Kuunari

Background

Ernest Cline had been known in Austin, TX circles and on the internet since 1996 when he released a sequel screenplay to Buckaroo Banzai.  However, he didn’t come to national prominence until the release of Fanboys in 2009, a comedy about Star Wars fans trying to steal a copy of Episode 1.  I haven’t seen that movie, but plan on Netflixing it once I get a chance.

Ready Player One is his first novel and is a homage to the cyberpunk, D&D, computers and all things 80’s.  The main character is caught up in a quest to discover the three keys which will unlock the fortune of the founder of OASIS, a Second Life/World of Warcraft/Facebook online network.

Review

I started this book Saturday morning, and finished it Sunday, and would have finished it sooner, but I had family in town.  I actually woke up early Sunday so I could read it before my family woke up. Needless to say, it was quite a page turner.

What I loved: I loved the subject matter.  Cline managed to update the cyberpunk genre to our generation and technology, something a lot of writers seem to struggle with, if the lack of cyberpunk in the last ten years is any indication.  The references to 80’s video games and D&D were much appreciated.  It was neat that he set the story 30 years in the future, and yet made it a homage to the 80’s non-the-less.

What I liked: The plot.  It was well paced, and kept you interested.  While it felt like there were slight problems with some of the characterizations and some of the capabilities of the main characters, overall, it was pretty tight.

What I loathed:  I didn’t loath anything, but I was a bit frustrated.  The main antagonist is the company that controls most of the internet access.  Why didn’t they just cut the access to the game?

Recommend? If you are a fan of the 80’s and cyberpunk books, this must be on your reading list.

Resources and Links

Interview on BoingBoing with Ernest Cline: This is where I first heard of this book.

The Big Idea on Whatever: Cline: And this is what got me to go grab the book from my library.

Ernest Cline’s Website: with a cool atari cartridge splash page.