Book Blurb:
“Imagine a dystopian future where citizens are forced to live in a virtual reality just to escape the unsettling state of the present. Narrated by actor Will Wheaton, this thrilling story is a fast-paced adventure that pits thousands of desperate members of humanity against each other in the ultimate race for the winning prize.
It’s the year 2044, and the real world has become an ugly place. We’re out of oil. We’ve wrecked the climate. Famine, poverty, and disease are widespread. Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes this depressing reality by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be, where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And, like most of humanity, Wade is obsessed by the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this alternate reality: OASIS founder James Halliday, who died with no heir, has promised that control of the OASIS – and his massive fortune – will go to the person who can solve the riddles he has left scattered throughout his creation.
For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that the riddles are based in the culture of the late 20th century. And then Wade stumbles onto the key to the first puzzle. Suddenly he finds himself pitted against thousands of competitors in a desperate race to claim the ultimate prize, a chase that soon takes on terrifying real-world dimensions – and that will leave both Wade and his world profoundly changed.
Narrator Wil Wheaton is an American actor and writer best known for his role as Wesley Crusher in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and for playing Gordie Lachance in the film Stand By Me. More recently, he has appeared in several episodes of the TV series The Big Bang Theory as himself.”
My Thoughts:
Well ladies and gentlemen get comfy in your haptic chairs, put on your visor and get ready for a rewind to the 80’s, that you will remember for a very long time.
I was born in 1981 so growing up I missed most of the best things of the 80’s but listening to this it makes me want to step back in time. And through this story you can re-live some classic moments.
I loved Wade, the unlikly hero of our tale, as he realises the enormity of his situation he faces a number of interesting and retro tasks he seems well suited for.
I loved all the 80’s references some I got, like the Atari 2600 (I had one), Commodore 64, Douglas Adams, Monty Python, all which I loved and still do, some good things just never leave you.
There was alot of detail in this 15 hour epic, each glorious hour was a crossroads where past and the future regulary had near miss collisions.
As with all good sci-fi stories there is a faceless evil organisation trying to get everything for itself, and I was concerned that sometimes they could have.
It’s funny how competition can bring the best and worst out in people, and as Wade and his new friends forge ahead with the ultimate quest, things inevitably get in the way.
The line between reality and virtual reality keep a healthy distance from each other, online you can be whoever you want, but is it who you really are?
Will Wheaton narrates this brilliant book, the young ensign crusher has come along way from the bridge of the enterprise, a great storyteller.
This was a brilliant audiobook, fantastic detail, narration and writing, I wait eagerly now to see the movie, hoping it will live up to what I have heard.
You can buy it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ready-Player-One/dp/B007ROETX6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528349270&sr=8-1&keywords=ready+player+one+book
You can Follow Ernest Here: @erniecline
and his website is: http://www.ernestcline.com
A Listener's Slant 