• Ready Player One

  • By: Ernest Cline
  • Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
  • Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (258,526 ratings)

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Ready Player One  By  cover art

Ready Player One

By: Ernest Cline
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
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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)

Featured Article: 20+ of the Best Ready Player One Quotes About Life, Honesty, Faith, and Reality


Before Ready Player One became a box office hit, it was a beloved gem by author Ernest Cline. It won countless fans for its strong and engaging storyline, relatable characters, and heart-pounding action. Part of what makes the story so memorable is that it’s more than it appears at surface level. Not just a sci-fi/fantasy romp, it has real-world lessons about the dangers posed by invasive tech, the impact of poverty, and the human desire for belonging.

What listeners say about Ready Player One

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    213,090
  • 4 Stars
    34,736
  • 3 Stars
    7,190
  • 2 Stars
    1,972
  • 1 Stars
    1,539
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    6,420
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    1,377
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    948
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    192,689
  • 4 Stars
    33,724
  • 3 Stars
    8,282
  • 2 Stars
    2,344
  • 1 Stars
    1,738

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    5 out of 5 stars

Totally worth it!

Whole family listened on a road trip...ages 8-42 all LOVED it!! You will too!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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amazing

loved so much i listened to it twice back to back can't wait for the second

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great read

Wil Wheaton Rocks. Great story and great listen. Can't wait for more. Hope there is a second book.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it!

A lot different from the movie, so don’t expect to know what’s going on. But that’s a good thing! I really enjoyed the story, and Will did a fantastic job reading! 5 stars.

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great listen

love it!!have listened to it several times and will be listening to it again tonight

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fun story

Wheaton adds some nostalgia, but that's about it. He over-pronounces ALMOST to the point of annoyance. However, it isn't so distracting that you cannot enjoy the story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing book

I loved this book. As a huge fan of games and the 80's, it was great!!!!!

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Ready Player One

An enjoyable piece of escape fiction that kept me involved until the end. I really enjoyed Will Wheaton’s presentation.

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Awesome reading. WAY better than the movie.

I've listened to this title at least 25 times. Wil Wheaton and Ernest Cline NEVER get old.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great story until the last two chapters

The author spent a lot of words to describe legacy games and how the main characters beat the games and bad guys in real life. In the end, he decided to let the main character, Wade, win the game, receive the ultimate reward, meet his true love, which could be a awesome happy ending. My problem is after that Wade felt no need to play the game, because his real life was fulfilled with happiness. This implication makes the whole book fall into the cliche that “playing video game is a waste of time, what is more important and meaningful is the real life”.

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