“For me, growing up as a human being on the planet Earth in the twenty-first century was a real kick in the teeth. Existentially speaking.”

(Ernest Cline, Ready Player One)

The novel Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I don’t know what to call it. It could be a dystopian novel, with the food and energy shortages, the lack of living space, and the corporation-run government. It could be epic quest, the virtual hunt for the “egg,” the will of an eccentric genius billionaire that he hid in his most successful game, OASIS. But even then, there is still other elements, sci-fi weapons and medieval swords that exist in the world of OASIS, the constant references to the 1980’s, and more.

Wade Watts, who goes by the name Parzival within OASIS. OASIS is an online multiplayer game using virtual reality to help the human race escape the world they destroyed. Wade manages to find the first of three keys needed to find the egg and soon he’s running from IOI, a company willing to murder to find the key first.

Pace: 4/5 stars  – While the story is fast paced, it slows down to explain Wade’s life on the run before getting back to the action.

Easy to follow: 5/5 stars  – The story sets itself up well and avoids overly technical jargon. The plot has one continuous story and only one point of view.