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)

awsome!

an amazing book for anyone but especially a video game lover, absolutely worth it. highly recommended!

Excellent

Ready Player One is set in the future after a global energy crisis. Fossil fuels have been depleted and all of humanity retreats into an online world called The Oasis. The creator of The Oasis, James Halliday who was a teenager during the 1980's thus an enthusiast of all things originating in 1980's pop culture, hides an Easter Egg in The Oasis. On the day of his death, Halliday announces whoever finds the Easter Egg wins ownership of The Oasis and a large sum of money. The story follows a teenager, Wade Watts, who is obsessed with Mr. Halliday and cultivates a love for all the things James Halliday loved.

The movie adaptation does not follow the events of the book although some key dialog was retained.

The narration by Wil Wheaton brought this story to life. The narration was so good that I may have been ruined for all other audiobooks. I definitely recommend this book and even more fervently recommend listening to the audiobook.

First book on tape

Was so well read I was glued to this one. Listened to it almost straight through in one shot.

better than expected

this was a great book, seeing the movie this weekend, hope it's close to as good as this book. will Wheaton was a great narrator.

one of the most entertaining stories ever

Went into this thinking finishing in two weeks would be tough, finished in 2 days

Exhilarating

By chapter 3 I was completely hooked and geeking out. Finished the whole thing in 4 days.

awesome narrator and story

loved it! I actually would listen to this again. it was so good! the narrator was perfect for this book. ❤

Overall, a great story!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I really enjoyed the story and the trials that the characters had to go through to reach their ultimate goal.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked how the progression worked. While a bit slow to start, the climax was much more satisfying than expected.

Have you listened to any of Wil Wheaton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not but I certainly will in the future! His emotions really helped get myself into the story being told.

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

I did laugh at quite a few parts.

Any additional comments?

Definitely worth listening to. The combination of the story and Wil Wheaton's reading performance was amazing.

overall good read.

Went long in some places like describing the high score list and detailing all tech if your a geek you can understand and appreciate it but if not you can find your self skipping through it. but overall pretty good.

Could be better

My friends works in VR describes this as their daily Bible. However, I feel the book fails back to the same old
internet is not good, we should have human interaction' logic with a VR mask.