His Book Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2011)

Why he read this book: Read it had been optioned as a movie, and that month it came in Loot Crate

Would he recommend this book: Yes

His review: The proliferation of young adult fiction set in dystopian futures has fueled young readers and avid fandoms. While I haven’t been as enamored as the individual fans, I’ve appreciated how the promotion of reading, and thus imaginations.

When I first started this novel, I didn’t think of it as a member of this genre. But after a few chapters, it had the hallmarks–a teenage socially-awkward protagonist, struggling with an oppressive future, but with some unique skills. Within that genre, this book fits with a geek-flag flying proud. It is full of movie, video game, and other cultural references, primarily from the 1980s. Most of the story takes place in a virtual world, which allows the characters (and the narrative) to escape the dark reality around them.

I can understand why this book has been optioned for a movie. I could see movie scenes rolling out as I read. The narrative keeps the adventure going; the cultural references will make the 80s geeks smile; and the love story will bring in the younger reader. I wanted the narrative voice to fit the setting more–having a character in 2044 get on “wifi” to watch “Youtube” videos was problematic for me. I felt like was I reading a contemporary character in a future world, rather than a future character in a future world. That is a difficult task for a novelist, and makes me appreciate those writers, such as William Gibson’s Neuromancer.

While it may not be quite a inventive as I wanted, this novel is fun read with an appealing lead character. Read it before the movie.