Ready Player One

[shipperx]

In that book that I was reading (that I mentioned here ) where all the old fandoms, video games, and tv shows (even the old newsgroups!)  had been transferred into an interactive virtual reality called "The Oasis"...  

Well, the "Whedonverse" (yep, they called it that) is "Sector 10."   Bwha!

(This book was clearly written by someone intimate with the vagaries of fandom.)

Comments

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...this looks interesting and reminds me of a story idea that I came up with but couldn't figure out how to write. Might grab it. Thanks for the reviews.

From the Amazon review? It sounds a bit like a novelization of a video game/role playing game though. Does it read like one? Or are the characters well-developed?

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Damn it! LJ ate my reply. I'll re-write it tonight. But short and sweet: It's somewhat video game-y in sections, but there's a nice story (I think). It's not sexist. And is generally quite enjoyable.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Okay, slightly more complete answer.

It's not a perfectly written story. I have quibbles, but ultimately it's really fun. Parts are video game-y. Parts definitely play that way in my head, but it really seems to have 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' in its DNA. The game has a purpose and is searching for the 'right' heir. It also owes some character dynamics to the 80s movie 'Real Genius.'. There's definitely som Hero's Journey structure to it. And there's a sweet love story. Also, unlike the last book I read, it's not off-puttingly sexist.

It's not a perfect book, but it's an enjoyable, fun read that gives a happy ending (at least as happy as one can get in a dystopia.)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Am on the fence...parts sound appealing, but I tend to get annoyed by an overemphasis on parody or satire or pop culture in a work. I want character and story to be front and center, not to be secondary to pop culture and satire. Because then I find myself wondering why the writer isn't just doing a bunch of shorter essays? (This is what happened when I tried to read Jeffrey Eugenides satire of the romance novel recently, I thought - okay, just write a personal essay, dang it.)