Abd itibaren ロシア 〒601426 ヴラジーミル州 コプツェヴォ itibaren ロシア 〒601426 ヴラジーミル州 コプツェヴォ

Ready player One posits a dystopian future America, not so dissimilar from our present, in which forty years of recession, environmental depletion and energy scarcity have made life in an elaborate virtual reality system far preferable to life in reality itself. This virtual reality system, called the OASIS, is free to all as guaranteed by its inventor -- a sort of Bill Gates-like uber nerd/super genius named James Halliday. The conceit: Halliday dies, leaving his entire fortune to the first person to find a hidden "easter egg" planted somewhere in the OASIS. The conflict: pleasant, good-hearted people like main protagonist and high school student Wade Watts are searching for the egg, but so is heartless mega-corporation "IOI" who, if it finds the egg will convert the largely egalitarian and free OASIS into a commercial nightmare, fraught with barriers to all but the most privileged users. Can Wade and his friends find the egg before the evil IOI and its extraordinarily well-funded minions? Sounds hokey? My description might but rest assured that the story's not. This is a ripping yarn. As others have observed, this book rewards you if you're a child of the 1980s. Why? Because the deceased James Halliday, a man who is described as never having had an intimate relationship and was painfully uncomfortable in social situations, instead formed a deep bond with the pop culture of his youth. He had the highest regard for those who shared his picayune obsessions and nothing but scorn for those who didn't. Consequently, it turns out that the egg hunters (or "gunters" as their called) must have the same arcane knowledge of 80s science fiction films, video games, music and TV shows to be successful. Each stage of the egg hunt relies on a deep knowledge of each. This is, of course, a nerd dream. Finally, being able to recite every line of Monty Python and Holy Grail from memory could be rewarded with the greatest monetary pay-off in world history. Thought all of that time spent memorizing the Star Wars films, the songs of Rush and playing Joust at the local video arcade was a waste? Well, not in this world it wasn't! In addition to being a good "quest" story with likeable and clever characters, author Cline explores the interesting side-effects of a culture living primarily as avatars in a virtual reality world. In the OASIS, you never know who you're really interacting with. Is that female avatar you're talking to really female? Are they really 18 years old? Or is it some old guy named Chuck? What happens when you can't make any assumptions about anyone? None of the normal rules apply. It's not a new examination of the topic, but it's a well-handled one. Then, there's the imagined world itself. Cline has a knack for making you feel as if you're as fully immersed in the OASIS as the main characters themselves. And the OASIS is interesting. It's as big as the universe where any rule that can be imagined can exist. There are zones where rules of magic apply, zones where only technology can be used, zones where both exist, zones where neither exist and zones where players cannot engage in combat with one another. It's a mash-up of fantasy, science fiction and a few other genres all in one big bag. About half way through the book, I got the feeling that Ready Player One might actually be considered YA fiction. I double checked the Amazon listing and found that it wasn't. At least not officially. What that tells me is that this is a book which should have wide appeal. There's more than enough to keep a younger reader hooked and there's plenty for us old 40-somethings too. Go out and get a copy of this book and enjoy running through the OASIS searching for the egg. Watch out for the twists and turns along the way.

This is an epic story of fantasy that has inspired readers and writers alike for many years. I was interested to know that Tolkien published Beowulf and the Critics (Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies, Vol. 248) before The Hobbit.

I, too, read this every Christmas season - and think of it often throughout the year. I've always read (and re-read) the condensed version that appeared in Reader's Digest so many years ago, torn from that old magazine and treasured in my files. But just this month I finally got busy and located and purchased a used copy of the book. Now I will treasure the book as well as the old, dog-eared pages from RD. The first time I read it, I wasn't paying attention and thought it was a true story, but still, I always cry when I get to the final paragraphs. This is one great story!