Recommendation written by Kayla Olson
I must start this review by saying that this is a book I never in a million years would have picked up on my own. However, thanks to a participation in an online book club, I went out of my comfort zone, and I am so glad I did.
I am not a “gamer” and sci-fi isn’t really my thing, so this started out a little slow; however, as I got deeper into the story, Wade, the main character, really stole my reader heart. This poor kid lived in a broken world where reality was unlivable and the virtual world was literally an OASIS. And gamer Halliday’s final game left this virtual world in a craze.
I thought of this book as a coming-of-age book that took place in a virtual world showing no boundary to reality. The perception of reality had become so warped; even life and death had no value to some.
Wade’s character really showed strength, perseverance, intuitiveness, and loyalty to his friends (even though he’d never met them in real life) and to the integrity of this virtual world they all “lived” in.
In the end, it was discovered that the OASIS wasn’t really that, it was a place of human destruction and a sacrifice of reality. After some battling with others and himself, Wade also becomes aware of that realization.
Four stars!
Beulah Public Library 