Reviews

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline, Ernest Cline

gray_sun_god's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Great science fiction themes, a cool continuation, but lack luster. A basically perfect reflection but slightly worse than of the first novel.

minli0108's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

strawverri's review against another edition

2.0

Where do i start? Ugh! Too many plot lines too much blah blah blah... it was like the author wanted to inundate you with pop culture references rather than tell a story. Almost like shoving them down your throat. I felt like he listed all his favorite pop culture stuff and then said i am going to make a story but have to have ALL this crap in it somehow... for me to refer it as crap is sad because a lot of the references are from my favorite fandoms.

theketchupmess's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

sangsara's review against another edition

2.0

Pretty awful fan fiction. By the midpoint I was just forcing myself to keep going and finish it, I don’t know why.

sirrydactyl's review against another edition

2.0

2 stars. I loved the first book so much that I think my expectations were a little high for this unanticipated sequel. While the story was fun, it was a tad lackluster. Most of what happens seems “convenient”, which I can’t go further into without spoilers. Due to these “convenient” moments, I felt disappointed frequently. Although I understand the need for Wade Watts to be different in this book, I can't say I was thrilled about a lot of the choices he makes (namely the "I shouldn't do this because it's wrong, but I'm going to do it anyway" scenes). The last half of the book was a STRUGGLE to get through, but I am happy I made it to the end just so I can say that I did.

strange_abalone's review against another edition

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Wasn’t thrilled with the pacing of the ending, but it was a fun read overall.

eiridium's review against another edition

4.0

This book is getting absolutely trashed. Unfairly. People loved Ready Player One. I did too, and this one is a bit uneven taking a long time actually to reach tempo. It follows on from the first, and there's no way you could derive anything from this one without reading the first. To my mind, the author has attempted to seize upon the aspects that he surmised to have shared his readers and give them a second helping. The concluding happy ending of the first has fallen apart, and the villain is sprung. Where the original told the tale of a journey in which characters came together through a well-paced discovery, the second attempts to add some maturity to the protagonists who have in some ways mature but also corrupted by their wealth and power. A new generation of gamers growing up in changed circumstances rise to the challenge, and the next stage of human-techno interaction raises new ethical dilemmas.
I enjoyed the book eventually. However, I didn't attempt to compare it to the first and appreciated a subsequent tale well told. I appreciate Cline's ingenuity and ability to tease out a creative new twist. I understand why many expected another innovation rather than what might be classified as mere evolution. However, on its merits of timing, development, and twist this novel still stands out as a 4/5 for ability. There's a bit of a missed trick concerning the clues that Og leaves throughout, and a bit of a deus ex machina moment where the security forces spring in to rescue Og - and this is where the pacing does suffer - everything is solved a little too easily versus the extensive amount of build-up.
My only concern centres around this massive ethical dilemma over the extraction of 'souls' via the ONI. It is far too easily solved when it becomes clear that it was all part of a merely evil plot by a twisted personality rather than the gradual product of technologically uncritical users - i.e the explicit Facebook/Google parallels.
Enjoyed and glad to have read.

sverocchia's review against another edition

adventurous tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

jennakay09's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0