Set in 2045, the world is gripped in hunger, crime and chaos. A computer game called Oasis is an escape many people chose to take from the real world. When its designer James Halliday dies, he leaves a challenge for the world’s users.

Find three keys to three special gates within the Oasis, and locate an Easter Egg he has left behind the last gate – and you will inherit all his wealth and control over the Oasis.

Wade Watts is poor and restricted to basic use inside the Oasis, but his online friends have more access to the hundreds of worlds inside the game. Wade’s secret weapon is his extensive, geek-like knowledge of James Halliday and his favourite games, movies, comics and history. This knowledge is what finally changes things for Wade after years of searching.

But Wade and his friends are only a small group among millions searching for the Easter Egg. There is a ruthless corporation who have endless funds and staff who aim to find the egg at any cost.

Reader Player One is bursting with 80’s references – movies, games, comics, and other pop culture, which the characters know inside out. The story quickly takes the reader inside the Oasis to travel and discover new world’s, wizards, monsters and quests, as Wade discovers them.

As each world is a fantasy one, you never know what is going to happen next. The constant referrals to the 1980’s will certainly spur a re-interest in them by anyone growing up in that era – it did with me. The film released in 2018 is vastly different.

Author – Ernest Cline

Age – 14+ (Strong Language)

Read an extract here

(Future, Sci-fi/Fantasy, Video Games, Online, Friends, Courage, Computers, Geek, Quest, Secrets)