Ernest Cline: Ready Player Two (2020, Century Books, Lincoln)
English language
Published Nov. 27, 2020 by Century Books, Lincoln.
An unexpected quest. Two worlds at stake. Are you ready?
Days after Oasis founder James Halliday's contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything. Hidden within Halliday's vault, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the Oasis a thousand times more wondrous, and addictive, than even Wade dreamed possible. With it comes a new riddle and a new quest. A last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize. And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who will kill millions to get what he wants. Wade's life and the future of the Oasis are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.
Content warning ☢️ Spoiler ahead!
In summary: Sword Art Online plot plus San Jupinero
Isn't as fun to read as Ready Player One.
More dead-on 80's nostalgia packaged in an entertaining story that pays homage by name to darker predecessors like Strange Days and Brainstorm.
So gut der erste Teil war so schlecht ist der zweite. Spannung fehlt, viel Blabla und die Handlung ist naja. Man hätte mehr aus der Grundidee des Buches machen können. Es wirkt sehr erzwungen.
Way more compelling sci-fi transhuman ideas to explore than the first, but a bit less gripping.
The first half of this one was a bit too slow and the last half way too fast, the romantic subplot resolution felt contrived, and a decent amount of character growth from the first book seems to have reverted itself by the beginning of the second, and there were several moments where I had absolutely no idea what was going on.
But the ideas brought up in this one are fascinating to think about; ideas about the nature of consciousness, the responsibility of the human race to itself, what makes us good and evil, and the dangers of hero worship, just to name a few.
Plus, the action was more deliberately cinematic in this version, with plenty of vivid word pictures and thoughtful exuberance. Victories feel earned, denouements feel narratively consistent, and characters have …
Way more compelling sci-fi transhuman ideas to explore than the first, but a bit less gripping.
The first half of this one was a bit too slow and the last half way too fast, the romantic subplot resolution felt contrived, and a decent amount of character growth from the first book seems to have reverted itself by the beginning of the second, and there were several moments where I had absolutely no idea what was going on.
But the ideas brought up in this one are fascinating to think about; ideas about the nature of consciousness, the responsibility of the human race to itself, what makes us good and evil, and the dangers of hero worship, just to name a few.
Plus, the action was more deliberately cinematic in this version, with plenty of vivid word pictures and thoughtful exuberance. Victories feel earned, denouements feel narratively consistent, and characters have a really admirable amount of agency throughout.
It's all fascinating stuff, presented pretty enjoyably.
Wade starts out the second installment whiny. I was worried. This isn't quite as great as Ready Player One, but it's pretty great. It was certainly a boost during this depressing, isolated holiday season. [Wil Wheaton continues to be one of my favorite narrators.]
Wade starts out the second installment whiny. I was worried. This isn't quite as great as Ready Player One, but it's pretty great. It was certainly a boost during this depressing, isolated holiday season. [Wil Wheaton continues to be one of my favorite narrators.]
