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)

Outstanding

If you're a child of the 80's as I am, then this is a must-read. Wil did an amazing job as well, I don't know why he doesn't do more audiobook work.

Fantastic!!

At first I was apprehensive about the narrator, but the performance was spectacular. I can't honestly say enough about how enjoyable this book was, it deserves to be put right on the shelf with Ender's Game, The Forever War and The Dark Tower novels. A great read for sure.

Great book + phenomenal performance = Love

What did you love best about Ready Player One?

Wil Wheaton's performance was the best I've ever heard in an audiobook. He captures all the subtle nuance of the text and makes it a joy to hear.

Loved this book!!

I'm a gamer and it really hit the spot. I'm not a huge book person but this book made me want to listen to it as I did chores and such. great book and I recommend it to everyone even if you are not a gamer!

A thrilling adventure for non-gamers and gamers

I couldn't put this book down (figuratively). It took me on a ride through my childhood (70s /80s kid) while taking me on an adventure where the teens try to save the world (virtual) as in so many 80s movies that I love. A good analogy might be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (original movie) meets Enders Game (book).

amazing

I loved every second. made me miss MMOs so much. so much nostalgia. great story. recommit to all my friends

it was very good

this is a amazing book and I can't wait till their and I want to give props to the wither

Great LitRPG

This was my second reading . In the beginning there is a lot of name dropping in reference to the 80s that some may find a little excessive. Once the characters are introduced and the plot is laid out, it is used mainly as a quick reference to what the character is experiencing or remembers in his research. The egg hunt is based on the game developer's life experience during the 80s, so it is to be expected. The story has a lot of great litrpg elements and blends it very well with live action. Most litrpgs take place only in the game. The game has multiple worlds that users can visit, leveling up, artifacts, etc. It combines this with the character's real world struggles very well. The narration from Wil was very good. He doesn't give each character their own voice, but it is easy to follow which character he is speaking for. Great read.

Amazing

This book was extraordinary. It was a lot of fun. You will love it. Wil Wheaton did an extraordinary job narrating it. Enjoy.

Dynamic and entertaining. Couldn't stop listening

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

Exciting, entertaining and consuming

Who was your favorite character and why?

Artemis because she was a female gamer

What about Wil Wheaton’s performance did you like?

Entertaining

Any additional comments?

This was my first audiobook and made me a lover of audiobooks.