I love The Big Bang Theory. I love that this show has made being a nerd "cool," and I love that they portray geek-y stuff as just one of those things that people like. I'm sure part of the love is because I am also a geek, and though I don't know *everything* the boys do on the show, I follow their science jokes and Star Trek problems.
So, when I heard about the novel Ready Player One by Earnest Cline, I knew I had to read it. The novel takes place some time in the future, where there are increasing problems like famine, war, disparity, genocide, and, in the case of the US, corporate-ization of the political process {sound familiar?}.
The one thing that everyone has to keep their mind off of all of these problems is OASIS a virtual reality world where you can choose your avatar and live the life you can't live in real life {IRL}. OASIS was created by a man named James Halliday, and when he dies, he announces to the world that he has hidden 3 keys and 3 gates in the OASIS. The first one to find them all gets his fortune and ownership of OASIS.
What follows is an engaging story about a teenager's quest to not only find the keys and gates, but also to beat IOI, a corporation who cheats their way through the game to acquire the rights to privatize
OASIS.
Y'all, I LOVED this novel. I loved the political commentary on how powerful corporations have and could become {and on the danger of living permanently online, all the time}. I loved that the protagonists were the quiet geeks, the ones that many of us pay no attention to because they like "all the weird stuff." I loved that to defeat the game, Hailliday required those working on solving his puzzles to know about what he loved: Star Trek, manga, science fiction movies, Monty Python, old video games, 80's bands etc. It kind of reminds me of being in high school in tech theatre.
If you are a geek, if you know a geek, if you just want a great novel and you kinda like Big Bang Theory.... read this novel. You won't regret it!
What have you been reading lately?
So, when I heard about the novel Ready Player One by Earnest Cline, I knew I had to read it. The novel takes place some time in the future, where there are increasing problems like famine, war, disparity, genocide, and, in the case of the US, corporate-ization of the political process {sound familiar?}.
 |
| {Source: Goodreads} |
What follows is an engaging story about a teenager's quest to not only find the keys and gates, but also to beat IOI, a corporation who cheats their way through the game to acquire the rights to privatize
OASIS.
Y'all, I LOVED this novel. I loved the political commentary on how powerful corporations have and could become {and on the danger of living permanently online, all the time}. I loved that the protagonists were the quiet geeks, the ones that many of us pay no attention to because they like "all the weird stuff." I loved that to defeat the game, Hailliday required those working on solving his puzzles to know about what he loved: Star Trek, manga, science fiction movies, Monty Python, old video games, 80's bands etc. It kind of reminds me of being in high school in tech theatre.
If you are a geek, if you know a geek, if you just want a great novel and you kinda like Big Bang Theory.... read this novel. You won't regret it!
What have you been reading lately?
I'd probably like this. I kinda like 'The Big Bang Theory.' Not the racist jokes about Raj or the sexist jokes about the women, though. **shakes Feminist Hulk hands at TV** But the nerd stuff, yeah.
ReplyDeleteThere's actually a lot of really good commentary about that in this novel. It's acknowledged that OASIS puts everyone on a "level playing field," and the character development is really great along those lines.
DeleteI've heard such, such great things about this book! I definitely think it's one I'd enjoy as well, and I'm hoping to eventually find time for it.
ReplyDeleteI'm soooooooo putting this on to To-Read list. I'm a geek through and through!!!!! Thanks for the review :) *popping by from the link up*
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by! Let me know what you think when you read it.
Delete