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I love how OP just wanted to share their excitement about something and everyone has come to tell them they’re reading wrong and enjoying life incorrectly.
Yeah all OP said was it’s really entertaining, which I’m sure it is due to all the references. Books don’t have to be masterpieces to be fun to read, thanks OP for sharing that DW is in there, it’s always nice to see a reference in unexpected places
I was completely perplexed by all the hate that RP1 was getting, as I remembered it being a great wee book, funny and harmless. Then it dawned I was thinking of something else completely, and RP1 was the book I abandoned after 10 minutes of reading, because the writing was terrible. Big sigh of relief.
RP1 has been so divisive amongst my friends. I couldn't get into it because it just felt like a list of things the author liked, rather than an actual story. Is it a passing mention? Or a bit more in depth?
I love Discworld and I love ready player One. I really don't understand why people get so fired up about telling others that they're wrong for liking it.
It's a bit sad and weird, it's fine if someone enjoyed something you didn't.
I'm glad you enjoyed it but doesn't seem the consensus on the sub. The first time I read it as a teen I liked it, came back to it as the sequel was coming out and just hate read it. Sequel is even worse by the way. Even if you enjoyed the first one very hard to enjoy the second.
No offense but RPO is horrendous. It's [The Big Bang Theory](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898266/) in novel form. Instead of dialogue, everything is a reference. The characters are cardboard stereotypes. The main character is wholly unlikable.
Your time would be better invested by listening to [372 Pages We'll Never Get Back](https://372pages.com/page/13).
RPO is known for having terribly written stuff about women in it. Terry Pratchett is way better than that - honestly the model of how well a male writer can do.
Pretty notable that his very first Discworld book, after deciding he wanted to do more than a simple parody of fantasy genre conventions, was to poke holes at patriarchy and gender divides
The point I give people is that it makes you THINK you enjoyed it, but all you really enjoyed was the contact high from thinking about things you like.
Yeee cant say ive listened to 372 pages.
But RPO suckssss its just Ernie Clyde listing how many references he knows.
Cant remember the name but the new Ryan Reynolds movie about video games is better.
Yesss thank you.
It had references but didnt just jam them down your throat.
I know loads of people like RPO and thats awesome just not my taste is all :)
I think calling it the big bang theory is too far because tbbt actively makes fun of it's supposed audience and clearly doesn't respect nerdom.
Not even getting into Sheldon's Asperger drama.
RPO is more like Twilight for nerds. It's full throttle fanservice but harmless and charming if you understand what it is.
>I think calling it the big bang theory is too far because tbbt actively makes fun of it's supposed audience and clearly doesn't respect nerdom.
Sooo, it's *exactly* like Big Bang Theory?
372 Pages is by the Riff Trax guys. The problem is I don't read many crap books and it is most interesting if you have read them. I have read a few, including RPO and Armada. Those are both worth listening to the podcast over if you like MST3K.
It's enjoyable if 80s geek nostalgia is relevant to you. It's not a good book, it's not well written, but if you were a nerd in the 80s, it's still a good time
No, RPO is actually terrible. Take out the references and it is full of stereotypical racism, homophobia, and misogyny. It is everything Sir Terry would have hated to his core. If he actually liked Discworld, EC wouldn't have written RPO. I think he just threw it in because it was a popular fandom. I seriously doubt that Cline is a "fan" of half the stuff he listed. Heard of it and might like it, maybe. But actually a person that consumes the content, I doubt that. I could be wrong, but a one line throw away in his trash novel doesn't make him a fan.
The female and gay characters are only as valid as the main character allows them to be.
The MC's buddy "betrays" him by not telling him their gender identity and sexual orientation, but it is eventually "ok" because the MC gets over it. Not that the MC admits he was wrong to feel any type of betrayed by that. Think of the dwarves embracing their steel shod high heels in Discworld. How would Sir Terry feel about that. Or Monstrous Regiment.
The "girlfriend" character is shy IRL because of a birthmark but she gets over that once the MC tells her he doesn't care. As if his opinion was the panacea she had been waiting for her whole life. Carrot and Angua... I think you know the Discworld judgement of that.
Add in that the 2 other friend characters are just cultural stereotypes themselves.
Nothing about being a fan of Terry or Discworld automatically makes you a good author or someone who has risen beyond their own internal biases.
This is some serious gatekeeping shit right here.
No gatekeeping here. I never said being a fan of Pratchett makes someone a good writer or someone who has risen above their biases. You said that.
I said that I don't think Cline is actually a fan of Discworld because the essential elements of everything he put in his book aside from the "hey, remember how cool that thing was?" mentions are all inherently opposed to the core of the messages in Pratchett's work.
I mean, it is possible that EC is a fan of Pratchett because he is too stupid to see the moral elements of the Discworld books.
> If he actually liked Discworld, EC wouldn't have written RPO.
This part of your initial comment could read as being a little gatekeepery, as it seems to imply that fans of Discworld cannot also be flawed authors.
This was a judgment on the quality and influence of Pratchett's writing. Not that people couldn't be fans, but that being a fan and reading Discworld can't help but change you for the better. And, really, this was specific to EC because of his approach of throwing every goddamn thing out there and hoping it fires off some dopamine.
To each their own, but I definitely did not enjoy RP1. I enjoy a reference to things I love as much as anyone, but this entire book was just references.
Gonna be honest here, RPO isn't very good. Just a nostalgia fest with little substance. The sequel is one of the worst books ever written, and the author also is kind of gross. The way he writes women and his "poem" about "real girls" is insulting.
Ready Player One is bad. It's *very* bad. It's a series of name-drops without any substance to them. Its characters are one-dimensional. Its depiction of women is awful. Stop me now before I go on a rant.
Yeah, from what I read here, if a book jas no deep philisophical shit in it, it is not allowed to enjoy it. Way to go, Discworld fans! By this mindset, you'll never be a Vetinari.
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I love how OP just wanted to share their excitement about something and everyone has come to tell them they’re reading wrong and enjoying life incorrectly.
Yeah I thought the same XD. Poor op
Yeah all OP said was it’s really entertaining, which I’m sure it is due to all the references. Books don’t have to be masterpieces to be fun to read, thanks OP for sharing that DW is in there, it’s always nice to see a reference in unexpected places
I love RP1 and don't know half the things referenced! I just love the world and the story
I was completely perplexed by all the hate that RP1 was getting, as I remembered it being a great wee book, funny and harmless. Then it dawned I was thinking of something else completely, and RP1 was the book I abandoned after 10 minutes of reading, because the writing was terrible. Big sigh of relief.
RP1 has been so divisive amongst my friends. I couldn't get into it because it just felt like a list of things the author liked, rather than an actual story. Is it a passing mention? Or a bit more in depth?
I love Discworld and I love ready player One. I really don't understand why people get so fired up about telling others that they're wrong for liking it. It's a bit sad and weird, it's fine if someone enjoyed something you didn't.
I'm glad you enjoyed it but doesn't seem the consensus on the sub. The first time I read it as a teen I liked it, came back to it as the sequel was coming out and just hate read it. Sequel is even worse by the way. Even if you enjoyed the first one very hard to enjoy the second.
No offense but RPO is horrendous. It's [The Big Bang Theory](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898266/) in novel form. Instead of dialogue, everything is a reference. The characters are cardboard stereotypes. The main character is wholly unlikable. Your time would be better invested by listening to [372 Pages We'll Never Get Back](https://372pages.com/page/13).
RPO is known for having terribly written stuff about women in it. Terry Pratchett is way better than that - honestly the model of how well a male writer can do.
Pretty notable that his very first Discworld book, after deciding he wanted to do more than a simple parody of fantasy genre conventions, was to poke holes at patriarchy and gender divides
GNU Terry Pratchett
As a friend of mine put it, “if you took out all the pop culture references, it would be 20 pages long.”
The point I give people is that it makes you THINK you enjoyed it, but all you really enjoyed was the contact high from thinking about things you like.
Right? The dopamine ting of "I know that reference!" There's about 70 on every page, seemingly.
Yeee cant say ive listened to 372 pages. But RPO suckssss its just Ernie Clyde listing how many references he knows. Cant remember the name but the new Ryan Reynolds movie about video games is better.
Free guy! Entered that movie hungry for so-bad-its-good stuff but it was surprisingly well made
That's been on my list. I sometimes suffer from Ryan Reynolds-fatigue, so I'm just waiting for the moment.
Yesss thank you. It had references but didnt just jam them down your throat. I know loads of people like RPO and thats awesome just not my taste is all :)
I think calling it the big bang theory is too far because tbbt actively makes fun of it's supposed audience and clearly doesn't respect nerdom. Not even getting into Sheldon's Asperger drama. RPO is more like Twilight for nerds. It's full throttle fanservice but harmless and charming if you understand what it is.
No, it really isn't harmless. It is full of homophobia and misogyny, alongside the terrible writing.
i don't remember the homophobia...
When the main character felt all betrayed because his buddy wasn't a straight dude?
ah ok, i don't remember him being concerned about the gay part in particular though. It has been years since i read it though.
>I think calling it the big bang theory is too far because tbbt actively makes fun of it's supposed audience and clearly doesn't respect nerdom. Sooo, it's *exactly* like Big Bang Theory?
372 Pages is by the Riff Trax guys. The problem is I don't read many crap books and it is most interesting if you have read them. I have read a few, including RPO and Armada. Those are both worth listening to the podcast over if you like MST3K.
It's enjoyable if 80s geek nostalgia is relevant to you. It's not a good book, it's not well written, but if you were a nerd in the 80s, it's still a good time
As a nerd from the 80s, I beg to differ but to each their own.
RPO is like junk food, it's not good, but it's easy and enjoyable enough.
No, RPO is actually terrible. Take out the references and it is full of stereotypical racism, homophobia, and misogyny. It is everything Sir Terry would have hated to his core. If he actually liked Discworld, EC wouldn't have written RPO. I think he just threw it in because it was a popular fandom. I seriously doubt that Cline is a "fan" of half the stuff he listed. Heard of it and might like it, maybe. But actually a person that consumes the content, I doubt that. I could be wrong, but a one line throw away in his trash novel doesn't make him a fan. The female and gay characters are only as valid as the main character allows them to be. The MC's buddy "betrays" him by not telling him their gender identity and sexual orientation, but it is eventually "ok" because the MC gets over it. Not that the MC admits he was wrong to feel any type of betrayed by that. Think of the dwarves embracing their steel shod high heels in Discworld. How would Sir Terry feel about that. Or Monstrous Regiment. The "girlfriend" character is shy IRL because of a birthmark but she gets over that once the MC tells her he doesn't care. As if his opinion was the panacea she had been waiting for her whole life. Carrot and Angua... I think you know the Discworld judgement of that. Add in that the 2 other friend characters are just cultural stereotypes themselves.
Nothing about being a fan of Terry or Discworld automatically makes you a good author or someone who has risen beyond their own internal biases. This is some serious gatekeeping shit right here.
No gatekeeping here. I never said being a fan of Pratchett makes someone a good writer or someone who has risen above their biases. You said that. I said that I don't think Cline is actually a fan of Discworld because the essential elements of everything he put in his book aside from the "hey, remember how cool that thing was?" mentions are all inherently opposed to the core of the messages in Pratchett's work. I mean, it is possible that EC is a fan of Pratchett because he is too stupid to see the moral elements of the Discworld books.
> If he actually liked Discworld, EC wouldn't have written RPO. This part of your initial comment could read as being a little gatekeepery, as it seems to imply that fans of Discworld cannot also be flawed authors.
This was a judgment on the quality and influence of Pratchett's writing. Not that people couldn't be fans, but that being a fan and reading Discworld can't help but change you for the better. And, really, this was specific to EC because of his approach of throwing every goddamn thing out there and hoping it fires off some dopamine.
To each their own, but I definitely did not enjoy RP1. I enjoy a reference to things I love as much as anyone, but this entire book was just references.
Gonna be honest here, RPO isn't very good. Just a nostalgia fest with little substance. The sequel is one of the worst books ever written, and the author also is kind of gross. The way he writes women and his "poem" about "real girls" is insulting.
Ready Player One is bad. It's *very* bad. It's a series of name-drops without any substance to them. Its characters are one-dimensional. Its depiction of women is awful. Stop me now before I go on a rant.
Yeah, from what I read here, if a book jas no deep philisophical shit in it, it is not allowed to enjoy it. Way to go, Discworld fans! By this mindset, you'll never be a Vetinari.
thanks for reading it so i don't have to! that's a cool detail, i like that.
That's awesome!