
'It’s a hilarious, rollicking joyride through ‘80s pop culture featuring a big-hearted protagonist that you can’t help but root for and his epic quest for fame, wealth, and love.’ – Huffington Post
2044. The real world is in ruins. Out of oil, the climate destroyed, famine, poverty and disease are widespread.
Like almost everyone, Wade Watts has an escape - the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be, where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like almost everyone, he's on the hunt for the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this alternate reality - control of the OASIS, courtesy of the wish of its now-dead architect, James Halliday.
For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that the riddles are based in the culture of the late 20th century. And then Wade stumbles onto the key to the first puzzle. Suddenly, he finds himself pitted against thousands of competitors in a desperate race to claim the ultimate prize, a chase that soon takes on terrifying real-world dimensions - and that will leave both Wade and his world profoundly changed.
Now adapted by Steven Spielberg into a film of the same name, Ready Player One is both the virtual reality novel we wanted all along and the debut of a major talent in genre fiction. Knowing, breathlessly entertaining and dripping with more pop-culture references than every episode of The Simpsons put together, Ernest Cline's eluogy to the 80s has to be one of first essential SF novels of the 21st century.
Publisher: Cornerstone
ISBN: 9780099560432
Number of pages: 384
Weight: 266 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 23 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Completely fricking awesome...This book pleased every geeky bone in my geeky body. I felt like it was written just for me.' - Patrick Rothfuss
'At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, Ready Player One is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut-part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired byBlade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.' - Justin Trudeau, The Independent
'The science-fiction writer John Scalzi has aptly referred to Ready Player One as a 'nerdgasm' [and] there can be no better one-word description of this ardent fantasy artifact about fantasy culture...But Mr. Cline is able to incorporate his favourite toys and games into a perfectly accessible narrative.' - Janet Maslin, New York Times
'A most excellent ride . . . the conceit is a smart one, and we happily root for [the heroes] on their quest . . . fully satisfying.' - Boston Globe
'Gorgeously geeky, superbly entertaining, this really is a spectacularly successful debut.' - Daily Mail
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“Geek heaven”
A thrilling quest in an enormous virtual reality, I loved this book and I think it's pretty secure in its position as one of my favourite reads of this year (I'm a bit late to the party - it must have passed... More
“Simply amazing.”
I have not been able to put this book down since it arrived. It's fantastic. It's not the type of book I'd usually read but I really enjoyed it. It has parts that would appeal to everyone; puzzle... More
“Ready Player One”
An 80's pop-culture geekfest, this is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets The Matrix meets Avatar meets World of Warcraft!
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