Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
narrated by Wil Wheaton
Wade Owen Watts or WOW as his initials on video games would be is a teenager gamer extraordinaire. This isn’t because he squanders time and money living in a virtual world to escape from reality…well, not mostly. James Halliday, an eccentric billionaire game designer died with no heirs and the mass of Earth are spending a lot of effort in solving the gaming mystery he set up to give away his fortune after dying. WOW is dead broke and victimized by his dead beat Aunt so he has incentive to crawl out.
WOW only really has virtual friends and goes to school online. The bulk of his world is a construct.
The story is well told how WOW and his few friends compete with a vile corporation to unravel Halliday’s monumental string of gaming clues. There is murder, theft, romance and nostalgic journeys back into the day of Galaga, Zork, D&D, Joust, Pac Man…long list buddy.
Excellent story professionally delivered by Mr. Wheaton. Four out of five.
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