Ready Player One

Holy mackerel is this book ever good!

It was recommended to me by a friend (thanks Marc!) and it's so full of gleeful 80s references to video games, tv shows and music that I'm making a fool of myself snorting, squealing and giggling on the bus. Oh, I have to mention that I only do audiobooks since sitting down and relaxing with a book is impossible. The dishes won't wash themselves. Plus I have a particularly stabby commute in the morning and it keeps my homocidal tendencies in check. The amazing "meta" thing about this audiobook is that it's narrated by Wil Wheaton and the number of Star Trek references and mentions of Wheaton himself makes me make the goofiest noises in public.

The book is about a grim future where the population escapes their difficult lives by immersing themselves in an incredibly realistic video game. The trouble starts when the inventor of the game dies and in his will, tasks the populace to find 3 hidden Easter Eggs in order to inherit his vast fortune.

Right now I'm at a part where the main character is playing Pac-Man. He needs to play a perfect game to get the reward (eating all the dots, ghosts and power-ups without losing a life for every single one of the 256 levels). If you knew how many hours I spent at our local arcade playing that game (and Joust which also features in the book), I'd lose all credibility as the cool suburban mum you all know and love. Heh. He talks about the movie Ladyhawke which I loved, Duran Duran, an all-time fave, and so much more. They even mention Family Ties and Cap'n Crunch commercials. Fantastic!

Anyway, the book is called Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I don't think I've enjoyed a book more in a really long time. But that's not saying much coming from someone who mostly reads fluffy romances and chick lit so please read it for yourself.

kxx