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)

Not just a book banking on Nostalgia.

the story was captivating. it normally takes me anywhere between 8 and 12 chapters to be immersed into a book, but this one did it in about 2 or 3. the story is good and well thought out. while it has a lot of fun Nostalgia moments, it doesnt bank on this to make the story good and fun. even for people who never played these arcade 80s games, the story isnt lost on you.

my only performance gripe is that I know Will Wheaton's voice so well, it sometimes pulled me out of immersion while reading. but he still does an amazing job and the fact that you know Will grew up in the 80s and has enjoyed the majority of the references in this book go a long way to portraying the feelings of the characters, which i appreciate and enjoy.

One of SF Greats

This book came to my attention a while back. I read it was an awesome book..and it is. I graduated HS in 1984...there are HUNDREDS of references to the 80s..many which l have not thought about for DECADES! I am now a huuuugee fan of Cline. The story was one that any person who has a recollection of gaming and pop culture from that period should absolutely love. Also...it gives us glimpses into what gaming may continue to develop into. Will Wheaton did a fantastic job narrating. Definitely worth this month's Audible Credit! Don't think...select it now!

Great read, but some dull parts.

Awesome for gamers from the 80s. Lots of nostalgia, and a great adventure story. The geek out is a little strong and overly done sometimes though.

great story

I loved it. I've listened to it 3 times now. As a kid of the 80's and 90's, it really rings true.

book is always better

so much more to sink your teeth into than the movie, highly recommend giving this a listen.

Loved the book, and great read by Will Wheaton

So, I saw the movie first and really liked it, then I saw Will Wheaton was narrating the book and wanted to get it to hear the story again. Surprise..., well maybe not... the bare bones of the story I saw in the movie is there, but the rest is really different...and very good! I really loved the book, and appreciated all the detail. So much more in the book than the movie, and Will Wheaton did a great job reading it. I am going to get the next one in the series. I think it's well worth the spend for the book, and if you have a little bit of a geeky side like me you will love it even more :-)

Religious Individuals: listen with an open mind

I absolutely loved this book. I read previous ratings and I think it is important to remember this: most books accept christianity as canon. That being said, in this book, this world has got to a point where religious beliefs are not canon and considered unrealistic and optimistic. Please keep this in mind when listening to this book. The main character does not believe in god and sometimes vocalizes this, this is not an attack on YOUR beliefs if you do believe in god. This is a futuristic adaptation of what the would could be like if a VR system took precident in society and it is written very well. It just so happens to have an atheistic/agnostic main character. In a world where the only two acceptable narration standpoints are christain or not mentioning religion at all, I welcomed the challenge of my beliefs and enjoyed the VR, pop culture, and rpg references along the way.

childhood revelry and character celebrations

The premise of the novel is becoming all too true of how our society is operating. The message of hope, love and investment in real time relationships and real world solutions is the undertone for this fantastic cyber adventure. the characters are well developed and a joy to walk alongside as they fumble. grow and triumph. Wil Wheaton's reading performance is excellent. each character has her/his own tone and the inflection and pauses he uses to increase the suspense of the over all story are superb. I particularly enjoy the slight surprise intinging Wil's voice when he, himself, makes a brief appearance in the writing. it is obvious he wasn't expecting it.

Perfect mix

The book was amazing. Such a great mix of pop culture and modern technology that could be around in the near future. Also a strong message and how time can be remembered

Fun Story But Not Original

Great romp and Wil Wheaton was the perfect narrator (audio actor?). But the story premise is far from original - gaming/internet mystery and clue search after billionaire game mogul dies was done by Daniel Suarez two years earlier in his book “Daemon”. Wheaton even sounds like this narrator Jess Gurner. Good thing both are worth the listen.