When I had to describe this book to a friend, I started with the words "geek porn." I've finished the book, and those words are accurate in the sense that if you have ever been part of the geek subculture at any point in your life, something in this novel will tickle that memory beautifully because it references so many video games, movies, books, and television shows.

The novel is dystopic in the sense that it happens in a world about forty years into our own future. The energy crisis has come to a head and only the richest individuals and corporations have access to the kind of resources we take for granted. Amidst all this, a man named James Halliday creates a virtual simulation called OASIS that enables billions of users all across the globe to tap in and live whatever kind of life they want; at the expense of engaging in reality. Shortly before his death, Halliday creates a contest to start post-mortem that will entitle its winner to his billions of dollars and complete control over the OASIS. The contest involves knowing all the geek trivia and obscurity that has collected in his own brain over the course of a lifetime and ultimately finding the Egg that he's placed at the center of his maze.

Reader Player One follows a young man named Wade and his journey to find Halliday's "egg." Wade is a reclusive loner living in a run-down trailer park with a knack for computer hacking and geek culture. As a gunter, a term used to describe those in search of Halliday's egg, he has made it his sole mission in life to win the contest and change his stars.

There is more in this book that can be contained in its pages. It manages to be a mythical quest, a coming of age story, a romance, an epic journey, and a reverent homage to geek culture all in the same 374 pages. It reads easy, and there were countless moments where I let out girlish squeals of delight as I found Cline narrating moments that could have come from my own life. It's apparent how much of a nerd Cline is because no amount of research could possibly have gleaned all the details that only a true connoisseur of this culture would know. It's enough to even be off-putting at times as a certain reference will confuse those not in the know, but it also makes a reader want to find out the fun behind those references.

I can recommend this book to anyone, but at the same time I feel the need to strongly shove it on some of my geekiest friends because I know they'll love it. If you've ever become immersed in a video game or watched a geeky movie a dozen or more times then you owe it to yourself to read through Reader Player One.