Book Review: Ready Player One - Ernest Cline


OK, I know I am late to the dance on this one as it was published in 2011, but I just read it this week. The year is 2044, and the world is deep into a huge energy crisis. Huge amounts of the population have abandon their homes in the suburbs and rural country side do to the lack of energy and have swarmed to the cities. The resulting scramble for housing has caused some creative solutions. Mobile home trailer parks have been converted to "stacks" - trailers on scaffolding five and 8 stories high. A virtual world has been created called OASIS, where people escape the miserable conditions of the modern society. The virtual society relies on virtual reality goggles, gloves, and chairs. When the creator of OASIS dies, he leaves a message to everyone with an OASIS account that he has created an Easter Egg within OASIS. The first one to find the Easter Egg wins inherit his estate - a huge fortune and OASIS. 

The story focuses on Wade Watts an aimless teenager living with his aunt in the stacks. When he is not in virtual high school in OASIS, he is an egg hunter. The closer he gets to finding the egg, the more the multinational corporation that provides Internet services sets their targets on the teenager,  and they will stop at nothing to bet him to the egg so they can capitalize on ownership of OASIS.

Halfway through the book, I had a hard time convincing myself to set it down and go to bed. It is an excellent read with a well crafted story line and well developed characters. If you grew up in the 1980s, you will recognize all of the video games mentioned. I enjoyed every page and highly recommend it.

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