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dmwfish's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.0
I liked it more than I expected. Did a good job of expanding the world and not feeling like the same story as the first book.
It did, however, go way too in depth at times about things that meant nothing to be. There was a much stronger disconnect in this book than the last for my lack of knowledge of specific pop culture. Other than that, pretty enjoyable
It did, however, go way too in depth at times about things that meant nothing to be. There was a much stronger disconnect in this book than the last for my lack of knowledge of specific pop culture. Other than that, pretty enjoyable
tia_leona's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
siakou's review against another edition
1.0
You know, the first book felt kind of boring and a drag at some parts but nowhere near close this one.
That entire Prince section was enough reason on its own to entirely give up and throw away the whole book.
It felt like it went on and on for half of the books length and I couldn’t bring myself to really give a shit.
That entire Prince section was enough reason on its own to entirely give up and throw away the whole book.
It felt like it went on and on for half of the books length and I couldn’t bring myself to really give a shit.
alivaster's review against another edition
3.0
I finally read "Ready Player Two" and went into it without totally knowing what was going to be included besides the fact my friends said it was basically like one of my favorite animes (Sword Art Online, which the book actually mentions!). I really loved the first book so I thought that this book might be better since I would understand more references. Ultimately the book ended up being 3 stars for me. Why? It wasn't as amazing as book one, but it was okay. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. Nothing really surprised me within it. Still good writing though, development of characters was decent, and it was interesting seeing the pop culture references. I guess I just expected more after the first one!
Overall, I'd recommend if you enjoyed book one and would like to see the story continue. Should it be moved to the stop of your TBR right away? Nah. But it's still a decent read if you're feeling some sci-fi with these characters!
Overall, I'd recommend if you enjoyed book one and would like to see the story continue. Should it be moved to the stop of your TBR right away? Nah. But it's still a decent read if you're feeling some sci-fi with these characters!
calliereece's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed but it wasn’t the best it was somewhere between fine and good
laurareads5's review against another edition
1.0
DNF. Seriously terrible book. I had to stop about 1/4 of the way through because NOTHING had happened. It was still exposition. I can’t get over how terrible this book is.
theenglishphan's review against another edition
3.0
The reunion of the reader with this world is somewhat undermined by the fact that this world is changed completely. In a rush to name-drop as many allusions to more up-to-date aspects of geek culture as possible, the narrative of this series takes a hit. Plot becomes a list of things that happen with little to no description that doesn't involve a generic trope or a copious use of proper nouns.
No spoilers here unless you also count really generic confirmations of character tropes as spoilers:
Wade's character "develops" by him being wrong and then knowing he's wrong for the entire rest of the story. People say he's wrong, and then are no longer mad at him being wrong by the end of the story. I didn't feel any kind of urge to see him succeed... other than to prevent the end of the world?
The new allusions are handled the same way the old ones are. One issue I had going in was how to explain the absence of some of these things that didn't exist when Cline wrote the first one but would technically have retroactively existed now that the sequel is out in 2020. However it wasn't much of an issue; it was easy to believe that Wade was super focused as a gunter and as obsessed with Halliday as he was in the first one, it makes sense for his focus to be more singular in the first and then widen in the second.
The retro allusions are still there because of course, this series is about chasing the whims of old people.
Honestly, Wade is not very likeable here. The tasks he completes don't have a thrill to them and are seldom done through any kind of expertise on his own part. As a billionaire he has limitless resources and the knowledge of the entire world at his fingertips, and he DOES attempt to use these, but still manages to just not be capable of anything. The worst parts of the first book involved narration that felt like a roleplay god-modder... a dungeon master with a stake in the game. "This thing looked scary, so I took out this level 99 cultural reference that was shrunk down to this convenient DBZ capsule size and then it was fine." This is more glaringly obvious now with billionaire Parzival. Also, the antagonists are pretty one-note.
That being said, this is pretty on-brand, and is still very fun at times if you have a vivid imagination and luckily know most of the references. Its strange commentaries on the state of the world and what can be done to solve its problems (data harvesting, privacy, and mortality, to name a few) are more lofty, unwieldy, and vague than some of the more specific ideas Cline had about the issues in the first book, like education, labor, and economic disparity.
If you read the first book to be fondly reminded of the past in nerd culture, then this might work to remind you of the first book and some of the charm that didn't make the trip to the sequel.
No spoilers here unless you also count really generic confirmations of character tropes as spoilers:
Wade's character "develops" by him being wrong and then knowing he's wrong for the entire rest of the story. People say he's wrong, and then are no longer mad at him being wrong by the end of the story. I didn't feel any kind of urge to see him succeed... other than to prevent the end of the world?
The new allusions are handled the same way the old ones are. One issue I had going in was how to explain the absence of some of these things that didn't exist when Cline wrote the first one but would technically have retroactively existed now that the sequel is out in 2020. However it wasn't much of an issue; it was easy to believe that Wade was super focused as a gunter and as obsessed with Halliday as he was in the first one, it makes sense for his focus to be more singular in the first and then widen in the second.
The retro allusions are still there because of course, this series is about chasing the whims of old people.
Honestly, Wade is not very likeable here. The tasks he completes don't have a thrill to them and are seldom done through any kind of expertise on his own part. As a billionaire he has limitless resources and the knowledge of the entire world at his fingertips, and he DOES attempt to use these, but still manages to just not be capable of anything. The worst parts of the first book involved narration that felt like a roleplay god-modder... a dungeon master with a stake in the game. "This thing looked scary, so I took out this level 99 cultural reference that was shrunk down to this convenient DBZ capsule size and then it was fine." This is more glaringly obvious now with billionaire Parzival. Also, the antagonists are pretty one-note.
That being said, this is pretty on-brand, and is still very fun at times if you have a vivid imagination and luckily know most of the references. Its strange commentaries on the state of the world and what can be done to solve its problems (data harvesting, privacy, and mortality, to name a few) are more lofty, unwieldy, and vague than some of the more specific ideas Cline had about the issues in the first book, like education, labor, and economic disparity.
If you read the first book to be fondly reminded of the past in nerd culture, then this might work to remind you of the first book and some of the charm that didn't make the trip to the sequel.
shinydiscoballx's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0