Armada

A Novel

De: Ernest Cline

Narrado por: Wil Wheaton

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A rollicking alien invasion thriller that embraces and subverts science-fiction conventions, from the author of the worldwide phenomenon Ready Player One

“Exciting . . . mixes Star Wars, The Last Starfighter, Independence Day, and a really gnarly round of Space Invaders.”—USA Today • “A thrilling coming of age story.”—Entertainment Weekly

Zack Lightman has never much cared for reality. He vastly prefers the countless science-fiction movies, books, and videogames he's spent his life consuming. And too often, he catches himself wishing that some fantastic, impossible, world-altering event could arrive to whisk him off on a grand spacefaring adventure.

So when he sees the flying saucer, he's sure his years of escapism have finally tipped over into madness.

Especially because the alien ship he's staring at is straight out of his favorite videogame, a flight simulator callled Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting Earth from alien invaders.

As impossible as it seems, what Zack's seeing is all too real. And it's just the first in a blur of revlations that will force him to question everything he thought he knew about Earth's history, its future, even his own life--and to play the hero for real, with humanity's life in the balance.

But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can't help thinking: Doesn't something about this scenario feel a little bit like . . . well . . . fiction?

At once reinventing and paying homage to science-fiction classics, Armada is a rollicking, surprising thriller, a coming-of-age adventure, and an alien invasion tale like nothing you've ever heard before.

©2015 Ernest Cline (P)2015 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Nerd-gasmic . . . another science fiction tale with a Comic-Con's worth of pop-culture shout-outs.”—Rolling Stone

“An amazing novel [that] proves Cline has the ability to blend popular culture with exciting stories that appeal to everyone.”—Associated Press

“A fantastic second novel . . . fans of Ready Player One, it is time to rejoice.”—HuffPost

Sophomore Slump

If you read the summary, you know going into this that it's essentially The Last Starfighter with a dash of Ender's Game for good measure. After the incredible originality and genius of Ready Player One, I suspected there was so much more to this one that could not be revealed by a publisher's blurb.

How wrong I was.

I spent the bulk of this novel knowing that Cline was in his element and so much better than this. I think what we have here is the classic example of the "sophomore slump" book.

That said... die-hard video gamers will still find plenty to enjoy about this one, as will those who live for the pop culture reference. Take it on its own and try not to compare, and it has a fighting chance to win you over. I'm largely unable to view anything in a vacuum, hence my disappointment.

Wil Wheaton once more lends his geek cred and delivers a stellar performance. He and Cline practically share the same soul on this material, so he's the natural choice to narrate all of Cline's work.

Awesome!!

This book is nothing short of amazing! It engaged my minds eye on a level that so many books are rare to do..

Just o.k.

I enjoyed RP1 very much. It was fresh and unique. That being said, I was hoping for the same uniqueness in this book, that made that book entertaining. This wasn't it...for me.
I thought some of it was interesting, but it really didn't keep me glued to my ipod like RP1. It was more of the same, but less so, if you understand that.
Also, I wasn't as taken with the characters this time. Except for Zack, the back stories on the other characters were just not interesting enough to make me care if they lived or died.
Zack's "bad boy" act because of the way his Father died, just made me want to smack him and say "grow up".
I looked forward to this book, but now I'll be a little more discerning with the next offering from Mr. Cline.

wrongfully sceptical

sceptical at first but once I fell into it's groove the book had me. a lot of fun.

Good but no RP1

I enjoyed it. Won't listen to it again.
Now filling up enough words to submit.

Loved it!

I've come to terms with the fact that I'm a nerd. It took awhile but here I am. Because I'm a nerd I loved it. That is all.

Good entertaining listen

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun story. It is not a literal masterpiece by any means. But good nonetheless. Slightly predictable was the storyline. And the ending left me wanting more. I'm definitely glad I bought it.

253 reviews in 61 hours, that says it all.

Would you consider the audio edition of Armada to be better than the print version?

Most definitely. Wil brings to the book everything you'd hope for. Though his character voices aren't drastically different as Luke Daniels does, they are spoken differently enough that I never have any confusion when Wil narrates.

What other book might you compare Armada to and why?

An obvious comparison is to Ready Player One. It has a similar slow start because he is setting up everything and reminiscing on the 80s, but even during that, it is entertaining enough to keep listening. The whole book kept me wanting to listen.

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

Wil brings to the book everything you'd hope for. Though his character voices aren't drastically different as Luke Daniels does, they are spoken differently enough that I never have any confusion when Wil narrates.

Wait, you lazy bastard cant even type anything new here, you have to plagiarize your own crap from two questions ago?

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

Really? How horrible are you Audible trying to get me to spoil something. Let me say this, you'll know the part when it happens to you. You see some things coming, but even still they get you.

Any additional comments?

Damn right I have additional comments!
I powered through this book in 2 days. I listened to it while at work because I was that excited for this book. Now that I am finished with it, I probably wont listen to it again, for about 10 minutes, because I have to do more work that requires my full attention. Yeah, I think I'll listen to this at least 1 more time, maybe 2 more times before I go onto something else.

Ernest Cline does it again

As filled with as much nostalgia and 80s film pop culture , as well as modern gaming mixed with retro as 'Ready Player One'. I hope Ernest never stops providing this style of writing.

Good book, worth listening.It's not Ready Player 2

What made the experience of listening to Armada the most enjoyable?

Wil Wheaton was a great narrator. Easy to understand. Voice and inflection were consistent with Characters and situations.

Also, the 80s/90s references were great and sometimes subtle. The subtle and not-so-subtle references to Wil Wheaton roles were funny. (I suspect The Last Starfight would have been a blockbuster, and Wheaton would have been a megastar if they hadn't deleted his breakout role.)

What other book might you compare Armada to and why?

Ready Player One (RP1) is the obvious comparison, movies/book war of the worlds, V, and revenge of the nerds also compare.

Armada was similar to RP1 in a lot of ways, with historical references and a gamer protaganist. Armada wasn't as new/original feeling as RP1, but that might have been because I had already read RP1. The concept that video games were a worthwhile pursuit, with beneficial effects, rather than just mindless entertainment, was similar to RP1.

It also reminded me of War of the Worlds & V (miniseries) and appeared to be mocking them when one of the main questions is: Why did aliens cross the stars to do this? [WoW's explanations of "because humans are the most tasty creatures in the universe" and V's explanation of "they were getting H20, the third most common molecule in the universe.]

What about Wil Wheaton’s performance did you like?

Wheaton had a great delivery. It was an "easy listen" and easy to suspend disbelief.

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

Nothing particularly "moved" me. However, there were a number of places where I laughed out loud at references and remembering various things.

Any additional comments?

I reserved this audiobook, based on Ready Player One and am happy I did. If Cline comes out with a thrid book, I will also reserve that one.