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Thursday, May 31, 2012

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

You guys, Ready Player One is out in paperback this week!

An updated video game quest in the spirit of all past video game quests! Wade is just one of many trying to find the Easter egg left inside the world's largest online world after it's creator dies. The winner will not only receive all of the monetary wealth left behind upon his death, but control over OASIS as well. Five years have passed since the contest began and Wade will be the first to beat the first level.

Ernest Cline's debut is a super cool read! It's a futuristic, sci-fi-ish, action adventure story set in a video game world and full of fun 80s references (and still fun even if you didn't grow up in the 80s and aren't a gamer). I had a chance to read this one last year when it was released in hardcover and I walked away wishing I could have more! I even mentioned I wanted a soundtrack to listen to while reading. Luckily, the publisher came across my post and sent me Cline's playlist!

Oingo Boingo—Dead Man’s Party
Plimsouls—A Million Miles Away
Greg Kihn—The Breakup Song
Duran Duran—Wild Boys
AC/DC—Who Made Who
Joe Esposito—You’re the Best
Kenny Loggins—Danger Zone
Billy Idol—Rebel Yell
Twisted Sister—We’re Not Gonna Take It
Styx—Mr. Roboto
Devo—Girl U Want
Pat Benetar—Invincible
Red Ryder—Lunatic Fringe
Rush—The Temples of Syrinx
Tommy Tutone—867-5309 (Jenny)
Trans-X—Living on Video
Cyndi Lauper—Time After Time
LA Style—James Brown is Dead
Bryan Adams—Kids Wanna Rock
Buckman & Garcia—Pacman Fever

And Cline's touring for the paperback release. Check here to see if he'll be in your area (he's coming Denver way in just a couple weeks!)

For more on Ernie, be sure to check out his website (linked above) and the official Ready Player One website as well. Also, here's a fun Q&A with Cline as well.

4 comments:

As the Crowe Flies and Reads said...

I have friends, coworkers, and countrymen who LOVE this book. Now that it's out in pb, I may try to buy myself a copy.

Melissa Ward said...

That is a great list of songs to accompany Wade's quest. Thanks for sharing! :)

Becky LeJeune said...

Emily - It's super fun. I was just thinking I need to pull it out for my husband to read.

Melissa - I love this list of songs! I joked that I needed to make a playlist for while I was reading and the publishing folks saw it and sent me this list :)

Canada said...

Ready Player One is a geektastic novel that invokes a nostalgic feeling for 80s geek culture. The 80s was, in many ways, the birthplace of the modern geek culture. Between video games, amazing geek-centric movies, the popularity and damning of role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons and the rise of progressive bands like Rush, much of what constitutes geek culture in the 2000s can trace its roots back to the 1980s. Author Ernest Cline obviously has a fondness for the time period and knows his stuff as he fills Ready Player One to the brim with pop cultural nods and firmly ties the 80s the entire plot of the novel.