For six months, he couldn't sleep. To cope, the Narrator starts attending support groups for various terminal illnesses and conditions. There he meets Marla Singer, who falls in love with both Tyler Durden and the Narrator. After the Narrator's flat blows up, he moves in with Tyler Durden and starts a fight club that spirals out of control.
Wade Watts unlocks the new stage of the OASIS - the ONI. With this new technology, people are able to stick their brains into the machine and directly feel, taste and hear everything, as if they were really there. Using this, Wade and the rest of the High Five unlock the last easter egg that was left by Halliday.
I have to say that I agree with Samantha (Art3mis) on this one. I will not plug my head into a machine.
I loved that we learnt more about Halliday, Og, and Kira. I loved how we learnt more about their lives, how they interacted and what actually happened.
This books pace was different from it's predecessor, as instead of being set over a couple of years everything happened in around 12 hours. This led to no struggling, no pondering, no figuring anything out. It seemed as if all the clues were curated to fit some niche interest that at least one of them had. I don't know if it is because I had a gap in between books, but these interests didn't really seem to flow. It felt like the interests were given to them there in that moment to be convenient. There was no time for faffing.
There was hardly any world building, I am guessing it is due to the reader knowing everything from the previous book.
Similar to Spacehopper, there was a lot of explaining, justification, repeat. All the clues were the same but in a new location. This meant that there was even less character development for lil ol Wade and he's still a weirdo. Samantha is way too good for him. The rest of the cast is genuinely doing things with their lives, while he rots away - at least he has eyebrows this time. He's finally like his hero, sexist, weird and alone.
I read it, had to force my way through the Prince battle. It seemed that not even Cline knew what was going on there, there was a lot of confusion and the word 'Prince' was mentioned too many times. I struggled a bit with the Lord of the Rings bit, but I think that was all on me. I have tried to get into it, but I just can't wrap my head around it. It is a big part of my childhood, as it was always on growing up and it makes me sad that I can't understand it.
In the beginning we get introduced to a new set of characters, who get nicknamed the 'L0w Five'. They did nothing. They got introduced, started the whole story, eventually met with the rest of the cast, and then got sent off on a quest that ended the book. They did a lot of heavy lifting, especially for characters we only meet twice. L0hengrin had two genuine interactions, and the rest of her mates only had one. Even then, it was when Wade was listening in.
The ending of the book was strange. With it ending on a positive AI note. Big no from me. I don't think he will be so happy about AI and treating them as people when they take over writing. I think I was generous with my rating.
3/5
James Halliday died, and has left behind billions of dollars, as well as the legacy and fortune of the OASIS. Anybody can have it. As long as they can find it.
Wade Watts is poor and lives with his abusive Aunt in a stack of caravans. In 2045, the world is ravaged by climate change, starvation and poverty - everybody seeks refuge in the OASIS to ignore their everyday life. The hunt for easter eggs to find JDH's fortune has been ignored in the media for years, until Wade finally cracks the first step.
Countries do not exist, only three superstates that fight over a small landmass near the equator. They are forever at war, and always have been. The citizens undergo mass surveillance, manipulation, propaganda and any sort of individualism is punished. Formally London, Winston Smith lives in Airstrip one where he works in the Ministry of Truth, where he changes the past to reflect the 'truth', and Winston starts questioning things. Not the best idea, when Big Brother is Always Watching You.
2019 London is full to the brim with relationship problems and a whale. People are secretly gay and complicated secrets plus pregnancy equals disaster.
Polish immigrant Toni leaves Cardiff University in the midst of an identity crisis. While clubbing, she meets Gav, who completely changes her life. Some for better, some for worse.
In 2009 London, two couples are going through couple problems. Melissa and Michael (M&M) struggle with their new second child, while Stephanie and Damien struggle with bereavement of Damien's recently passed Father. Both couples undergo emotional distance from their problems, but there is more than they are revealing to each other.
