Ok I must admit, the only reason that I ordered this book from the library was because I’ve heard about the movie with the same name. The movie is based on this book by Ernest Cline.

So what’s the story about? Well, it’s set in the near dystopian future (2045) where a majority of the population/society has resorted to online living (virtual reality) via a visor/gloves/body suit to escape physical reality. The popular platform is called the OASIS invented by an introvert programmer named James Halliday. The OASIS is a multi-million dollar business. Halliday died at the age of 74 and before he died he created an online game/contest to find an Easter Egg in the OASIS. Whoever finds the egg will get Halliday’s fortune including control over the OASIS. The race is on!

After reading the book, I watched the movie but all I did was compare the book to the movie. So I really didn’t enjoy the movie the first time I watched it. The second time though was a different matter. I totally enjoyed it even though the movie wasn’t exactly how it was in the book.

And as for the book, well I wouldn’t exactly give it any literary awards. In that sense, it was easy to read and follow and there was always a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter – to hook you in to read a bit more. It had a good storyline and there were plenty of references to pop culture especially of the 1980’s. I would recommend this book.