Oh my goodness. This book went so far off the deep end that not even infinite space can save it.
There was almost something good here, some real questions to think about. It could have gone in the direction of, How technology interferes with relationships or How humanity's dependence on technology can get us into trouble. The book could have delved into humanity's psychological need for escapism. There were any number of interesting and intelligent routes the author could have taken, but instead, we ended up on The Afterworld -- a virtual planet dedicated to Prince -- for an insanely long time, all while people's lives hung in the balance.
Ready Player Two picks up -- after a lot of exposition -- a few years after the first book ends. The "five" heroes of Ready Player One have settled into their positions as owners of GSS with Og advising, and the business growing. Wade (Parzival) is lonely and more dependent on the Oasis than ever, with nothing to really do.
With all the access he's gained as Halliday's heir, Wade discovers an unreleased piece of tech known as an ONI headset. They're different than the suits worn in the first book because the ONI actually detaches your consciousness from your body, and puts it into your Oasis avatar. This allows you to feel virtual experiences like you're really living them. The only catch is your mind separates from your body in order for this to happen.
Everyone but Samantha (Art3mis) agrees to release the ONI into the world, so out it goes and everyone is hooked. At the same that this happens, a new quest appears in the Oasis that only the heir can complete. The 7 Shards of the Siren's Soul. Wade teams up with his crew, and with a little outside help, it begins.
Then, like last time, there's some serious trouble and a powerful enemy (not the Sixers this time) and Wade is forced to think fast, while puzzling out the quest, to save the day.
What is nice is that it takes the collective knowledge of all the players to get the job done. Wade doesn't have all the insider knowledge himself. In fact, he would've failed the quest if he'd worked alone.
The crazy starts after once we move on from the quest. Without revealing the specifics, the book ends up in this 2001: A Space Odyssey place, with copies of people's consciousness awakening in a virtual reality on a trip through space. The book gets into it more eloquently, and I promise I didn't really ruin anything for you. But, you need to know the ending is just weird and almost uncomfortably sorted out -- like the end of a Spielberg movie.
Parts of Ready Player Two met my expectations after liking book one, but most did not. It's a sequel you can avoid -- I promise.
Also by Ernest Cline:
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