Ready Player One by Ernest ClineI 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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