Ready Player One

Ready Player One
Cline, Ernest. 2011.
Ready Player One.
New York: Crown Publishers.
384 pages, hardcover.
$24.00
ISBN 9780307887436.

Format: book
Rating: 4.5/5.0 stars

Plot Summary
On 2045 futuristic Earth, people live all stacked up in major cities. For safety sake in this dystopian world, most students attend a virtual school, including Wade Watts (as Parzival) and a few of his virtual friends (Art3mis and Aech). They spend nearly all of their time in Haptic suits in the online utopian world of OASIS. Created by James Halliday, his genius is exhibited when he leaves an Easter-egg hunt of keys and clues hidden within the game - just like original game creators who were never given credit for their game programming. Since Halliday was obsessed with 1980's pop culture, understanding that time period is key to this entire contest.

The first to find all three keys and solve all three puzzles designed for a single winner will inherit Halliday's entire empire and control of OASIS. Due to a loophole in his will, the company that provides Internet access wants to win so badly that they've hired an army of 'sixers' who work 24/7. Their goal in winning is to take control of OASIS, so that they can charge usage fees; the stakes are high for them to win. When Parzival discovers the first key after five years of searching, there is a renewed adrenaline-induced rush by all the players to stake a claim and win the ultimate fortune, and so begins the real competition - a race to the finish, where not all of the players will survive.

Critical Evaluation
What appeals to Cline’s readers, especially those having lived through or interested in 1980’s pop culture, is a rock solid immersion in the time period from the music, movies and television series to computers and video games. For those readers, simply enjoying the nostalgic ride, we cheer for the young teens who have embarked on this quest to win over the evil empire set on corrupting everything Halliday created.

While the action feels very real, and there is both violence and death, it doesn’t feel as dark and threatening as other dystopian YA novels, like Neal Shusterman’s Unwind or Brian Falkner’s Brain Jack. On the other hand, the geek-speak techno references of past and present are as rich as Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother.

Wade and his friends do face morale dilemmas, and as clever and creative teen main characters, they dream of making the world a better place. They no longer want to simply hide out online as most do in order to tolerate their world of bleak destitution, which makes readers cheer them on.

For the reader who finds it necessary to research the hundreds (maybe thousands) of minor details of 1980’s pop culture references, it may be a boring and frustrating journey. For this novel to appeal, one must simply trust (and with the accuracy of references we should) and enjoy Cline's quest. Ready Player One is for all t3chi3s, g33ks and n3rds out there. Are you ready?

Reader’s Annotation
To win Halliday's vast fortune and control of his company, Wade Watts and his virtual friends seek out the three clues to solve the three puzzles while avoiding a company bent on winning the game and control of the OASIS virtual world, where most people hide out due to the bleak dystopian 2045 world in which they live.

Information About the Author
Ernest Cline (Ernie) grew up in Ohio in the 1980's, and as a die-hard geek spent many hours programming his TRS-80, playing arcade games, and basically geeking out with or over anything sci-fi. Even now, he still spends vasts amounts of time following or being Trekki, creating and playing the part. He is a performer at heart and has not only been involved in but also directed and co-produced several parts. One of his films was made into a movie: Fanboys (Cline, 2011).

Ready Player One is his first novel and a movie deal is in the works with Warner Brothers (Cline, 2011). As such, Ernie is travelling the world (last week Norway - this week England) promoting his book. He is genuine and kind, sharing his enthusiasm with this blog author for her very first booktrailer that she created, inspired by his book (Brechner, 2011).

Genre
Fiction: Science Fiction – virtual reality

Read-Alikes
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
Epic - Conor Kostik

Curriculum Ties:
Ready Player One is a great example while studying the implications of science and technology, as well as psychological and sociological examinations on human behavior.

Booktalking Ideas
(1) being pursued by a ruthless man who'll stop at nothing to win the game and take possession of the vast fortune left by Halliday
(2) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-style Easter egg hunt in a futuristic virtual world

Book Trailer Links
Book Trailer by blog author
Book Trailer by Publisher

Reading Level/Interest Age
Adult / YA cross-over

Challenge Issues
futuristic dystopian world, violence, murder

First, I would share some of the recommendations used as part of the selection process, including reviews from resources as noted below. Next, I would point out the value in allowing these types of materials to be optional reading as teens grow ever closer to adulthood and making their own decisions. Finally, following our school district’s policy #KEC, after explaining that our school district’s philosophy is that no parent or group of parents has the right to determine the reading matter for children other than their own, I would refer the parent or community member to the building principal, so that he/she can file a written complaint to begin the process of review.

Awards
New York Times Bestseller
Amazon Best Books of the Month – August 2011
Goodreads Nominee - Favorite Book of 2011 - Science Fiction

Why Title Included & Selection Tools
Much of our recent high school population is obsessed with 1980's pop culture, the foundation for this book, and these students have had access to one-to-one laptops since middle school. As such, many of them are 24/7 connected and are always interested in exploring new technology and virtual worlds. With the blend of mystery, adventure/survival, gaming, and 1980's - Ready Player One will appeal to a wider audience than simply gamers.

School Library Journal, Amazon, Kirkus Reviews, Publisher's Weekly, The Horn Book