James Halliday, probably the most brilliant game designer
that ever was, and the creator of the OASIS – a vast virtual universe that is
both game and alternate reality – died without an heir or any real friends,
leaving the disposition of his multi-multi-billion dollar empire in question.
Instead of a will, Halliday left the contest. Somewhere hidden in the OASIS is
a virtual Easter Egg. Find the egg and win it all. “Shall we play a game?”
Our young hero Wade Watts, game-name Parzival, is a gunter –
an Easter Egg hunter. He’s going to find that egg even if the search kills him
a thousand times. Wade lives in the stacks, a sprawling trailer park both
horizontal and vertical. To call the world he lives in a dystopia would be an
understatement. Humanity is in decline, maybe even on the way out. Thank
Halliday for the OASIS. Almost everyone lives the bulk of their lives there.
They go to school, work, and play on thousands of virtual worlds. You name it,
there’s a world for it, The Matrix gone intergalactic. Without the OASIS, life
would suck like nothing has ever sucked before. "So it's sorta social.
Demented and sad, but social."
Ready Player One is William Gibson meets TRON
meets Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – with many a cool ‘80’s
reference. Unlike Charlie and Co. who faced their demons on a single factory
floor, Wade/Parzival and his fellow gunters have uncounted worlds to face,
explore, and conquer. Somewhere out there is the key to the kingdoms, and our
boy’s going to find it. "Ray, if someone asks you if you are a god, you
say, 'Yes!'"
A virtual world where you can be the person you want to be –
perhaps not even a human person – and a quest for the biggest treasure ever
known? What’s not to love? Ready Player One is totally awesome, a total
Rush, dude. I haven’t been this
excited about a book in quite some time. Can’t wait to put it in your hands. So
get ready to strap on your reading glasses and enjoy the ride. "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need
roads."
And lastly, if you
lived through, grew up in, or even just heard of the 1980’s … or if you’ve ever
seen an ‘80’s movie (you have) … or if you’ve ever played a video game, you are
going to love Ready Player One. This one is not to be
missed. "Nobody puts baby in the corner."
End of Line.
— Patrick Heffernan, Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, San Diego
CA