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It is indeed a good book, although not a great one. If you're a nerd of a certain age, you will enjoy it even as you recognize the ways in which you're being pandered to.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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I thought it was decent, but more than a bit wish-fulfilling without a lot of consequences or effort towards the conclusion.
Posts: 428 | Registered: Nov 2006
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The closer you are in age to the game designer the book centers around, the more you will enjoy it. Me, I was loving every minute of it because ever page referenced something I either played, watched, or read as I was growing up,
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I really enjoyed it. Kind of a comfort-food version of Snow Crash. You won't feel any smarter for having read it, perhaps, but every page is a blast, and it is unapologetically nerdy.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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I think there is a way to combine Tom, Chris, and AFR's responses into one super witty response that describes my feelings about the book perfectly.
Posts: 8741 | Registered: Apr 2001
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One of Ernest Cline's stated goals was to get and keep people interested in "80's Nostalgia" since he is himself. I found it entertaining, and worth reading.
I'm only 32, so while I was a child in the 80's I'm not really old enough to be a Child of the 80's. But it was fun nonetheless.
Posts: 164 | Registered: Sep 2012
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quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson: It is indeed a good book, although not a great one. If you're a nerd of a certain age, you will enjoy it even as you recognize the ways in which you're being pandered to.
Yeah, it's totally a beach read. Don't look for anything mind blowing or deep.
Posts: 7021 | Registered: Nov 1999
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Good comparison to Snow Crash - though it's not nearly as sharp or challenging as Stephenson's extremely flawed but enjoyable work.
Posts: 428 | Registered: Nov 2006
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The story was interesting and there was some Nostalgia there, but it wasn't a book I'll read again.
It even got optioned for a movie before the book was actually released. I've a feeling that was the authors aim all along though.
Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006
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I found it quite entertaining, but it had a number of plot holes large enough to drive earth-moving machinery through. Also, if you're looking for realistic world building and things you've come to expect from good science fiction, look elsewhere. Still, it was pretty much unremittingly fun, though I know I missed many of the references from not being much of a pop-culture person, or maybe from just being the wrong age. Still I laughed a lot at memories of the late 70s and 80s that I had completely forgotten. I compare it more to Willy Wonka than anything else. People who have zero interest in that time will find it pretty dull, I bet.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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I had a lot of fun reading it despite being a 90s baby and not knowing most of the references.
Posts: 2054 | Registered: Nov 2005
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