To say that people were excited about the publication of Ernest Cline's Ready Player Two would be an understatement. Its predecessor, Ready Player One, has already began to be viewed as a modern classic, and it took readers on an incredible adventure through the author's imagined future, while also having fun with our real past. Sequels can be a mixed bag, often with potential to be great, but many have been disappointing at best, or upsetting at worst.
The Situation: It has been a few years since Wade Watts has won the contest that was put together by OASIS founder James Halliday. That day changed his entire life completely, giving him more fame, notoriety, and of course, money, than he ever dreamed he could have...certainly more than he will ever know what to do with. He was able to bring his closest friends along, Aech, Shoto, and Art3mis, and together, all four of them now own and control the OASIS together. Even so, Wade has found himself to be lonely, and even worse, unhappy. Even he admits that some of the decisions he has made, that the company has made, have not been the best, and a fair amount of OASIS users have not been afraid to let him know it. And worse, these decisions have affected his relationship with Art3mis, or Samantha, specifically the decision to create and release the new ONI headset. While Samantha is off helping to make the world a better place, Wade is often by himself, attempting to solve the latest puzzle that was set up by the late James Halliday, one that only Wade can win.
The Problem: This latest game is proving to be just as difficult as the first one, filled with cryptic clues and riddles that Wade will not be able to solve alone, though only he will be allowed to claim the prize. Unfortunately, he no longer has close connections, as he even feels somewhat separated from his partners Aech and Shoto. But when the first of seven pieces of the puzzle is found, the full magnitude of what James Halliday accomplished is revealed, and it is not good. Now Wade and the other OASIS partners must race against the clock, as a malevolent and seemingly all-powerful artificial intelligence vows to claim a large amount of human lives if Wade cannot deliver the prize before the clock runs out. It seems James Halliday's obsession with his best friend's wife, Kira, was more sinister than anyone had previously believed, except maybe her husband, Ogden Morrow. The team will now need to work together to save humanity, and each other, all while once again moving through pop culture references from the 80's and 90's.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a science fiction novel set in the 2040s. Earth is still sustaining human life, but it is clear it will not be able to for too much longer. Thanks to winning James Halliday's contest, Wade is the most powerful OASIS user out there, and is responsible for making most of the decisions regarding what it can do and how it is used. Certainly one of the biggest decisions that was made was the release of the ONI headset. Now, instead of OASIS users simply logging into a virtual world, with the help of the ONI, they can actually experience it. Users can now feel the wind blowing on their skin when they are moving around. Also, they can share experiences with other users, seemingly enter the bodies of others to get a complete idea of what it is like to go surfing, skydiving, eat Indian food, take drugs, play guitar, you name it. Of course, there are obvious problems with this, and nearly every single one of them comes up in some way. But, as expected, Cline introduces these issues against a backdrop of classic pop culture moments, pulling from movies, TV shows, and music of the 80s and 90s, and even a few from the 2000s.
My Verdict: Much like the first book, this is an adventure, but it takes a good amount of time to get started. I get it, there is some explaining that needs to happen in order to bring the reader up to speed with where Wade is now and what has happened since he won the contest in the first book. And once the adventure gets going, readers are treated to a thorough exploration through John Hughes movies, Middle Earth, and even the music and legacy of Prince. But something is off with this book, and I think for me it is mostly in the conclusion. To avoid spoilers I will need to be vague, but it felt to me like the issues that were brought up in the beginning of the book are ultimately ignored for an ending that is both problematic and unsatisfying. The adventure is fun and tense, though many of the references feel forced, and where it all ends up feels haphazard, rushed, and a little too tidy.
Favorite Moment: Any time Aech took the time to criticize or look a little closer at a pop culture phenomenon from the past and evaluate its lack of diverse representation. Both she and Wade have to come to an understanding that we can still appreciate these things, but we must also acknowledge their problems and not feel the need to defend them against scrutiny.
Favorite Character: For the first book, I had picked Ogden Morrow, James Halliday's former partner and best friend. Unfortunately, he does not play as big a part in this book, so I will instead pick Aech, both for her knowledge of Prince, and for her refusal to let Wade get away with anything.
Recommended Reading: Just as with the first book, I will recommend The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, which is also full of pop and geek culture references (even more so in fact).
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