Wade Watts won. Game over. Except that it wasn’t….
This time, it’s more than a game to win control over a billionaire’s virtual universe. This time, real lives are at stake.
This book was read by Susan Baker, Main Campus Reference Librarian.
Title: Ready Player Two
Author: Ernest Cline
Genre: Science Fiction, Pop Culture Homage
Read Great Things 2021 Categories: A book about family; A book recommended by a Durham Tech Library staff member; Choose your own category [A sequel!]
Why did you choose to read this book?
I read Ready Player One and loved Ernest Cline’s Valentine to all things 1980s (that’s my era, after all) encased in a fast-paced familiar story arc of teen anti-hero (Wade Watts) overcoming virtually insurmountable odds to do great things and win control of The Oasis, a gaming world that would have made Steve Jobs and Tim Sweeney weep, where inhabitants of a poverty stricken future find their only escape. Ready Player Two, published in November 2020, is right off the same menu, picking up right where Ready Player One left off. Only this time Wade, now heir to James Halliday’s Oasis, finds new virtual reality tech and with it unexpected quest that may cost millions of lives– including his own.
What did you like about it?
The 80s love was back in full force. This made me smile with every Easter egg the author hid for his readers, many in plain view. This book also brings up some big asks: What are the dangers of being too lost in a virtual world, at the expense of engaging in the real one? Is it better just to be able to escape reality when there is no easy fix for its problems in sight? How far, and how far afield can true love or the dream of it take you? And finally, who is your family, and how do you connect once connections are broken? It’s a complex, engaging journey, and a pretty adventurous ride.
Did it remind you of any other book, tv show, movie, or any other media?
This said, if you did not read Ready Player One (or watch the movie), or if you did, and did not enjoy it, this is definitely not the book for you. But if you’re already an Ernest Cline fan, or if you have The Matrix movies on repeat every time you need some viewing comfort, then hurry straight over to the Dogwood Digital Library, or your library of choice, and check out Ready Player Two.
Was there anything particularly noteworthy about this?
Ernest Cline created a universe in Ready Player One that garnered a lot of award-winning love in the science fiction world. Don’t be surprised to see Ready Player Two winning some of those awards again!
What feeling did this book leave you with?
I’m not going to spoil the ending for you. But the ending was very satisfying to me and I don’t like “The Lady or the Tiger”-type “who knows what happened next” stories or brokenhearted Great Gatsby endings, if that helps inform your decision.
What would you pair this with?
To accompany Ready Player Two, break out your Hot Pockets (one of the original one hand gamer foods) and the freshest, sweetest strawberries you can imagine sinking your teeth into. When/if you read it, you’ll get it!
Want to know how to add Dogwood Digital Library to your Libby app so you can check out great books like Ready Player Two?
Once you’ve downloaded the Libby app from your chosen app store, select “Add a Library,” search for Dogwood Digital, and when asked to add your library card number, use your Durham Tech username and password (NOT your Durham Tech Library barcode– authentication of your account is the same as for off-campus use of the databases).
Have you read a book, listened to a podcast, or watched a tv show or film that you’d like to review for the Durham Tech Library Blog? We have a form for that!