Ready Player One

By: Ernest Cline

Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Now a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg.

“Enchanting . . . Willy Wonka meets The Matrix.”—USA Today • “As one adventure leads expertly to the next, time simply evaporates.”—Entertainment Weekly

A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready?

In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days.

When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune—and control of the OASIS itself.

Then Wade cracks the first clue. Suddenly he’s beset by rivals who’ll kill to take this prize. The race is on—and the only way to survive is to win.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Entertainment Weekly • San Francisco Chronicle • Village Voice • Chicago Sun-Times • iO9 • The AV Club

“Delightful . . . the grown-up’s Harry Potter.”—HuffPost

“An addictive read . . . part intergalactic scavenger hunt, part romance, and all heart.”—CNN

“A most excellent ride . . . Cline stuffs his novel with a cornucopia of pop culture, as if to wink to the reader.”—Boston Globe

“Ridiculously fun and large-hearted . . . Cline is that rare writer who can translate his own dorky enthusiasms into prose that’s both hilarious and compassionate.”—NPR

“[A] fantastic page-turner . . . starts out like a simple bit of fun and winds up feeling like a rich and plausible picture of future friendships in a world not too distant from our own.”—iO9

©2011 Ernest Cline (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

2017, Laura Hillenbrand Outstanding Literary Award, Winner

“The science-fiction writer John Scalzi has aptly referred to Ready Player One as a ‘nerdgasm’ [and] there can be no better one-word description of this ardent fantasy artifact about fantasy culture. . . . But Mr. Cline is able to incorporate his favorite toys and games into a perfectly accessible narrative.” (Janet Maslin, The New York Times)

“This non-gamer loved every page of Ready Player One.” (Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series)

A brilliant romp through my childhood

I am so happy that Wil Wheaton performed this audiobook. It was an excellent blend of nostalgia, humor and hopeful reward. This was recommended to me by a good friend and he was right, it is now one of my favorites. Thank you Ernest and Wil, for bringing this story to us all.

Clear pandering to 80's nostalgia, but too good...

If you are over 40, then simply listen to this book.
For all the ridiculous plot holes and mistakes in this book, it will still keep you in the moment and you'll be glad you used a credit for it.

exciting

seems straglely accurate about the future. I wanted to keep reading this is a must read.

Good Story

Story is good. Reading is "meh." I feel like Wheaton failed to capture a lot of the excitement and suspense as the book progressed. Good book though. Hope the movie holds up!

For classic gamers, geeks and nerds...loved it!

Any additional comments?

This book is for anyone with a geek gamer past, that remembers a time before playstation and xbox when the evolution of gaming changed so much in 10 years. It's full of references to the 80s, old school games, and connects those references with a dystopian modern future. The listener finds him or herself rooting for the main characters to survive and win. You play along in your head, remembering your own childhood or young adult memories with a sense of nostalgia and joy or commiserating in frustration with the characters.

Wil Wheaton is a wonderful narrator and a perfect fit for this book. He reads the book flawlessly as if reading a movie script. He isn't overly dramatic or cartoonish with trying to change his voice to fit female characters. The underlying tone of sarcasm is perfect and interjected throughout the book.

a mental health saver

I was locked out of house in the cold for 2 hours waiting on someome with a key to come home. I was already having a bad day before this. I needed something to distract me nothing worked until this book. Loved every nerd moment.

Amazing

I loved it all. The whole story was a nice wrap up to the book. Bla Bla Bla fill up space...

It's a Page Turner

Would you listen to Ready Player One again? Why?

Really couldn't put the story down until it was done. Enjoyed both the story and the narration.

If you're a fan of the 80s you will love this

Good story, a little cheesy at times but overall very good, hope the movie adaptation is just as good

I read others reviews

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. I love good sci fi with sum humor and well developed characters that I can easily visualize. This is a story for a contemporary audience with some knowledge of online games. Loved Wil Wheaton's narration. Characters were well developed. I know a book is good when I can't wait to get back to listening to it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ready Player One?

Dont want to spoil this for anyone.

Which scene was your favorite?

Meeting the real players.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

In a broken world could online game characters be more fun than some people's reality?