Ready Player One- The End of the Hunt

Aech is actually a girl! Out of everything that has happened throughout the novel I think this may have been the biggest surprise. Usually when such a big plot twist is revealed an author will sprinkle in foreshadowing throughout the novel, but Aech's true identity was hidden very well. I'm glad that Cline threw in a little bit of diversity to his cast of characters in this way.

A giant battle wouldn't be complete without massive anime-robots. As the end of the novel grew near,  my anticipation heightened immensely. Cline's description of the scene was thorough enough to help me picture the battle against the Sixers easily. "Every feature of the original Japanese mech had been re-created, including its giant gleaming sword and spider-web embossed shield," Just the description of Parzival's robot Leopardon helped me visualize what was going on easier.

I am impressed by Wade's character development by the end of the novel. By sharing the prize of the egg with Aech, Art3mis, and Shoto it's a total shift of character from the beginning of the book where he planned to use the money to buy himself a mansion and other materialistic wishes. Also Wade willing to meet his OASIS friends in real life shows development in the fact that for a majority of the novel he was living inside OASIS, and against any real physical contact. 

The end of Ready Player One left readers with enough questions to create a sequel. The idea of OASIS having a self-destruct button is a big concept, will sometime in the future there be a reason to destroy the virtual world? Wade now has the power to make that decision. I think that leaving the novel on a note that leaves readers thinking was the right choice, and I'm excited for next year when the movie comes out!

Comments

  1. Madison BirmeleSeptember 17, 2017 at 8:02 PM

    I agree with you. With Aech being a girl I think is a funny plot twist because earlier in the book when Parzival and Art3mis were talking back and forth about the 300 lb. Chuck, living in his mothers basement. So being that Aech was really a girl was funny to me because he could have been a Chuck the entire time. Like most people, Wade wanted things money could buy but also the things that wouldn't keep him happy forever. Showing how genuine he was to share the prize really made me happy. Also, giving Shoto a piece of it made me think that Daito would have been happy for him. While ending the book I also thought there was enough questions dangling to where a sequel could be created.

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  2. UnknownSeptember 21, 2017 at 8:02 AM

    I wish it was as easy for me to picture the battle scene as well as you did, but it ended up being the most challenging part of the novel for me to comprehend. I found it very difficult to picture the war between the sixers and the gunters, and I actually found myself having to reread the passage several times. I’m glad it was easier for you to understand! I was also surprised to find that Aech is a girl, but looking back I found that there were some indications. Her profile was the only extremely vague one, which is something I wish I had picked up on. Wade’s character development was indeed amazing though, but I wasn’t surprised that he was willing to share his wealth; I was more surprised by the bravery he displays when he enters IOI as an indentured slave. Cline definitely leaves the novel in a place that could have a sequel, and I would be very interested in reading one! I think introducing the concept of a self-destruct button so late in the novel was a strategic way of making the reader hope for a sequel. It is certainly something that I would read!

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