Book · 2011
Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
A teenager hunts an Easter egg hidden inside a global VR world, and the hunt is built entirely from 1980s trivia.
Catalogue record: Open Library · ★ 4.0 (315 ratings)
What does Reddit think of Ready Player One?
The most argued-about book in this corner of the dataset, and the argument has a thesis: "Reddit used to LOVE 'Ready Player One', then we hated it" (↑490). The hate is specific — nostalgia laundry lists ("insanely boring... 'I Googled this!!1!' bullshit", ↑332), "plot holes and thin characters" (↑552), and a thread calling it "misogynistic" (↑332). The defense is equally specific: "highly entertaining garbage (with an emphasis on highly entertaining)" (↑298) and "no one was expecting the next Great Gatsby. Just turn your brain off and it [works]" (↑305). One booksuggestions reader finished it in days and couldn't put it down (↑314). The sequel gets no such mercy anywhere — "unforgivably and inexcusably bad" (↑395) is the mild version.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · The hype cycle in miniature: loved, then hated, then argued about
- · Nostalgia as the book's engine and its main charge
- · A sequel so disliked it rehabilitates the original by comparison
- · Plot holes and thin characters as the recurring complaint
Common praise
- + Works as a pure page-turner: one reader finished it in a few days and "could not put it down" (↑314).
- + Its defenders name the trade honestly — "highly entertaining garbage" (↑298) — and recommend it on those terms.
- + The backlash itself concedes the fun: "cringey with endless pop culture references but... Just turn your brain off" (↑305).
Common criticism
- − "Once the nostalgia wore off, the plot holes and thin characters shown through" (↑552) is the top-rated complaint.
- − A detailed dissent calls the reference dumps boring and what remains "misogynistic" (↑332).
- − "Garbage, and why it's popular for anyone older than 13 I'll never know" (↑242) — the strongest form of the usual charge.
Who it's for
Want a fast read that never pretends to be more? The defenders' pitch is exactly that: turn your brain off and enjoy the trivia hunt (↑305). If you read for prose and characters, the top-rated complaints name precisely what you'll be fighting (↑552). And if you liked the original, the threads are unanimous about one thing: stop there. Ready Player Two is described as "unforgivably and inexcusably bad" (↑395).
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
- r/suggestmeabook 3,747
- r/booksuggestions 1,661
- r/printSF 570
- r/Fantasy 368
- r/YAlit 201
- r/RomanceBooks 26
- r/horrorlit 25
- r/TrueLit 13
Which Reddit comments matter for Ready Player One?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“Ready Player One. Once the nostalgia wore off, the plot holes and thin characters shown through.
“Ready Player One is fun but VERY dumb and poorly written. Ready Player Two is unforgivably and inexcusably bad
“*Ready Player One*. If you can get past the endless, insanely boring laundry lists of "I Googled this!!1!" bullshit, what remains is misogynistic, patronising, crypto-fascist and auto-fellatory. And I was a deeply nerdy teen in the 80s, too.
“Big agree on Throne of Glass. I can't even remember a single thing about it, it was that bad. Forgot about it's existence entirely. Ready Player One... my dad sent it to me in the mail because he loved it. I forced my way through the first chapter in the break room at work. Refused to read any more…
“I read "Ready Player One" in a few days. I could not put it down. "Ready Player Two" I could not get past the first few chapters, it just felt so cookie cutter like he could have almost had AI write it.
“Ready Player One. Yes it’s cringey with endless pop culture references but no one was expecting the next Great Gatsby. Just turn your brain off and it’s a really fun online virtual reality universe setting.
“Ready Player One is highly entertaining garbage (with an emphasis on highly entertaining).
“Not a popular opinion, but Ready Player One. Strip away the nostalgia element and its one of the most poorly written modern best-sellers.
“Ready Player One - the copious use of cheshire grin
“Ready Player One. I thought it was such a cool idea when I was younger. Nowadays I can’t believe I never noticed it was just a blatant power fantasy, with probably one the most unlikable protagonists out there. Hell even the nerd references, which was arguable one of the main selling points, weren’t…
“Ready player one. Sexist, homophobic, panders to the lowest common denominator and "quiz you" boys in fandom, shallow plot, badly built and explored world, validating to incel "nice guys," puts all 'diversity' into one character at the very end of the book, and the 80s just weren't that f****** inte…
“Ready player one. I got recommended this book so many times by so many people I share interests with, but holy s***, I had to stop in the third or fourth chapter.
“Ready Player One. Hate-read that thing but I couldn’t put it down. I will never read the sequel.
“Credibility is when someone tells you why they think a particular book would be right for *you*. Many books have a readership that will love them while others will be critical of that book. Personally, I loved ready player one despite the cringey plot. Someone told me “hey you love 80s films and y…
“Lynch: if you didn’t like the first one I’d stop. Me, I loved the first me. Hobb: keep going. I thought the original trilogy was alright, but for me, The Mad Ships is where it really kicked in. For me, the biggest one is Ready Player One. I was “THIS is what everyone’s raving over?!” On the flip …
Convinced? Pick up Ready Player One
What else does r/suggestmeabook read?
Other books mentioned in the same sub, ranked. Shared-sub overlap with this title breaks ties.
Ready Player One — frequently asked
What does Reddit actually think of Ready Player One?+
Split, with the split itself a running joke: "Reddit used to LOVE 'Ready Player One', then we hated it" (↑490). The criticism is concrete — plot holes, thin characters, reference lists instead of plot (↑552, ↑332) — and the defense is just as concrete: it's a fast, fun read that never claims to be literature (↑298, ↑305). Both sides get plenty of upvotes, which is rarer than the threads make it look.
Is Ready Player One worth reading in 2026?+
Depends on what you want from it. If you want a quick, propulsive nostalgia trip, the defenders' excerpts are clear that it delivers that (↑305, ↑314). If you want prose or character depth, the top-rated complaints say the nostalgia is doing all the work (↑552). The sequel is not defended by anyone in the displayed excerpts — treat this as a standalone.
Should I read Ready Player Two after Ready Player One?+
No, by the displayed excerpts. The mildest verdict on the sequel is "unforgivably and inexcusably bad" (↑395), and a reader who raced through book one couldn't get past the sequel's first chapters (↑314). Even the book's defenders in these threads don't extend the defense to book two.