Game Over

“As terrifying and painful as reality can be, it’s also the only place where you can find true happiness. Because reality is real.” Truth.

45.12 Ready Player One

This was a fun read, and one that I was absolutely in the mood for.  It is also something that one must be in the mood for.  In the not so far future, life on earth is barely livable so most people live in the virtual OASIS.  Its creator has died, with no heir for his billions.  He sets up a hunt within the game:

Three hidden keys open three secret gates

Wherein the errant will be tested for worthy traits

And those with the skill to survive these traits

Will reach The End where the prize awaits.

So begins the quest of our hero, heroes, actually.  If they find the prize they win the dough.  And herein lies the biggest problem with the book: Key One – fun introduction. Key Two – lots of the same… oh god there is another key to go. Key Three – good twists granted, but get on with it!  All the issues of most trilogies found in one book.

I loved that in the beginning, without any fun money to spend, Wade had to depend on his own intellect to educate himself.  He found free information and studied it.  He took classes in school that would help him with the game. I LOVED that.  I loved that the game was set up for anyone to win, rich or poor, old or young, male or female (or even human since your avatar can be anything).  Sadly, that quickly was squashed by the more you have the better you are idea, and I was sad.

What the book is known for are the 80’s references, all the 80’s references.  Many of them are fun but as the story goes on they are no longer a part of the functioning plot.  The movies, music, and video/computer games of the 80’s are such fond memories for me, but after a while it got a bit silly and a lot of the middle could have been edited down.