So…has anybody read "Ready Player One"?

Fantasm

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I know there's a "What are you reading?" thread, but I'm hoping to perhaps catch the attention of others who haven't heard of this book and maybe promote it a bit to others that I think would enjoy it as much as I did. My sister bought this for me for Christmas, and I just finished it last night and it quite simply was the most FUN I've ever had reading a science fiction book.

The book is "Ready Player One", by Ernest Cline.

I think what I found so fascinating is that as I read the story of the protagonist as he journeys from the lowliest of beginnings on a quest to be the ultimate champion both in the real world as well as the virtual gaming universe, I actually felt many of the same emotions and "pull" I feel when playing an RPG. Reading the book almost felt the same as playing an RPG, where you're both waiting to find out what happens next in the story, and also enjoying the character progression and advancement as you go along. It was weird and really hard to describe, but it also felt kinda cool.

If you were a serious gamer back in the 70s, 80s, or 90s before it was cool, via either console, computer, or tabletop (and ESPECIALLY if you did all 3), you owe it to yourself to read this book. It sounds corny, but within just a few chapters it felt like this book was written just for me. And considering the "old school" sentiment around here, I'm sure that many other long-time gamers (both RPG and otherwise) would feel the same way.

I don't want to describe the book at all, because I went into it completely blind and think that is the best way to approach it. But you can look it up on Amazon or google for reviews if you want. Just keep in mind it's not a particularly serious read, nor necessarily technically realistic, and there's some social commentary in the background that some might find politically disagreeable (though I think it's spot on). Whatever shortcomings it might have, the one word I keep coming back to for an overall assessment is FUN. It's a quick read, too; I think I got through it in about 12 hours total.

I've read that the movie rights have already been optioned by Warner Bros, so there's already some buzz around this in the entertainment industry. It only came out about a year ago, and I'd never heard of it, but I think it's worthy of being on any gamer's radar…
 
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I second that. Put it on my wish list :).
 
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