Monday, April 2, 2018

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Thirteen members had a good discussion on this book, considering that almost all the members present were over 50!  Some members weren't too excited to read the book, but one person summed it up well, saying "It was very different than what I would have read, but that is why I joined a book club like this."  One member said "I wouldn't say I liked it one way or another, but it was fun to read.  I went to the movie and the movie was different, even with the author as one of the screenwriters."  One person said, "I enjoyed the book more than I thought I would, it was easy to read, even though it was other wordly!"  Loved what another member said:  "Happy, thanks to (person who recommended book), I could join in on conversation with my grand kids.  That was fun, they were impressed."

Part of the book goes back in time, to the 80's to time spent in the arcade.  One member said she was there "a blast from the past!"  I did this.  A few members said they couldn't relate to the book as they were not there during this time period, they were busy working, going to school and raising families.  

We talked about the book having similarities with the Willie Wonka - searching for the "golden egg."  We also talked about the competition that was started by Ernest Cline when the book first came out.  He gave away a vintage DeLorean click Here for the link to learn more about this story.  Another great reference is this link.

There was discussion about the person who was in a wheelchair, their part in the video game.  They had a feeling of running, a sensitivity, which must have been a good thing.  Wade had a richer, deeper life from it.  He didn't have much until the first key.  It was the have/have nots.

We talked about the benefits of the school, no bullying was there.  It was good to be able to escape the Stacks, and not be influenced by drugs.  OASIS -- you can go to any imaginary world.  We talked about the Stacks, the reason why the book was set the way it was (energy crisis).

We talked about the avatars, who are you really talking to?  Could be someone completely different than you suspect.  We also talked about the fact that giving a physical appearance, does that give us "false clues?"  Wade had a crush on Art3mis.  They all wanted to win for the right reasons.  It bound them together.  Wade knew all the songs, music, movies and took people working together to do it!  In the movie they were spoon-fed the answers, vs. in the book, they had to go through OASIS to find the answers.

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