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)

Loved this book!

This book was great, and it was well read! It left me wanting more for sure!

Wil Wheaton captures what this book is about

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

An Intense Adventure

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ready Player One?

There is a moment near the end of the book where the main character is behind enemy lines, so to speak, and he's dealing with a ton of bureaucratic nonsense. There is a lot at stake and I really enjoyed hearing about what was happening because I wasn't entirely sure how it would play out.

What about Wil Wheaton’s performance did you like?

A great deal of the book is the main character expressing his disdain for posers and anything that isn't a part of his pop-culture obsession. Wil is a natural at projecting this emotion.

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

There was a moment where things look bad for Wade, he's lot a lot of what he cares about and the bad guys seem to be on the verge of winning. I had to avoid listening for a day or so. Wasn't sure I was ready to hear what happened next.

Any additional comments?

I had wanted to go through the book before seeing the movie and now I really don't feel like the movie could possibly measure up.

loved it

I was sad it was over, maybe they will have a second book. I loved it and would recommend it to everyone.

Captivating

This book captured my interest from the beginning. Rarely do I like science-fiction however, I’m not sure it is classified as sci-if.
Highly recommend

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Awesome Book

The story line and ending of this book were amazing!
The reader was really good as well.

Great read but even better listen

Where does Ready Player One rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have listened to many audiobooks but this one ranks near the top. The story kept me interested throughout and I enjoyed the narrator.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Artemis because she wasn't a stereotypical girl character. And I enjoyed Wil Wheaton's take on her voice.

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

Wil Wheaton was great. A lot of times with audiobooks I get annoyed by the narrator but he has a voice that I could listen to forever.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A better reality awaits. (Since it's an actual tag line of the movie.)

Any additional comments?

I haven't seen the movie yet because I wanted to read the book first but if it's as half as good as the book I'll be satisfied.

Narration god

Wil Wheaton does an excellent job at the narration. The story was captivating and good for anyone who likes fantasy

This is an awesome book and performance.

I had a hard time turning this off to do things that needed to be done. Even on my 4th and 5th time thru it. There was no droning on by the reader either.

very engaging!

listened on overnight road trip, definitely kept our attention! good narration and story, lots of listening hours.