Ready Player One by Ernest Cline - Paperback

One of the best books that I have read. I purchased this book because I liked Ready Player One movie. But I can say with surety that this book is 100 times better than the movie. The book is fast paced, more detailed, more instance and unputdownable.

When I go back and watch a Spielberg film from the late 70s or early 80s, it has a certain look and feel to it - a tone that is instantly recognizable. When I watch a sitcom from the 80s, it has a singular cadence that instantly puts me at ease, and prepares me to have my problems solved in 30 minutes or less. When I play a video game from the late 70s or early 80s, it makes my fingers itch for a quarter. And, when I read one of the books I loved when I was a teenager, it brings back the pure joy I would find in losing myself in another time and another place. I spend so much time thinking about what I read now; it's becoming more and more rare for me to find that unadulterated escape in a book anymore. I found it when I read "Ready Player One" - and I loved it. This is a book for anyone who's every memorized a pattern on Pac-Man. It's a book for anyone who's ever answered a question by saying - "Blue...no, yellow!" It's a book for anyone who's ever rolled multi-sided dice in the hopes of achieving greatness. It's a book for anyone who's ever believed with all his or her heart that a small square on a small TV, holding a pixilated arrow, was really a brave knight on an epic Adventure. This book is just fun. I don't want to go in to great detail on the story itself - to do that would ruin the thrill of discovery I felt as I turned each page. It drew me in from the first chapter and whisked me along on a trip down memory lane. So much of my childhood is represented in this book; it felt like putting on a comfortable pair of old blue jeans. I realized about half way through that this is the book my 13 year-old self didn't know he was preparing my 40 year-old self to love. To stop there, though, would do the story a disservice. It's not merely a 300+ page excuse to reminisce about the stories, games, and movies of our youth. It's also a compelling story that invests you in its characters. There are themes exploring the corporatization of our culture, the true meaning of friendship, and the dangers of disconnecting yourself from the real world. The last is a timely message, and deftly balanced between a love for the virtual world and an understanding of the need for balance between the virtual and the physical. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of "Ready Player One". Whether you are a fan of 80s pop culture or not - whether you've ever even put a quarter in to a Ms. Pac-Man machine - this is a book that will entertain you. You will not be disappointed. It has action, it has adventure - but it also has heart, and ultimately a message about the importance of not losing sight of what's real. It gave me a span of 3 days where I felt like I was 13 again and nothing in the world mattered as much as answering the question - "what happens next?" It may only be August, but I feel certain I've just read my favorite book of 2011.

My Thoughts: 1. Just like a real videogame, the plot had me addicted from the start. For me, being a medium gamer, I LOVED all the old classic 80's references. It's geeky, sci-fi and fun, all in one! 2. The author does an amazing job building such an intricate and yet simple, futuristic technological world. It felt like I was actually playing the game and experiencing virtual reality through the character. 3. Flawless. Is what I would describe the plot, the writing, and pacing. Cline's writing style seem so effortless and yet detailed enough for the reader to fully experience the story. 4. What I enjoyed most about the plot is that it has a realistic quality and believable element. Most dystopian or sci-fi novels I've read have far-fetched and over-the-top ideas that end up ruining the book. It's scary to think about how much time in our daily lives is spent on the internet and I wouldn't be surprised if in a few decades reality will be overruled by virtual technology. Cline does an amazing job with the plot by adding a few fun twists and turns which makes the journey much more adventurous and exciting. 5. I praise Cline for his ability to make so many connections from the 80's and incorporating them into oridinary clues and riddles. It amazing how every small detail plays such a crucial role in the hunt. I was so engrossed with the hunt that it felt like I was playing it myself. It was smart of Cline to get the reader involved and thinking along with the protagonist in solving the game. 6. I really admire Wade's character. He's just an ordinary, average-looking, slightly overweight teen who, like many of us, undergoes a virtual identity to escape reality (not to mention he has an adorable crush with a famous online blogger). Wade's character is much like James Halliday, the deceased multibillionaire, who never felt at home in the real world and is socially awkward. When Wade embarkes upon this new adventure, he soon realizes that not everyone is excited about his newfound discovery. I love how smart, determined, and calculating Wade is; he picks his battles rather than impulsively jumping into situations. Wade's journey was non-stop action and suspense and a total page-turner that kept me on my toes the entire time. 7. I had to pace myself and tell myself to slow down in order to enjoy the book or else I would have read it all in one sitting. Just like every amazing stand-alone book, I was so sad that it ended. I'm hoping Cline thinks about doing a sequel because there's so much more I want to know! 8. In all, if there's one thing I must say about Ready Player One is READ IT NOW!!

Ce livre est une tuerie. Je l'ai commandé en entendant parler d'une future adaptation de Spielberg en film, et je pense qu'on va se retrouver avec encore un chef d'oeuvre en puissance. Cette histoire de quète du graal pixelisée est palpitante. Et pour tous les enfants des années 80 comme moi, une vague de nostalgie assez rafraichissante. Le style est plutôt classique, mais les personnages sont attachants, les rebondissements nombreux et l'intrigue très bien ficelée. Au passage ces pages sont un vraie bouillon de pop culture qui ratissent large. Vivement le film !!!

ITA: Siete dei nerd? Intendo quelli veri, quelli "un po' derisi" ai tempi della scuola, con amicizie spesso relegate "ai propri simili", che quando si chiudono nella loro stanza con davanti a sé la loro grande passione (dal modellismo al collezionismo, dalla lettura ai videogame e ai film) finalmente si rivelano per quello che sono: persone troppo grandiose per un mondo troppo piccolo (inteso come "piccolo dentro..."). Wade, il protagonista del racconto, è uno di noi, e noi, nei suoi modi e pensieri, siamo lui: un nerd con davanti a sé l'opportunità della vita, quella di diventare qualcuno grazie alle proprie passioni, senza altri compromessi. Senza spoiler, la ricerca dell'easter egg defintivo è la ricerca di ognuno di noi. Un romanzo di formazione per chi è nell'età del protagonista, un romanzo di "mi sono formato bene" per chi quell'età l'ha già passata da più o meno tempo: per noi, ma solo (fieramente) per noi, un vero piccolo capolavoro! P.S.: anche se sono italiano, ho scelto di acquistare e leggere il romanzo in lingua originale, perché, come film e videogame, credo che la lingua originale esprima meglio il pensiero dell'autore. Se poi il tema è nerd... che ve lo dico a fare? ENG: Are you a nerd? I mean the real ones, those "a bit derided" at the time of school, with friendships often relegate "to their own kind", when they close in their room with their great passion in front of them (from modeling to collecting, from reading to videogames and movies) finally they reveal as they really are: great people for a world too small (understood as "small inside ..."). Wade, the protagonist of the story, is one of us, and we, in his ways and thoughts, are him: a nerd in front of his opportunity of life to become someone thanks to his passions, without other compromises. Without spoilers, the search for the easter egg is the search for each of us. A fiction novel for those in the age of the protagonist, a novel of "I grew up well" for those who have already passed that age for more or less time: for us, but only (fiercely) for us, a true little masterpiece! P.S .: even if I'm Italian, I chose to buy and read the novel in the original language, because, as film and videogame, I believe that the original language expresses the author's thought better. If then the theme is nerd ... what do I tell you to do?