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Is Ready Player Two Worth Reading And Will There Be A Movie Based On It?


Credit: Warner Bros

Ready Player One, Ernest Cline's intriguing book about a teenager seeking Easter eggs in the virtual OASIS to escape his own almost inhabitable world, became an instant success when it came out in 2011.

As is the case with many sequels of beloved fantasy and sci-fi series, such as The Winds of Winterand Doors of Stone, book two came out much later, in 2020. This is where things became a little more complicated.

Ready Player One Film
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Credit: Warner Bros

Is Ready Player Two Worth Reading?

Ready Player One Film
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Credit: Warner Bros

From the Goodreads' blurb, we read:

"An unexpected quest. Two worlds at stake. Are you ready?

Days after Oasis founder James Halliday's contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything. Hidden within Halliday's vault, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the Oasis thousand times more wondrous, and addictive, than even Wade dreamed possible. With it comes a new riddle and a new quest. A last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize. And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who will kill millions to get what he wants. Wade's life and the future of the Oasis are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance."

This description, while intriguing, doesn't seem much different from the premise of book one. While still liked by many fans of the series, Ready Player Two received mixed reviews. With a rating of 3.51/5 on Goodreads and 4/10 on IGN, it's safe to assume that book 2 failed to live up to the high standard set by its predecessor, a New York Times bestseller with a rating of 4.25/5.

So, is Ready Player Two worth reading? This question is not easy to answer, given that many readers and reviewers feel very strongly about it either way.

Unlike the generally well-liked Ready Player One, book two is more polarising, with 4-star and 3-star reviews being the majority – but many 1 or 2-star reviews are also there, and they're vocal:

"We kick off this rollercoaster ride of fun and excitement with about a hundred pages of worldbuilding, which would make more sense if this weren't the second book in the series," a reviewer says. "We spend 20% of the book info dumping, when the action starts we have to pause for 25 pages to go in-depth into every single technological side effect or potential problem."
Ready Player Two
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Credit: Ballantine Books

The pacing seems to be an issue even for those who were more forgiving about the book's shortcomings.

The stereotypical representation of Wade's friends, a Japanese boy, and a Black girl were also negatively criticized.

Another reader pointed out that Ready Player Two was an unsatisfying sequel because it didn't significantly expand on the world Cline built in the first book, nor did it try to do something new and unique with the plot:

"Whether it makes sense or not, the point is to tediously recreate yet another quest for magical objects based on the poorly rhymed riddles made from beyond the grave by an oddball OASIS creator James Halliday and grounded in obscure 1980s trivia, with the same band of characters as before and the quest to get the girl. Even if all that seemingly was already achieved by the end of the first book."

Of course, this is not to say that there are no positive reviews whatsoever. Several fans said they did enjoy Ready Player Two, although most agreed that it was not as mind-blowing as Ready Player One – the familiar formula Cline created simply worked for them.

"If you liked Ready Player One as I did, you may like this," says another fan. "But, be aware that I am seeing many Ready Player One fan give it one or two stars. So, proceed with caution and expect anything!"

At the end of the day, then, it's hard to give a one-size-fits-all answer regarding whether or not you should read Ready Player Two. If you want a ground-breaking work of science fiction with great pacing and plot, you might not find it in this one. If you are still curious, or just invested in the world and eager to see where the story will go, you might want to give it a try, but it's better not to expect too much.

Ready Player Two: Will There Be a Movie?

Ready Player One Film
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Credit: Warner Bros

In 2018, Ready Player One was adapted into a film (dir. Steven Spielberg). According to author Ernest Cline – who confirmed there won't be a Ready Player Three, but a Ready Player Zero ­prequel might be on the cards– the film actually motivated him to finish writing Ready Player Two on time. After all, if the first film turned out to be a success, a sequel would likely be made whether or not his next book was out.

Indeed, Cline has confirmed that a Ready Player Two film is in the early stage of its production. Given the liberties the first film took with the source material, as well as the lack of conclusive information, we can't be sure what the new film is going to look like but the author expects the experience to be as fun as the production of Ready Player One.

Here's a short synopsis of Ready Player Two:

"Are you ready? Days after winning OASIS founder James Halliday's contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything. Hidden within Halliday's vaults, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the OASIS a thousand times more wondrous — and addictive — than even Wade dreamed possible.
With it comes a new riddle, and a new quest — a last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize. And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who'll kill millions to get what he wants. Wade's life and future of the OASIS are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance. Lovingly nostalgic and wildly original as only Ernest Cline could conceive it, Ready Player Two takes us on another imaginative, run, action-packed adventure through his beloved virtual universe, and jolts us thrillingly into the future once again."

In the meantime, if you are interested in other fantasy and sci-fi sequels, you might want to check out A Court of Silver Flamesand Chain of Ironwhich both have early 2021 release dates.

Related: Ready Player Two Author Confirms Movie Adaptation For the Sequel is Underway

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