Book Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One

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Ready Player One 〰️

I saw the movie when it came out and had no idea it was based on a book. Years later, I finally snagged a copy of the book to see if it was as good as the movie. Normally I always say the book is better than the movie, but in this case, they are both equally as good. Because while the film has the same plot premise as the book (gunters, the sixers, the hunt for the egg contest, and characters, to name a few), how everything ends up happening is entirely different. Like, vastly different. And I love that. It's like I can experience both forms of media for the first time while still getting the same content if that makes sense.

Now I haven't read any reviews of the book, but I get the feeling many people would say this book is a HUGE info dump for the entire book. And it is. But it's written in a way that doesn't feel that way, at least to me. I loved learning about all the cool things mentioned in this book. I loved learning how our not-so-distant future became the way it is. (And honestly, I can see it happening, the way our course is heading).

Info dumping aside, this book was a blast to read. The concept was super interesting, and as a huge nerd and gamer myself, I loved reading all the references and learning more about them. It was cool to see Wade start from nothing and build his avatar up. He's smart and probably has a photographic memory for all the stuff he's memorized. I can barely remember my own age, let alone all the things he's learned in order to win the contest.

If you're a fan of YA dystopian books, 80s nostalgia, Japanese media, old-school games, and just general geekery like myself, this book is for you. And I also recommend the movie, as it's also its own experience.

Book Review: Son by Lois Lowry

Son

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Son 〰️

Actual rating 4.5/5 stars.

Now, THIS is a true companion/sequel to The Giver. This book has features of all previous books in this series and comes full circle in a way I didn't know possible since the previous two books seemed so disconnected from the first.

I very much enjoyed this read. I loved that we got to revisit the community in which Jonas lived, but this time from a different lens. I loved seeing how the community operated from viewpoints other than Jonas's. And having Jonas be part of part one was also excellent. And having him come back, not as "Leader" but as Jonas in part three? Well, let's say it was nice seeing him again. (I didn't expect him to end up with Kira, but I guess it makes sense).

I'm glad the Trademaster was brought back, if only to learn a bit more about him. In the last book, we only saw him briefly before, and he gets a slightly more significant role in this one. I mean, he's the main antagonist, but only in the later half of the book. I do think he was defeated pretty easily, tough. It reminded me of during the IT movie how they defeated Peniwise by hurling lame insults at him. For a being that is described as pure evil, like Peniqise was, I get the sense that he's super old and, therefore, extra powerful. But Gabe says like three sentences, and this hurts him? I dunno. Feels rushed.

And speaking of rushed, I've said it before for the other books, and I'll say it again. Does Lowry not know how to end books? They all ended so abruptly. Granted, this one was better than the last two and had a slight improvement on the first, but still. They all have significant conflicts, and the second it's resolved, it's over. At the very least, I'd like to see a few paragraphs with the aftermath of everything. I mean, we followed Claire's journey (and I guess Jonas and Kira's, too) for so long, and we get like a sentence hinting everything is going to be okay. I enjoyed the book, but I'm personally not satisfied with the ending.

All in all, this was a nice end to the series. Although you could cut out the middle two books, read The Giver and then this one and still be satisfied, I think. The Giver is still the best one of them all, but this one is a close second.

Book Review: Messenger by Lois Lowry

Messenger

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Messenger 〰️

Finally, we have a true connection to the first novel, making this a true companion/sequel to The Giver in my eyes. Also, this book was a vast improvement over the second one. I loved the first, but the second fell a little flat for me. This third novel wasn't as good as the first, but I enjoyed it more than Gathering Blue.

It's nice to see a grown-up Jonas (now the Leader) and a mention of Gabe. It's good to know they survived. I'm also glad to see Matty (previously named Matt in book two) has learned to speak correctly, as he was a bit hard to read. Being the new MC of the third book in this series, it would have been extremely annoying and difficult to read his previous speech patterns.

Speaking of POVs, Lowry switched POV to the Leader near the end, and it felt off. It worked with the story, and I see why she did it, but this was the first time in three books (and right at the end of the book, too) that she did this. It kind of throws the style of the books out the window for a bit.

Also, does Lowry not know how to end her books? Or maybe I don't understand her style very well. This is the third book where the plot thickens, only to end with an ambiguous ending abruptly. (Did Matty die? I think he died, and that sucks). I hope the final book answers this series's previously unanswered questions.

While not my favourite of the series (it's the second), this was still an enjoyable book. Probably because it was the first to be a companion/continuation, I'm curious to see how this ends.

Book Review: Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Gathering Blue

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Gathering Blue 〰️

Actual rating 3.5/5 stars.

I was not expecting this to be a companion to The Giver. Barely anything was similar to the first book. I know it's a companion, and it's another village, but a little callback to book one would have been nice. (Although it's implied right at the end Jonas is alive and with the MCs dad). But this could be a brand new world and I wouldn't have known it. I'm not sure how this is part of the series.

That being said, there was some great world building once again in this book. You can for sure tell it's a distopian future with a distinct culture. I don't think this world was as interesting as the one in The Giver but it was still cool to read about it.

While this story was interesting, I don't think it was as interesting as the previous novel. I think I was expecting more since the first one was so great. I was also a little shocked to see no mention or tie ins (that I know of) to The Giver, be it it's characters, or greywashed world. I don't mind a companion book to have compleatly new characters. In fact, I expect it. It's just this is part of a series and so I thought there would be more of a tie in raher than feeling like a completly fresh book. Perhaps they will all blend together more in the next two books.

I still enjoyed it, however. As mentioned, it wasn't as interesting but it was still a compelling enough read. I will admit that I didn't care for how most of the characters talked, however. It was a bit hard to read. I mean, it helped built the world and such, but like I said, a bit hard to read. But that is a mino nitpick.

All in all it was still a decent book to read.