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)

Blew my mind

The lore, the excitement, the "everything about this book" kept me wanting to escape reality to listen to the book. I will be grabbing a hard copy and reading it old school like.
Do yourself a favor and enjoy this book!

wow

Loved it, couldn't put it down! Awesome narration. Think this might be one of my favorite books now!

An absolute blast of a book!!!!!!!!

I really loved this book. It was a total blast to listen to. One of my all time favorite books! If you are a gen X, you should get this book.

loved it

the best comparison. I can think of is that it's like a super nerdy DaVinci code. definitely one of my new favorite!!

finished it in 1 sitting

great book if u can keep up with all the 80s and pop culture. very detailed descriptions of the world and characters

80s Nostalgia

if you like video games and pop culture based on the 80s you'll love this book.

70's child rediscovers childhood

As a person born in the mid 70's, I found myself loving every detail of the book. The references from the past were like watching my own memories being narrated by Will Wheaton. The odyssey system was world that I wish we could create. The whole concept of the story and the performance was off the charts. The description of everything reminded me of reading the old Michael Stackpole Battletech books. You can see everything through the descriptions. I highly recommend this book for anyone who lived through the eighties. My one issue is that as a Christian I disliked the atheist rant near the beginning of the book and the unnecessary cursing. As a geek who wasn't always saved, it was Totally Awesome!

Epic 70s and 80s trivia, references, and more! If

If you grew up in the 80's, don't miss this book. It's a great read!

Amazing book and Will is a god!!

Will Wheaton as the narrator of this book is sublime. I couldn't think of a more appropriate person to read a book filled with such geek/nerd references. I absolutely devoured this book and couldn't wait until the next time I could listen. A highly engaging and entertaining read!!!!

interesting story

Story was fun. Dialog was authentic to what you would expect from kids who grew up on the equivalent of the internet. While accurate, that was sometimes difficult to endure.