Reviews

This book reads like a watered down Wikipedia article featuring a flawless protege character. Not even a reference to Neon Genesis Evangelion could save this one for me.
The main character, Parzival, will constantly remind the reader how much geek trivia he has inhaled, and proceeds to dedicate pages to reveal exactly how many times he's read/watched/played said geek thing. The riddles and challenges that players of the OASIS VR world are directed to solve, Parzival conquers with ease. The tension and frustration of completing these challenges are practically non-existent when Parzival has a sudden "ahah!" moment to get the plot rolling again.

But the worst parts of this book involve the love interest, Art3mis. Parzival has an unhealthy obsession with her and the incel-esque content is prevalent throughout most of their interactions.
The origin of Parzival's love for Art3mis began with his attraction to her OASIS avatar. Whenever she uploaded a photo of her avatar online, Parzival would save each photo to a designated folder on his hard drive.
The first time Parzival meets Art3mis in the OASIS world, he immediately wants to kiss and marry her.
When Art3mis meets Parzival's best friend, Parzival immediately is upset that they're getting along and states he "wanted her all to himself."

In a DM conversation between Art3mis and Parzival, he tells her the following after she states that she is a female in real life:
"After analyzing the available data, I've concluded that you must be a female."
"I've been cyber-stalking you for years."
"The female of the species has always found me repellent."
"Now, spill it. Are you a woman? And by that I mean are you a human female who has never had a sex-change operation?"
"Do you have the same face and body [in real life], too?"

During a conversation when Art3mis says she needs Parzival to focus on their mission instead of her, and for them to go their separate ways, Parzival cries out "Is it because I told you I've never had a real girlfriend? And that I'm a virgin?"

I think this quote sums it up perfectly:
"I'm a really nice guy once you get to know me. I swear."

There are better geek books out there. Don't waste your time with this one.

howiehowei's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

5.0

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