Ready Player One is not an epic or the Next Great American Novel. It's not a thinly veiled metaphor or an examination on the human condition. It's not designed to make you question the futility or realize the joy of human existence. It's just FUN! It's fun, a delight, and a joy to read. 
 The premise is simple - in a futuristic world that's gone to hell in a hand basket due to pollution and overpopulation, Wade is one of the millions who prefer to spend their time in the OASIS, a true virtual reality. He's mostly interested in solving the quest left behind by the OASIS' owner (think Steve Jobs meets Howard Hughes) to win his vast fortune, which most people think is impossible. But when Wade solves the first clue, the game is afoot! 
 And here's where the fun comes in. The quest is contingent upon the player's knowledge of 70s and 80s pop culture. This means that players routinely drop references ranging from music to video games to movies, so that people who enjoy those types of things (okay, okay, nerds! I'm a nerd! Or a geek. Whichever nomenclature works for you), can't go half a page without stumbling across a delightful reminder of nerd/geek culture. Wade takes his Firefly-class ship Vonnegut and orders a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster after sheathing his Vorpal blade. Swoon! 
 You know Wade is going to be victorious, because of course he is. It's that kind of book. Granted, there are (view spoiler)[ a few secondary character deaths, but because there hasn't been any real time allotted to them above a few pages, and because Wade himself isn't thrown into real turmoil, they function more as a way to establish that the Big Bad is really big and bad than any character development or emotional wreckage to sift through, (hide spoiler)] but these do nothing to quell your enjoyment. With that knowledge, you can sit back and enjoy the ride!