Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Books read in 2018: No. 38 -- Ready Player One

by Ernest Cline

Started: July 11
Finished: July 16

Notes: This popular recent novel (and the movie based upon it, which I've not seen) is supposed to be a love story of sorts to pop culture of the last few decades, specifically video game culture. This is a topic of which I have some interest, though I wouldn't consider myself a massive gaming nerd (so to speak). Also, I've heard a lot good about this novel, but also some criticism, so I'll see where it goes.

Mini review: Not just pop culture in general, the 80s (and to some extent the late 70s) are the background material for this novel, so those who grew up during that period might be interested to read this. It is a good read, and fun. Imagine a future in which the Internet has become 3D and where everyone spends most of their time in it because the outside world, the real world, has totally turned to crap. The creator of this 3D Internet passes away and in his will leaves behind a game to be played to decide who will be his successor, who will gain all his money and be the head of his company. Our protagonist is a young man who sets out to win this prize, and along the way he faces real-world threats alongside of those within the digital environment. Thirty- and forty-somethings will likely find something here to enjoy. Not only is there a ton of nostalgia, but the story itself is quite inte

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