Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is the best book I have read in many years. It may be my new favorite book of all time. After reading the book I feel like Wade Watts the main character. I feel like I too have achieved what he did in the book. Like many 30 somethings, this book really spoke to me. I grew up in the 80’s. It was my decade. The characters in the book study that era to be better able to player Oasis an immersive world that they access via fancy virtual reality (VR) rigs.
This book reminded me of so many things all at once. How much I loved growing up watching TV shows like Silver Spoons and Family Ties. Playing the same video games that the characters mastered in the game: Adventure, Joust, Defender, Zaxxon, etc.
Of course, right now there is a ton of buzz about this book because it has been made into a movie. A movie with a trailer that is pretty spectacular. the movie will be released later this month (3/29/18) and the director is none other than Steven Spielberg. Who better to direct a movie about the 80s than the man who helped make the 80s with his amazing movies. The amazingly brilliant mind behind E.T. and Raiders of the Ark, both came out in the 80s.
This book also reminded me of Second Life a lot. That’s the immersive computer simulation where people can make the avatar anyway they want and you can actually make money in the game. Or Lindens, that can be traded in for real cash. Or at least that’s how it was years ago when Second Life was a big deal. I tried Second Life a long time ago, but even after reading this book I have no desire to log back into that virtual world.
Before reading this book I didn’t know anything about Ernest Cline. Now that I have read one of his books, I can’t wait to read more. “I love it when a plan comes together!” 5 Stars!!!