Ready Player Two

A Novel

By: Ernest Cline

Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The thrilling sequel to the beloved worldwide bestseller Ready Player One, the near-future adventure that inspired the blockbuster Steven Spielberg film.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST • “The game is on again. . . . A great mix of exciting fantasy and threatening fact.”—The Wall Street Journal

AN UNEXPECTED QUEST. TWO WORLDS AT STAKE. ARE YOU READY?

Days after winning OASIS founder James Halliday’s contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything.

Hidden within Halliday’s vaults, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the OASIS a thousand times more wondrous—and addictive—than even Wade dreamed possible.

With it comes a new riddle, and a new quest—a last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize.

And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who’ll kill millions to get what he wants.

Wade’s life and the future of the OASIS are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.

Lovingly nostalgic and wildly original as only Ernest Cline could conceive it, Ready Player Two takes us on another imaginative, fun, action-packed adventure through his beloved virtual universe, and jolts us thrillingly into the future once again.

Critic reviews

Praise for Ready Player Two

“Many people think Ernest Cline writes about the future, but what he’s really doing is writing about the complexities of the world we live in today. Whether you’re black, white, woman, or man, this story is about you and what gaming has meant in your life. We already live in the OASIS, and the journey of life is trying to find as many of those Easter eggs along the way!”—Trevor Noah

Praise for Ready Player One

“Enchanting . . . Willy Wonka meets The Matrix.”—USA Today

“An addictive read . . . part intergalactic scavenger hunt, part romance, and all heart.”—CNN

“Ridiculously fun and large-hearted.”—NPR

“A geek fantasia, ’80s culture memoir and commentary on the future of online behavior all at once.”—Austin American Statesman

“Delightful . . . the grown-up’s Harry Potter.”—HuffPost

“As one adventure leads expertly to the next, time simply evaporates.”—Entertainment Weekly

“A geek touchstone.”—Rolling Stone

“Gorgeously geeky, superbly entertaining, [and] spectacularly successful.”—Daily Mail (UK)

NAMED ONE OF AMERICA’S 100 MOST-LOVED BOOKS BY PBS’s THE GREAT AMERICAN READ

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY • SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE • THE VILLAGE VOICE • CHICAGO SUN-TIMES • io9 • THE A.V. CLUB

Hollywood got a hold of Ernest Cline, in a BAD way

This book is just a cash grab. I actually can't hate on Ernest Cline for that since he must have been given some GOOD money to sell out this bad. Without getting too political I am just going to say that whoever was advising / helping him edit this book did not do him any favors. I wish we would have just been given Ready Player One and it would have been left at that. Such a great first novel and such a bad direction for the second.

Fantastic story - Celine does it again!

Another great adventure by Earnest Cline! Cline is becoming a master story teller of our time in this sequel to Ready Player One.

Nice to hear from you, old friend

First, hearing Will Wheaton's voice put the biggest smile on my face as soon as I heard it. It's like hearing an old friend after not hearing from them after a long time. Ready Player One is my guilty pleasure audio book go to when I'm feeling disconnected from the world these days and makes my brain happy. I've listened to it at least 20 times in the past two years. I am NOT ashamed.
Ready Player 2 starts off slow, just as the first book does. Ernest takes his time to immerse you into the mindset of Parzival and the on-goings about him and to introduce all the main players, as if one has not read or listened to the first book. Once it takes off though, I, myself am immersed into the Oasis again. Another guilty pleasure has been born.

RP1 or Bust

I had high expectations for RP2. Unfortunately, the story wasn’t nearly as gratifying as I’d hoped. It lacks the quirky, distinctive flair that made RP1 so outstanding. But, despite not having met my high expectations, RP2 is still an adequate, fun listen.
RP2’s biggest disappointment bar none is the MC’s temperamental petulance. Wade/Parzival/Z speaks, thinks, and behaves like a whiny, selfish manchild. Also, after having outsmarted the world in RP1, he somehow became incredibly unintelligent. He really is quite annoying.
Wil Wheaton and the entertaining 80’s kickbacks are the book’s only redeeming qualities — Wil’s 5-star narration is simply brilliant.
2.5-stars overall.

Considerably better than the original

some of the book is a bit of a slog but overall the story was solid. Cline did a good job addressing the heavy-handedness of the first book. B+.