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)

pure geek culture amazingness

As someone who grew up with the pop culture greatness that this book touched on, I definitely enjoyed this amazing story with glee and a sense of adventure I haven't felt since I was a kid.

loved it!

The story was a fabulous take on the future that lies ahead of us.

I cannot believe how much I liked this book

A friend recommended this and although I am not a huge video game fan, he raved so much (and I was slightly geeked out that it was read by Westley Crusher) that I decided to go ahead and order. Could NOT stop listening. It was so good from start to finish!

WOW!!!! Ummmm..... YES!!!!

I graduated high school in 1989 and this book caused me to relive so much of my junior high and high school years!!! Please do yourself a favor and listen to this book. Cline combines the future with the best decade in history, the 80's, in a non stop adventure thriller!!!! He caused memories of things that I experienced that I had totally forgot about!! A PURE GEM!!! And, Wil Wheaton does a remarkable job telling the story!!!

Excellent vision of a terrifying possible future.

As a child of the 80s and an early adopter of mmo's this story hit very close to home for me! This is some good science fiction. I like how today's identity politics were dealt with. I can't believe that Anarack was Z's father! That wasn't the twist i was looking for.

It got a little lost in the middle

Personally, I felt this was a great book. That was, until they shoe horned in a romance in the center and the characters lost all point. I get that love can make us fools, but I could have cared less about the dating between the two main chars. I actually stopped listening to this for a few weeks because of it. The only reason I finished was some friends encouraging me to power through the middle.

The ending was worth it. I enjoyed this book, but I could have done without the lagging romance. Wil Wheaton was a great narrator. I say give this book a try. If you care even a little for pop culture. then you can't go wrong.

Fun with lots of nostalgic references

If you could sum up Ready Player One in three words, what would they be?

Fun, nostalgic, unique

What did you like best about this story?

The well-researched and detailed references to classic video games, such as the perfect game in Pac-Man and the bug in Tempest that gives you free lives.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the first challenge was to beat the creature by playing the video game Joust. Me and my friend used to play that stand-up arcade game at a local gas station. It was awesome.

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

The author really understood the cultural references he was talking about. He must be my age, and he must have grown up with arcade games and the Apple II like me and my friends. Also, the references to obscure TV shows -- especially the Japanese show with Giant Robots that live in a volcano -- and pop music. The story was great, but maybe a bit too long. As much as I liked it early on, towards the end it held my attention less.

Any additional comments?

« Ready Player One » reminds me of « The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy » -- another 80s cultural reference. Overall, a fun and unusual story.

worth a listen

i liked it a lot but i feel like it'll be a better movie, and i usually like books better. i hope the movie does it justice, they could really do some cool things in it.

Amazing

Didn't want to stop listening. Almost late to work one day because I had to know what happened next. Wil Wheaton gave the story life.

Glad I finally listened!

If you're thinking about buying this book, stop thinking and just do it! Great story, both fun and epic and Wil Wheaton's performance really rounds out a great experience.