Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)

Author: Ernest Cline

Rating: ⭐ 5/5

Date Read: 2013/02/28

Pages: 480

Does this book deserve five stars? Objectively, maybe not. Does it deserve to be in my “dear ones” shelf, along with the most perfect book of all time, Anna Karenina? Objectively, probably not. But it’s my rating system, and I can do whatever I want, so I’m giving this book five stars and put in on my favorites shelf because it’s so freaking awesome.

This is filled with 80’s references, which didn’t feel too obscure to me (caveat: I pretty much watch an insane amount of movies, listen to an insane amount of music, and obsess about Star Wars/Star Trek/Lord of the Rings). I’m too young for this book (I was born in 1986), but I’ve seen War Games (1983) a ton of times, and I can totally rock out to some Oingo Boingo (Dead Man’s Party, from the album Dead Man’s Party, track 2, 1985). Actually, I may have taken a few breaks from reading this to bust out my copy of the Back to the Future trilogy (1985, 1989, 1990), and Star Wars (the original trilogy, 1977, 1980, 1983; I’m ignoring those new ones). Cline throws out some Firefly and Harry Potter references, maybe to benefit the younger readers (or maybe to prove that he’s a jack of all trades when it comes to pop culture).

Read this book, even if you’re not a nerd who loves references. Better yet, listen to the audiobook: it’s narrated by Wil Wheaton!