A while back, I announced that I had started reading the book Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Simultaneously, I listened to the audio version, and read a study guide (online). Now that I have finished (sort of-see below), here is my report.
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| Cover of the copy I borrowed from the Library. |
MY OVERALL OPINION
👍 Thumbs Up (i.e., I liked it). If you are a fan of 1980s culture, dungeons and dragons, and video games, there is a lot in this book that will likely stir your memory. If you like dystopian novels such as 1984, Brave New World, etc., you too will likely feel comfortable in this book. There's also a love story, and some twists and turns with a somewhat contemporary slant.
WHY I READ THIS BOOK
Initially, I was motivated to read it because my friend (ME) had listened to the audio version and really liked it. The concept of virtual reality intrigued me because of the alternate world I had recently read about in A Wrinkle In Time as well as the philosophers George Berkeley, Baruch Spinoza, David Hume, Gottfried Liebniz, and others that were mentioned in The Age of Louis XIV.
While a case could be made that my effort was influenced by the charms of ME, we were coming at it from quite different perspectives. First, ME listened to the book, while I read it AND listened to it. Second, I lived during the 1980s; this was my college period and the beginning of my career. ME, on the other hand, was born in the 80s. Also, although I've never experience the technical version of virtual reality, ME bought a VR machine and claimed it helped her exercising.
During most of the book, the main characters never meet except in the guise of their avatars. Similarly, I have never met ME in person. We only know each other through Skype calls via work.
Interestingly, the author grew up in SW Ohio; I grew up in NE Ohio. The author now lives in Texas; ME also lives in Texas.
BOOK DETAILS
Published: 2011 by Random House (New York). First Edition, printed in the United States of America.
374 numbered pages, not including Advance Praise blurbs, Title Page, Copyright information, dedication, and "About the author." There are no illustrations or pictures.
The colorful dust jacket covers a black binding with white lettering on the spine.
ORGANIZATION OF THE BOOK
There is no Table of Contents.
The book is divided into four (4) parts:
- Chapter 0000
- Level One (Chapters 0001 - 0016)
- Level Two (Chapters 0017 - 0027)
- Level Three (Chapters 0028 - 0039).
MY READING APPROACH
When I couldn't find an inexpensive used copy to purchase, I borrowed a volume from the local library. I renewed it something like 4X. I started reading it the moment I got it home: Saturday April 10th and finished it Wednesday July 7th (ME's birthday - a coincidence, honestly!).
When I finished reading a chapter (several pages a day), I listened to the corresponding chapter of the audio book, then read the detailed summary and analysis at Litcharts.
I like to do my reading in the morning with a cup of coffee handy.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I saw some spiritual aspects in this book. The author cites references to one of the primary characters similarly to biblical citations as a way to demonstrate how serious his disciples followed him. Religion can be a sort of alternate reality that helps people cope with the challenges of life and the unknown regarding death. Also, I can see something of a parallel where "Jesus" becomes God's avatar in earthly life.
The virtual world is called OASIS because it helps the user escape the dreariness of the real world. And yet it's a fake work and, thus, limited in what can be accomplished and the level of satisfaction that can be derived. It functions similarly to what kinds of distractions we use today to distract us from the real world: TV, movies, social media, drugs, food, etc.
All of us want to present our best side and hide our flaws, shortcomings, etc. We are afraid of rejection. And all of us are worthy of being rejected. And so we hide from each other. Young couples like to live together before marriage in order to see what the other person is "really like." We stay the same and yet we change. As human beings we try to pretend that we are god-like so that others will (presumably) like us.
Ready Player One shares several similarities with other books I have recently read. It is a quest similar to The Pilgrims Progress. TPP is striving to reach the Celestial City while the characters in RP1 are hunting to find the "Easter Egg" that will make them the owner of the OASIS as well as fantastic wealth in this world. Like A Wrinkle in Time and TPP, RP1 involves traveling through an alternate reality. RP1 also involves growing up, maturing. It touches similar themes as AWIT and Little Women.
I didn't care for the ending. There is something of a happy ending that seems forced, like the Resurrection in Left Behind. For all the references to VR and geekiness, the ending tries to point us away from the isolation of a digital world and towards the real world. RIGHT. This is from a book that just taught its readers that immersing oneself in arcane trivia can pay off immensely. After being kissed by his pursued love interest, the last sentence of the book suggests a "and they lived happily ever after" future:
"It occurred to me then that for the first time in as long as I could remember, I had absolutely no desire to log back into the OASIS."
NEXT
Right after I finished, I found a podcast series that is something of a virtual book club, reading a couple of chapters each podcast. I listened to the kickoff episode (00) today and will at least try to listen to a few. Looks they are about a half hour each.
I have no plans to see the movie version of RP1 nor read the sequel, Ready Player Two.
I am planning to read one of the Nancy Drew Mysteries next (really!).
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Links:
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2021/04/there-goes-sun-king.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_Player_One
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Cline
https://archive.org/details/ReadyPlayerOne-Audiobook-Unabridged
https://www.litcharts.com/lit/ready-player-one
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2021/03/a-wwwrinnnkllle-innn-tttimme.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Berkeley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruch_Spinoza
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottfried_Wilhelm_Leibniz
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2021/04/there-goes-sun-king.html
https://www.litcharts.com/lit/ready-player-one
http://372pages.com/about
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Written Sunday 11 July 2021.
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