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Amy Norman (1048 KP) rated Ready Player Two in Books

Jul 23, 2022  
Ready Player Two
Ready Player Two
Ernest Cline | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
5
4.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I didn't want the reviews to be true but unfortunately I feel they were correct. I went into this with an open mind and ready to form my own opinions but alas this time I side with the majority.

***No direct spoilers as such but you may infer some details from what I have said***

I didn't struggle with the referencing and overexplaining that some people felt occurred in the first book but this was something completely different in the sequel.
In the first book, there was passion and a sense of urgency, and it drew you along to a satisfying conclusion. There were specific parts to the book that stood out, and it felt like a fully realised story that could almost happen.
I was really invested in the first book but this time round it was missing something.

Although the stakes were set higher it never felt like there was any real danger. There are some truly dramatic scenes but at no point did I feel like Cline had the heart to go all Game of Thrones on us.

I think Cline overstretched himself with trying to cram in 7 fantastical quests, world's, and puzzles to solve, that all the magic of the first book was completely lost.
He could have made this work well but the sped up timeline forced him into a corner there was no escaping from.
Rushed in places, where fans of the first book would have adored more detail and reveled in it, and then hyper focused and drawn out details of some really odd choices, means this book just falls flat.

There was so much potential here, but it felt like Cline was trying too hard to pay lip service to his peers and people he admires in a Halliday-esqe way, this can be felt if you actually read the acknowledgements. The comparison to Cline and some of the characters becomes quite apparent there, and are almost beyond cliche.

There is still ongoing talk of a movie adaptation for this sequel, and I feel like Cline really leaned into the idea of this (after the success of the first one). As this book would probably work better as a screenplay. I feel like this may be one of those extremely rare occurrences where the movie has the potential to be better than the book.

I often try to leave balanced reviews and can find a positive to end on but I was mostly disappointed by the end of reading, so I am struggling to end on a positive!

How about this?
There is no mention of a part three in the future but I feel like Cline has given himself the opportunity to have a fresh start, if there were to be a Ready Player Three, there are so many avenues he could explore, and bring the magic back! So I am hopeful for the futute.