"Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline

Set in the future, the world has become a rather dark & bleak place. Too many people and not enough resources, the only real escape for anyone is in a virtual reality program known as the Oasis. Most everyone spends as much time as they can in the Oasis, which is much more pleasant than the real world as well as a source of free entertainment for most people. Even many schools now take place inside the Oasis.

When James Halliday dies, he initiates a contest in the Oasis. His will leaves virtually everything he owns, including control of the Oasis, to whomever solves 3 challenges and finds the Easter Egg he has hidden within the Oasis. Winning this contest has become an obsession for many people as it would forever change their lives for the better. However Innovative Online Industries (IOI), is determined to win the contest at any cost and take control of Gregarious Simulation Systems. As the owners of the Oasis, they would be able to do as they please with it, which most people assume means charging people large sums of money to use something that until then had been free for everyone.

This book has been recently turned into a motion picture. For those who have seen “Ready Player One” but have not yet read the book, you should be aware that much was changed from the book. Does this make either the movie or the book less enjoyable? In my opinion, the answer is no it does not. I have both seen the movie and read the book, and despite the differences between the two, I loved them both. And while there are many differences between them, both are highly enjoyable, especially if like me, you were a child of the 1980’s and grew up with most of the things referenced in both the book and the movie.

I most definitely enjoyed reading this book. It was very well written and well edited. The many, many 80’s references were very entertaining and had me reminiscing about songs, movies, TV shows, video games, and commercials that I have neither seen nor thought about in years. I consider this book to be one of my new favorite guilty pleasures. I’m very glad that I read it as well as saw the movie it was turned into. I would recommend both seeing the movie and definitely reading this book.