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    King of Dragon Pass

    King of Dragon Pass

    Games and Entertainment

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    App

    Create your own epic saga of conflict, mythology, and community! This acclaimed game of magical...

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Saerie_Faerie (18 KP) rated Ready Player One in Books

Feb 17, 2018  
Ready Player One
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
7
8.9 (161 Ratings)
Book Rating
Plot, subject matter (0 more)
Typical white male nerd stereotype, pixie dream girl, some sexist comments and moments, some transphobic moments and comments, the nerd-vomit (0 more)
Cute but total nerd fantasy insert
Contains spoilers, click to show
I was super excited for this book when it first came out and even more excited when I saw it was becoming a story. As a nerd, an over arching nerd into books, games, music, and everything else I thought I finally would get to witness a glorious book/movie about it.

However, almost immediately upon starting it I realized I was probably not going to enjoy it as much as I had hoped. Thankfully Wil Wheaton was the performer for the Audio book so I could continue listening.


The main character, Wade, goes on several solilogues about all of the nerd things that he knows everything about. Several times, Wade is miraculously the only one who knows everything and is amazing at it.


At one point he actually just lists out all of the 80s authors he has read in entirety which is amazing for a 17 year old who spends all of his time on the Oasis and also playing video games and watching movies. On top of all that, his list is entirely male authors, directors, and programmers. Why not mention Tamora Pierce, a huge author of the 80s or Marion Zimmer Bradley author of a King Arthur novel which Wade would have been very into considering his character name and the fact that he says he is very into King Arthur.


There are two female characters and they get barely any screen time. Here is where I got super excited because I am a female nerd who plays tons of video games and met several partners online it was going to be good to address the things that happen. But it doesn't. She says she is "deformed" and disappears until the end of the story, then we find out she looks just as amazing as her fake person avatar except *GASP* she has a birthmark on her face. Face birth marks can feel debilitating and terrifying but in the scope of things, its a not problem.


My main problem with Wade is that he asks the love interest "Are you a woman? Are you a woman that has never been a man?" And like... What? Worrying the person you are talking to is who they say they are is a big thing but to go straight to being transphobic is not okay. Sure, he is a teenager but he is a teenager in the distant future where people literally go to school in a video game and can make an alien avatar, surely it wouldn't still be "weird".


More than anything this felt like a nerd dream fantasy life that "came true". Was THE BEST at all the things, became rich from video games, got the hot girl, became famous. What more could you want?


But I still really like this book and story, it just could have gone so much better. So many important things could have been addressed and explained and they just weren't.
  
    LearnEnglish Kids: Playtime

    LearnEnglish Kids: Playtime

    Education and Entertainment

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    App

    Read and watch fun animated songs and stories to help your child develop in key areas in English:...