I liked Ready Player One the book in the same way I liked The Da Vinci Code. It was entertaining, fun and quick. But it’s not a magnificent novel. Everyone knows this, right?
Given the hamfisted, obvious writing, I am also enjoying 372 pages we’ll never get back. Michael Nelson and Conor Lastowka of Rifftrax are mercilessly tearing apart the book chapter by chapter in a multi-episode podcast. Grammar, style, syntax, plot holes, the endless repetition, and the soulless pandering to Gen Xers like me are all fodder for them.
Highly recommended if you want a painfully detailed takedown of a NYT bestseller. Occasionally Mike and Conor seem legitimately offended that this book saw publication and that can be off-putting. But power through the hurt feelings and enjoy the brutal comedy.
Carl Oberg 