Play Book Tag discussion

Yup, I am counting this as being under the "Space Opera" tag, as it DOES take place on planets that the main characters travel to & from in the Oasis world. I wondered if this would count under this tag, but I definitely would count it.

It was a good book, don't get me wrong, but it was more for a YA audience than I like. It was a lot of... talking and not enough actual story. A lot of the book was describing a moment in time, rather than just being IN that moment in time. I can see why this book has a big audience - it is a unique story. I liked it, just not loved it. I did enjoy the "good vs. evil" thing, and I celebrated when good things happened, but it sagged in the middle for me. Good book, though. I would recommend.

I always wonder if young adults would truly appreciate this book. What I loved about it was all of the 80's references, and young adults wouldn't get that part of it, would they?

Yes, this is very much a y/a book. Y/A readers would like the video game parts of it, I think.

To be honest, I didn't know all of the 80s references because I didn't have a TV for many of those years and didn't play all of those games. I was doing things like going to university (got 2 separate Bachelor degrees, for one thing) etc. But I enjoyed the audiobook quite a bit.

Susie wrote: "I always wonder if young adults would truly appreciate this book. What I loved about it was all of the 80's references, and young adults wouldn't get that part of it, would they?"

Agreed! It was all about the 80s references for me (I was a pre-teen and teenager then)!

Young adults are crazy for this book - this I know from my work. The video reality really appeals to them. And the 80's are a fad culture for them. Think of the popularity of the Goldbergs and the Wedding Singer. The music, etc. c

My 15-year-old son loved this audio book. I agree that he related to the virtual reality world aspects and he appreciated the humor too - especially the banter between H and Wade. He was not totally unaware of the 80s culture stuff though - he has suffered through his parent's nostalgia plenty of times. He has seen many of the movies mentioned and played some of the video games or suffered through the "in my day" descriptions of them from his dad.

I enjoyed reading this book once, but I don't think I'd ever have to do so again. The concept was a lot of fun and Wil Wheaton does an excellent job narrating the audiobook. I understood the 80's references, but I just felt like most of the story was the author showing off his 80's trivia and playing off nostalgia. I felt like it was in the way of the story. It started to feel kinda like being trapped in a room with that guy who just starts spewing facts in your face, just to show off his "intelligence" to anyone who will listen. I enjoyed the references at first, it was just so heavily peppered with them that there were points where I felt like shouting "Okay, okay, I GET IT!" I wish the author had spent a little bit more time fleshing out his characters and a little less time trying to take advantage of 80's nostalgia. That being said, I did think it was a lot of fun overall, just a bit overhyped.