Ready Player One is a fascinating future dystopian novel by Ernest Cline. I'm not going to go into the book in great detail because I want you to read it and be as delighted by all the twists and turns as I was.
I will give a brief over view though.
The story follows around our unsung hero, Wade Owen Watts. He's the type of hero who's in such a shitty existence, you just want to see him succeed. You are rooting for him from day one and hoping against all odds he will be able to pull off the inevitable and overcome all to wind up on top in his world. This world of his is technically ours in the future. It's a world who's come to the brink of existence and made a quick turn to avoid destruction; but it is standing on shaky legs. The world has had an energy crises. It has had pandemics of diseases and the power in charge is just trying to keep people moving forward so they don't have enough time to look back and realize how fucked they really are.
The people of our future have one main vice that is accepted and that is their online virtual reality lives in the Oasis. It really does seem like a magical place, but it isn't to far off from reality as there is a hierarchy in place and just as in his real life Wade is dirt poor in the game without many prospects. I admit I had a problem with that, Who would want a virtual reality world that mirrored their own life so robotically.
But the book pics up quickly. If you have ever seen the 2009 movie Gamer you can think of it a bit like that, minus other humans being the avatar. In Ready Player One their virtual realty is just that, virtual.
But Wade does have a silver lining to look forward too. One of the creators of the Oasis has set out a treasure map that guarantees the one who finds it riches beyond their wildest dreams. And when your real world is literally dying in front of you, who wouldn't want to escape into the vastness of the unknown.
I will tell any American reading this that grew up in the 80's. Your time has come. Some of the history was lost on me as I'm not from that generation, but they weren't all too over the top that I needed to go looking through every Wikipedia page just to understand them.
Wades hero, who helped invent the Oasis was a 80's baby and pop culture junkie. So Wade, and other searchers for the treasure have mastered all 80's knowledge, from movies to video games. The political regime to food that was popular. This book is basically filled with the most random 80's knowledge that you could ever look for.
I'm not going to tell you what happens. I'm not going to tell you how the game plays out or that I was on the edge of my set the whole time. This book is intense. It was better than I ever expected and I was actually sad when it ended.
If the name sounds familiar it's because Hollywood has gotten its hands on another amazing piece that I'm already terrified of how they'll fuck it up. Have you read the Giver? If you've read the book and had the misfortune of seeing the abortion of a film, it seems they maybe about to do that to Ready Player One. Better yet, the Earth Sea novels that SyFy butchered in unspeakable way, including turning the 13 year old African American main character into an 18 year old white guy. What the fuck. But I digress. They've released the first sneak at the movie.
The scene opens to the stacks, where Wade lives, it is correctly portrayed, and then it goes downhill. Look, I know they can't find actors to fit an authors brain child. But Wade is supposed to be a chubby 16 year old with glasses and pimples all over his face. And the actor for the movie...well they gave him glasses but he looks like a model for Abercrombie and Fitch got lost somewhere on set for a movie and they just went with it.
They cut in scenes from throughout the novel. A big party, a massive fight. For some reason the Iron Giant....Then the shit really hits the fan with this random and over the top car race. Let me be clear. There are no car races in the book. I can kind of see attempting to link to the lines when it says "people from all over the Oasis races to the location...." but...they were racing in spaceships...and then the video shows a random monster truck destroying things. I literally have no words. It's like a strange mix of need for speed and those old hot wheels tracks you had as a kid.
This is a Warner Bros movie...they could make it spectacular, but I'm afraid it's going to go in the exact opposite direction.
I'm posting this in hopes you will read the wonderful novel before attempting to see the movie. I also recommend listening to the version by Will Wheaton, he does a spectacular job with the voices and getting the right emotion into the words.
Anyways, read the book. Pray for the movie. And tell me what other books I should read. I've ready Clines other work, which I also recommend.
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