Ready Player series by Ernest Cline

 

I have had Ready Player One on my reading list since watching the movie. I enjoyed the gamer geek atmosphere of the movie, plus I'm all for nostalgia. It is rare for me to watch a movie before reading the novel because it can muddle my expectations. Books have so much more imagination to offer the reader. They build the world in a way 120 minutes cannot. So I will wholly admit I went into reading with some pretty strong hype. 

Nothing groundbreaking in the dystopian sci-fi genre, readers are presented with a deteriorating world due to virtual world addiction. Predicting where the human mind will develop is impossible to strike with accuracy. Ready Player One was a very plausible guess, though. The novel seemed to handle this well by being nostalgic more than advanced. Pop culture references prevailed while the underdog nerds go on an epic quest. For once I really did not find a problem with the plot development or pacing. I enjoyed the exaggerated tropes and cliches because it was all fun and games.

It was the writing that was a complete and total let down. The word choice was beyond atrocious. The character development is abrasive. I actually wanted to rip the characters off the page into a cage match over human civility. The sociopolitical agenda was just cringing. Worse, it only increased in severity by Ready Player Two. The characters degraded to a point of hatred. The fun tropes and nostalgic good times did not continue. The sequel just felt forced and arbitrary.

In fact, I was so disappointed by the books, I really cannot recommend the movie so someone doesn't stumble on the books. I want to go full Ray Bradbury on this series.