Armada in DC Public Library

Nov 04, 2014 Jessica rated it it was ok

so much name dropping! Such wish fulfillment! Manic Pixie Space Girl!

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Jun 04, 2015 Bob rated it did not like it

Shelves: gave-up-on

Just as The Martian struck geek chords I didn't really know I had, Armada didn't hit any potential geek chords that might have been dormant. I guess it might have helped if I were a fan of virtual reality computer sim games, but that's never been my thing. A book devoted to that was going to be a stretch. It might have also helped if the characters were anything but stock and situations and subplots that were incredibly obvious and not remotely original (when I called the "secret" one of the cha ...more

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Nov 18, 2013 Shoshana G rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/bo...

Ok, I didn't hate it like that reviewer did, and I really enjoyed Ready Player One but... this book was so mediocre. The love interest was laughably devoid of personality except manic pixie dream gamergirl nothingness, the plot was just descriptions of battle tactics, the story was weirdly admiring of the protagonist's anger management problems and the resolution was sudden and pat.

I'd rather read Ender's Game or Contact for the bazillionth time instead. ...more

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Jul 13, 2015 Tony rated it did not like it

Shelves: speculative-fiction, novels

I wasn't a huge fan of Cline's debut book, Ready Player One -- it largely felt like a flimsy amalgamation of '80s references to me. To be sure, '80s references I got and could identify with, but it felt like pandering to nostalgia. Saw Cline's new one sitting around the office the other day, and grabbed it en route to the beach, hoping for something a little more interesting. Alas, this too, is a house of cards built upon a flimsy foundation of '80s sci-fi and gaming references. If there weren't ...more

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Jun 14, 2017 Robert rated it liked it

Three stars because it held me to the end, the world-building was fascinating, and there were some nice moments thanks to smart plotting decisions. It's rather juvenile and the dialogue is rough, but there's enough here to entertain someone looking for a mindless sci-fi story. I audiobook'd it and took it to the gym. It was totally fine. Think of it as Ender's Game and The Last Starfighter set in a 2018 where Hillary is president and aliens are at our doorstep.

One wandering thought/concern: a lo ...more

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Oct 30, 2017 Arlene Caruso rated it it was ok

Ugh, this one was a big disappointment. LOVED Ready Player One so was excited to finally have time to get to Armada. Such a let down! It felt derivative and lacked the charm of RPO.

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