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[commish]

As much as love the book the part where

Spoiler

months earlier he bought hacked passcodes for the evil corps computer system just incase he was ever in their building and needed to use them. Which of course as it turns out, he did.

Snowcrash was good once. Tried going through it again but couldn't.

Diamond Age was really good and I just finished Seveneves, which I REALLY want a tv show about the future he's set up.

Tried Reamde but really hated the first couple of chapters so I dropped it.

That's more of a deus ex machina situation than a plot hole.

And Readme was so disappointing. Never read Diamond Age. Cryptonomicon is still his best.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

I wonder if that new Adam Sandler Film "Pixels" is anything like this. It's hard to tell from the trailers.

In the way that the basic premise is "Video gamers are the only ones who can save the world", yes, they're similar. Plus the whole "the 80s were awesome" thing going on.

 

[outunderthestars]

Day one for me. (Still wish the Kindle version was $13)

 

[Haly]

I was hoping this was a Rothfuss thread but I remembered Armada was coming out.

Anyway I'm going to read the shit out of this and then slam it.

I'll say this though: Cline has a good eye for covers. Or he's employing someone who knows their stuff.

 

[Nexus Zero]

Or you could read the same story as written by a good author (Terry Pratchett) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_You_Can_Save_Mankind

 

[outunderthestars]

Man, I didn't realize what a divisive book RPO was.

 

[adamsappel]

I figured this was an update on the 21st Century Bible getting self-published on Amazon or something. Then again there were practically zero supporters.

I thought it was going to be Gary Whitta's Abomination.

 

[Ganzlinger]

So, is the author a GAF member?

 

[commish]

Man, I didn't realize what a divisive book RPO was.

This is GAF. Everything is divisive on GAF. More contrarians here than anywhere else on the interwebs.

 

[catapult37]

RPO spends multiple pages trying to make a description of a match of Joust exciting -- and that might be the least of its narrative crimes. The author has no talent for plot, character, or language. It reads like bad fanfic.

 

[Messypandas]

Sounds like Only You Can Save Mankind

 

[outunderthestars]

I thought it was going to be Gary Whitta's Abomination.

Didn't k ow this was a thing. Just preordered.

 

[diffusionx]

What was the massive plot hole? Been a while since I read RPO--enjoyed it but didn't think too hard about it.

"plot hole" might not be the right word. I think it was when

Spoiler

the main character took an endorsement from a pizza delivery company. It was just the idea that a world has collapsed from a lack of fuel but companies are still out there delivering pizza. If we run out of fuel Domino's is the first to go. It was a failure from the author to buy into this world he created.

.

 

[Ape Gone Insane]

I thought it was going to be Gary Whitta's Abomination.

1 star review: Truly an ABOMINATION unto the LORD

There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood,…

.

 

[The Albatross]

Ready Player One didn't hook me because I was expecting a regular novel and it was a young-adult novel. I liked the premise, but was so sick of the angst within those first handful of chapters and didn't know that the target audience was, like, 13 year olds (or seemed that way)

 

[Screaming Meat]

Sounds like the plot of the Last Starfighter.

That was exactly what I thought too.

.

 

[xxracerxx]

I enjoyed Ready Player One but I hear this is much the same.

Apparently it panders even more to the 80's-90's and gets very laboured with its references, and for people on GAF who are generally well informed with games and retro culture, it gets quiet cringey and eye rolling.

Again? Bleh.

 

[Risible]

It doesn't "sound like" the plot to The Last Starfighter.

It is the plot to The Last Starfighter.

 

[ryseing]

Came in expecting a Rothfuss thread. Leaving disappointed because I actually want a Kingkiller Chronicles sequel, not another Cline DAE pop culture book.

 

[Ape Gone Insane]

Came in expecting a Rothfuss thread. Leaving disappointed because I actually want a Kingkiller Chronicles sequel, not another Cline DAE pop culture book.

Now that's a polarising author.

 

[massoluk]

Come in here expecting Rick Chapman or Terry Goodkind.

 

[Trouble]

As much as love the book the part where

Spoiler

months earlier he bought hacked passcodes for the evil corps computer system just incase he was ever in their building and needed to use them. Which of course as it turns out, he did.

Snowcrash was good once. Tried going through it again but couldn't.

Diamond Age was really good and I just finished Seveneves, which I REALLY want a tv show about the future he's set up.

Tried Reamde but really hated the first couple of chapters so I dropped it.

I've always felt that Snow Crash was highly overrated. Cryptonomicon, however, is my favorite book of all time. It's what got me interested in crypography and information theory.

 

[johnnyfive]

Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like

...dreaming. Dreaming...

Awful.

 

[213372bu]

Damn it, would've bet hundreds on this thread being Goodkind.

But yeah, I guess this is the one that's the most evenly two-sided love/hate thing going on.

 

[Toxi]

In another 20 years we're gonna have novels about Russians invading the United States and the people who played Call of Duty being the only ones who can stop them.

 

[G-Fex]

So basically, if you write a book just constantly pandering, you are successful.

 

[xxracerxx]

So basically, if you write a book just constantly pandering, you are successful.

Worked for 50 Shades of Grey.

 

[Johndoey]

I prepared a long comment but the gist is Ready Player One fucking blows I hope this is less trashy trash.

 

[Palette Swap]

Man, I didn't realize what a divisive book RPO was.

Reading the thread, it doesn't look very divisive. A lot of people seem to agree here.
I had never heard of this book before and still have very little notion of what it is but my takeaway here is that 80% of posters ITT think it's mediocre at best.

 

[Hanzou]

As much as love the book the part where

Spoiler

months earlier he bought hacked passcodes for the evil corps computer system just incase he was ever in their building and needed to use them. Which of course as it turns out, he did.

Thats not really a plot hole though. That's a deus ex machina .

 

[Hanzou]

Reading the thread, it doesn't look very divisive. A lot of people seem to agree here.
I had never heard of this book before and still have very little notion of what it is but my takeaway here is that 80% of posters ITT think it's mediocre at best.

The thing is this book totally is targeted this forums age bracket. The thing is the book goes super deep into video games and pop culture of the 80s and 90s which is what everyone on this forum does everyday which makes it seems like the author is trying to jam all this nostalgia down out throats. Generally this book is reviewed quite well outside of GAF and other online forums as I think the general public who grew up in that Era likes all of these references as they are not aware of them in a day to day sense.

 

[xxracerxx]

The thing is this book totally is targeted this forums age bracket. The thing is the book goes super deep into video games and pop culture of the 80s and 90s which is what everyone on this forum does everyday which makes it seems like the author is trying to jam all this nostalgia down out throats. Generally this book is reviewed quite well outside of GAF and other online forums as I think the general public who grew up in that Era likes all of these references as they are not aware of them in a day to day sense.

Meh, the heavy handed nostalgia trip aside I found the writing to be terrible.

 

[Furyous]

Why is this author polarizing?

 

[jon bones]

The thing is this book totally is targeted this forums age bracket. The thing is the book goes super deep into video games and pop culture of the 80s and 90s which is what everyone on this forum does everyday which makes it seems like the author is trying to jam all this nostalgia down out throats. Generally this book is reviewed quite well outside of GAF and other online forums as I think the general public who grew up in that Era likes all of these references as they are not aware of them in a day to day sense.

Regardless of the references, I think the real problem of the book is the writing itself. It's very amateurish, and none of the characters are fleshed out or even remotely likable.

Why is this author polarizing?

it's not somuch polarizing as it is half the people think it's among the worst books they've read (i'm in this club) and half the people read it and enjoy it, despite it's terribleness

everyone agrees it's bad though

 

[kerotan_eater]

I found the contemplations on VR somewhat interesting and the way the world is because of it.

Other than that the constant references were .... bad and the various videogame trials and tribulations bored me to death. I can't believe I finished the book, how on earth is this book so popular?

 

[GungHo]

I guess they're capitalizing on Pixels?

 

[0.1.1.2.3.5.8.13.21.34.55]

whatevsies, I enjoyed RPO, just added this to my Amazon cart.
it will be a quick weekend read.

 

[Soulfire]

I had no idea so many people hated this book. I loved it. I hesitate buying this one though because Cline is such a new author. I've been burned too often in the past by a first book I loved only to have the next book suck. Premise has been done before and he doesn't appear to be offering me anything new, based on the blurb. We'll see, I'm going to at least try the sample.

 

[Vyer]

I like the concept of Ready Player One but wasn't really feeling the book all that much.

A lot of just flat out droning exposition or bland descriptive prose. Everything just seems hyper cliched. (I mean, the descriptions of Artemis - er, excuse me, Art3mis - is just so stereotypical, like most people in the book). While I enjoy a little 80s nostalgia myself, it is just forcibly shoehorned into every single aspect of the book. No one in this world does not like 80s video games and movies and loves to make these references permeate their every waking moment. no one.

The dialogue is also very stilted at times and just has very little natural flow. I was pulled out of the book just about every time the character Aech spoke.

Some of the concepts are really cool (

Spoiler

I could totally see the 'live out the movie' game type become a thing if VR takes off

) but it was just wrapped in a presentation that never really grabbed me.

 

[shawnlreed]

So, I got my hands on an advanced reading copy of Armada several weeks ago and read through it.
I have a love / hate relationship with Ready Player One. I'm the same age as Ernie Cline, I grew up in practically the same part of Ohio. I am 100% his target demographic from a nostalgia standpoint.
That said, his prose can be very cringeworthy and Ready Player One had its share of ridiculous plot points.
I really like the premise of RPO (treaure hunt in a massive virtual reality world), and that along with the nostalgia hooks carried me through my read of it.
Armada is basically Ready Player One with all its faults magnified.
The amount of pop cutlure references in the book, especially the first 50 pages, is astounding. More than RPO. Yes, he found a way to do that.
The central premise of the book is even more ridiculous then RPO, and the plot wraps up in the most hurried, unsatisfying way possible.
Also there is a really weird moment where the protagonist talks about how unbelievably hot and sexy his mom is.
I'm not proud I read Armada, but I'm sure it will sell well, and more than anything I look forward to GAFs reaction to it.
That alone is worth the time I spent reading it.

 

[Dresden]

Finally, a book for gamers like me about gamers like me. Us gamers!

 

[Conkersbadfurday]

So he's basically doing RPO again?

That book was trash, so I'll skip this un.

 

[sooperkool]

Hardy Boys? Did you grow up in the 50's then get stuck in a block of ice before thawing out in the new millennium? There was plenty of awesome weird shit to read from the era this author apparently lifts his ideas from.

Everyone isn't as young as you.

 

[Deleted member 13876]

Where is Pentagod? It was supposed to be here already

 

[Cyan]

Man, I didn't realize what a divisive book RPO was.

Me neither, I thought basically everyone agreed that it was bad. ¯\_(&#12484_/¯

 

[blackflag]

Why is he polarizing? I started Resdy Player One last night and got to page 5 before I got too tired to read. Is it just the references?

 

[John Rabbit]

i think i'd rather read a novelization of the Dreamcast game, Armada.

 

[MHWilliams]

If you did not like the heavy 80's references in Ready Player One, I'll say it's the same with this book. My full review will probably come next week before the book's release, but I can say that much.

 

[Slayven]

If you did not like the heavy 80's references in Ready Player One, I'll say it's the same with this book. My full review will probably come next week before the book's release, but I can say that much.

Oh word? If someone was choosing Steelheart or this book which would you tell them to read?

 

[Cyan]

Why is he polarizing? I started Resdy Player One last night and got to page 5 before I got too tired to read. Is it just the references?

It's polarizing in the same way Terminatyr is: big dumb entertainment that's heavily flawed, but still has fans. Some of the fans take it personally that other people don't like it or think it's poorly made, attribute it to malice or bandwagoning, or being overly discerning, and voila, you've got some controversy and polarization.