through GOG like Master of Orion and Warlords Battle Cry.

I read the book about 2 months ago. I was already an adult in the 80's, and very immersed in my work at the time as a computer specialist. For that reason, the vast majority of that period's games, movies, gadgets, etc, went by unnoticed by me at the time. Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading the book even if quite a few references didn't ring a bell in my mind. I could sympathize with the main character, Wade. I wasn't sure, and still am not sure, what to make of the abrupt ending. I agree that the book is quite dystopian, but it is still good entertainment. I gave it 4 stars.

Despite being born in 1989 I was familiar with more than I thought I would be. I have an incredible desire now to pull out those old arcade games or kings quest... (those are the only txt rpgs I ever played but I don’t think they were mentioned)

The blend of futuristic themes and memorabilia was well done. The story didn’t strike me as very original but I was totally entertained. I can see myself re-reading it.

Funny that this thread focuses so much on age :) I am an an 80s child so I can still relate to some of the references. I liked the book because it is fun but I agree with Cat that it is actually very bleak. Having very minimum place to interact in real life is just not the way of living I want. However I could also understand even now with all the craps happening around us people just want to escape and have another identity. I think what makes the book so popular is the relatability (is that a word) factor, both from the pop culture ref and the bleakness of the world.

Ending spoiler: (view spoiler)[I like how Cline added the big red button hidden behind the painting that could wipe out the entire OASIS if Wade felt that maybe OASIS wasn't a good thing, that maybe people were spending so much time in the vitural world instead of trying to do something to save the real world (mind you, not always so easy to save the real world, but it's not gonna get better if everyone ignores it either) (hide spoiler)]

In the end I enjoyed it. It was fun, I liked the characters. Even though I was an 80's kid I didn't play arcade games, I did have a Mac Classic with a tiny screen and 40k harddrive though, later it was Mac Performa and I had things like Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. And while I obviously watched TV shows and movies, clearly not the same ones Halliday enjoyed :) I still enjoyed having them described to me, and now I want to play Joust, it's the most ridiculous sounding game!

The book had it's serious points too such as corporations with great power, people addicted to virtual worlds, also taking people for who they are and not what they look like (was sorta hoping Aech would turn out to be Wade's "Chuck", hehe), and of course total environmental and economic collapse. While that part is only a backdrop to the overall story, it would be a rather different tone if everyone out there was living in utopia.

I did have to suspend some disbelief that it was possible for Wade to memorize and learn so much stuff in a matter of 5-6 years though. I mean the 80's was a full decade, and to memorize a movie you need to watch it a lot. And to ace a game, you need to play it a lot. And it takes time to read all those books. And stuff dribbled over into the 70's and 90's too. Even if you did all this full time, though he didn't since he went to school, or sold fixed up laptops, or worked as tech support on OASIS, plus needed to eat/sleep/etc :) But I still kind of liked how the main characters seemed to know everything, even if it was basically impossible, made you root for them to beat IOI.

For what it's worth, after trudging through The Wanderer and The Dispossessed, this was a breath of fresh air, you know, actual action and a plot that didn't move at a snail's pace :) Not that all slow plots are bad, but after reading a few in a row one just needs to have a story that one can't put down because ones can't wait to see how it ends.

This book evoked fond memories of the 80's, and for that I gave it an extra star. Having been born in the same year as Halliday, I was familiar with most of the movie/game references, though not those concerning the Manga/Japanese cartoons. Because of that, it was a bit of a feel good read for me.
Dystopian? Yes, there is a grimmer reality to it, of course, as people have pointed out. The 80's might have seemed great for those of us who grew up in them, but it was also the decade where humanity finally managed to punch its way through the ozone layer, thanks to excessive use of cans of hairspray. I seem to remember that fridges had something to do with it as well. Whatever the causes, the 80's was a pretty big turning point in the way the world (both environmentally and socially) would start to head in.

So, yes, it was a nice idea to have a stark difference between the 'wonderful' world of the Oasis, and the reality of life outside, but I couldn't help thinking the author could have painted a much starker picture of the real world. What this book lacked was some atmosphere. His descriptions didn't really conjure up much of a sense of the environment, and how nasty it was.
It was easier going inside the Oasis, but that wasn't really anything to do with the author's powers of narration. There was a distinct lack of description when it came how things looked, and though that wasn't a massive problem (I mean, anyone familiar with fantasy, D&D related or not, knows what a dragon and a castle look like) it would have been nice for there to have been more meat on its descriptive bones. At one point it did start to read like one of those old text adventure games (I walked through the waterfall, I entered a chamber and found a big rock with a guitar sticking out of it ect) I'm still not sure if the author was writing it that way on purpose or not.

Visual description may have been lacking, but information dumping was not. In places there was too much excessive exposition for my liking. It couldn't really be helped in some places. The reader has to know the history of Halliday and the Oasis, and how the whole place is set up, but info was often repeated, or things that I felt were kind of obvious were explained in near infinite detail, which got a bit annoying in places.

Despite all of this, I still found it to be a page turner, and I did actually enjoy reading. I just can't explain why, because there are so many reasons for me not to like it. I mean, at its center lies a teenage puppy love story for flips sake, and I don't think it's possible to get further away from my reading norms than that.

I think I'm just going to have to add this to my list of guilty pleasures, and never ever tell anyone that I like it.

Matt wrote: "This book evoked fond memories of the 80's, and for that I gave it an extra star. Having been born in the same year as Halliday, I was familiar with most of the movie/game references, though not th..."

I don't mind the lack of visual description, I am not really a fan of a lot of description. I don't do a lot of imagining what people/places look like when I read so I usually don't spend a lot of time on the descriptive material.

As someone who has worked for big corporations on customer support, I thought the description of his time at the headquarters was great black humor.

I read this book earlier this year. I was born in the early 90's but my dad made sure I knew my 80's pop culture (and 70's). I have played the games, watched the movies and tv shows, and listened to the music. My favorite reference was Oingo Boingo's Dead Man's Party!
I was really worried that the nostalgia was the only reason I liked the book but I couldn't stop reading. I think that Cline did a marvelous job with the video game aspect. I play a lot of RPG games and it was just so satisfying.

Brendan wrote: ""

Well, it was inevitable. I enjoyed the first book although I didn't love it. I'll go with a wait-and-see approach on the sequel.

Brendan wrote: ""

Hmm, not sure this is the kind of book that would benefit from a sequel, it ended in a nice place and let's your imagination run as to what the winners will do with their money or if maybe (view spoiler)[ Wade will hit the big red button and wipe out OASIS entirely (hide spoiler)]

I don't want to read a sequel.

Andrea wrote: "Brendan wrote: ""

Hmm, not sure this is the kind of book that would benefit from a sequel, it ende..."

Yup, I liked the way it ended, I'll pretend the sequel doesn't exist until someone tells me it's amazing. Anything less than amazing and I don't want to read it.

Roger wrote: "Yup, I liked the way it ended, I'll pretend the sequel doesn't exist until someone tells me it's amazing. Anything less than amazing and I don't want to read it. ..."

Agreed. It worked so well as a standalone - not everything needs a sequel!

I have a strange synchronicity with this book for some reason. The first is that my newest book is also about an AR utopia, which is maybe not a big coincidence given that the idea has been in some TV shows and movies before, like Red Dwarf. Secondly, I used the name Artemis for one of my main characters. I understand the book uses Artemis3 or something as a handle name.

The last is very odd considering I haven't read the book and only found out about it 3 months ago, after my new book was already out. I guess Artemis is probably the name you'd look to first for a high tech female role. Maybe?

It depends what is meant by a "sequel" I guess. I'd be willing to read something set in the world not about Wade.

I'm torn on the idea of a sequel.

On the one hand, I want to see what comes next.
On the other, I don't.
On the third hand, I'd love to see more adventures in the OASIS itself.

I'm fifty pages into this. So far:
I love how it's like the old internet before facebook and selfies. Just people playing and talking and respecting anonymity. I miss that internet.
I haven't played video games much since the 80s but I think I'd really like OASIS.
Seems obvious to me that Aech(view spoiler)[ is Halliday or some simulacrum of him (hide spoiler)].
The villan is an evil corporation. *yawn* That's getting really old.
Could be called Willie Wonka and the Internet :p

Okay, maybe this book is effecting me but is there some kind of puzzle or riddle IN the book?

I'm come across two really blatant errors:
There was a reference to a "REVENGE of the Jedi" poster.( I know that was an early title for "Return of the Jedi".)
He said the quote "it's full of stars" and "Also Sprach Zarathustra" are in the movie "2010". (It's "2001". I know. It took me three tries to stay awake through that snoozefest.)

Am I decoding the secrets of the OASIS??

Book Nerd wrote: "Okay, maybe this book is effecting me but is there some kind of puzzle or riddle IN the book?

I'm come across two really blatant errors:
There was a reference to a "REVENGE of the Jedi" poster.( I..."

I don't remember the "Revenge of the Jedi" part, but as far as the other I believe 2010 was the sequel to 2001 and it was released in the 1980s - it also contained the quote "it's full of stars" and I think I remember them using Also Sprach Zarathustra in the soundtrack as well.

Randy is right about the 2010 movie (released in 1984) -

I think there were "Revenge of the Jedi" posters printed before the name change and that they became valuable because of their rarity and unusual circumstances.

George wrote: "I think there were "Revenge of the Jedi" posters printed before the name change and that they became valuable because of their rarity and unusual circumstances."

I think I remember reading that somewhere.
It was before I was born, so I don't know for sure.
But I know it was called Revenge of the Jedi until fairly late in the process.

Okay, that makes sense.
The Revenge of the Jedi thing is in chapter three. Bottom of page 71 if you have the same edition as me.

Sarah wrote: "When casting was announced, I immediately felt Simon Pegg was the perfect choice for Ogden Morrow. Not 100% sold on the rest of the casting, but we just have to wait and see. "
During the birthday party I realized I was picturing Morrow as Stan Lee.

Book Nerd wrote: "During the birthday party I realized I was picturing Morrow as Stan Lee."

I had something like that in my mind too, especially when they meet him in person.

Very enjoyable read. Though I wonder how much of my enjoyment call from the endless references and callbacks.

Tor article arguing how this is more than just a trip down memory lane: