Enjoyable, geeky, a little bit silly but good fun!

Armada is of course a great fun story. Is it hardcore, without plot holes, as good as Ready Player One? Nope. But is it an easy read (err..listen), have tonnes of great geeky references, an enjoyable story and comes with a rocking playlist then yes it is. I think if you go into this book with these expectations you will have a good time. The characters are fine, but would have liked to see more of Lex in the story as I really wanted to hear more about her. As for the story it's fine, albeit predictable with many leaps of faith required in terms of the technology but this is kind of the point of the story. I think there were just 2 or 3 references I missed so I guess I must be the target audience for the book :) Wesley (sorry Wil, but you'll always be Wesley to me) did a fine job as always with the narration with enough voice acting for it to really help the story but not enough to spoil as can happen. His voicing of one of the characters near the end was amusing though but I think he had a good time with it. Good fun read - recommended if you are after something a little lighter.

8 people found this helpful

Another great book by Ernest Cline

A great second book, like Ready Player One, full of pop culture references. Moves along at a good pace and does not let up!!!

21 people found this helpful

This is no 'Ready Player One'

If you could sum up Armada in three words, what would they be?

Armada? Sadly underwhelming.

Would you recommend Armada to your friends? Why or why not?

Hmm, probably not. Like...its fine? And I recommended Ready Player One left, right and center...but this? No. Probably not.

What about Wil Wheaton’s performance did you like?

Everything. Wil is my favorite reader - he has the perfect reading voice.

Any additional comments?

Armada never quite achieves what it sets out to and instead of paying homage to sci fi classics (such as Ender's Game, as noted elsewhere) it borrows far too much from them. Additionally I never found myself investing in these characters in the same way I did with Ready Player One. It was fine. You might like it. You might not.

33 people found this helpful

Rubbish - best avoided

After the excellent 'Ready Player One' I was expecting another great story. Instead I listened with growing disappointment to a simplistic story with poor characterisation, internally inconsistent plot and lazy dialogue. Also, contrary to another reviewer's opinion, Will Wheaton (who otherwise does a good job of narrating) cannot produce an English accent. He just sounds like Mike Myers in 'Austin Powers'.

1 person found this helpful

A great listen, with interesting current topics

Great narrating by Wheaton. The story is a little out there towards the end in what previously follows a interesting current topic of vr and battle simulators. As always a great book by a great author!

5 people found this helpful

Millenium Falcon Has Problems With Hyperdrive

Unlike many readers and listeners, I wasn’t exactly won over by ”Ready Player One”, and I admit that only a third into ”Armada” I was ready to give up. The premise was too thin for my liking, and while I could appreciate fantastical things taking place out of the blue, unlikely turns and even, as it happens, the likeliest and most obvious ”twists”, I felt completely detached from what was going on to the point where I asked myself why I should bother reading further.

I did, however, until the very end, but I’m not quite sure if it did me any good. As has been pointed out, Cline’s referential style revolves around him writing his versions of his favourite stories, amply referencing them and toying with them along the way, but his hybrid just doesn’t seem worth the trouble to me. Perhaps I’ve never been into the whole fan fiction thing to appreciate what’s going on, but then again, this isn’t really supposed to be fan fiction as far as I’m concerned.

Yet then again, this is a light read, and to some extent fulfills its function. In some way I think the strength in Cline’s writing is that he trusts the reader to know what’s coming next so that he can offer his variation on it. And to be honest, isn’t this what storytelling has been about since forever? Not that there weren’t awkward moments, or that the deus ex machina he used so much in ”Ready Player One” didn’t pop up conveniently here as well. It’s just that when it read well, it read incredibly well. I suppose that’s part of the irritation, really: I’m boarding Millenium Falcon and just as we’re about to hit hyperspace, it doesn’t work, fiddlesticks! See, I was trying to be the geeky me.

As for narration, I wasn’t too fond of Wheaton before, but he’s really growing on me. There are moments where he’s the one making it all click with his enthusiasm and obvious freewheeling fun he’s exuding. Definitely carries the narrative.

15 people found this helpful

Young young adult fiction

Having read Ernest Clines first novel and quite liked it, retro, quirky and a bit different, I wanted to get this and thought I'd enjoy it. Wrong, this is pretty puerile stuff, which Wil Wheaton does a sterling job of making sound interesting. Leaden, cliched characters, minimal emotional depth, and delusions of grandeur way beyond its capability to deliver. I'm not sure anyone above 12 should listen to this. Sorry, really must do better!

1 person found this helpful

Don't bother. Very well read banal juvenile dross.

Started fairly promisingly but soon sank. Why did I persist? Very good narration and i was curious as to whether the the blazingly obvious plot was all there was. Has all the depth and sophistication of a cheap TV guide's headline summary of a poor soap episode.
Felt it was written by a 13 yr old for a 10 yr old with absent father issues.
I do not mind an unpretentious simple plot if exciting or witty. But this was irritating. Maybe I read more into R.P.O. then there was?

1 person found this helpful

No Ready Player One...

Starts strong, but fades.

If you're looking for another Ready Player One, there are flashes of it in here, but sadly it's not as good.

Entertaining, but felt rushed.

5 people found this helpful

liked it

enjoyed this book just wish it was longer
look forward to his next work . enjoy the pop culture references

1 person found this helpful