Read November 26, 2020 – December 19, 2020
From the moment I saw Cline was releasing a sequel to Ready Player One, I preordered and waited as patiently as possible. The physical copy of the first book has been on quite the adventure; it’s safe and sound on my bookshelf and I knew I’d need a physical copy of Ready Player Two to keep it company. I’m an 80s baby [90s made me] gal and the references in these books make me feel all warm inside… that and I’ve always been a gamer, I spent a good portion of my early adult life inside Azeroth. For the Alliance.
What is it about?
Wade is back for a story we didn’t know needed to be told. He may have won Halladay’s lengthy contest but there’s a new quest that presents itself. The tension with Wade and Samantha (Art3mis) is palpable but the crew gets together inside of the OASIS regularly to discuss, and vote, on business matters. Wade is presented with some new technology to fully immerse the user inside the OASIS and it’s evident humanity’s existence at stake.
The new immersive device gives the user the ability to experience a much more lifelike simulation but it takes a toll on the body, posing the risk of permanent brain damage and death. Wade, and many other users, embarks on Halladay’s post-mortem quest that appears to only truly be available to him; he wants nothing more than to succeed and ignores pleas from OASIS co-creator Ogden Morrow. Odgen is privy to information but isn’t quick to share, unfortunately, leading to a serious problem.
What does it have?
- 80s Pop Culture
- Artificial Intelligence
- Video Gaming
- Friendship is Magic
While Ready Player One did not need a sequel, it was interesting to see some serious issues be addressed in this book. It gets you asking yourself questions like “How much is too much time online?” and “What’re the potential threats of Artificial Intelligence?” It took quite a while for me to get involved in the plot and it felt like nothing happened for the first 100 pages but once the first piece of Halladay’s puzzle was found, it kept me interested and I finished within another day or two.
Is it worth reading?
If you have a bit of patience and want to know what happens after the first book, definitely; however, if you weren’t invested in the storyline of Ready Player One or were on the fence you may want to skip it.
Nicolena Reads 