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)

Best book of 2011

Hand down this is the best book of the year for me! What a story! This is going to make an AMAZING movie and I really hope someone good does it! Anyone who grew up during the 1980s would totally get this book and I believe enjoy it! I am envious of anyone reading this for the first time.

Fantastic book!

I was hooked and couldn't stop listening. It brought back so many memories of that time period in my life. Very engaging story.

A fun story, even if you're not a gamer

I'm the mom of boys who turned out to be geeks as adults and who were gamers..first with D&D (even though we parents were warned that it was a "Tool of Satan"..my son was a Boy Scout when he first learned programming at a tour of Tecktronix..a company in Beaverton. He came home and said "I know what I want to do" And he did, remaining a gamer until he got older. He learned a lot after enlisting in the Army and ran a big IBM main frame in Germany for 7 years-came home and remains a hot programmer at 53. He really enjoyed this book also.

I relate this story because many women might think this isn't up their alley..think again!
It's exciting and says a lot..even though we don't have what the people in this novel have, and hopefully never get this bad!

Give the book a try..then read Clines newest book "Armada" which actually takes place here in Beaverton, Oregon..home of Tecktronix ..it was too strange to hear the beginning of the book when Cline talks about local arcades such as "Malibu Grand Prix"..a place my sons haunted when they were young...

Such fun!

Great story though..

the narrator was improper for this title. his age and voice are not suitable. thank you.

great book for all geeks out there

Couldn't stop listening to the book.
Wil Wheaton wouldn't be my first choice but he was great at it to my surprise.

Thoroughly enjoyable read.

I blitzed through this book, it's alot of fun. A must read for any geek.

Genius

Any additional comments?

I loved this book. The overall story is captivating. I couldn't stop listening. And anyone who gamed, listened to music, or watched TV in the 80s will appreciate the trivia and get the jokes and references. That being said, even my 13 year-old niece loved it. Being a Generation Xer is not required.

I couldn't stop listening

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

I have heard it is "davinci code" - "religion" + "80's trivia" and in a lot of ways I agree this assessment. Only I think the character development is better in ready player one.

What does Wil Wheaton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I have listened to multiple books read by Wil Wheaton. I like his style. He puts the right emotion and emphasis in the right place.
Overall I think he has always helped make the book better when I have listened.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I can't choose one. The entire book has you sitting on edge wondering what will happen next. At the same time it intermixes enough character developement that really makes you care about the main character.

Any additional comments?

I definitely recommend this book to anyone. I have finished a lot of audible books (Ready player one is number 111 for me.) and I have to say ready player one is one of my favorites. Definitely in my top 10, probably top 5 for me.

The only part I didn't like was the opening of the book where in my opinion it was a lame attempt at what happens with global collapse due to mans abuse of nature. I little hippie liberal to me. But the author did not use it as a soap box and it did not stay that way for long. Instead the author only used it to set up the perfect universe for an amazing book and moved on with a great story.

A must read for any geek, nerd, or dork!

I'm super excited for this to come to the silver screen and I hope it's just as enjoyable as the book was. It's time to move onto a new book but this was definitely one of my favorites for 2015.

Lots of Fun (note: admitted 80s geek)

The mechanics of the game and story were a little convenient at times, but plausible enough to suspend disbelief. Really enjoyed all of the 80s references and the computer/video game history. Thoroughly enjoyed the premise and got a kick out of Will Wheaton as the narrator. He did a bang up job as well.