Book Review: Ready Player One

Title: Ready Player One

Author: Ernest Cline

Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction

Publication Year: 2011

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

I sh*t you not, I read this entire book in six hours and 27 minutes. I know because I read for an hour and then set my alarm for 5:30 am, intending to get some sleep before work. GUESS WHAT? I did not sleep before work. I finished reading at 5:27 am. It’s been a LONG time since a book has captured me so thoroughly that I pulled an all-nighter just for the joy of reading. The last time I needed to finish a book that badly, I was reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the first time back in 2007. Some of the words I’d use to describe it? Fascinating, rich, and exhilarating—and that doesn’t even scratch the surface.

This book is a pop culture history lesson, video game encyclopedia, adventure, action, mystery, and romance, all rolled into one. It’s also an amazing commentary on the dangers of affording corporations too much power and agency at the cost of the individual. I aspire to write plots and characters as complex and fascinating as Clive’s. I can see how some of the gamer jargon might be a little daunting for the layperson, but I can promise that the story itself is well worth the extra mental processing required. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and monumentally pleased by the outcome. I was completely floored, and I’ll probably read it again.

If you’re thinking of not reading the book because you’ve seen the movie, think again thot. The movie was great too (if you disagree, please don’t @ me and let me live), but the characters and plot points varied pretty drastically. The dynamics between the characters is the major difference—and the book is just a touch darker than the movie in terms of subject matter.

I hope this book affords you as much enjoyment as it afforded me. I’m gonna go struggle through my intensely sleep-deprived work day now. Thanks for reading and let me know if you have questions! :D