Ready Player Two Is A Disappointing Sequel

This Book IS For:

Those who want a retelling of John Hughes movies with a dose of trivia and a sprinkle of a greater plot
Fans of Ready Player One who want to see more of the simulation

This Book is NOT For:

Anyone expecting Ernest Cline to innovate on the previous book’s formula
Readers looking for solid character development

Much like its predecessor, Ready Player Two is a creature of nostalgia. This is both to its benefit and detriment as a story. On the one hand, it was full of references I know and love, but on the other, it felt like a mere pastiche of those universes. While the first novel felt like it paid fan service to popular culture, the second is a prisoner of its homages. Topping it off, Wade Watts, the book’s lead, is downright painful. Initially, I wondered if Cline knew that he was secretly writing what felt like the villain of his own story, but by the end of the book, it was clear: he didn’t fully understand how big of a creep Watts had been.

A brief note: A few weeks ago, Ernest Cline announced that he is working on the Readyverse, a digital gaming playground of famous franchises. Sound familiar? This feels like the equivalent of Michael Crichton (RIP) deciding to open a theme park dedicated to genetically reincarnated dinosaurs. It also shows that Ernest Cline hasn’t internalized the lessons his first book sought to teach.

For the first quarter of this book, I was hooked. On the surface, Ready Player Two is another treasure hunt in a digital galaxy of nostalgic references. Where it fell apart for me was the fact that it was centered around Wade Watts. He did come off as whiny in the first book, but his tragic background made that palatable. Ready Player Two doubles down on making Wade a creep but still expects the reader to root for him. Without spoiling, the lessons Wade learns throughout the book feel cheap and miss the point of all the ill deeds and privacy invasion he initially commits. There was a redemption arc to be had somewhere here, but Cline didn’t write it.

An unlikable main character isn’t always doom for a book, but when it’s first-person POV, it can make it a real struggle. This book feels like Wade shouting at the reader: Don’t you remember this thing? Didn’t you like it? Did you know this obscure thing about it? I’m smart, so I knew about it. To say it’s annoying is an understatement, and towards the end, I just wanted Wade to shut the hell up.

This tone demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of what made the first book good. Yes, Ready Player One had issues, but it was still a fun referential romp with a solid adventure story. Ready Player Two locks itself almost exclusively in the digital world and misses much of the human element that carried the first book through. With Wade being a billionaire, it’s hard to feel bad or empathize with him. The first book was his rags-to-riches story, which worked, but this riches-to-riches story did not.

Overall, Ready Player Two was a mess. Rather than simultaneously dabbling in many pop culture references, this adventure sees the heroes locked into hyper-specific universes for long periods. For example, if a reader doesn’t like Prince, a whole section of the book will turn them right off. It removes the ‘something for everyone’ mentality and turns the world into hyper fixation. The main character’s motivation for change is that his girlfriend dumped him, and by the end, he hasn’t had any salient realizations as to why. Sure, he understands that he’s done wrong, but I didn’t feel like I saw any of that process as a reader. This makes the ending abrupt and disappointing. There’s a chance I’ll read Cline’s next book, as he has the potential to be a good writer, but I’m done with this series.

2/5 Stars – Casting a whiny creep as your main character and giving them everything they want is not a recipe for an engaging adventure.

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