The second book I read in 2017 was Armada by Ernest Cline. I read his first book Ready Player One the year before, and it was a lot of fun. Now popularized by Spielberg movie adaptation, it’s about a massive virtual reality game that starts a tournament once its creator dies, setting off a crazy turn of events. Armada is set to be adapted into a movie as well. In a similar gamer vibe, it is about video games being real, that many of them and many sci-fi movies were preparing the world for some crazy events. The best players of certain games are recruited to defend earth. This one isn’t as good as his first but it’s still a load of nerdy fun.

Revisiting these old reads, I just remembered that I listened to both this and Keller’s Preaching while traveling home to the USA from South Korea and back again on my winter break. It had been a year and half since my wife and I had moved to teach. At the time I think Cline had a cult following within the gaming and sci-fi subculture. I believe my only other exposure to him was in a documentary about video games. Soon he was propelled into the mainstream, and more power to him. So far his ideas and stories have been great. The sequel to Ready Player One is out now and on my list to read soon. It will likely get the film treatment too and I look forward to it.

12 hours or 370 pages of classic coming-of-age sci-fi. All links affiliate.