Ready Player One
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Ready Player One
Buy Now for £16.99
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Narrated by:
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Wil Wheaton
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By:
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Ernest Cline
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
***NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG***
A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready?
It's the year 2044, and the real world has become an ugly place. We're out of oil. We've wrecked the climate. Famine, poverty, and disease are widespread.
Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes this depressing reality by spending his waking hours jacked into 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 most of humanity, Wade is obsessed by the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this alternate reality: OASIS founder James Halliday, who dies with no heir, has promised that control of the OASIS - and his massive fortune - will go to the person who can solve the riddles he has left scattered throughout his creation.
For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that the riddles are based in the culture of the late twentieth 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.
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If you loved READY PLAYER ONE and can't wait for more, check out ARMADA, Ernest Cline's latest geek masterpiece!
'Wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, Ready Player One is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut' Independent
'Part intergalactic scavenger hunt, part romance, and all heart' CNN
'Ernest Cline's novel deserves to be a modern classic' SciFiNow
'Gorgeously geeky, superbly entertaining, this really is a spectacularly successful debut' Daily Mail
© Ernest Cline 2011 (P) Penguin Audio 2012
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Critic reviews
What made the experience of listening to Ready Player One the most enjoyable?
First and foremost, Wil Wheaton is a first-class narrator - he has absolutely the most perfect voice for audiobooks (not too bassy, not too nasally) and doesn't do too badly with accents either (unlike some other narrators which have caused me to return books!). Secondly, the world of Ready Player One is - as noted in the novel - everything any reader or gamer has ever dreamed of: essentially a 'holodeck' experience. It is the book's exploration of the pros and cons of this system that draws you in - in Star Trek we see people using the holodecks for recreation, essentially living out episodes in an ongoing drama; but as Ready Player One points out....why would you ever leave?What other book might you compare Ready Player One to, and why?
I have desperately been searching for something else as engaging and exciting as RPO since I finished reading! My recommendations would probably be to read other books which effectively create alternative worlds - perhaps 'The Knife of Never Letting Go' by Patrick Ness, 'Peter and Max' by Bill Willingham and 'Divergent' by Veronica Roth.What does Wil Wheaton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
As I mention above, Wil is an excellent reader. He has an obvious love for the subject matter and, having been an actor on Star Trek 'The Next Generation' and a teenager in the late 80s and early 90s, has a strong familiarity with many of the pop culture references. Wheaton sounds like he is having an absolute ball with this reading!If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
'What would you sacrifice to win the ultimate prize?'Any additional comments?
Read (.....listen to). This. Book.Are you ready to begin?
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Would you consider the audio edition of Ready Player One to be better than the print version?
While I do not have the print version, the fact that Will Wheaton reads this is an undeniable plus.Who was your favorite character and why?
Art3mis. She has conviction and drive, knows what she wants and goes for it. It's a world somewhat dominated by men but she manages to succeed via brains and personality. The virtual reality that most of the book takes place in means that her physical appearance is almost a non issue which is refreshing for a female character.What about Wil Wheaton’s performance did you like?
His performance was perfectly pitched, he was clearly enjoying it himself and his sense of timing was brilliant. Best of all though is the fact that Wil Wheaton is actually mentioned in the story itself, he is part of the world. Hearing Wil Wheaton talk about Wil Wheaton just made me smile!Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
I found the relationship between the Japanese brothers particularly moving, it's explained in more detail towards the end of the book and I found Shoto's talk with Wade in his fortress one of the best scenes in the whole book.Any additional comments?
I read this because there was a lot of hype around it. In some ways I was a bit disappointed. It was far from an incredible read and I don't really get why some people consider it one of their favourite books.It was definitely enjoyable and I have rated it highly. It's a fast paced treasure hunt that I found very difficult to put down. In fact I kind of resented that I had to stop listening to it to work and sleep and talk to people. I really really wanted to know what was going to happen next and it was a very engaging read, even for someone with very little video game knowledge.However I wasn't hugely attached to any of the characters. Apart from the main character there wasn't a huge amount of character progression. The baddies are somewhat one dimensional and I found it difficult to believe that they had sufficient motivation for some of their actions. I just wasn't that attached. Possibly someone more into geek culture would get more out of this.You will not be able to pause this book
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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes. This is a great book for anyone who remembers the 80s - especially if you were a young teenager at that time.What other book might you compare Ready Player One to, and why?
None that I have read.What does Wil Wheaton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
The narration was excellent. The characters were really brought to life. I smiled when he intoned the smilies added to the text messagingIf you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Ready Player One? - Can You Successfully Navigate the 1980's?Any additional comments?
I was a little worried that this was a young adult type of book. I still don't know if that is the demographic the author was aiming for or not but there was enough "oh I remember that" moments in the book to make me believe the story was written for my age group. The storyline is nothing ground breaking but the book is written in such an entertaining way with lots of 80's references to keep a "kid of the 1980's" engaged and enthralled enough that the story sometimes takes a bit of a backseat. I just wish the author had included more references to the importance of Rock music during those magical times.Back to The 80s
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I love this book
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First audio book
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