Ready Player One

A quest novel, a love story, a virtual space opera set in a universe where wizards fight giant Japanese robots, whole planets are built in the image of “Blade Runner,” and “Deloreans” fly at the speed of light. Year 2044. Reality is grim. Like almost all of humanity, Wade Watts escapes the terrible everyday life into the expanding virtual utopia of OASIS, where you can be anyone and live, play, and love on any of tens of thousands of planets. Like everyone else, Wade dreams of finding the best lottery ticket in the world: somewhere in the OASIS, its creator James Halliday hid several devilishly complex puzzles, and whoever solves them will win a fortune—and gain control over the virtual world as well.
For years, millions have tried to find Halliday’s puzzles; all that’s known is that they are based on his favorite pop culture from the late 20th century. Millions obsessively study this culture, and Wade is no exception: he passionately debates John Hughes masterpieces with friends, plays Pac-Man, and quotes songs by the band Devo. One day, Wade stumbles upon a clue. His name becomes known to the entire world, and thousands of competitors rush out to take on the hero for the solution—and deprive him of the prize even if they have to do it with a real murder. To win, Wade must abandon his comfortable virtual existence and enter the real world—where real life and real love are waiting for him.