It's hard to know if Clines recent exposite that Roblox is as close to the real Oasis as he can *sic* imagine, or if Spielberg's takeover of the movie has somewhat tainted my view, but as someone who was pleasantly surprised by Ready Player I - RPII is at times a joyless slog through more nauseating movie and music pop culture.
Cline has seemingly borrowed a lot more from the success of the movie, expanding his universe away from 80's arcade video games and into love-it-or hate it referances to Ferris Beuler, Prince and Lord of the Rings. Honestly I almost put the book down during the sections on Prince, because whilst I can deal with the Pleasantville nostalgia of a perfect Americana circa Ferris Beulers Day off, the analogy of Prince = Love was wholly on the nose to the point of offence.
The bones of clines premises riffing on me culture, and the next generation of online celebrities, YouTube stars and Influencers is apt. Notions of transcending your own conciencessness to exist solely in cyberspace and defeat death, is an obvious next step in his saga.
The race to find 7 shards and reunite them is obvious, immature, unnecessary and bloated with Clines typical sychophantic style of talking at the audiance, spelling everything out and repeating the 'ain't it cool' referances every other line.
RPII is devisive because in RPI Cline posited a credible MMO style user world that was part role playing part consumer, microtransaction development heaven for gamers. Usurping this for a world where people watch each other interact with celebrities who film themselves and otherwise can have sex and take drugs without consequences is ...not as relatable to his original audiance.
Maybe this book appeals to current tweens and teens, however just like the main character, the original novel now appears out of date, antiquated and old, wallowing in more self reflection and self pity than you can shake a wamp rat at.
OK but not great and lacking the impact of the original

Ready Player Two
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©2020 Ernest Cline (P)2020 Penguin Audio
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Product details
Listening Length | 13 hours and 46 minutes |
---|---|
Author | Ernest Cline |
Narrator | Wil Wheaton |
Whispersync for Voice | Ready |
Audible.com.au Release Date | 24 November 2020 |
Publisher | Penguin Audio |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B08CNM63Z5 |
Best Sellers Rank |
102 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
1 in Adventure Science Fiction 2 in Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) 2 in Science Fiction Adventures |
Customer reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
18,302 global ratings
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Top reviews from Australia
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Reviewed in Australia on 2 December 2020
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3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in Australia on 26 November 2020
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I didn't mind this book. Some parts are excellent, especially the first half. It has a tough ask because the gimmick of the first book has already been done and is out there, so Cline needs to re-invent the wheel. I did like how he approached Wade Watts in this book and it makes total sense given what was covered in the first book. The plot was interesting and tackles some bigger social and moral issues as it goes. So Cline was definitely swinging for the fences. I'll never criticise any artist for going high.
I did however, struggle with the three seperate parts of this book and they were all runs through quests. They are beyond detailed and it felt like Cline was trying to prove his bona fides on the subjects that it was told around rather than writing for the laymen. The beauty of the first book was that he gave just enough information to know what was going on, in a way that even my 12 year old son found easy to follow. This time around, it was overload. Two of the subjects I'm huge fans of and I still was struggling to get past the overabundance of minutiae. The one I had no knowledge about was a total chore.
This book could have dropped 10 pages of filler and made it into a total killer. So I recommend it, but be aware there are some parts that are just not as easy to read as RP1 was.
I did however, struggle with the three seperate parts of this book and they were all runs through quests. They are beyond detailed and it felt like Cline was trying to prove his bona fides on the subjects that it was told around rather than writing for the laymen. The beauty of the first book was that he gave just enough information to know what was going on, in a way that even my 12 year old son found easy to follow. This time around, it was overload. Two of the subjects I'm huge fans of and I still was struggling to get past the overabundance of minutiae. The one I had no knowledge about was a total chore.
This book could have dropped 10 pages of filler and made it into a total killer. So I recommend it, but be aware there are some parts that are just not as easy to read as RP1 was.
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Reviewed in Australia on 2 January 2021
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It wouldn't surprise me in the least if those readers who chose to try the "sample" first gave away the idea of purchasing the full novel.
Cline procrastinates his way through 56 pages of Wade-filled diatribe at the start that was... and there is no other word for it... BORING!
My suggestion? Start at "0003" on page 57. That's where the story starts.
Cline procrastinates his way through 56 pages of Wade-filled diatribe at the start that was... and there is no other word for it... BORING!
My suggestion? Start at "0003" on page 57. That's where the story starts.
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Reviewed in Australia on 23 December 2020
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Not the worst book but I kept thinking that it read more like a movie script. The unnecessary explanations, details etc made this a tiring read. I skipped whole pages more times than I could count. The description of the songs were stupid and a waste of space and time. It felt like he was trying to shoehorn in pop culture references just for the sake of it. It also felt like the references were quite niche, like he was trying to show us how smart and clued in he is. Like I said, not the worst book but don't spend money on it.
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Reviewed in Australia on 3 January 2021
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Although the start seemed a little slow, most likely because of my own high expectations for the sequel to one of my favourite books, things soon picked up pace. It then didn’t slow down and I couldn’t get off the roller coaster if I wanted to! I love the thought of the of the near future and what I might see in my lifetime. Ernest weaves past, present and future together in such an enthralling and believable way I hope and fear for what is to come but mostly I hope. Here’s to many more chapters for us all!
Reviewed in Australia on 16 December 2020
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I opened this book with trepidation. Ready Player One is in my top five reads of all time right up there with LOTR, Forever War and the works of Asimov and Clarke. But sequels have a way of ruining what came before (I’m looking at you Lucas). Now I’m not going to say this was as good as One because it wasn’t. But it’s still very good and it compliments the original story nicely. There were some passages that left me feeling like I want to see the Directors Cut. They felt rushed or incomplete. But at the same time it also worked to keep the story moving. If nothing else at least I know more about Prince than I ever would have willingly found out for myself!
Reviewed in Australia on 4 January 2021
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This story could have been great. There were a number of promising angles set up at the start (the new invention, social media, Wade turning into a jerk etc. Soon, however, these promising threads disappeared under an avalanche of 80’s pop culture references and yet another Easter egg hunt. At certain points, the pop culture references were so thick that I found I could skip multiple pages at a time and still not lose any of the story as those pages added little.
Reviewed in Australia on 29 November 2020
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I didn't have high expectations. This one doesn't touch the lofty heights of the last one. Cline does just enough to avoid ruining the first book, and maintain some interest in the story. A few too many rushed battles/quests and an unrealistic time frame, with tech that simply doesn't and won't exist. Readable, but uninspiring.
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Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars
Too agenda driven
Reviewed in the United States on 25 November 2020Verified Purchase
Well, I’ve never been more excited for a book sequel since the original Harry Potter books, but so far, I”m frustrated. I’m about half way through the book and am having trouble focusing and enjoying the story due to all the political/agenda driven gender politics being thrown in. It’s clear Ernest Cline chose to compliment today’s media trends and include gender bias references that have nothing to do with the characters/story being told. If you’re familiar with the term “woke” entertainment, this book plays right into that medium. So far, very disappointed.
1,739 people found this helpful
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Kellybrinne
1.0 out of 5 stars
Utter tripe
Reviewed in the United States on 25 November 2020Verified Purchase
I had high hopes for this sequel but it didn't come close to recapturing the nostalgia and adventure of the first book. Cline sounds like he's utterly bored by his own writing and takes every opportunity he can to beat you over the head with the "woke" bat in case you didn't get it the first 10 times. Just tell a good story. I don't need your politics or a lecture.
1,145 people found this helpful
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M. Notman
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well this is mostly terrible
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 November 2020Verified Purchase
Oh dear.
I loved Ready Player One, it had well constructed and coherent (mostly 80s) cultural references, likeable characters and a well thought out plot.
This has random 90s films and 00s tv shows shoved in like he is trying to show how nerdy and geeky he is. Most of them have zero relation to what he is actually talking about. The sole good bit is the John Hughes bit really. Although i also think he has missed the "Duckie is actually gay but its the 80s" lesson.
None of the characters is likeable anymore..in fact they are all horrible 2 dimensional charicatures of those from the first book for much of it. Only really in the middle do we see flashes of their earlier selves. And its a mess..not just the writing but the printing, my copy has pages with no border, left centred, right centred, weird font size changes..
Im very very dissapointed. His three books so far have gone Brilliant, Ok (Armada) and pretty much trash..
I loved Ready Player One, it had well constructed and coherent (mostly 80s) cultural references, likeable characters and a well thought out plot.
This has random 90s films and 00s tv shows shoved in like he is trying to show how nerdy and geeky he is. Most of them have zero relation to what he is actually talking about. The sole good bit is the John Hughes bit really. Although i also think he has missed the "Duckie is actually gay but its the 80s" lesson.
None of the characters is likeable anymore..in fact they are all horrible 2 dimensional charicatures of those from the first book for much of it. Only really in the middle do we see flashes of their earlier selves. And its a mess..not just the writing but the printing, my copy has pages with no border, left centred, right centred, weird font size changes..
Im very very dissapointed. His three books so far have gone Brilliant, Ok (Armada) and pretty much trash..
81 people found this helpful
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Nowatay
2.0 out of 5 stars
Storytellers don't actually TELL stories...
Reviewed in the United States on 26 November 2020Verified Purchase
Let me start by saying, I don't believe it is necessary to be a good writer in order to write a fun and enjoyable story. I believe Ready Player One was a prime example. Cline, in my opinion, is not a great writer. But Ready Player One was a fun story with entertaining characters and enjoyable plot.
Ready Player Two is none of these things.
Probably highest up on my list of issues with Ready Player Two is the fact that the novel is perfect example of the BIGGEST no-no in writing- show, don't tell. A writer's job is to craft scenes in which the reader is taken through the plot ALONG with the characters. If a narrator, or worse a character, is just telling the reader what happened, that is called exposition. Can exposition be useful as a writing device? Yes. Absolutely. But, to be clear, Ready Player Two is about 75% exposition! That's about 74% too much.
By the end of the novel, when the plot is actually moving forward through scenes, the reader really has no reason to be invested in the story. The characters are there, but why do we care? This thing and that thing are happening and it's "important," but why do we care?
On to the nostalgia dumps that Cline is known for. Can that be fun? Sure. If you like that kind of thing. I do. I think a lot of people do. But honestly, a significant portion of this novel's word count is just that. Do you remember yada yada yada? Well, let me describe it to you and explain its cultural relevance. I mean, a VERY VERY high percentage of the word count is nostalgia dump. This is what is called filler...when you don't really have anything to say.
That leads into the last point, although I could go on. Was Ready Player Two really necessary? The first novel was a complete story and had a definitive ending. Is it fun to return to that world? I guess. If you have a story worth telling. And that, for me, was not proven by Ready Player Two. I won't talk about the plot, but it just feels like Cline wasn't sure what he wanted to say. He wasn't sure where he wanted to take the characters or why any of this was important. And it showed.
I won't give it 1 star, because it's not Mockingjay (Hunger Games,) or any of the Twilight novels...
Buy it, borrow it, read it. In my opinion, it's just not a good novel.
Ready Player Two is none of these things.
Probably highest up on my list of issues with Ready Player Two is the fact that the novel is perfect example of the BIGGEST no-no in writing- show, don't tell. A writer's job is to craft scenes in which the reader is taken through the plot ALONG with the characters. If a narrator, or worse a character, is just telling the reader what happened, that is called exposition. Can exposition be useful as a writing device? Yes. Absolutely. But, to be clear, Ready Player Two is about 75% exposition! That's about 74% too much.
By the end of the novel, when the plot is actually moving forward through scenes, the reader really has no reason to be invested in the story. The characters are there, but why do we care? This thing and that thing are happening and it's "important," but why do we care?
On to the nostalgia dumps that Cline is known for. Can that be fun? Sure. If you like that kind of thing. I do. I think a lot of people do. But honestly, a significant portion of this novel's word count is just that. Do you remember yada yada yada? Well, let me describe it to you and explain its cultural relevance. I mean, a VERY VERY high percentage of the word count is nostalgia dump. This is what is called filler...when you don't really have anything to say.
That leads into the last point, although I could go on. Was Ready Player Two really necessary? The first novel was a complete story and had a definitive ending. Is it fun to return to that world? I guess. If you have a story worth telling. And that, for me, was not proven by Ready Player Two. I won't talk about the plot, but it just feels like Cline wasn't sure what he wanted to say. He wasn't sure where he wanted to take the characters or why any of this was important. And it showed.
I won't give it 1 star, because it's not Mockingjay (Hunger Games,) or any of the Twilight novels...
Buy it, borrow it, read it. In my opinion, it's just not a good novel.
814 people found this helpful
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AG
1.0 out of 5 stars
Bad print possible QA issues be warned
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 November 2020Verified Purchase
Pre ordered and was really expecting a high quality hardcover print to my surprise got a defective print where parts of the book were not aligned correctly with the rest of the book - SHAME AMAZON FOR SENDING OUT DEFECTS. Returning it immediately in the hopes that not all books have the same quality issue.

1.0 out of 5 stars
Bad print possible QA issues be warned
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 November 2020
Pre ordered and was really expecting a high quality hardcover print to my surprise got a defective print where parts of the book were not aligned correctly with the rest of the book - SHAME AMAZON FOR SENDING OUT DEFECTS. Returning it immediately in the hopes that not all books have the same quality issue.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 November 2020
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