Wow, what an amazing read. I finished this book yesterday and it is now my favorite of all time. This book makes nerd cool. The best way I can describe it is a futuristic Indiana Jones solving the Da Vinci Code in the Matrix.
It’s set in the year 2045 when humanity has depleted a lot of the Earth’s resources. The internet has evolved into a virtual reality simulation called the OASIS which most people plug into to escape the problems of their daily life. The main character in the book is Wade Watts, a teenager that uses the avatar called Parzival. Like most of the players in the OASIS, he is on a quest to find the easter egg that is hidden within the game, put there by it’s creator James Halliday shortly before his death. The person who finds the egg gets to inherit the incredible wealth of the company Gregarious Simulation Systems that controls the OASIS along with all it’s assets.
We follow Parzival as he goes on the search for the three keys that open the three gates that lead to the egg. This book is filled with puzzles, riddles and references to old arcade games/movies in the 1980’s. There are a host of other characters, Parzival’s love interest Art3mis, his best friend Aech and the evil corporation IOI who want to win the competition and take control of the OASIS.
As I read this book I would vividly imagine what it would be like immersed in this virtual world, and can see real life inventions such as the Oculus Rift laying the foundations to turn this sci fi novel into something of a reality. It is currently being made into a movie that is directed by Stephen Spielberg due to be released in 2018. Also one other thing I wanted to note is that I have a bit of a weird fascination about smelling books and my copy was the best smelling book I can ever remember taking a whiff of.
Get this book for the inner geek in you.
Favourite quotes from the book:
“I’m not crazy about reality, but it’s still the only place to get a decent meal.” – Groucho Marx, page 167, start of level 2.
Overall: 96%