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)

Great read!

If you are a gamer, a fan of the 80s pop culture or a fan or dystopian futures - this book is for you! Will Wheaton does a great job on this audio rendering.

Great!

Loved the book! Wanted to listen to the audio book on my second time through as well as to get Wil's performance and didn't disappoint! Loved it!

Best Audio book I've listened to all year

This was a great ride. Loved everything about it. A cool, nostalgic romp across everything 80's with adventure, big ideas, romance, and an extremely satisfying ending. Defines a generation.

Ready Player One: pure story glory

Drawing upon a seemingly, fathomless array of sub-pop culture references, Ernest Cline scrolls out this memorable tale with style and grace. His clever use of a past sought by many and a future yet to be seen, subtly drags our attention to the very real and important issues that every person faces in a lifetime.
Wheaton knocks it out of this park with this modern epic! If you aren't familiar with his work past or present, plan on becoming a fan.

You would love it if you love video games.

I really enjoyed the performance, but it wasn't my favorite story. If you are the type of person who watches others on YouTube play video games, you would have a blast!

Not just for fan boys

Being a kid of the 80's this was a great flashback. I loved trying to remember all the throwbacks Will Wheaton was a great reader i envisioned him as the character the whole time and it made it even funnier.

Amazing Book

By far one of the best books I have ever heard by the first chapter you are hooked

What a FUN story! And, LOTS of '80's trivia!

What did you love best about Ready Player One?

It was an enjoyable stroll down memory lane for those of us who lived through the early development of computer gaming, and the 80's!

What other book might you compare Ready Player One to and why?

It felt a little like

What about Wil Wheaton’s performance did you like?

Wil Wheaton did a great job - good inflections, great pronunciation, emphasis in the right places (as action increased), handled multiple voices well enough. OH, and, I especially liked when he came to the part in the book where there is a

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me want to keep listening! The plot is SO compelling...and fun. I was anxious to have more time to listen. I don't think there was any part where the pacing slipped or lagged. And, it speaks to everybody's

Any additional comments?

This book is very much worth the time! I can't say for certain that the audio-version was significantly a better experience than if I'd read the paper-version/e-version. But, hey...who doesn't like having a good story read to them??? Besides, for maximizing my in-car commute time - this audiobook was a real BLAST! (I hate when audiobooks start making me wish that my commute were LONGER! Drats and curses on you, Audible.com!!!!) [wink!]

New favorite

instant classic. the best book I've read in years. wish there was another to read lol

Freaking Amazing

A story filled with suspense, laughter, action, sadness, and love. You will have the sense of fulfillment after this book. This reality is around the corner.