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)

Wil Wheaton is the best thing about this.

I selected this because I follow Wil Wheaton on Facebook and several people praised his performance and said they enjoyed the story. The reading was excellent - I think he added nuance to Wade's character. I will seek out more books read by Mr. Wheaton

The story was engaging - I didn't get bored listening to it. But it felt self-serving to a degree that diminished my enjoyment. I'm all in favor of wish-fulfillment narratives and general geeking out. But the author's voice blended with the main character to an intrusive degree at times. And, while the protagonist does have friends who help him achieve his goals, they seem mostly to exist as props for his storyline. Obviously that's their purpose in the story, but it seems to be their purpose in the fictional universe as well.

The author made some effort to include non-white and non-male characters, which is a lot more than many in speculative fiction, but it comes off as rather token-y. B for effort and C for execution.

Also, if you're writing a book specifically about the Geekiest Geek Who Ever Geeked and Who Knows All the Geek things, you should really be aware that it's not "The Serenity." It's just Serenity.

one of the best books I've ever read. Love it!!

The beginning of the book seemed kinda unnecessary at times, but the rest of the book was FANTASTIC!!!

What I expected and more!

Going into this I was nervous I was not gonna enjoy this because I am not a hardcore gamer, but that was not an issue for a second. Some of the best book mythologies yet. Awesome novel, looking forward to Spielberg's interpretation in 2018!

wow

again and again i am amazed by the story! will read again and again ha!

New age ScyFy

Riveting storytelling with a pace that keeps you glued to the page. Narration by Will Wheaton certainly makes this book fly.

Even better the second time through!!!

Wow. I cannot recommend this book enough. It's been a year since I first read it. It was great then. A true adventure full of great characters, an explosion of 80s culture which made me feel like a kid again, and surprises that are truly unique and original in this media saturated culture. There's lots of books in the genre of Ready Player One, but this is the one that stands at the top of the hill.
Thanks Ernie for this book. I now know that this will be one that I will reread several more times throughout my life. It is inspiring, fun, exciting beyond belief, and just full of good feelings that give you faith in humanity.
If you haven't. Buy the book already. Jeez.

Ready Player One is by far my favorite book!

The narrator, Will Wheaton, read Ready Player One excellently. I had read it myself, before listening to the audiobook, so I couldn't feel all of the shock and awe that I felt when I first read the book, but thanks to Mr. Wheaton, I came very close. I was excited to see that it was him reading it, seeing as how he played the roll of Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: Next Generation. It was also quite fitting, considering the fact that the book is about nerds, geeks and videogame enthusiasts such as myself.

Ready Player One is an amazing book, and I would recommend it to anyone with good taste in movies (as long as they have enjoyed some Spielberg movies, they qualify), an interest in old school games, fantasy, science fiction, or romance.

Ready Player One is a book I cannot imagine being a regretful purchase for anyone.

Too cool!

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. The classic 80's references are fantastic and elicit tons of laughs.

a) the 80's, b) video games, c) dystoptian future

Great combination of some of my favorite things! If you love 80's pop culture, video games of any kind, and/or books that take place in a dark future world, this book is for you! I was highly entertained and the story hooked me. Play on, player!

Edge of your seat for gamers/80slover/action fans

Will Wheaton does a wonderful job with the tones of the story and characters, one of the reasons I purchased this book after hearing many great things. His voice starts to remind me of the narrator of The Wonder Years. The story is one of the achievements of an underdog and a horrid future that seems very plausible. I enjoyed the 80's movie and game references, the love story, and the weird futuristic living circumstances. Not thrilled about the trailer of the moving coming out - you will want to read this book vs. the movie I'm sure! Couldn't wait to see what happened next, it keeps you guessing.