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paulmichaelpeters's review against another edition
3.0
If you enjoyed Ready Player One you will enjoy Armada. It is a similar buffet of culture and nerd speak. I would advise that you give yourself time between the two books as there are repetitions between the two in what is said and talked about.
For me, Ready Player One did a better job of building a world, raising the stakes for the protagonist, and pulling the reader into the action. If this is the first in a series, there is excellent ground work laid for lineage and long term goals of these characters, I may like this book more knowing if it is the first in a series.
What is it with mix tapes? In my recent release The Symmetry of Snowflakes the main character uses them as a plot devices that helps tie together feelings and moments. Something similar is done here. I think it says something about a certain age and connection to culture to use them and I am not sure what it is about a good mix tape that says so much. The list of the mix tape is included in the end just like Guardians of the Galaxy and I would assume its announced sequel Vol II.
For me, Ready Player One did a better job of building a world, raising the stakes for the protagonist, and pulling the reader into the action. If this is the first in a series, there is excellent ground work laid for lineage and long term goals of these characters, I may like this book more knowing if it is the first in a series.
What is it with mix tapes? In my recent release The Symmetry of Snowflakes the main character uses them as a plot devices that helps tie together feelings and moments. Something similar is done here. I think it says something about a certain age and connection to culture to use them and I am not sure what it is about a good mix tape that says so much. The list of the mix tape is included in the end just like Guardians of the Galaxy and I would assume its announced sequel Vol II.
zdhunt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
annamcc_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
daumari's review against another edition
2.0
"It was ok" is essentially how I feel about this book. Like [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One|Ernest Cline|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406383612s/9969571.jpg|14863741], this book is dripping in references, especially those from the 80s (handwaved as a teenager trying to reconnect with his dead father, but I still have a hard time picturing a a teenager now obsessing over cult classics).
An adolecent's l33t gamer skillz are required to save the human race from an alien invasion... or is it? Some parts of the attack are a little too video gamey, but what does it mean? A tad predictable, but fun to read. Zack is somewhat less Gary Stuish than RPO's Wade, but this still feels like a gamer's fanfiction.
An adolecent's l33t gamer skillz are required to save the human race from an alien invasion... or is it? Some parts of the attack are a little too video gamey, but what does it mean? A tad predictable, but fun to read. Zack is somewhat less Gary Stuish than RPO's Wade, but this still feels like a gamer's fanfiction.
heathercottledillon's review against another edition
4.0
This book is not getting much love among my friends, and that's partly because it's impossible not to have super-high expectations for Ernest Cline after reading "Ready Player One." I think we can all agree that "Armada" doesn't live up to those expectations, but I still loved it. Sure, the pacing is a little off, especially at the end where everything is really rushed. The battle scenes ought to have gone through a few more rewrites to be more clear, and the whole thing could have been more polished. But I still thought it was incredibly entertaining. There are some scifi books that feel very realistic, like they could actually happen ("The Martian" comes to mind), while others are ridiculous in one way or another but still a great escape. "Armada" definitely falls into the second category, as it's hard to imagine how the chain of events could go down the way they're described, especially in a single day. But I realized that early on and then just enjoyed the ride, along with Zack's snarky sense of humor.
inthefallstateofmind's review against another edition
3.0
Armada was a good read. Not amazing, but good. An outlandish space opera story of a teen fighting an alien race alongside a secret government group using video games as training simulations. It was quite entertaining and highly nerdy with all of the aliens, video games, and 80's references. I liked the story of Zack and his family although it did feel a little anticlimactic for Zack to realize his father was alive just for him to die the same day. The book lost me a little bit in the middle chunk and I had to keep myself pushing, but it did pick back up. The relationships and dialogue in the story felt kind of clunky and strange to me for some reason. It just didn't read as a natural way people interact with each other. Truly, I don't know why this book needed a romantic interest at all. I also felt the ending was a little quick cut with more telling than showing. I think it could have benefited from trimming the middle a little and exploring more of the aftermath and asking the critical questions left at the end.
buttons_buttons's review against another edition
4.0
What is good book?
Scrolling through the reviews on this book I see a lot wich aren't very good, and honestly, I totally get it. Most of the characters were pretty flat und predictable as was the plot itself and the whole time the book felt like it was missing something important, though I failed to figure out what it is. And while I did enjoy all the pop culture references they weren't as great as in Ready Player One and sometimes felt a little bit clumsy and unnatural.
However, I still enjoyed this book a lot and loved every minute of reading it. Somehow, despite its flaws and despite the feeling that it indeed wasn't that good (and didn't quite catch up with Ready Player One) I really, really liked it and couldn't get it out of my head at some points. And that's what makes a book good, at least for me, in the first place.
What I also enjoy in Clines books in generall is his representation of Nerds and Geeks. Nothing weird, nothing stereotype. Someone once said about Charlie Bradbury (Supernatural) something in the line of: A character who happens to be a Nerd. And that is how I feel about Clines characters and why I love them so much. So thank you for that!
Scrolling through the reviews on this book I see a lot wich aren't very good, and honestly, I totally get it. Most of the characters were pretty flat und predictable as was the plot itself and the whole time the book felt like it was missing something important, though I failed to figure out what it is. And while I did enjoy all the pop culture references they weren't as great as in Ready Player One and sometimes felt a little bit clumsy and unnatural.
However, I still enjoyed this book a lot and loved every minute of reading it. Somehow, despite its flaws and despite the feeling that it indeed wasn't that good (and didn't quite catch up with Ready Player One) I really, really liked it and couldn't get it out of my head at some points. And that's what makes a book good, at least for me, in the first place.
What I also enjoy in Clines books in generall is his representation of Nerds and Geeks. Nothing weird, nothing stereotype. Someone once said about Charlie Bradbury (Supernatural) something in the line of: A character who happens to be a Nerd. And that is how I feel about Clines characters and why I love them so much. So thank you for that!