- Published: New York : Crown Publishers, 2011.
- Year Published: 2011
- Edition: 1st ed.
- Description: 374 p. ; 24 cm.
- Language: English
- Format: Book
ISBN/Standard Number
- 9780307887436
- 030788743X
Subjects
- Regression (Civilization) -- Fiction.
- Virtual reality -- Fiction.
- Utopias -- Fiction.
- Puzzles -- Fiction.
- Fantasy fiction.
- Science fiction.
Tags
gates great read nostalgia alternate worlds oasis player puzzles 2012 alex award winner science fiction easter eggs easter egg video games treasure hunt 80s dystopia virtual reality fantasy keys atari clues 1980s gaming 1980s distopia utopia atari keys pop culture
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Where To Find It
Call number: Science Fiction
Available Copies: Downtown 1st Floor, Malletts Adult, Traverwood Adult, West Adult
Treasure Quest: Key Clue Item
CONGRATULATIONS PLAYER! You've found the item that holds the secrets of the FINAL KEYS! Yes, that's right, THERE ARE THREE OF THEM! So, use this riddle, and this book, to find the Three Keys and clear the Three Gates! You've found the triploid FINAL KEY, now start the Gunter's Quest.
The Copper, Jade, and Crystal keys are scattered east to west.
The Copper Key is easy, as the print is extra large;
The Jade Key's with a Hack'r; aboard Guppy, he's in charge.
The Crystal Key is in the teapot, hiding with the storm;
A Penguin Fish will grant your wish; the Vector Screen's still warm.
Find the Keys, then Clear the Gates, remeber what you've learned;
The First, and Final Easter Egg is waiting to be earned.
Additional Details
"An exuberantly realized, exciting, and sweet-natured cyber-quest. Cline's imaginative and rollicking coming-of-age geek saga has a smash-hit vibe."--Booklist, starred review
"Ready Player One takes place in the not-so-distant future--the world has turned into a very bleak place, but luckily there is OASIS, a virtual reality world that is a vast online utopia. People can plug into OASIS to play, go to school, earn money, and even meet other people (or at least they can meet their avatars), and for protagonist Wade Watts it certainly beats passing the time in his grim, poverty-stricken real life. Along with millions of other world-wide citizens, Wade dreams of finding three keys left behind by James Halliday, the now-deceased creator of OASIS and the richest man to have ever lived. The keys are rumored to be hidden inside OASIS, and whoever finds them will inherit Halliday's fortune. But Halliday has not made it easy. And there are real dangers in this virtual world. Stuffed to the gills with action, puzzles, nerdy romance, and 80s nostalgia, this high energy cyber-quest will make geeks everywhere feel like they were separated at birth from author Ernest Cline."--Chris Schluep, Amazon Best Book of the Month
Reviews & Summaries
Community Reviews
AMAZING
This is the best book of all time to me. Video games, fun adventure.... ahhhh... LOVE
Amazing
Wade watts, aka parzival and his fellow oasis friends try to win millions of dollars and the ownership of the oasis by completing a quest which the late creator of the oasis wrote in his will.
This book by Ernest cline is amazing. I highly recommend this book to any person who likes video or not.
This book by Ernest cline is amazing. I highly recommend this book to any person who likes video or not.
Good
Before starting this people described it to me as nostalgic but it's so much more than that. You'll find yourself putting holds on the music and movies sprinkled throughout the book to relive it all (if you were lucky enough to be alive in the 1980's).Very cool!
Fun for geeks
This book would be fun for anyone who's described themselves as a geek or anyone who spent part of their childhood or teens in the 1980s. Fitting both of these descriptions, I also stayed up late and was late for work finishing it. And the only gaming I do is at AADL...
Fun read
I picked up this book based on the Treasure Quest that was on play.aadl.org between summers. I really enjoyed it. So many references to things from my childhood, being a child of the 80s. It was a great trip down memory lane with all the references to old video games and the music of my childhood.
The characters were intriguing and the storyline kept me hooked from page one. I highly recommend it if you're a fan of old video games, virtual reality or other pop culture-isms or are a geeky nerd like myself.
The characters were intriguing and the storyline kept me hooked from page one. I highly recommend it if you're a fan of old video games, virtual reality or other pop culture-isms or are a geeky nerd like myself.
Fun book
Lots of fun to read. Made me dig out a bunch of music I hadn't listened to in a long time!
Excellent
I don't think I can add anything that hasn't already been said. This is a fantastic book, and a great read for anyone who is a fan of 80s Nostalgia, movies, music, video games, etc.
Even if you didn't grow up in the decade, I'd encourage you to read it and then go find all the things the book references. Ya never know when the trivial knowledge may come in handy.
Even if you didn't grow up in the decade, I'd encourage you to read it and then go find all the things the book references. Ya never know when the trivial knowledge may come in handy.
awesome
awesome book
Great!
Like ompopp I got this book because of Treasure Quest. It did not take long before my eyes were glued to the pages causing me to stay up till midnight. On this sleepy morning I ended up feeling both sad that the story was over and glad that I would no longer be prevented from doing anything else. Now I can only think to myself: if only the OASIS were real!
Good Read
This is a good book, there is no doubting that. It is filled with all the common and even obscure references of the 1980s that people who grew up in the 80s remember fondly. I loved that aspect of the book, it made me want to sit down and find all those movies, songs and various other visuals of that decade and see them for myself. I think my favorite part of the book was the game itself. How that game is described and all the aspects of it just sounds like so much fun. With that being said it drags at times but even with that the author keeps the reader engaged with all the pop references.
Good Read
I first became interesting in this book as Treasure Quest introduced it.
It intrigued me at how complicated it could get while the reader could still follow its intense plotline. I ended up reading huge portions of it for 2 hour periods, unable to put it down. It completely blew my mind at how everything fit together in such an organized way and how the story kept my interest for such a long time.
A good book for sci-fi lovers and fantasy readers alike.
Although I had no idea about culture or videogames in the 80s, this definitely gave me a nice intro to it :)
It intrigued me at how complicated it could get while the reader could still follow its intense plotline. I ended up reading huge portions of it for 2 hour periods, unable to put it down. It completely blew my mind at how everything fit together in such an organized way and how the story kept my interest for such a long time.
A good book for sci-fi lovers and fantasy readers alike.
Although I had no idea about culture or videogames in the 80s, this definitely gave me a nice intro to it :)
Stick it out, the payoff is worth it.
A nonstop nostalgia-palooza for generation Xers.
In the near future, a soft-apocalypse energy collapse has sent the world spiraling into poverty. Most people find refuge in the OASIS, a mammoth World-of-Warcraft style virtual reality game that is so much more than a game. Its creator has died and willed his $100 billion empire to the first geek who can solve a massive series of riddles, games, and puzzles. The fat, pasty nerd protagonist squares off against an evil corporation bent on winning the contest at any cost and spoiling the OASIS.
The first thing I noticed about Ready Player One was how poorly it was written. I was wincing by page 2. It ranged from clunky and monotonous to extremely awkward. I doubt that the writing actually improved over the course of the book, but after a while I discovered that I was so engrossed in the story and the I-remember-that! moments that I had stopped noticing it. For the last few chapters I couldn't put the book down (I came into work all bleary-eyed and underslept this morning after staying up much too late last night to finish it.) Great book, superfun read.
In the near future, a soft-apocalypse energy collapse has sent the world spiraling into poverty. Most people find refuge in the OASIS, a mammoth World-of-Warcraft style virtual reality game that is so much more than a game. Its creator has died and willed his $100 billion empire to the first geek who can solve a massive series of riddles, games, and puzzles. The fat, pasty nerd protagonist squares off against an evil corporation bent on winning the contest at any cost and spoiling the OASIS.
The first thing I noticed about Ready Player One was how poorly it was written. I was wincing by page 2. It ranged from clunky and monotonous to extremely awkward. I doubt that the writing actually improved over the course of the book, but after a while I discovered that I was so engrossed in the story and the I-remember-that! moments that I had stopped noticing it. For the last few chapters I couldn't put the book down (I came into work all bleary-eyed and underslept this morning after staying up much too late last night to finish it.) Great book, superfun read.
Pop Rocks and Layered Socks
I've only read the first 5 pages of Ready Player One as previewed below, but I had to jump on the hold list straight away. Who wouldn't be intrigued by a video game programmer (um, dream job, no?) who on his death bed promises his billions of dollars of amassed fortune to the gamer that can unlock the "easter egg" or secret code inside his wildly popular game, OASIS? Sounds a little like unlocking the Kevin Baconator badge on this very website.
Still not sold? How about the pages littered with 80s pop culture references to Atari, Heathers, Oingo Boingo, and Christian Slater to name only the tip of the nostalgia iceberg? I hope this book also comes out on audiobook because it would make any car trip a fun adventure.
Still not sold? How about the pages littered with 80s pop culture references to Atari, Heathers, Oingo Boingo, and Christian Slater to name only the tip of the nostalgia iceberg? I hope this book also comes out on audiobook because it would make any car trip a fun adventure.
Easter eggs!
When I first read the premise of Ready Player One I immediately jumped to the conclusion that it would be nothing but a mediocre copy of Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, one of my beloved favorites. However, the stellar reviews (how could I not read a book described as a "nerdgasm"?) and the curious focus on 80s pop culture was enough to get me to place a hold. I'm so happy I did! If someone had told me that there was a book that was one part Snow Crash, one part Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and one large part a nostalgic trip through the video games, tv shows, movies and music of the 80s, I'd have been highly skeptical. Happily, this book delivered all those elements as well as some likeable characters and a fantastic, yet realistic world. Highly recommended for those interested in video games, the 80s and the role of technology in society.
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