Ready Player One is set in the not too distant future (around 2040, I believe), in a world which has quickly deteriorated. The ice caps are melting, the economy is plummeting, unemployment and crime are at an all time high. Basically, the earth is a sucky place to live. For that reason, most people chose to spend most of their time playing and working inside the OASIS- a huge virtual environment which is basically a cross between every MMORPG and whole internet. OASIS was created by eccentric designer James Halliday and when he dies, he leaves his entire fortune and ownership of the OASIS hidden inside the game. We follow Wade Watts, one of the thousands of people over the world who now dedicate their lives to decoding the clues and puzzles guarding Halliday's Easter Egg. It's a fight for fortune, power, and freedom and threatens the very lives of those involved in a race to the finish line. 
 Obviously, Ready Player One has an awesome premise. Sort of like in 'Brave New World', this is one dystopian society which feels closer to reality than is comfortable. This made the book that much more engaging, as I wondered how I would adapt to the situation presented to the people of Earth in 2040. I think that's really what you want in a dystopian book: a scenario where you can place yourself in the shoes of the characters and examine where you would fall in the hierarchy of the new world. 
 However, I felt like sometimes the explanation of this fairly complex world was overdone and became a little boring. There were instances, especially towards the start of the book, where there would be 15-20 pages of explanation to only a few pages of Wade actually doing something, and I felt that I almost had to fight through these pages to get to the story. We all know the old writing adage to 'show not tell', but I think in some instances Ernest Kline did both. For example, we had already been introduced to these haptic gloves and been shown how they were used to access OASIS, but then we were given a quite lengthy explanation of how they worked about 30 pages in. I think you need to trust that by showing your audience something in use, they will understand it. Ernest Kline wrote these sections of action so well, I didn't need to have the mechanisms of them explained to me as well. I loved the action sequences so so much, they were AMAZING, but I feel like the book was slowed down unnecessarily by these too-long explanations. 
 All of the pop-culture references in this were so much fun. Some of them were really explicit but others were just subtle nods to a movie or a game, and those were the most fun. I got a little rush every time I understood one of the subtle references, so I was always on the look out for them and was really immersed in the story: "Yes, go watch Spaced! That show is awesome!" The geeky side of it was really fun and I think it helped to built a dedicated fan base for this book. 
 Overall, I did enjoy this book. I liked the mystery parts of it, I adored the action sequences, and while I could do with less explanation and more adventure, it was still a lot of fun and I could easily imagine myself getting sucked into the world of the OASIS in 30 years times. Game on.