Marc
11-15-2013, 12:58 PM
I just finished up Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It tells the story of Wade, a twenty-something kid living in the stacks. The world has depleted its energy resources and most people now plug into the Oasis, an MMO unlike all others. It really is a virtual world where kids go to school, people work and play, all from the comfort of their tiny 10x10 homes.
Now, the creator of the OASIS, Halliday, has died and he'd leaving his company and vast fortune to the first person who can decipher the clues he's left scattered throughout the OASIS. Besides Wade and the other "gunters" who are trying to win the contest, IOI, the largest and most powerful corporation in the world, is also trying to win. They want to profit from the Oasis, and will stop at nothing to be the winners of the contest.
This thing is chock full of 70's and 80's references as Halliday grew up in this time period and has many fond memories of the era. Having two kids, working full time, and having a lot of other hobbies it's rare I get through books quickly, but this is one that kept pulling me back. I finished it in about a week and it is now in my top five.
I definitely recommend this novel. If you haven't read it you should. It's fantastic.