Ready Player Two: A Review
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, I present to you possibly the most creatively named sequel in history, the successor to Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, it is Ready Player Two! You have to give it to the publishers for letting him be so creative in this area of the novel. But how does the rest of the book stack up against the first one? Is it worth the read? What is the ratio of Lammas to goats in the contiguous United States? Two of your questions answered below!
Things I Like:
It's witty and fun
One thing that stood out to me reading the book was all the witty banter, especially during tense moments and fights. If you've ever watched a spiderman movie or read one of the comics, you've probably noticed how quick and humorous the dialogue can be, which is pretty similar to the vibe I got from the dialogue in this book. Plus, Wade Watts' (the main character's) narration is smart and insightful, painting just enough of a picture to get the reader's brain on the right track, but leaving lots open for imagination. Additionally, lines like "And then my ex-girlfriend fell out of the sky" really add some extra humor to the book.
It's got that "just one more chapter" vibe
Sure, the book has its flaws (which I'll get to later) but it's excellent entertainment. The chapters are just long enough to keep you interested without getting bored, and with the book's rapidly-developing storyline, you can't not put the book down (even if you probably should).
It's not too political
Ready Player Two is set in a future dystopian US of A, so things are bound to heat up at some point, but surprisingly it isn't too political. Ernest Cline does a great job of briefly going through the politics of the situation the book is set in, and promptly getting the heck out of there to focus on the plotline and other elements.
On top of that, the book features a wide range of diverse and interesting characters while avoiding negative stereotypes or the old trick of "Look at me! This character has dark skin! I'm so progressive! Inclusion yay!"
Things I Don't Like
It doesn't feel right
As creative as the book is, it focuses much less on worldbuilding, backstory, and informative rabbit holes of information much less than the first one, and much more on the plot itself, which isn't always a bad thing, but it reads differently than the first without these extra details
It doesn't treat mental health very seriously
This is more of a personal gripe with the book than an actual complaint, but the book doesn't treat mental health seriously. It's admirable the author tried to write some of these kinds of things, but he did a particularly poor job nonetheless.
The plot is like a 4/10 in terms of creativity
Without spoiling too much, the basis of the plot revolves around a fetch-quest style system that gets really old really quickly. As entertaining as the book can be, in terms of the plot, it feels like you're a kid in the backseat of a car constantly asking "Are we there yet?" when you're still hours away from your destination.
Verdict
Ready Player Two, by Ernest Cline is, ultimately worth the read. Does it measure up to the standard set by Ready Player One? No, it doesn't. Is it good nonetheless? Yes, yes it is.
-William
I've read Ernest Cline's other books and really enjoyed them, and I didn't know he had written another book. Even if this one isn't as good as the others I'll still probably give it a try.
ReplyDeleteNice post! Even thought the plot seems pretty basic and cliché you made it sound funny and interesting. I also have to agree with you I also don't like it when authors try to force diversity just for the sake of doing it. I watched the movie for the first book but I haven't read either of the books. I think even if I don't read the sequel I'll definitely read book 1.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post. I also really liked your simile about being in the backseat, as I found it really relatable and I usually find it kind of annoying when books do that. I also like how you included how witty and funny the book is, as I always enjoy it when the book has those qualities. Overall great review.
ReplyDeleteLove your post! I read the first book, Ready Player One and was looking into reading the second book, but never started. I was scared to read it because I was hearing a lot of dislike towards it (not being as good as the first), but your post encouraged me to give it a shot.
ReplyDeleteI think this was a balanced, informative, and well-organized review of a sequel to a popular book. To me, this seems like the kind of book that can be read naturally and completely over a couple of days without getting bogged down. I would've appreciated some more lore and backstory throughout the book like the first one, though, as I feel that it adds to the whole experience.
ReplyDeleteI never read ready player one but I've watched the movie which wasn't that bad. One of the better parts of the movie was the worldbuilding so I can see why the sequel would suffer from having less of that. Also what is the ratio of llamas to goats in the US I need to know.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post about how someone can make a fun and light interpretation of a book that represents a dark and unforgivable future. I really liked this post because it covered all the bases about how they changed it from the original book to their spin-off.
ReplyDeleteNice post. I like how you summarized the different points of the story in a way that doesn't spoil the plot. I wasn't aware that there was a sequel to Ready Player 1 (and I didn't think it needed one). I might pick this book up just to see what happens, but my expectations won't be too high.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you structured this blog. If I do end up reading ready player two, I'll have to read ready player one first.
ReplyDeleteI think you did really well explaining all of your thoughts on the book in a relatively short read. Its nice to know that you didn't think the book was all perfect but still enjoyable. Sounds like an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteHaving read Ready Player Two, I have to say that it felt to me like a cash grab riding on the success of the first book. A lot of the content felt contrived. It was still a fairly fun read, though.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fun read, however it also gives off "milking" vibes. It reminds me of the Terminator Genesys movie where they focus a lot less on worldbuilding but on the plot which wasn't original either. Although it is exciting to know that a fairly exciting book had a sequel, it sounds like it will not be as much fun.
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