I’ve written about what I’ve liked about Redshirts. I don’t particularly take stock with the usual copy/pasted complaints about Scalzi’s work, and I’ll just say that it’s perfectly fine if you don’t like it or his books.
I wasn't a fan of Armada, although The Last Starfighter was one of my favorite movies. The title of the sequel to (Ready Player Two... ugh, indeed) missed an obvious chance to invoke other arcade/gamer terminology that might have been clever in comparison (Level Up, Achievement Unlocked, Cheat Code [this one might be taken], Respawn or anything else watching Scott Pilgrim Vs The World might inspire.)
I gave up on Ready Player One midway through chapter two. It just felt like a list of 80s references and I checked out. Glad I never even bothered to try Armada...
That's a fair approach. I read it at the right time and mindset, I think, and actually enjoyed it more when I listened to the audiobook (Wil Wheaton narrated it). I think it falls under the "it's fun if you don't take it seriously" mindset.
Don’t mind my excited shriek (AHHH!), because I hadn’t yet seen the news about Ready Player Two!!! I hope the author is able to address some of the issues in the first book that you mentioned.
I'm really interested to see what he does with the sequel, and I really hope that he doesn't just repeat the plot of the first book. There's certainly a lot of implications for what comes next in that particular world, and I'm really interested to see what he chooses, given the directions that nerd culture has taken in that same time. We'll see!
The subject line for this one literally made my morning.
I hate Ernie Cline's 'writing' with a supernova level of passion. Referencing other things isn't writing, it's just referencing. That's before we get into his depiction of women, etc. To have Spielberg adapt RPO seemed like the ultimate level of the snake eating itself.
Of course, I may not speak his name in this house, because my wife actually liked RPO. She didn't quite grow up as steeped in nerd culture as I.
I also have it on good authority that Mr Cline is a fairly reprehensible human being, and if one day his name appears atop an 'allegation', I won't be surprised.
But I don't hate the man: I hate what he produces.
PS " if you don't recognize these sacred tomes, you don't belong" could almost literally be the motto of GamerGaters everywhere.
It was the first thought I had when I finished the book — I remember that.
I think references should play a role other than "this is a thing I like!" — and I think that for the most part, it worked for Ready Player One, given that that's what the book was about. But it doesn't for Armada, and that's why the book really fell on its face. The same thing goes with films: some Easter eggs are fine — even great: they either need to be subtle enough to not distract attention (JJ Abram's nods in The Force Awakens are a good example of what *not* to do), or become a key part of the plot — like the Death Star's fatal flaw in A New Hope becoming a key thing in Rogue One.
""If you don't recognize these sacred tomes, you don't belong" could almost literally be the motto of GamerGaters everywhere." — 100% agree.
Thank you, Armada made me so frustrated! While the 80s references in Ready Player One were fun, in Armada they just feel forced, like the only way the main character can describe anything is with a pop culture reference simile.
Great post, Andrew. You totally captured my mixed feelings about RPO. Very much agree about its regressive nature. It was aimed squarely at me being an 80s kid. It was a fun read, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. A book cannot stand on tropes alone!
I liked RPO for the most part — it's one of those things that you can enjoy if you don't think too hard about it, you know? But yeah, the most I think about it, the less optimistic I am about what its sequel might look like. I'll read it, and in all likelihood, it'll be a hate-read.
I do not agree.
*shrug*
I’ve written about what I’ve liked about Redshirts. I don’t particularly take stock with the usual copy/pasted complaints about Scalzi’s work, and I’ll just say that it’s perfectly fine if you don’t like it or his books.
I wasn't a fan of Armada, although The Last Starfighter was one of my favorite movies. The title of the sequel to (Ready Player Two... ugh, indeed) missed an obvious chance to invoke other arcade/gamer terminology that might have been clever in comparison (Level Up, Achievement Unlocked, Cheat Code [this one might be taken], Respawn or anything else watching Scott Pilgrim Vs The World might inspire.)
I agree — TLS was a really fun film. Hopefully, RPT will have a bit more imagination...
I gave up on Ready Player One midway through chapter two. It just felt like a list of 80s references and I checked out. Glad I never even bothered to try Armada...
That's a fair approach. I read it at the right time and mindset, I think, and actually enjoyed it more when I listened to the audiobook (Wil Wheaton narrated it). I think it falls under the "it's fun if you don't take it seriously" mindset.
Armada doesn't even hit that bar.
Don’t mind my excited shriek (AHHH!), because I hadn’t yet seen the news about Ready Player Two!!! I hope the author is able to address some of the issues in the first book that you mentioned.
Good thing I skipped Armada.
I'm really interested to see what he does with the sequel, and I really hope that he doesn't just repeat the plot of the first book. There's certainly a lot of implications for what comes next in that particular world, and I'm really interested to see what he chooses, given the directions that nerd culture has taken in that same time. We'll see!
The subject line for this one literally made my morning.
I hate Ernie Cline's 'writing' with a supernova level of passion. Referencing other things isn't writing, it's just referencing. That's before we get into his depiction of women, etc. To have Spielberg adapt RPO seemed like the ultimate level of the snake eating itself.
Of course, I may not speak his name in this house, because my wife actually liked RPO. She didn't quite grow up as steeped in nerd culture as I.
I also have it on good authority that Mr Cline is a fairly reprehensible human being, and if one day his name appears atop an 'allegation', I won't be surprised.
But I don't hate the man: I hate what he produces.
PS " if you don't recognize these sacred tomes, you don't belong" could almost literally be the motto of GamerGaters everywhere.
It was the first thought I had when I finished the book — I remember that.
I think references should play a role other than "this is a thing I like!" — and I think that for the most part, it worked for Ready Player One, given that that's what the book was about. But it doesn't for Armada, and that's why the book really fell on its face. The same thing goes with films: some Easter eggs are fine — even great: they either need to be subtle enough to not distract attention (JJ Abram's nods in The Force Awakens are a good example of what *not* to do), or become a key part of the plot — like the Death Star's fatal flaw in A New Hope becoming a key thing in Rogue One.
""If you don't recognize these sacred tomes, you don't belong" could almost literally be the motto of GamerGaters everywhere." — 100% agree.
Thank you, Armada made me so frustrated! While the 80s references in Ready Player One were fun, in Armada they just feel forced, like the only way the main character can describe anything is with a pop culture reference simile.
Great post, Andrew. You totally captured my mixed feelings about RPO. Very much agree about its regressive nature. It was aimed squarely at me being an 80s kid. It was a fun read, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. A book cannot stand on tropes alone!
I liked RPO for the most part — it's one of those things that you can enjoy if you don't think too hard about it, you know? But yeah, the most I think about it, the less optimistic I am about what its sequel might look like. I'll read it, and in all likelihood, it'll be a hate-read.