Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Staff Review by Michelle Snyder:
A novel narrated by nostalgia as much as words, Ready Player One is a trip back in time, into the pop culture of the 80’s. Continual references to the music, movies, and games of that decade almost make you want to put the book down and dig out your old Rush tapes, re-watch War Games, and find some quarters for a game of Pac-Man.
Set in 2044, in an impoverished, dystopian America, the only escape is a vast virtual-reality simulation game created by James Halliday, one of the real world’s richest men, who recently died. His fortune and digital kingdom will be awarded to whoever can complete a series of hidden quests assembled from a hodgepodge of his favorite childhood movies, games, TV shows, and songs. For five years gamers and corporations have hunted for the treasure that lies in this virtual world, to no avail. So the world is shocked when a poor, lonely high school kid becomes the first on the trail to this Holy Grail.
This book is “geek culture” at its finest and a must for any gamers and self proclaimed science fiction nerds, but also for anyone who loves vivid descriptions, humor, suspense, social commentary and holds a desire for a once in a lifetime, grand adventure.
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