Book Review: "Ready Player Two" by Ernest Cline
“Ready Player Two” by Ernest Cline
Synopsis: Days after winning OASIS founder James Halliday's contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything.
Hidden within Halliday's vaults, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the OASIS a thousand times more wondrous--and addictive--than even Wade dreamed possible.
With it comes a new riddle, and a new quest--a last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize.
And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who'll kill millions to get what he wants.
Wade's life and the future of the OASIS are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.
Lovingly nostalgic and wildly original as only Ernest Cline could conceive it, Ready Player Two takes us on another imaginative, fun, action-packed adventure through his beloved virtual universe, and jolts us thrillingly into the future once again.
Rating: 3.25
Trigger warnings: honestly, quite a few — it’s written from the perspective of a teenage boy, and there’s a lot of violence
NOTE: For the purposes of this review, I’m going to have to assume you’ve read Player One, as honestly, this book wouldn’t be enjoyable or easy if you hadn’t — and the movie is totally different (and worse, in my opinion), so watching that won’t bring you up to speed either.
Review: Believe it or not, “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline (Bookshop | Kindle) is one of my most frequent comfort re-reads (I know, it surprises even me), so when I found out that we were getting a sequel, I was really excited. I preordered it without a synopsis, but I said this about it at the time: “Not sure where Player Two will take us, but I’m excited to find out.” .
Okay, I have some bad news, you guys: I’m not sure I liked where Player Two took us. Yes, we were in the Ernest Cline’s imaginative world, but it didn’t feel the same at all. This book picks up immediately after the first book ended, and Wade is honestly just a bit of a prick. He’s lost a lot of the character development that got him to completing the quest in Player One — but I guess that’s what happens when you inherit a fortune and control of the biggest company on the planet as a teenager?
Aech, Shoto, and Arty are still around, but their friendship has deteriorated after Wade made the decision to make the OASIS even more immersive with the sale and marketing of a ONI system that basically takes over your brain to make you feel even more within the simulation. There’s also another quest for Wade to go on, enemies old and new, and great new side characters to accompany this grand and urgent adventure. Doesn’t that sound awesome, if you’re a fan of Ernest Cline’s particular style of writing?
The premise is there, and it is solid, but it just fell flat. Unlike the first book, where there was real urgency and I was nervous for the fate of the High Five, here, it just wasn’t there. There was too much exposition and not enough heart. Yes, I read through all of the creative adventures, and I loved seeing what Cline’s imagination came up with, but I didn’t feel connected, and honestly, I knew they would save the world, it just took way longer than I thought. It was tedious, at times a slog, and I was overwhelmed by the references at times — and I love pop culture and inane trivia, so I feel like I’m his target audience. There were high points, to be sure (really, the best was a visit to John Hughes), but there were times where I just skipped pages because I honestly just didn’t care about the subject matter. Sorry, but it’s true.
I made the mistake of delving into some of the reviews on Amazon after I wrote my review — I like to see if I’m totally off the mark with my thoughts — and there’s a lot of criticism about how “woke” this novel is and how that’s unnecessary. I think a lot of gamer fanboys didn’t like the turn towards social consciousness in this novel, but it wasn’t new (Aech is a lesbian, as well as a woman in the real world/dude in the Oasis even in Player 1) and it wasn’t that much of a plot point. There were a few paragraphs sprinkled throughout about a more tolerant culture, and I can only imagine the Reddit trolls that frequent the incel forums didn’t like that? I have no idea, but if that’s what is stopping you from reading it, please know it isn’t pervasive or anything like that — I believe it just shows a maturation of the author’s awareness of the gender and sexual identity spectrum, and if anything, that’s one of the high points of this book to me.
Honestly, I had a hard time figuring out how I felt about this one? Did I enjoy returning to a world I enjoyed? Yes — but it wasn’t the same. Was it a quick read? Sure — but I found myself glazing over some of the myriad details on the sub-worlds because, even for me, it was too in the weeds. Do I appreciate the massive effort that went into this book? Absolutely — but I’m not sure that I want to highly recommend it. So, I guess this is really a mixed review — if you liked Ernest Cline’s earlier works, I think you’ll kind of enjoy this, but manage your expectations.
TL:DR: An almost worthy sequel to one of the more original books I can remember reading, with the same focus on obscure pop culture and a deep-seated love for everything 1980s. Would not recommend if you haven’t read “Ready Player One” or only seen the movie — you’ll be lost from the beginning.
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