Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline · first published 2008
43% recommend42% neutral16% critical
Why HN recommends it
Fast, can't-put-down sci-fi adventure set in a VR world, packed with geek and gaming pop-culture references. Suits readers who like Snow Crash-style cyber thrillers and escapist fun, even those not big on sci-fi.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In the year 2044. reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines--puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have
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…Brandon Sanderson's Books * The Kingkiller Chronicles * How to Win Friends and Influence People * Issac Asimov's short stories and Foundation series * The Forever War * Gentleman Bastards * Ready Player One * The Martian * A Wizard of Earthsea EDIT: Short Reading I Recommend: * http://www.multivax.com/last_question.html
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?” ↗PSA: for contemporary, entertaining, thought-provoking novels relating to sci-fi, my short list of must-reads includes these gems: * The Gone-Away World (Harkaway) [1] * Ready Player One (Cline) [2] and * The Martian (Weir) [3] each of which is impossible to put down. Actually Harkaway's entire oevre is terrific. The steampunk Angelmaker [4] was a ton of fun. Also, many of Iain M Banks'…
on “Sci-Fi Novels You Should Read” ↗I read a number of good books but hands down my favorite that I read in 2012 was Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. This is from Amazon: At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, READY PLAYER ONE is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel,…
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗Ready Player One. Read it before seeing the movie. If you were born in late 70s or 80s, you will enjoy the references.
on “Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?” ↗…dystopian and alternate world sci-fi (most recently read first): 1) The Handmaid’s Tale 2) Off to be the Wizard 3) The Three-Body Problem 4) Good Omens 5) We Are Legion (We Are Bob) 6) American Gods 7) Ready Player One I really enjoyed all of these, though the Neil Gaiman books are rather long-winded. Ready Player One in particular is something I’d recommend to any geek or 80s movies and music fan. I found myself watching…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…are nothing compared to the book...) 6. Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card) - I am looking forward to reading the entire series. Read it once, listened to it many times (lost count). I love Space! 7. Ready Player One (Ernest Cline) -I picked this book up while I was working on a VR project back in 2014. An excellent book for re-reads and a nice place to get some inspiration. !Other honorable mentions:! Actionable…
on “Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?” ↗…Autobiography of Malcolm X - Alex Haley (I really like biographies and Malcolm X was a pretty interesting person. recommended) Making It in Real Estate: Starting Out as a Developer - John McNellis (meh) Ready Player One - Ernest Cline (I'm not big on sci-fi, so this book surprised me with how good it was. recommended) Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl (I'm not sure how much I got out of it, but worth it just…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗…George Orwell and I come to the conclusion that the author has never read the book and does not know what it is about. Not every dystopian story is 1984. A far more logical reference would have been to 'Ready Player One' by Ernest Cline which is in fact about a dystopia in which people _are_ 'geared up' all the time. I recommend both books, the first is a work of genius and is, sadly, very relevant today and the second…
on “Looking Glass – A new type of holographic interface” ↗…but it gives a great look into the Marines: GATES OF FIRE: AN EPIC NOVEL OF THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE by Steven Pressfield STARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert A. Heinlein ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline GHOST FLEET: A NOVEL OF THE NEXT WORLD WAR by P. W. Singer; August Cole THE KILLER ANGELS: THE CLASSIC NOVEL OF THE CIVIL WAR by Michael Shaara The whole 2019 reading list is great…
on “Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?” ↗…good book, but not as inspirational as the Founders at Work book. Some of the stories are good, but since the majority of the people are not in my sector, the book just wasn't as interesting to me. - Ready Player One http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One-Ernest-Cline/dp/03078... An excellent story that really made me nostalgic to my younger years - definitely recommend this one. - The Mystic Arts of Erasing All…
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗By the way, Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One is great fun, and you should read it.
on “A game when games were new” ↗Obligatory: http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One-A-Novel/dp/0307887448 Avoid spoilers, just read the book!
on “The Tower of David – Venezuela’s “vertical slum”” ↗You should read "Ready Player One" if you haven't already. The VR in the book is called Oasis. It might give you some ideas to go with yours: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ready-Player-One-Ernest-Cline/dp/009... Best of luck, man.
on “You Are Not Late” ↗Tangentially, Ernest Cline's "Ready Player One" explores a future where a universe-sized virtual world is pervasive in society because everything in the real world has fallen to hell. Not the best literature out there, but entertaining and apropos…
on “The Man Who Created Second Life Thinks We Can Make an Earth-Sized Virtual World” ↗…starting from the most recent : To Kill A Mocking Bird (Insanely good) True Grit (Insanely good) The Little Friend (Good) Priceless (Very good, about art theft) The Secret History (Insanely good) Ready Player One (Good, nerdy) Shadow Divers (Very good, history nerd book) Diary of Anne Frank (Very good) Unbroken (Very good, way better than the movie) With The Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa (Very good) Seveneves…
on “Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?” ↗