Richard Aspden

A paradox in slow motion

Lets Read Ready Player One Chapter One

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Welcome to Ready Player One chapter one! Wherein we get worldbuilding regarding Wade and his life, and we make a bit of progress in terms of plot!

Noted during reading

  • First chapter in Level 1. level page has quote from the book Anorak’s Almanac mentioned in the first chapter. Sounds either kiddy or pretentious. Or both.
  • Why do so many people live in Protagonist’s aunt’s trailer?
  • Takes a few pages before we get the protagonists name, and I wasn’t sure if we ever would.
    • Plus typical superhero name: alliterative, which is mentioned in the book.
  • Lots of info about his childhood.
  • Eyes kinda glazed over the “Here’s the deal…” bit.
  • Wow, BOTH parent’s dead.
    • starting to get Harry Potter-y, inc moving in with aunt – thought it was a night over or something at the start of the chapter.
  • At least The Hunt gives him a purpose.
  • Yeah, really HP-y with aunt and her behaviour.
  • Has a hideout, fortunately. The stacks sound kinda cyberpunky with elements of Solarpunk (I think, I originally noted it as “greenpunk” in my notes as I couldn’t remember the term “Solarpunk”)
  • Oooh! original trailer parks were overwhemed!
    • And this place isn’t unique.
  • Anyway, why would people move TO metropolises after oil and crises? Work? Energy? Nowhere else to go? I don’t know.
  • Gunters have a rite of passage? Not like ARGs, but kinda make sense. ARGs don’t really have (or had) them. ARGs were more ephemeral I guess.
  • Nice, he does have people hat are nice to him.
    • Hope nothing bad happens to Mrs G.
  • Didn’t have to wait long to see the hideout.
    • plus, goes to school here (since he mentioned going to school earlier)
  • Uses bike to power batteries – smart.
  • Oh nice – his login phrase is from the Last Starfighter game from the 80s film The Last Starfighter. Great film.
  • Chapter ends with a title drop of the book/novel.

Overall

Mainly worldbuilding, meeting the protagonist, setting the stage. Defintely pushing the boundary on 80s references (not gone over for me….yet). No footnotes, thankfully.