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msmagoo502's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
- 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
brokenjac's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
haruko's review against another edition
1.0
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.
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
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
keen23's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book! It was fantastic! Like a love child of The Westing Game and the best of 1980's pop culture moments.
09/15/2012- I have a whole stack of to be read books, yet I read this one again. It's such an amazing book. One of my favorites for sure.
09/15/2012- I have a whole stack of to be read books, yet I read this one again. It's such an amazing book. One of my favorites for sure.
isabellahsieh's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I guess I could give this 4 stars, but it just doesn’t evoke a strong reaction out of me. Perhaps it was my somewhat high expectations for it being such a popular book. To be fair, this genre isn’t really my thing to begin with. I already have a hard time visualizing books. To visualize this hyper complex virtual reality world with all these game references that I don’t know? It just didn’t hit. I think for those who really like the nostalgic vibes of games, it would be a great book. I did enjoy aspects of it like the journey of going through all of the clues and whatnot. It was a decent time. It had some nice commentary moments as well. Very much fuck monopolies and capitalism. We love to see it. Overall, mid read but I can see how some people could love it. Debating on reading the 2nd one.
clues_and_courtship's review against another edition
4.0
Good, a little confusing (i didn't live in the eighties nor am i obsessed with it) but the plot and the action were very good
lah123'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? No
4.0
bperl's review against another edition
3.0
An entertaining story all in all. The third act suffered, but I enjoyed the overarching plot. This book is a clear love letter to the ‘80s pop and gaming subcultures, but Cline builds the story around this compellingly enough.
It’s an interesting premise - when the entire world would rather be in a virtual simulation, what happens to the real one? Cline makes a few observations, but the question is brushed away too quickly for a satisfactory answer. Worth considering, as our current world is swiftly heading down this road, and I’d like to reserve a moment or two for reflection before taking the plunge.
It’s an interesting premise - when the entire world would rather be in a virtual simulation, what happens to the real one? Cline makes a few observations, but the question is brushed away too quickly for a satisfactory answer. Worth considering, as our current world is swiftly heading down this road, and I’d like to reserve a moment or two for reflection before taking the plunge.
sashapasha's review against another edition
5.0
So I have a confession: it took me 2 months to get through the first 70 or so pages, and 2 days to finish the rest. This is because there is a giant, 70-page info dump at the beginning, during which nothing much happens but the world is built and the story is setup. Then, from pretty much one page to the next, the actual adventure begins and it's non-stop action until the end.
It's well worth the slow beginning. Wade Watts wasn't initially the most likable protagonist to me, because he started off as pretty much a one-dimensional fanboy, as in, 100% made of fan, with nothing else to his personality. But, as time goes on and you get to know him a little better, you see that while he is an ubergeeky, obsessive fanamaniac, he's also pretty courageous and has some believable flaws that make him much more bearable. The other characters get somewhat developed as well. I never warmed up completely to Art3mis, but I found Aech (particularly the mystery surrounding his character) a nice surprise.
As for the plot, it was fast paced and cleverly laid out. I admit, I noted the author's hints and guessed where he was taking the story before the halfway point, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book at all, if anything it made me more interested to see how it'd all play out. The book has some important messages, first and foremost being to remember to enjoy the real world every once in awhile and not get too interred behind screens, because you never know, maybe one day the world will go to shit and everyone will end up spending all their time in a giant simulation. Quite relevant in this day and age. And on that note...
It's well worth the slow beginning. Wade Watts wasn't initially the most likable protagonist to me, because he started off as pretty much a one-dimensional fanboy, as in, 100% made of fan, with nothing else to his personality. But, as time goes on and you get to know him a little better, you see that while he is an ubergeeky, obsessive fanamaniac, he's also pretty courageous and has some believable flaws that make him much more bearable. The other characters get somewhat developed as well. I never warmed up completely to Art3mis, but I found Aech (particularly the mystery surrounding his character) a nice surprise.
As for the plot, it was fast paced and cleverly laid out. I admit, I noted the author's hints and guessed where he was taking the story before the halfway point, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book at all, if anything it made me more interested to see how it'd all play out. The book has some important messages, first and foremost being to remember to enjoy the real world every once in awhile and not get too interred behind screens, because you never know, maybe one day the world will go to shit and everyone will end up spending all their time in a giant simulation.