Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

This book is a geek fantasy. A nerd utopia. Wade Watts, our protagonist, attends school in OASIS an online world created by James Halliday, contains thousands of different worlds.  In a very "Westing Game" move, Halliday leaves his entire $250 billion fortune to the player who can find the Easter egg hidden in OASIS.

Oh, did I mention that Halliday was a fan of 1980s pop culture and built his clues to finding his fortune around his love of that era? To win, you must be well versed in every John Hughes movie, know pretty much every lyric to every 80's song (yes even the obscure ones), and of course be fluent in games like Pac-Man, Asteroids and Joust.

When Wade finds the first clue and opens the first gate of the elaborate treasure hunt he becomes a world sensation, and draws the attention of the Sixers, the evil corporation intent on dominating OASIS. If they find the clues before Wade and his friends, and unlock the Halliday fortune, OASIS would be under their control. 

This was an intense, fast paced read and will resonate for years to come for anyone who loves, trivia, quests and of course video games.  Read this one before the movie (directed by Steven Spielberg) is released later this year!

Recommended by Monica Shine
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