Ready Player One

          Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is one of the best books I have ever read and I have hardly even dented it. After just five chapters I love everything about this book, it is well written with lots of captivating descriptions of intense situations that have kept me consistently interested and entertained. Even though the book is written about years into the future it is still extremely realistic through the author’s use of detail and imagery.  I liked how it started out explaining the setting of the story and the hardships people faced in the future such as a massive fuel shortage and widespread poverty. It explains how people do almost all of their daily activities in the OASIS, a virtual world that everyone can access through the internet. People use it because it is so much better than the actual world they lived in. The creator of this alternate simulated universe, James Halliday, was remarkably similar to Steve Jobs, an icon and celebrity for his enhancements in technology. When he died he released a contest for the users of his virtual world to try to obtain his massive fortune. The main character Wade, who is dirt poor, makes it his mission to win this challenge which could completely change his life since he was born in a bad neighborhood and had almost nothing to his name.

            The story hooked me immediately by starting in the middle and then explaining what led up to everything that had happened. Plus I find it interesting that even though this book is written about the future, the creator of the OASIS who was raised in the 1980s sparked a rebirth of 80s culture and it’s thrilling that I understand a lot of the references made in the story. This story is excellent and factors in the struggles of school which nearly all students can identify themselves with, as well as teenage friendship and love which apparently hasn’t changed that much 40 years from now except that you meet and interact with everyone online. The plot is constantly twisting and it’s exhilarating because I never know what’s going to happen next! As a senior in high school, I rarely enjoy reading for pleasure anymore and when I have the time I find it very difficult to find books I enjoy. However, I am absolutely addicted to this story and am eager to find more time to read it.