Cliste Bella: South of the Border PH January 2018 BOTM Book Review

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 was born in the 80's and I heard this book had a lot of 80's Easter eggs. I can't say I could relate because I was a child during that time and all I was interested in were Sesame Street and my Saturday morning cartoons. I did play on some of the old games and consoles mentioned growing up but the reference to songs and movies kinda went over my head. Just had to read this before the movie came out. LOL.

This book came out in 2011 but only got hyped up recently. I don't know if it was because it was being made into a movie or something along that line, but it became a sensation. Reviews are split - some didn't think it was anything special. I even saw this book being reviewed by a Booktuber, not sure who it was anymore, who said the book was so cliche it really wasn't worth the time reading. On the other hand I have read reviews with high praise for this book.

Personally I liked it. I might not have gotten a lot of the references mentioned (I blame it on being a little human being during the better part of that decade) but I could imagine the world that was created - Oasis, online games, being on the internet practically every minute of our lives. It's what's happening right now. This book has it's Cinderella moments - orphan teen who lives with his mean aunt in the poor side of town dreaming of solving the riddles and eventually he does. And it also had it's own original merits - the complexity of the Oasis world that might not be far behind anymore, the interactive game that was created, the description of the gaming tools used. I can definitely relate to the use of the Avatar because I used to play role playing games (remember The Sims??) back when adulting wasn't a big deal for me. I imagine my gamer self was smiling with guilty pleasure, like the Cheshire cat, while I was reading this book.

I knew how the book ended even before I got tot the middle of the book. LOL. It was a little predictable, but the fun part was in the adventure itself. I also have to admit that the character of Og was Elton John in my head. Ahahahah. This book is definitely a must read, if not for the story then do it for the geekiness of it.

South of the Border PH January 2018 BOTM Book Review | Ready Player One by Ernest Cline