Thursday 14 May 2015

Bout of Books Day 4: From Modern to Classic



"THE CHALLENGE Share one book that you believe will be considered a classic in 100 years time. Simple? I do have a few caveats, the book must have been published in or after 2005 and you need to provide two reasons for why this book will be a classic."
 Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
First published in 2011 by Random House NY


Description from Goodreads

In the year 2044, 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.  


But 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. 


Reasons

1. Ready Player One is inventive and surprising, a sign of artistic quality. Cline has done a massive amount of research as the novel includes hundreds of pop culture references in his novel without numbing the readers with them. The virtual utopia the author has created is one of its kind, treating the readers with constant imagery. However, the book never feels like its just showing off with the setting as there are emotional twists and turns which make the readers crave for more until the very last page. 

2. RPO will stand the test of time - it will be read and bought even after long periods of time have passed. This is mainly due to its central themes which have universal appeal. While the initial appeal of Ready Player One is the futuristic setting and cinematic quality it provides, RPO offers so much more than that. Some of the themes handled in this marvellous novel are friendship, loneliness, societal expectations, and being true to yourself.

+ Some may argue that as the setting of RPO takes place in 2044, in 100 years (when its 2115) the virtual utopia may seem silly or boring as the technology will be as advanced or even more so. I'd like to politely disagree. Firstly, H.G. Wells's The Time Machine was first published in 1895, and people still keep buying and reading the book. Huxley's Brave New World was published in 1932, and the same thing has occurred to it as with The Time Machine


Updates: Thursday

Number of books I've read today: 1
Total number of books I've read: 2
Books: The Stars Will Never Rise by Rachel Vincent, The Painted Man by Peter V. Brett


I'm currently trying to decide which one to read next: Talon by Julie Kagawa OR Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

2 comments:

  1. I just posted a lovely comment and blogger ate it. Hahaha. I pretty much gushed that you were onto a winner, and that I agree that Ready Player One will be considered a classic. I do think that these books written about the future do hold up if they are well written - which RPO is. I can't believe that it was only published four years ago - it feels like a book that has been discussed for many a year - it already has a place in the literary canon.

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    1. Damn you Blogger, don't go eating people's comments!! I'm so glad that you agree with me on RPO, it really is a great novel. Just talking about makes me want to read it again this summer :) Thanks for stopping by!

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You can't see me, but I'm totally doing my happy dance as I read your comment!