A Review of “Ready Player One.”

by Kyle Pollard

Just finished Ernest Cline’s novel “Ready Player One.” The novel is, like a lot of novels these days, a dystopia where the world is running out of energy and suffering from an acute case of global warming. In the midst of this backdrop, everyone is addicted to and fixated on a virtual world called the OASIS. Earth society is in a state of major social upheaval, and the world is experiencing a widespread economic downturn. The OASIS thrives and even though it’s an MMORPG game (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game), it functions as the only thriving society on the planet. A place where people can interact without needing to go outside where the streets are unsafe and the air not fit to breathe. OASIS virtual currency is the defacto world currency trusted more than government-backed money. When James Halliday, the principal founder of the OASIS dies, it’s announced that he hid an Easter egg in the virtual world and willed his entire multi-billion dollar empire to the person or persons that can find it. An easter egg in programming jargon is an intentional hidden message or feature a programmer places in an interactive game. In this case, James Halliday hid an Easter egg coded deep within the matrix of the OASIS.

Enter Wayde Owen Watts, an orphan living with his aunt who dedicates his entire life to finding what comes to be known as Halliday’s Egg. He is joined by four other players in the game known as Gunters: H, Art3mis, Shoto, and Daito. To locate the egg players in the game must find three keys that unlock three gates where the egg is hidden. The quests the players must complete are hellaciously hard and only solvable in VR by knowing the most minute details of the eighties pop culture scene. Since I graduated from High School in the eighties, reading this book was pure joy. With so many references to eighties music, console games, movies, you name it; there were many good feels and memories unlocked by the words on the page. It’s a wonder how Cline managed the licensing in the book, or how Spielberg will tackle the issue of licensing in the upcoming movie. Fill me in if you know the answer?

The most interesting aspect of the novel to me was the subtle way that Cline works dystopia into the story. The OASIS is incredibly fun, and it’s an exciting game on the surface. The reader can quickly forget about the wasted lives of those who have forsaken existence in the real world to swirl about as zeros and ones in the virtual space. Players can use standard VR rigs to log into the OASIS, or they can use haptic form fitting suits/gloves/goggles and kick back in a suspended chair. Wealthy users of the OASIS have rooms designed with spherical treadmills that function like a gerbil’s exercise ball to produce an entirely immersive experience. You can run in any direction with simulated physical touch and smell served up like room service to the gerbil on the exercise ball.

So while the book covers the fun and exciting aspect of the OASIS, it’s easy to forget that beneath the fun surface veneer of the novel exist people that have shaven their entire bodies to include those pesky eyebrows to cut down on time needed for personal grooming IRL. In one scene Wade is forced to rent a public OASIS terminal. The assistant at the counter warns him that there is an extra charge for any waste left behind – feces, sperm, vomit – that sort of thing. The world of the novel is a dying world, and everyone is escaping their nightmarish existences by living their lives in VR as much as possible. In Japan, for instance, OASIS addicts are called “the lost generation” and count on families to bring food and water to keep them alive. Cline highlights none of this in his book, but the concept is always present, lurking in the shadows like an addict waiting to score.

Is this where we are now heading? Suspiciously, virtual reality, while still not capable of producing an instance as great and immersive as the OASIS, is getting its groove on and gearing up for production. The climate on our little blue grain of sand is at a critical tipping point, and there are signs that efforts to fight global warming may fail. We are of course not at the point of total collapse as you see in “Ready Player One,” but the warning signs are there. I guess we will have to wait and see if we plunge into dystopia.

Personally, I believe that Cline’s book will prove to be very prophetic unless we can learn how to concentrate on what life in the real world has to offer. Technology sings with the beautiful voice of the Greek Sirens that enticed sailors of long ago to crash into dangerous reefs. Virtual Reality may turn out to be the most gorgeous and talented singer of all. This Siren’s song will be powerful and all-consuming. We live in an uncertain world. The dogs of war are howling for more blood, more weapons, more death, as the oceans slowly rise. We may soon need the OASIS to plug in and tune out the crumbling world around us.

Ready Player One Part 2: Parzival’s Quests – Online Games You Can Play Now

Photo Credit: “Arcade Games” by Sam Howzit is licensed under CC-BY 2.0
Text added to the image that was resized and manipulated with photo filters.

Reality Engineers 1: What Happens At Con Stays At Con by William Hainline

It’s been some time since I read a book written with such passion and sense of purpose. “Reality Engineers” was outrageously fun to read, contains characters that you genuinely care about, and all around kicks ass. Indeed, this is one of the best books I have read in some time and it’s a great anthem for geek culture.

Take this statement in the book:

“Basically, what I’m saying is that us nerds, geeks, and fanboys? We’re the intellectual Other. Because way deep down in our consciousness, there’s something different going on. There’s a part of us that never embraced the process of social homogenization that society likes to call ‘growing up.’ They associate maturity with what they call reality, a narrow subset of possibilities that they privilege. And man, they worship their reality, and treat anybody who doesn’t buy into it as the Other. But something deep in the core of who we are rejects their reality, just as they reject us because we reject it, an auto- immune response on the paradigm level. We dream of things like dragons, teleporters, time machines, and aliens . . . of unknown futures, of other worlds. They dream about banging porn stars and getting promotions. Honorable pursuits, to be sure, but ultimately meaningless, simplistic, Mundane, with little imaginative significance. Look at the past twenty-five years of scientific, technological, and philosophical progress, and name me one mover and shaker who wasn’t a geek, nerd, or hippy, or some other type of social fringe event? When has a quote-unquote ‘normal’ person ever shattered the boundaries of human understanding? When has ‘fitting in’ ever gotten anyone into the history books? True fact: It hasn’t. Does being different guarantee you a spot? No. But being different and being great? Now that will earn you top marks. Notice, though, that ‘being different’ is in the prerequisites. The Mundanes, they know this. They never speak it, but they know it in their bones. It’s why they Otherize us — makes ‘em feel more significant. Well, I say it’s high-time we toss ‘em kicking and screaming out of Plato’s Cave . . . help them wake up from the self-induced sleep they call ‘reality.’ Hell, you ask me? Freaking the Mundanes isn’t just fun . . . it’s a frakkin’ moral imperative! And the best way to do that is standin’ in the proverbial elevator with our backs to the door. Or by banging a Vulcan in there, either way.”

So what goes on in the novel? The story takes place at the popular Long Island Convention RetCon XVIII. The plot centers around the inventor / mad scientist Desirée “Dizzy” Roentgen, and Terry “Gadget” Anders, who develops a helmet that gives him telepathic powers. Dizzy and Terry stop an alien invasion that picks RetCon as the focal point of the attack. The novel is a fantastic blend of science fiction and fantasy.

How’s this for a table of contents:

Prelude: Of Heroes And Villains
Chapter 1: These Rich Fantasy Lives
Chapter 2: Elevator Astronaut Sex
Chapter 3: A +5 To All Psionics Roles
Chapter 4: Objects In The Rearview Mirror
Chapter 5: Showdown In The Witching Hour
Chapter 6: Let’s Do The Time-Warp Again
Chapter 7: Welcome To The Thunderdome, Bitch!
Chapter 8: Brainwave Warrior

Like many self-published novels, the book begs for a session with a professional editor to tighten up some of the writing and the plot. Don’t get me wrong. I love the book and dig William’s style of writing, I honestly believe, however, that the book would be even more stellar than it already is if it went through a thorough editing process. I think the final product would be shorter and resonate even more with readers. As the publisher of Offworlders, I am of course a strong supporter of the self-publishing movement. However, even if you do self-publish your novel I highly recommend that you hire a professional editor and graphic designer. When you edit your work, you become blind to certain errors and fail to see how plot lines might be adjusted to better effect. Plus, unless you are a graphic artist you will not produce the book cover that best represents your work. With the plethora of options out there for the book buyer, it important to have a professionally designed book cover.

I am a fan of Mr. Hainline’s work and look forward to continuining on with volume 2 and 3 of the Reality Engineers!

I will leave you with this last quote from Chapter 5 when the battle against the alien begins at the convention:

“Werewolves and zombies scattered, screaming, as Klingons and Van Helsings and Rorschachs and Batmen all collided with each other as they tried to be somewhere—anywhere—else. The fire was spreading, fighting the sprinklers; at this point, it was an even match. Misto tried to hunker down out of the way, now keenly aware of his lack of a weapon; he ducked and covered as the sprinkler system pelted him. Dizzy fired again as the Vulcan woman got to her feet and charged them. A screaming Uhura and panicking Gandalf ran past each other, ruining Dizzy’s shot; she mouthed a curse, and aimed again. She fired and—her aim true and steady—this time the plasma bolt connected with the Vulcan woman’s head, cooking the flesh as it burned through her eye-sockets, her skull, and brain in a fraction of a second, the wounds cauterizing instantly, the blood sizzling even as it emerged.”

Reality Engineers Volume 1: What Happens At Con Stays At Con by William Hainline. The author currently lives in New Albany, Indiana with a big old lazy tomcat named Kitty-Boy, where in his spare time he practices being a supervillain and an English major. He is constantly coming up with new and exciting ways to butcher the English language, but his favorite way to do so is writing novels. He enjoys science-fiction, fantasy, and horror, and is a sucker for grand, romantic musicals. When he isn’t plotting to take over the world, he spends most of his free time reading, writing, hanging out with friends, and tinkering with his Mac.

 

William’s books can be found on Amazon.

Offworlders Review of November Seed by David Nadas

I have never been one to dig the whole zombie scene. Nothing against the sci-fi zombie genre – just not my thing. I guess I have never particularly found the undead entertaining. Zombies staggering around taking bites out of people just plain freaks me out. Thus, when I stumbled upon the “Z” word in November Seed, I thought oh no – another zombie book. Normally, alarms go off in my head and I abandon ship when the zombies start their march from the grave.

However, I did not put the book down, and I am glad I stayed the course. David Nadas’ “November Seed” proved to me that when approached from a different angle, a zombie tale can be very refreshing indeed. The book is a fun read and spins the traditional zombie tale in a rather delightful way.

The novel starts with two N.J. Fish & Wildlife biologists who stumble upon a pair of water birds known as bitterns. The birds have clamped their bills steadfast to a dock cleat. Both birds have twig-like antenna growing from their skulls. The biologists discover that the birds were contaminated by tall reeds known as phragmites. The seed from the reeds spreads the disease because the contagion integrated itself within the seed’s core. When the November seed takes to the air in its annual release of seed, the contagion begins mass producing zombies.

Instead of flipping out and eating everyone in sight, the newly zombified people, dogs, and other creatures group together in chains and point their antennas towards a particular region in space. The way this is all handled is creatively done and results in a page turner.

Great characters drive the book along and keep the plot interesting. A zombie book I actually thoroughly enjoyed. Imagine that! My only complaint, even though I enjoyed the ending, I felt that the story should have continued where it ended. Is that a complaint or a complement? When I reached the end, my finger repeatedly tapped the screen to turn the page to see what happens next, but the novella was over! I have read reviews of “November Seed” where the reader believed the book was rushed. I did not feel that the book rushed through events, but I do believe it could have been greatly expanded to the enjoyment of all.

Perhaps “November Seed” will be followed by a sequel and continue where the story ended.

For more information on November Seed visit David’s wordpress blog davidnadas.com.

Offworlders Review of Zoltan’s Posthuman Future:

I really enjoyed reading “The Transhumanist Wager” by Zoltan Istvan as it was an eye-opening powerful read that’s sure to ruffle some feathers. The story follows the transhumanist quest of Jethro Knights – a man who eats, dreams, thinks posthumanism and its supreme goal of living forever. As Jethro Knights says: “I’m interested in how to create the strongest and most advanced ‘I’ that I’m capable of in my universe.”

Spoilers Follow. . . .

The antagonist in the novel is played by the Christian fundamentalist preacher Reverend Belinas, who sees transhumanism as the biggest threat facing humanity:

Belinas’ mission was simple. Unbridled materialism and technology were the domain of his enemies: the atheists and anti-theists. Give it all up and get back to almighty God, he preached— and to helping the faithful, the downtrodden, and the destitute.

“The Transhumanist Wager” offers no middle of the road compromises. Working as an assistant for the magazine International Geographic, Jethro Knights steps on a land mine while covering a story in the Congo. The mine was luckily a dud and did not explode, but the experience changed Jethro and solidified his belief that death must be conquered.

After graduating from college, Jethro Knights goes on a pilgrimage of sorts by sailing solo around the world. During his time at sea and in port Jethro fine tunes and codifies his transhumanist beliefs. During his journey, he meets a physician named Zoe Bach. They fall in love and later in the progression of the story they marry. Zoe supports Jethro’s Transhumanist ideas, while at the same time she sees death as a part of a natural cycle. Zoe is a breath of fresh air in the novel. During a heated discussion of their inner philosophies Zoe says: “Death is the ultimate arbiter of life, a perfect expression of the soul of the universe. Perhaps the death is even the ultimate journey for the transhumanist to undergo.”

The Transhumanist agenda is frequently described as the Mark of the Beast, the Antichrist, and much more. On the side of science, you have cloning researcher Richard Seed and his declaration: “We are going to become Gods. Period. If you don’t like it, get off. You don’t have to contribute; you don’t have to participate. But if you’re going to interfere with me becoming God, we’re going to have big trouble. Then we’ll have warfare.”

Earlier I mentioned that “The Tranhumnist Wager” offers no compromise between transhumanism and religion. That’s not entirely accurate, because Zoe Bach represents a compromise viewpoint as she loves transhumanism and the mysteries of life as seen through her zen-like spiritual view of life and death. She believes in transhumanism but rejects Jethro Knights’ fixed “my way or the highway” approach. When Zoe is killed by terrorists hired by Belinas, the Christian fundamentalist, any chance for a tempered implementation of transhumanism is a non-starter for Jethro. Not that the story ever suggested he would compromise his beliefs.

During that same discussion of philosophy mentioned earlier, Jethro clearly states how he feels about religion and its view of the afterlife:

It’s the same blind argument as their leap-of-faith positions. They want you to dedicate your life and subjugate your reasoning to some mentally ill carpenter that lived two thousand years ago. Or to some blue-skinned deity with four arms. Or to the teachings of some suicide-prone warlord with twelve wives. All because they like it and it feels right to them. Their beliefs are absurd, completely lacking sound judgment.

After Zoe dies along with their unborn child, Jethro digs in and starts soliciting funding for his cause. He is wildly successful in raising the money necessary to make his transhumanist philosophy a reality. Jethro eventually builds a floating city called Transhumania and embarks upon a program of world domination after the city is attacked by a cabal of world governments. Knights and his scientists bomb all major religious buildings and centers of government and take over the world. The people of the world are forced to embrace Jethro’s Transhumanist Wager or be killed. Indeed, towards the end of the novel Knights strangles the antagonist Belinas effectively stomping out organized religion.

After I finished reading this book my first thought was that Zoltan’s Transhumanist Wager is blowing this all out of proportion. Christian fundamentalist and Transhumanists cannot possibly hate each other to such a degree that the end result will be world war. A quick search for the keywords “transhumanist” and “transhumanism” on the net changed my opinion on that. The Transhumanist agenda is frequently described as the Mark of the Beast, the Antichrist, and much more by the religious right. On the side of science, you have cloning researcher Richard Seed and his declaration: “We are going to become Gods. Period. If you don’t like it, get off. You don’t have to contribute; you don’t have to participate. But if you’re going to interfere with me becoming God, we’re going to have big trouble. Then we’ll have warfare.” Seed’s statements mirror those of Jethro Knights.

A middle ground needs to be found on the issue of post-humanism and “The Transhumanist Wager” is an important work because it brings to the surface the philosophy behind the transhumanist agenda. Science and technology are increasing its discoveries at an exponential rate and its no longer a matter of IF humanity will merge with machines but WHEN.

The Wager draws its blood from the real world conflict that currently exists and the battle lines have already been drawn. Where do I stand on this debate? To me that is an extremely difficult decision. I am more like Zoe Bach and would have to place myself somewhere in the middle. Faith can be extremely inflexible in its view of how to live one’s life. In “The Transhumanist Wager,” both religion and transhumanism come across as systems run by stubborn dictatorial and tyrannical extremists. I stand with science while at the same time I believe in god.

A middle ground needs to be found on the issue of post-humanism and “The Transhumanist Wager” is an important work because it brings to the surface the philosophy behind the transhumanist agenda. Science and technology are increasing its discoveries at an exponential rate and its no longer a matter of IF humanity will merge with machines but WHEN. It’s my opinion, however, that a posthuman world does not mandate the wholesale destruction of individuals who choose not to partake in mankind 2.0. The post-human revolution will bring huge advances in medical treatment that human 1.0 types will benefit from and use to extend their lives. If Aunt Edna can surgically implant a new 3D printed Spleen and live 5 or ten years longer will she say no to the procedure? I doubt it. Will Edna have her arm removed to be replaced with a better model? Absolutely not.

If humanity conquers death does that really make us gods? I think not. If we can achieve life spans of hundreds of thousands of years, there will be those individuals that will still worship god into the eons. If death is vanquished and society becomes less based on geographical boundaries will war even be necessary? I know what you are thinking – I am one of those glass half full optimists. Correct! I will always be an optimist. I choose to view the sexy, confident side of transhumanism and believe that in the hearts of men there is a desire to explore and learn. I see the dawning of a post-human society as a great thing. I would never want to be like Jethro Knights as Zoe describes him: “Just a man afraid of the unknown in his heart. When there’s so much more out there to embrace.”

Yes. The science behind transhumanism is alluring and powerful. One must not forget that there is also love and an infinite myriad of other wonders “out there” to explore that transcend science. Zoe Bach never lost sight of this simple principle.

The Martian by Andy Weir is the Nars Bollocks!

NASA astronaut Mark Watney is left for dead on the surface of Mars after a fierce dust storm threatens to topple the crew’s Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV). The mission is scrubbed due to the storm, and Watney is left behind after he is impaled by a flying antenna, carried off by the wind, and his suit’s bio readouts make his crew mates believe he is dead. Well, he is not dead and with the rest of the Mars crew buggered out, it’s time for Survivor – Mar’s style.

“Actually, I was the very lowest ranked member of the crew. I would only be “in command” if I were the only remaining person.” What do you know? I’m in command” ~ Andy Weir, The Martian

I love the practical approach taken in the novel. James Cameron’s film “Avatar”  was “Dances with Wolves” in Space. The Martian, as many reviewers have already stated, is more akin to Robinson Crusoe on Mars. Watney is marooned on the red planet with a limited amount of resources and must find a way to survive using the materials at hand and pure unadulterated science, and the science is beautiful! It’s enough to start the flow of mucus, water and oil from my eyes. Hard science Sci-Fi fans are sure to rejoice as they wrap their minds around all the technical details painstakingly worked out in the novel.

So what is my rating? As a fan of hard SF, it is a definite four out of five stars. The Martian compels the reader to shun sleep, food intake, and social contact. Not until every last word of the book is absorbed, can the reader rest their eyes, clogged with Martian dust. Only after finishing this tome can the reader pass out from exhaustion, fully satiated with a hard science fiction book that certainly delivers the goods.

Is it all multi-colored twelve foot squirrel bunnies dancing on rainbows in a land where dreams come true? Well, that depends. If you like your science fiction served with a healthy dose of cyberpunk, time travel, space opera and other such science fiction sub-genres, you might not like this book as much. There is no insect race to fell as you get in Ender’s Game. No transferring the conscious minds of geriatrics into green genetically modified super soldiers as fleashed out in John Scalzi’s Old Mans War. What you get is a man left behind on Mars fighting for survival. Aficionados of technically accurate SF will love the novel. Fans of science fiction in the game for a more speculative take on mankind’s future may find the novel boring and without soul.

The Martian: A Novel by Andy Weir
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Publication date: 2/11/2014
Photo Credit: “Mars – We are coming!!!!!” by Cyril Rana is licensed under CC BY 2.0