Ready Player One

By: Ernest Cline

4/5 🎮

The year is 2044 and the world is ugly. Wade Watts, a high schooler, finds his only happiness is in the game world OASIS. An orphan, Wade has devoted practically his entire life to this virtual utopia. The creator of the utopia - now dead - left behind an easter egg. Whoever can solve the puzzles and beat the game will win more money than he or she could ever imagine, along with other prizes.

Wade has been trying to find the easter egg for five years. He's made some friends along the way, but he's made many enemies. As he becomes the first person to solve the first puzzle, the game suddenly becomes dangerous in real life. Will Wade be able to differentiate virtual reality from real life? Are you ready, player one?

I am not usually a science fiction fan, so I was hesitant to start this book; however, the audiobook version was readily available at my local library (and I own the hardcopy), so I thought why not? This was the BEST decision I've made in a while! I listened to this book while crafting, and I came up with more crafts simply because I wanted to keep listening!

For a book that's set in a virtual utopia, the characters are surprisingly real and relatable. The narrator, Wade, is so sarcastic, I truly think high schoolers would love his voice. His informal narration and Cline's expert writing make for the perfect escapism novel! Honestly, I didn't like how disconnected Wade was from certain events (no spoilers here), but I realize Cline may have intentionally done that to show how much the virtual reality was taking over Wade's real life.

Despite taking place primarily in OASIS, Ready Player One also focused on real-life relationships, which was pleasantly surprising to me. I wasn't expecting friendship and romance to take a top spot in the plot, but it was so well-done and the perfect amount, that I have no complaints. It was easy at times to forget that Wade was a teenager and still experiencing his "firsts" as normal teenagers do. He truly was a great protagonist, and I think this book will stick with me for a while.

One quote that really stands out for me is: "That was when I realized, as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it's also the only place you can find true happiness. Because reality is real." This is a quote that can perfectly sum up the theme of the novel. If I become a high school English teacher, I will strongly argue that we need to read this as a class rather than outdated classics (1984 is way more relatable and "real" than it once was).