Video games. Lots of 80’s references. A DeLorean. Do we have your attention yet?
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is required reading for any gentleman. The book takes place in 2044. Surprise, surprise. Humans have pretty well ruined the planet—financial collapse, massive recession, environmental disaster, resource scarcity, et cetera.
Yeah, this might seem a standard semi-apocalyptic future formula, but trust us: it works and isn’t cliché.
In a world so bleak, so hopeless, people seek sanctuary in OASIS, a massive online simulation. It’s like World of Warcraft on steroids. In OASIS, people do nearly everything they’d do in “real life.” People live, work, shop, own things and even attend school via OASIS’ virtual reality.
When OASIS’s creator dies, though, the real game begins. He instructs in his will that whoever finds the three keys he’s inserted into OASIS gets his fortune and, more importantly, control of the game.
He’s hidden these keys behind a series of “Easter Eggs,” challenges based around 1980’s pop culture and video games. The quest is intense. Individual hunters compete against those backed by a mega corporation sparing no expense—moral or financial—to control OASIS.
The book is fantastic, really. We loved it. But, author Cline sweetened the pot. He embedded his own “Easter Egg” challenge in the book and on his website. Unlike OASIS’ creator, Cline didn’t have massive wealth or an online virtual world to bestow. Nonetheless, he had something pretty awesome: a DeLorean.
Yeah, seriously. Whoever pieced together Cline’s puzzle got a DeLorean.
Ready Player One is available in paperback. Some lucky hack already won our damn DeLorean. But, you still should read Ready Player One. And, if you like it, Cline’s next book Armada is rumored to be released next autumn.