It took a while to get a copy of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, and given how much love it received from readers and reviewers both, it was definitely something I had to bump up in my reading list. After my mixed feelings about Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, I was looking for something totally different in tone and genre for my reading time / alone time (which is largely dependent on whether the jellybean would let me read in peace while she plays or if she's asleep).
In our world's future, Earth isn't doing very well as humankind's home. Pollution is rampant, food is scarce and the economy is terrible, with most of the population living in varying degrees of poverty. For many, the only life worth living is in OASIS, originally an MMORPG creation that eventually encompassed education, entertainment, livelihood and many other aspects of daily living, causing many to escape in the virtual universe with avatars that could be as far removed from their real selves as they wished. When OASIS creator James Donovan Halliday died, he left behind part of his ownership of his company and an obscene amount of money. But instead of naming an actual heir, he creates an elaborate easter egg hunt set in the OASIS universe. The only facts people know is that they have to solve a riddle to find the first of three keys and that the hunt would most definitely be steeped in 80's pop culture and video game references, particular favorites of its eccentric creator. Career gunter (easter egg hunter) Wade Watts, in the guise of his avatar Parzival, attempts to solve the mysteries left behind by Halliday and possibly change his life. But he is not alone, as thousands of other players try to win the contest, among them the company Innovative Online Industries and their army of sixers who intend to take over OASIS and subvert it to make more money for themselves.
I'm a fairly fast reader, but it's an especially good sign if I can finish a book in hours, if one didn't have a baby to take care of (or have to eat or sleep). And it really was difficult to put the book down for any reason.
Wade/Parzival is a great lead character, who is definitely counted among the unfortunate members of the future Earth's population. He's always without money, causing him to despair how he can possibly win the easter egg hunt since funds are needed to explore the other worlds in the OASIS universe. It is through Wade that we get to experience the harsh reality of a possible future and why logging into OASIS is the only.... well... oasis there is for many people. But Wade, while capable of feeling insecurities and fears, is never without hope, especially when he finally cracks the first riddle of the hunt, once again sending the world into a frenzy over what many thought was an elusive prize. You root for him throughout the story, even if you know that he's bound to do something stupid or that he won't always be ahead. And I don't think the parallels between the struggles of Wade and Halliday's favorite film characters are a mere accident on the part of writer Ernest Cline.
Ready Player One is not without its bevy of supporting characters, each one essential in Wade's progress in the hunt and in his growth as an individual. Aech is the more affluent best friend, who has made a name for himself winning in fighting competitions in OASIS. And Art3mis is Wade's crush, who is not only beautiful in her avatar form, but is also considered one of the leading gunters in their virtual universe. Aech and Art3mis both regard Wade as friendly competitors, with all three sharing the same passion for solving the easter egg hunt but never quite getting in the way of each other's goal to win. On the other end of the spectrum is the IOI and its oology division, which employs hundreds of employees and cheating tactics. IOI executive Nolan Sorrento is the embodiment of villainy, turning to murder when needed just to bag the prize for his employers. In many parts of the story, Wade is usually alone in his quest and experiences, but it is his interaction with others that cause the story to properly push forward.
Ready Player One is fluid and increasingly exciting in its narrative. Much like the 80's movies that Halliday loves, the book is easy to enjoy, despite my misgivings that you had to share the same interests featured in the easter egg hunt in order to do so. Even if you're not well-versed as Parzival, Aech or Art3mis, the story is structured so your limited knowledge would merely be the additional sprinkles on top of the proverbially delicious ice cream sundae that is Ready Player One. And when you do know the pop culture references made throughout the book, you feel as if you're sharing in something special. It's probably why the book resonated with geeks, not just because the heroes are geeks, but because only geeks would understand the level of love one can have for their favorite forms of entertainment.
The OASIS universe is meant to be the main setting of Ready Player One, especially since the easter egg hunt can only be solved within it. Given its importance in the narrative, it was expected to appear more vibrant in description when compared to the much drearier real world. The real world building in Ready Player One is in OASIS itself, and it isn't hard to understand why people would rather fully live in the virtual world, especially with haptic suits and real time services that allow you to physically mimic what you feel or experience in the digital realm. But life exists outside of OASIS, primarily because it is there that dangers are very much real. When reality creeps in and Parzival is forced to live as the rather vulnerable human being named Wade, it's easy enough to understand why escapism is a way of life. Yet, it's during his time in the real world that I found myself all the more invested in Wade's growth as a human being.
Ready Player One reads like a great action adventure film, and its story is one that would translate well on the big screen, especially with Steven Spielberg directing its adaptation. I may be late to the party in loving this book, but if you're even later than I am, you should definitely get a copy.
Happy reading!!Labels: Adventure, Books, Dystopian, Ernest Cline, Fiction, Reading List, Ready Player One, Sci-fi
