Ready Player One

Nostalgia is often a wonderful thing, but Ernest Cline takes it 100 steps further. Ready Player One is a Science Fiction novel set in the near future of Earth. In this time the majority of the worlds' population is enraptured by the most amazing video game ever, the 'OASIS'. The OASIS is an immense virtual world that has near totally encapsulated the internet, gaming, social networks, education and shopping. The advanced technology of the OASIS allows the user to see, feel and touch everything that they experience in the virtual reality. But it comes at a cost, because as more of the world exchanges reality for the OASIS, the world finds itself descending further into a resource crisis from which there may never be recovery.

Into the morass of this suddenly comes the biggest game ever with high stakes and big rewards. The super wealthy inventor of the OASIS has died and in a spectacularly public display, he announces the terms of his will. James Donovan Halliday, the creator of the OASIS announces that his vast fortune and thereby his control of the OASIS is bequeathed to the one player of the OASIS that finds his 'easter egg'. To do this Halliday created tests and challenges to test the worthiness of the of those who seek the 'easter egg'. But in order to find and succeed in these challenges you must have the traits that Halliday deemed worthy. Most notably among them is an obsession with the decade of the 80s, the decade in which Halliday grew up.

As our story starts, several years have passed since the challenge was issued. No names have appeared on the score-board and many of the searchers for the 'easter egg' have given up. But still a thriving subculture of egg hunters (known as Gunters) exists and searches for the 'Egg'. One of these gunters is Wade Owen Watts a young man living in the trailer stacks of Oklahoma. Known as Parzival on the OASIS, Wade uses his very limited resources to search for the 'Egg', until one day during class he stumbles upon the answer of the first riddle. From this moment and Wade's success on the first challenge, the competition runs into high gear, throwing the OASIS into turmoil as the final race for the 'Egg' begins. In this race Wade is joined by competitors Art3mis, Aech, Daito & Shoto. But against all of them are the sinister workers of the Innovative Online Industries (IOI), led by the dastardly Nolan Sorrento, who wish to take total control over the OASIS and subvert it for their own gain.

Ready Player One is a fantastic book as it explores many of the most important human feelings and motives. Loss, love & the pursuit of happiness, all peppered with rapier wit and salted with the most in depth analysis of 1980s pop culture. From time travelling Delorians to Star Wars. From Anime to the most corny 1980s teen and kid movies. Ready Player One has it all. Currently Ready Player One is being adapted for cinema by Warner Brothers with Steven Spielberg set to direct.
Ready player One is available in book form or in audiobook (narrated by well known actor Wil Wheaton).

Ernest Cline's Website: Ernest Cline
Ready Player One Amazon.com: Ready Player One Book
Ready Player One Audible.com: Ready Player One Audiobook

Jones, G 2011,  Ready Player One Illustration, image, The Verge, viewed 20 October 2015, < http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/4118591/ready_player_one_parzival_by_gordon_jones-1024.jpg >.

Random House Publishers, 2011,  Ready Player One Book Cover, image, Nerdist, viewed 20 October 2015, < http://www.nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/021915_ReadyPlayerOne_Cover-324x500.jpg >.

Ender's Game

The first book I shall review is the 1985 science fiction classic, 'Ender's Game', by Orson Scott Card. Ender's Game has remained a classic, must read Sci-Fi book for the past 30 years. It is a novel set a few hundred years into the future of Earth, during a time where the people of Earth are fearing the next imminent attack of the sinister 'buggers' (or more correctly 'Formics'). The Formics are a race of mysterious ant like creatures whose motives are unknown and unknowable by the human race and have previously attempted invasion of Earth. During these invasions, casualties were high and terrible. In response the Human race banded together under shaky alliances to create the International Fleet to defend Earth against the aggressive invaders.

This is where the Earth stands at the beginning of Ender's Game. The titular character Ender (Andrew) Wiggin is a young boy who is of interest to the International Fleet. The International Fleet runs an intensive and specialised program to create military commanders, high above the surface of Earth in the orbiting station known as Battle School. Ender Wiggin is a special case, he is a Third. Being called a Third is a derogatory name in a time of population restriction laws. During the time in which this book is set, all families are only allowed to have two children or face fines, tax hikes and public shame. But as I said Ender is a special case. Because of the potential seen in his older brother Peter, and sister Valentine, the International Fleet requests that the Wiggin Parents have a third child. Monitored and tested all of his young life, at the age of five, Ender is launched into space to Battle School, to join young children from all over the world in the competitive and dangerous games.


That is the background to the story and to tell you much more would be to spoil the book. Ender's Game, remains one of my top ten favourite books. It explores the relationship between the children in Battle School, the manipulations of the teachers and the workings and understanding Ender's mind. But everything in Battle School revolves around the 'War Game'. A battle in zero gravity, with the children of battle school pitched at each other in armies with one objective to defeat the enemy and capture their gate.


Ender's Game was released as a feature film in 2013 to mixed reviews. While the cinematography was superb and the adaptation of the plot good, the film was unable to capture all of the emotion and depth of the story. Below is the final trailer for the film.

I believe the best way to get the story is to read or listen. In my opinion, it is best to listen to the Audiobook as it is a fantastic production that captures the flow and personality of the story.

Orson Scott Card's Website: Hatrack River
Ender's Game Amazon.com: Ender's Game Book
Ender's Game Audible.com: Ender's Game Audiobook

Tor Books 1985, Ender's Game Book Cover, image, Home Theatre Hopper, viewed 13 October 2015, < https://hometheaterhopper.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/enders-game-original-book-cover.jpg >
Lionsgate Films 2013, Ender's Game Film Poster, image, the Vault Magazine, viewed 13 October 2015, < http://www.thevaultmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Enders-Game-Movie-Poster.jpg >.

Introduction

It seems to me that in this day and age many young gentlemen have forgotten the noble art of reading to impress. A man who can talk well about literature, is well on his way.

The aim of this blog is to create a reading list of books for the aspiring gentleman. It will cover history, classics and modern fiction of the fantasy and Science Fiction genres as well as a few non-fiction texts. Definitely all the essentials.

Just to give a bit of context I am a young man who has always loved to read. I was introduced to reading at a young age and have never since stopped. Most days during the week I am either rereading books that I have read before or hot on the tail of a new book that has come under my eye. Whether it be the latest fantasy, sci-fi or humorous tale. However the biggest contributing factor to my voracious appetite for literature is the audiobook. When I was younger I was introduced to audiobooks and radio plays as entertainment. Some of the earliest stories I can remember are Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy, which my parents introduced to myself and my brothers when we were young. They were all radio plays. Later, we started borrowing audiobooks from the local libraries. I found the greatest thing was that you could listen to audiobooks while you were doing mundane tasks.

Over the years both my book and audiobook libraries have expanded till I have a bookcase and a half of books, an audiobook library with over 150 titles and a Kindle library that is steadily growing. From this vast stock of literature I hope to review a few titles that have changed the way that I think and act as well as spurring my love of literature to greater heights.
   

So sit back, enjoy and read.