Waiting on Wednesday 04/02/14

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can't wait to get our hands on!

Mogsy's Pick

Armada by Ernest Cline: July, 2014 (Crown Publishing)

I'm so pumped for this book I can't even put my feelings into words. I'm just going to go into the corner and giggle excitedly into my hands now. Three words: Ready Player One, also known as one my favorite books of all time, and I've been waiting for the author to write another novel ever since. I think it's finally late enough in the year that I can start seriously anticipating this one now.

"Zack Lightman is daydreaming through another dull math class when the high-tech dropship lands in his school's courtyard-and when the men in the dark suits and sunglasses leap out of the ship and start calling his name, he's sure he's still dreaming.

But the dream is all too real; the people of Earth need him. As Zack soon discovers, the videogame he's been playing obsessively for years isn't just a game; it's part of a massive, top-secret government training program, designed to teach gamers the skills they'll need to defend Earth from a possible alien invasion. And now…that invasion is coming.

As he and his companions prepare to enter their ships and do battle, Zack learns that the father he thought was dead is actually a key player in this secret war. And together with his father, he'll uncover the truth about the alien threat, race to prevent a genocide, and discover a mysterious third player in the interplanetary chess game he's been thrown into."

 

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

I recall a complaint somewhere or other claiming this book to be just an excuse to spout off ample '80s trivia. I'm guessing that complaint came from someone who has no appreciation for that incredible decade - no, dare I say ... dynasty!

Movies, television and music are already happily tapping into the '80s and have been for some time, so I don't see an issue with a book doing so. I am certainly not one to argue, considering I am happily indoctrinating my kids with the things that I loved growing up. It warms my heart to hear them fighting for the honor of Greyskull.

This is also a book that any geek can appreciate because it's all about us. No, not true, the major focus is on video gaming, but there is more than enough for any comic book, sci fi and fantasy, D&D nerd to appreciate.

The book mainly takes place in and around the OASIS, which is a virtual world of massive proportions that no one would ever leave -- particularly because reality has become so desolate. It's a world where both the social networker and the gamer have a place. (Literally. You can purchase your own planet.)

Ready Player One fortunately does not simply toss out the '80s nostalgia in random intervals without context. Everything is sewn together coherently, and when it does get carried away with the trivia, it's usually in the form of the main character, a teenaged boy, doing what teenaged boys do best when surrounded by friends: showing off.

While I'm sure this book was conceived well before #Nymwars, there is a strikingly familiar concept at play within the OASIS, where its creative company, GSS, firmly respects users' right to privacy and anonymity, while a rival corporation, bent on taking over GSS and turning OASIS into a massive billboard, would ensure that anonymity be a thing of the past. All the better to market to you, my dear.

Anonimity is a prevailing theme, where OASIS users vehemently hold on to theirs, no matter how close they become. I relate to almost everything in this book save for this. I'm sure it is true of some, but I have made and even lost some wonderful friends online and once those friendships have been solidified, of course we've taken off the pseudonym veil.

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