Ready Player Two – Ernest Cline
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: It’s not all wine and roses for Wade Watts and his friends after winning control of Gregarious Games. Internal strife, media scrutiny and a threat that has the power to bring the OASIS down are just a few of the foes Parzival will face. But, is he still up to the challenge?
Expectation: Another trip down memory lane with hefty doses of geek culture.
Reality: Enjoyable and more accessible — from a pop culture perspective — but missing the energy that propelled the first novel.
Recommended For: Fans of “Ready Player One” and scifi stories.
Why I Read It: “Ready Player One” was an original and engrossing novel, so why wouldn’t I give this one a try?
My Take:
As a homage to the oft-cited “Back the Future” series, Ernest Cline picks up “Two” right where “One” left off with Wade, Samantha, Aech and Shoto enjoying the fruits of their labor in completing Halliday’s quest and taking control of the OASIS.
Since I finished the first book over five years ago — and the solid Steven Spielberg adaptation took some creative liberties — it was a little jarring to be thrust into the story with no warm-up. Cline also throws a massive amount of exposition at the reader that made the first two chapters feel like an extended epilogue of “One.”
The first third focuses on the remaining High-Fivers adjusting to life as billionaires running a morally questionable conglomerate. Wade becomes drunk on power and complete domination of competitors, which leads to rifts with Samantha and their relationship implodes.
I know many readers did not enjoy this turn of events, but I thought it was genius of Cline to position Wade as an almost anti-hero. Even the most noble person could become influenced by having unlimited resources, and since the novels are focused on the tech world, you can’t help but see shades of Bezos, Zuckerberg and Musk in the characterization.
But, let’s be honest, you’re not reading “Ready Player Two” for too much social commentary. This is literary comfort food and it was just what I needed after back-to-back somber reads and the ongoing mental fatigue of the 2020 Groundhog Day.
Thankfully Cline moves the story along just as my interest was waning, however, the plot is incredibly convoluted. Basically, there’s a neuro-implant that lets you experience the OASIS with all senses but connecting your brain to the system renders you vulnerable.
I won’t get into too many details, because there are enough twists — equal amounts “WTF?” and “OMG” — that I don’t want to spoil. Sequels are tough, and this one mostly delivered, but it was a far cry from “One.” Below are a few things I enjoyed and a couple I could’ve done without.
[slight spoilers ahead]
The Good
There are more accessible references than the obscurity that dominated “One.” Most fans of basic — and some deep cut — 80s and 90s pop culture will find things that make them say, “oh, yeah, I remember that!”
The best part of the film version of “One” was the “The Shining” challenge, which was full of Easter Eggs for fans of the Stephen King book and Stanley Kubrick film. If you read the novel, you know this wasn’t in the text, but Cline — smartly — added two mainstream immersive challenges (see below) in “Two” that were the best parts of this story.
The Great
What 80s kid wouldn’t want to be a John Hughes movie? The Shermer, Illinois, challenge, had me smiling from ear-to-ear, but I can’t help feeling sorry for Jon Cryer.
The hands-down best part of the entire novel involved battling an army of seven incarnations of Prince and his various bands. The tour around the Twin Cities — with each corner a setting from one of the Purple One’s songs — to the epic battle between the High-Four (RIP, Daito) and Princes’ with assists from Morris Day and the Time and Janet Jackson and the Rhythm Nation was nostalgic perfection.
The whole story is a thinly veiled allegory about the risks of canonizing your idols, which is a timely reminder in our social media age.
The Ugly
The “quest” was a bit unoriginal. My first thought was Cline ripped off “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” but he, smartly, called out the similarities, which provided some self-awareness that was lacking.
The re-emergence of main characters from the first novel — even when they have nothing to do here — was a bit too pandering and “trying to recapture the magic” for my tastes. But Cline was smart in limiting the amount of new characters, so they didn’t overshadow the relationship between Wade and crew.
If you were a fan of “One,” definitely give “Two” a try but temper your expectations. While still enjoyable, it honestly felt rushed and a little pointless. It didn’t hook me in the same ways, but isn’t that the case with most sequels?
A bonus for fans of the first audiobook, Wil Wheaton is back as narrator and it’s as enjoyable as the first go-around.
Rating (story): 3.5/5 stars
Rating (narration): 4/5 stars
Formats: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: December 1 - 17, 2020
Multi-tasking: Good to go.
