Devouring Books: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

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"You'd be amazed how much research you can get done when you have no life whatsoever."
I can't even describe to you how much fun I had reading Ready Player One. It was on my radar for a while, because that's what happens when Alley and Alice both read a book and say it's awesome, but I put off reading it because... Well, it seems stupid now, but I was like 'but what if I don't get the 80s pop culture references, and I don't like video games that much...' etc. But then Kit of Books are my Boyfriends got REALLY excited about it, and it finally gave me that extra push to read it.

And, as The Sisters Brothers already proved, I should really listen to my internet friends more often.
Totally what everyone is doing right now.
Because, just for a start, reading Ready Player One was seriously the most fun reading experience I've had for a while. It's not like I can say that the writing is perfect, or that it didn't have problems (probably...) but it genuinely brought me so much pure JOY that I can't criticise it in any way because that would kind of cheapen the experience of reading it. Which, if I haven't mentioned it yet, was SO MUCH FUN!
Let's see, I should tell you something about the book, correct? It's basically set about 30 years in the future, where civilisation has ever so slightly collapsed in the real world, but a virtual world (the Oasis) which takes place entirely on the internet (well, it kind of is the internet) has strengthened and become the only place to be. The bleakness of the real world is matched only by the awesomeness of the Oasis. To make things a little spicier, hidden in the Oasis are some easter eggs that, if all are obtained, lead one Oasis user to the late creator of the Oasis's billion dollar fortune. Enter our hero, Wade Watts, and his search for the hidden clues and keys within the Oasis.

And, I mean, wow. Cline is quite clearly a massive nerd, and, presumably lacking the skills to code a computer game, has somehow managed to put one in a novel, whilst also creating relationships between characters who have never seen each others faces, and exploring social issues and the underlying loneliness of the people who exist more in the virtual world than the real one. It is these latter things that made the book something more than just a thrilling game, which, admittedly wouldn't have been the worst, but would have been a lot more one dimensional than it actually is. The sadder parts made the Oasis seem even more vivid, even more exciting, for what it allows its characters to escape.

But let's talk about the fun parts! I'm willing to admit that I hadn't heard of the vast majority of the games mentioned (and I'm fairly certain that Cline could have gotten even more obscure, so... Thanks for keeping Pac-man in there, man!) but they were well described enough to get a good idea of what they'd look like, and besides, all you really need is to have faith that Wade is going to be able to play them well. Fortunately, too, there are plenty of other 80s pop culture references that I totally got (Back to the Future ftw!) and with each one I definitely got a little burst of excitement at the recognition I felt. I mean, I understand the impulse that comes with being obsessed with video games and movies and music, even if I kind of switch 'video games' with 'books'. I'm still dedicatedly a nerd, and this book really appeals to my nerd instincts.

There is SO much more I could say about Ready Player One- I haven't even covered the way it goes about approaching internet friendships, or how it really, in spite of what you might think, advocates a balanced life as opposed to one lived entirely in virtual reality, and how I love that, and also OMG more awesome 80s references. But, instead, I'll just repeat that THIS BOOK IS SO MUCH FUN and wait for you to come back and thank me when you've read it. You're already welcome.