I really love a good dystopian novel. I haven't read one (good or bad) in awhile, and so I was pleasantly surprised to come across this. Now, this is not your normal dystopian. It's only set about 30 years from now. But it definitely has many dystopian characteristics.

This story follows Wade Watts, a young man who lives in a time where society has greatly devolved due to great economic decline. The poor and impoverished live in trailers that are literally stacked on top of one another, like skyscrapers. Meanwhile, there is a virtual reality 'game' that has been created where many people spend most of their time. This game is called OASIS. But it's more than a game. People use it to attend school, go on vacations, order food, etc. Money that is earned in the game can be used as currency in the real world. It's pretty much a one-stop shop for people trying to escape the dangers of the real world.

Now, the creator of this game has died. In his will, he states that he has hidden an Easter egg inside OASIS, and whoever finds in will be rewarded his entire estate, including OASIS, worth over 240 billion dollars. He left clues to follow, which are all related to 1980s pop culture. So of course, everybody is trying to figure out the clues, including a group who wants to use the OASIS game for their own dastardly purposes.

This is such a fun book. It kept my interest throughout, and as someone who was a kid in the 80s and loves 80s pop culture, I really connected to Wade, who has immersed himself in 80s culture in an attempt to decipher the clues.

If I had to find a negative about this book, it would be that the romance between Wade and Art3mis didn't wow me. I liked both of their characters (not to mention Aech. I really liked Aech.) but I just didn't care about their relationship in a romantic way.

Overall, this book made me smile. I want to check out more by this author in the future.