I will do my best to write this up with no plot spoilers, but you might want to skip past if you’re at all concerned in advance of reading.
So, to get started, it is incredibly difficult to find words that expressive enough to explain the epic adventure that you will go on when you read this novel. If you are unfamiliar with Ready Player One, I highly recommend you add it immediately to your reading list, read it, watch the movie, reminisce about games and shows you’ve forgotten about!
I’m not going to lie; I had no idea what to expect from the storyline – I managed to successfully avoid all spoilers, but as a result had zero idea of the plot, I wasn’t even sure if there would be familiar characters between the pages. But of course, there were, and immediately I was transported back into the world of Parzival and Art3mis to see what adventure had been thrust upon them now.
The story picks up a few years after the events of Ready Player One where the haptic suits previously used to experience the OASIS have been replaced with a further advanced system called ONI [Oasis Neural Interface]. The ONI system allows users to fully immerse all their senses into the OASIS and record the experience to be shared with others and stored. The ONI knowledge had been ‘gifted’ to Wade after the events of the first book
It was interesting to see how Wade had developed; as mentioned the timeline shows some years have passed since the events of Ready Player One and it’s not been entirely favourable to his character development, moving away from young lovable ‘geek’ character, to something much more protective and guarded. Given the events of Ready Player One and what we can imagine followed afterwards it’s not surprising that Wade and his [now] colleagues have changed and developed, it’s just surprising how believable it is. Cline manages to make Wade almost unlikeable but pulls it back with just enough small glimpses of personality to keep you rooting for him regardless.
Samantha seems to be the only one immune to the draw of ONI and as such remains somewhat removed from the main crux of the action, as the storyline develops it becomes clear that her mistrust of such a complex system are entirely warranted. I would love to say that I would be more Samantha than Wade and maintain a distance if ONI was real but what an amazing adventure an experience like that would be. I can absolutely understand the draw of a system like ONI – and the world Cline describes, where people have more empathy and understanding for each other because they are able to share more easily is something that sounds like a dream. But the flip side, I believe Cline covers that sufficiently enough to make even the most committed of screen users evaluate their ‘real’ life.
How much would you be willing to trade of yourself to experience all the world has to offer? Is the situation Cline is describing really so different from the questions around wealth in the world at the minute – they say anyone can become wealthy, but at what cost?
There have been some mixed reviews for this sequel, which I found surprising, although it may simply be a credit to just how good Ready Player One was. I do feel that the first book is a little stronger in reference to the pop culture and gaming roots that form so much of the structure of the story: but the characters really come to life in Ready Player Two, and the slightly less frenetic bombardment of cultural references makes the pace [slightly] less exhausting.
I personally feel that Cline has ticked a lot of boxes for such an anticipated sequel, Ready Player Two is beautifully written and paced, and honestly, I wish I could re-read this for the first time. Since I don’t yet have the ability to erase any of my memories, I look forward to reading it again, I’m sure there will be all kinds of details and Easter eggs I missed this time around.
Favourite Quote: “There it was: number 42”
When it came to thinking about music to go with this book, how could Daft Punk not come to mind, here is a band that rose to fame whilst obscuring their ‘real’ identity, the perfect accompaniment! How about Around the World [check it out here] or if you prefer a less synth approach, how about Stronger by Kanye West ft Daft Punk [check it out here].
If you enjoyed it, why not have a look at Eye of Minds by James Dashner, different in tone from the Maze Runner Series and a really interesting exploration of what it is that makes us human in a digital world.
Whilst I am a firm believer that ‘the book is better’, I would love to see this one made into a sequel to the movie of Ready Player One, check out some of the concept art here.
And finally, if you’re feeling at all nostalgic, try re-playing the video games from your youth – I guarantee they’re a lot harder to complete now.
Let me know what you think!
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