“I realized, as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it’s also the only place where you can find true happiness. Because reality is real.”
– Wade Watts Ready Player One
Ready Player One is the audiobook that changed my entire world. I enjoyed reading long before this one ever came out, but it was this audio journey that opened my world in a way I never imagined. There were plenty of books that I read fast or couldn’t put down, but this one was different. This was the first time where a book truly transported me.
I wouldn’t go as far as saying that I was, or am, obsessed with Ready Player One. I listen to plenty of audiobooks and still enjoy hard copies. This is one of the few books that I make a point to listen to several times a year and it is also one of the few that I keep downloaded onto my device so that no matter what, as long as there is a charge, I can listen.
Ready Player One is what I would consider a borderline prediction of what the future will very likely look like if we are not careful. A world that no longer fully exists in reality and lives life through a videogame. A complete disconnect from reality. The dangers of what can happen if you give into an addiction of any kind and lose focus on anything else. But there is plenty of good in it too.
I love how Ready Player One glorifies certain personal attributes that are generally frowned upon in many social environments. Commitment to a cause, focus on the details, an intellectual endeavor that leaves no stone unturned and requires the utmost focus. Wade was not your typical hero. He wasn’t special forces and he had no superpowers. His weapon was his mind. He crafted his own advantages and saw his quest through to the end.
I highly recommend the audiobook but the hard copy is great as well. If you are a fan of science fiction, 80’s culture, video games, and a young adult protagonist, this book will take you on an adventure that you can’t predict but is easy to love.
Journeyman's Legacy 