In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win—and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape. 

I don’t know where to begin. This book was as deeply immersing as the VR OASIS software is in the text. It’s written to be sci-fi/fantasy, but what’s nuts and almost terrifying is that the world that we are dropped into, the world in which Wade lives… it’s not too far from possible.

It’s set in the near future, and I whole heartedly believe that we could be there in technology, destruction, and isolation by then if the state of the world does not improve. That’s something that struck me throughout; that it was like I was seeing what we were becoming. The rushing river of 80s references made my heart soar! My mom raised me on the music, games, and movies, so I connected with the characters and their quest on a personal level.

I loved the mystery of Halliday’s Egg, and I love the realistic people we are given to follow and care about. They are people we know. They are us. I could read this book again and again. I literally could not put it down.

5/5 stars