Ernest Cline's Ready Player One

In 2012, a critical review was written by a man who goes by Chicago Ex-Patriate. He is currently studying for MFA in Creative Writing after removing himself from an English Degree for three years. He wrote a review on Ernest Cline’s first novel Ready Player One. Before reading this novel, he had previous knowledge of two different opinions. One was from an old co-worker who gave the book praise. The other was from his former Border manager, Terrance Terick, who gave it a detailed critique. After giving a short summary of the novel’s plot he began to give his opinion and critique as well. His first and main point was Halliday’s obsession with the pop culture of the 1980s. Although it was the driving force of the novel, he believed that it was references too often it was not far from a detailed list of Cline’s favorite pop culture items. It made it seem less and less like a novel. “Cline’s eye for details and emotions feel juvenile, and sometimes comes across as embarrassing.” This was said because
He felt that it becomes grating almost right away. Evidence he gives if of Wade and Aech conversation about Ladyhawke. The two boys were debating whether or not it was an eighties classic or not. Wade believed it was a classic and Aech believed it was “fucking lame” (Cline 48). He was annoyed with Cline’s dialogue, transitions, and reliance on easy plot devices to carry the story along. Chicago Ex-Patriate said Cline should have presented this story in another form instead. Currently, he does not see Cline as a novelist and would rather divulge in his non-fiction. The easy transitions, chapter cliffhanger endings, and screenplay treatment was not the type of story Chicago Ex-Patriate enjoyed in the eye for literary criticism. However, since I did not read the novel with literary criticism in mind, my opinion on the novel is contrasting compared to his. Although, there is a point of his that I do agree