Ready Player Two: A Novel


Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
647
Narrator
121
Release Date
November 2020
Duration
13 hours 46 minutes
Summary
#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.
Reviews
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Frank H.

Tedious. All the magic of RP1 is gone; this is a mish-mash of political correctness that tries way too hard. Lightning has not struck twice. Will Wheaton is beat as the nemesis in Big Bang Theory.....he’s over the top reading this...

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Kenneth A.

I was waiting on this book, as a continuation of RP1. However, it is more of a continuation of the film rather than the book. The story is also ruined by the constant preaching and agenda pushing. The parts of the story that were interesting and actually added to the story were too few and far between. The constant barrage of "progressivism" ruined what might have been a rather good sequel to an awesome story, but the pandering to the "anti-white/pro-trans" folks ruined it. Really disappointed.

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Trenton G.

Loved but forced.

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Anonymous

Forced identity politics. It was like disney killed the author and wrote their own ridiculous indoctination novel like they do with everything else. Sad. RPO was an all time fav.

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Adam G.

ugh. worse that the first ones movie, which was of course worse than the book. inevitable crimes committed in anticipation of movie rights, and all the corniness to make you shiver in loathing of all nerdiness.

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Kyle L.

Wil Wheaton continues the narration of the original Ready Player One story and he does a great job. This book starts with a similar story as the original. Another hunt is triggered within the Oasis which seems to be made for the Wade. Some things went into way too much detail like the duckie shard quest and the battle with the multiple performers. To be honest I figured out what was happening with the shards after the first one was found. The ending was a bit of a twist and I suppose I should have seen it coming.

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Jesse L.

Same plot as 1, boring new characters, clear political Agenda muddling up the actual story. Will Wheaton was excellent.

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Clayton S.

Great story! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure, Video games, history, and so much more!

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Saiya

Not as riveting as book one, but still fun and worthwhile imho. If you’re a fan if John Hughes movies, Prince, and/or Tolkien, you will probably like it. I didn’t get a lot of the references so the middle was hard to get through. But I liked the ending.

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Christine P.

Ready Player One was definitely better than Ready Player Two! As mentioned by previous reviews, the second book is definitely more political than the first! Obviously being a rich top dog comes with CEOs and business transactions. I am glad to have read the book on the heels of the first book. What I purchase the second book knowing the story line? That’s a good question!

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DreamLandDrifter

I really enjoyed this audiobook, first the narrator just fits and I did love where the book takes you! I thought it was going to very difficult to pass up the first novel but the ending just absolutely blew my mind and I hope they adapt it into a sequel movie.

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Cicci A.

An amazing follow-up of my all time favorite book. And this didn't let me down. Will Wheaton gets the book to come alive - like magic!

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Chris Kraisser

Ready Player One was definitely better, but this does tie a nice bow on it. The quests were really fun and the magic of the Oasis still felt great!

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Anonymous

Great book.

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William B.

Ignore the naysayers. No, it's not as good as RP1, but it is a great read. It seems most of the angry reviews take issue with the political messages in the book, but if that's the problem I suggest they go back and read RP1 more carefully to find the same messages buried there. Wil Wheaton has once again turned a great book into a great audiobook performance.

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Jermey

not as good as the first one but I enjoyed it.

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Nera S.

Raises the stakes in every way and completely changes what you think is possible with sci-fi technology. An enthusiastic narrator and a meticulously crafted world makes this book grip you.

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Davis E.

it made me want to listen to RP1 again. not as great as RP1, but still an addictive listening, appreciated being a fan of the first novel.

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Anonymous

Just as riveting as the first.

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Anonymous

Not as good as the first.

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Hunter H.

Awesome story telling and we valentines narrator

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adam curry

love the story but to me the ending ruins the plot. however i cant wait to see the video of wil's cover of push it.

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Elizabeth R.

Wil Wheaton did a decent job narrating. His voice was very believable as the protagonist of this story for me with his background on just the types of tv and games that are referenced in the books. Man can’t pull off a British accent though, would have preferred he avoided it rather than butcher it the way he did. That was distracting. The story was a fun listen. It’s been about 5 years since I read the original, and I saw the movie when it came out but not again. This story is not as good and not as well developed. It feels very much like a novel for a very young adult. The possible repercussions of this world’s new technology were not explored in the detail that I would have liked to see. Spoilers alert The moral and ethical implications were skimmed over even though the main conflict in the book dealt with the posible death of half the world’s population. This technology company that “seems”happy and beneficial is exactly the type of terrifying, monopoly corporation that hides the sinister side of its products because the high five elite and their board know better what the poor sheep of this world need. Possibly awakening 500 billion virtual people against their will on an interplanetary mission? The thoughtlessness and lightheartedness of these details really tarnished the story for me. It was dealing with topics too serious for a lighthearted nostalgic young adult novel. Overall worth a listen once but I probably won’t revisit it.

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Rudy D.

It is an ok book. Nothing special like Ready Player One. The best mindset would be that this book is a more defined ending of the first book with a meh story attached. The libtard sway of the book isn't as bad as most people say but it will induce some eye rolling. Wil Wheaton does a great job.

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David B.

Hell of a book

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DeWayne T.

Great book, but didn't live up to the first. Still worth the read

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Andrew G.

Enjoyed I very much. It’a a terrific sequel! And Wil Wheaton did a fabulous job narrating it

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Anonymous

Not as good as RP1 but worth the read.

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Woodie H.

Surprised how well Will Weaton did a great job at the narration he did.

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Greg S.

Not as good as Ready Player 1.

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Anonymous

Lots of fillers. But narrator pulled it off

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Mike D.

At the core a good book, some really cool ideas but so very very different than Ready Player One. The nerd-trivia of D&D, video games and SciFi have all been traded for a more feminine movie and mucic trivia including Prince and Pretty in Pink. The new trivia format mixed with some extremely unnecessary and overt gender politics have really robbed this book of a huge part of what it could have been. Strangely the sequel seems to be aimed at a different demographic than the original.

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Anonymous

Decent but not as good as the first. Will Weaton is an excellent Narrator though

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Anonymous

only read the book and it was hard

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Marcos C.

I think it was a great follow up to ready player one, it did however, have quite a time gap that would have been fun to fill. The author and narrator did a great job to deliver an immersive experience.

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Jeremy R.

Not the same as the original but a better moral. Such a good world these stories are in and it is a fun one.

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Anonymous

Meh. It was a chore to get through. Too much virtue signaling and political correctness. Not even close to as good as the first.

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Dominique T.

This was an amazing listen. Enjoy the journey. I know I did and I was saddened when it was over.

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Derek L.

A great book PERFECTLY narrated by Wil Wheaton. As much fun as the first book

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Jon E.

What a great book that will be a great movie will did a good job narrating

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Michael M.

Good book. Not as good as Ready Player One but good. Wil Wheaton done a wonderful job.

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Julie S.

It’s ok but forced and random in plot development

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Susan V.

It was fun but not as fun as book 1, mostly because I haven’t experienced most of the cultural touchstones mentioned in this book. I’ve watched some John Hughes’s movies but don’t love any of them. I think of many of them as the ‘Brat Pack’ movies and they didn’t do much for me in my teens. The book has a pretty long section dedicated to these movies and it was a bit of a yawn for me. Then there’s time spent with Prince, whose works I’m only passingly familiar with. Then there’s an arcade game I’ve never played. However, there is a pivotal scene set on a Tolkien world (though it’s based on one of his books I haven’t read). I can say I am now interested in exploring Prince’s music and movies as well as reading more of Tolkien’s works. Perhaps once I do so, I will revisit this book and find it more exciting. The book is a little slow to start yet I applaud that it made things believable. Set a few years after the High Five won the big prize in book 1, the group has drifted apart. There’s a rift in the group as some want to focus on cleaning up the real Earth while others, Wade included, are in love with this new OASIS interface called ONI. They keep perfecting it, encouraging more users to upgrade to it, and are even building a ship with a mini-OASIS to carry avatars offworld. Wade has not handled the fame and fortune well and has turned into a bit of a jerk. So, yeah, believable story arc but a little boring. Then about half-way through the action picks up. There’s a new hunt! Halliday’s OASIS avatar Anorak has threatened the the bulk of the OASIS inhabitants with his obsession over Kira, Ogden’s wife and once-upon-a-time friend to Halliday. Wade needs to swallow his pride and send up the Bat Signal for help from the old crew, and a new crew (the Low Five). Things get fun and exciting at this point. By the end of the story, I was left with a good redemption story for Wade. I also felt the tale had an underlying message that it’s OK to love the nerdy things you love even though they are flawed. The characters point out the limitations of things, like Hughes’s movies are pretty monochromatic and Tolkien’s works in general lack female roles. There was a heavy-handed monologue from Wade about LBGTQ+ inclusiveness in the OASIS. I think the new character L0hengrin (a.k.a. Lo) brings more finesse to this aspect of the story. In fact, I would love a story that follows Lo and the Low Five around on their side quest. There’s one aspect to the ending that had me shaking my head a little but to avoid spoilers I’ll just say it pertains to the spaceship. I wouldn’t mind a third novel following what happens with that spaceship as well as what happens with real-life Wade and crew on Earth. Overall, it’s a fun story but not as dazzling as Book 1. 4/5 stars. The Narration: Wil Wheaton is always a treat to listen to. He did a great job with Book 1 and I’m glad they kept him for Book 2. He had distinct voices for all the characters though sometimes his voices for female characters lost that distinction when talking in a group. There were plenty of emotions in this book and Wheaton did a great job portraying those. The pacing was perfect and there were no technical issues with the recording. 4.5/5 stars.

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Paul Q.

I started this book because I really enjoyed the first one. But the book started very slow and just got more disappointing. Decided not to finish once all the liberalism started to come out.

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Pali80085

Imagine getting mad that this book has "an agenda" and that it's bad to be progressive lol great story that makes people mad for all the right reasons

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Robert P.

This one did not grab me like the other. A matter of taste perhaps. Just not my cup of tea. Will Wheaton needs to work on his chops. I did not enjoy his narration.

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Chris A.

I really enjoyed it, seriously. I loved the first book and its characters, so being able to read about their lives and their new adventure, was very enjoyable for me. I'll be listening to it again soon, im sure lol.

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eric davis

Ernest Cline did it again with his amazing Ready Player Two. if you thought Ready Player One was good this title is for you.

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Anonymous

Great follow up and wil wheaton does a fantastic job with the narration.

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Anonymous

A pile of woke drivel. Didn't finish, could not handle the lecture. The first book touched on it (tolerable) but this one takes it to a whole new level "... converted our skyscrapers into homeless housing", or "demolished the housing projects and moved everybody into housing outside of the city" etc, and I imagine it only gets worse but asked for a refund...

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Justin B.

The first one was great! I may have set my expectations a little to high for this one. However it took a left turn that brings up so many questions. It was not that enjoyable.

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Jason G.

Excellent sequel to a very creative and exciting storyline!!

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Clifford M.

I was kind of afraid to listen to this book because of the negative comments I got lucky at my library and the waitlist was short and got it quickly like the first book if your a child of the 80s or 90s this is absolute nostalgia overload (a great thing for me) he is one of descriptive writers I’ve listen to (like Tom Clancy taking an entire chapter to describe a scratch on a bolt on a submarine) I am in awe of how easy it is to visualize the world that he has created. Definitely long winded at times but absolutely worth the money and time

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Anonymous

First quarter of the book is hard to get into. Once the author gets back to the Oasis the fun returns. Ending is OK. The identity politics are ridiculous...I will think twice before listening to another by Cline.

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Emilio L.

Came in waves... parts of the story flow easily like the first one, but unfortunately, for a large chunk of the book, it felt very forced. The passing was not a good and there were obvious continuity issues. The end felt like a weird cop out tied nicely with a lil bow. Give it a listen, but don’t expect it to be as good.

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Marcus V.

great sequel. this author is amazing. great narrator also.

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Chad B.

Loved the first one but did not enjoy this one at all, I kept waiting for this one to "get good", but sadly it never did. The writer spent a lot of time trying to shoehorn in cultural references every time it felt forced, and the whole price thing... meh. No hate on Will, he did the best he could with what he had.

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Anonymous

I had a feeling this book was going to be good but I feared it wouldn't stand up to the original, it absolutely does. It keeps the story moving really well and the narration is excellent. Thoroughly enjoyed this

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Nicolas V.

I remember enjoying Ready Player One. This one just irritated me. Maybe it was just written for 12 year olds? Gamers? Couldn’t wait for it to end.

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Adam H.

Great fun read. Not a great as RPO but still fun. And Wil killed it as always.

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Anonymous

love it, as good as the first one.

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