Link :Amazon, Goodreads. £8.99
In a depressingly believable future where we failed to do anything about climate change, income inequality or rubbish global leadership, the vast majorities’ only escape is a fully immersive virtual reality known as OASIS. In his will, the creator of OASIS declared that whoever found three hidden Easter Eggs would inherit the entirety of his estate. Now the race is on between the independent Gunters and the evil IOI corporation to determine the future of the world.
I really enjoyed this book. I am not sure I should have, nor that my recommendation carries much weight. You see, this whole text is basically a collection of endless references to geek trivia in the 1980s. I was a kid in the 80s who loved Dungeons and Dragons, computer games, and films. This book was designed to please me. Stranger Things pleases me in a similar way, but, well, Stranger things is much more original.
The central ideas if Ready Player One are derivative (but then they’d almost have to be, that’s the point of the book) – stories like Ringworld or The Lawnmower Man thought more deeply about the impact of virtual realities long before VR actually existed. The plot is a straightforward heroes journey designed to please woke white men, and the central conflict really is as simple as good versus evil. There are no shades of grey here.
However, and here’s the rub, if he’d deviated into philosophy it would have undermined the central tenet of the book – an adventure through the sheer joy of 80s nostalgia. Shades of grey would have made the story worse! I really enjoyed Ready Player One, and deeply appreciated the author sharing his love of all these things I loved. If you have similar tastes, you’ll almost certainly love it too.
