Like just about EVERYONE I really liked Ready Player One. But the reviews here and elsewhere were less than glowing when it came to Ernest Cline’s latest, Armada. I figured I’d wait until it came out in paperback or I could borrow a copy or wait for the movie or whatever. At any rate, it wasn’t even on my radar until Audible sent me a reminder that it was available and it was narrated by Wil Wheaton. I so enjoyed Wheaton’s work on Ready Player One ( I split time between the kindle and Audible and would often rewind to hear favorite segments again) that I threw caution to wind and downloaded it.
I didn’t hate it, but honestly I didn’t find much to really like about it. I knew going in that it was going to be wall-to-wall 80’s pop culture references, so that didn’t bother me. I’m not a gamer but not having any background in that wasn’t a problem in RPO so I was able to just go with the flow here. The recycled boy hero thing didn’t bother me. Zack Lightman was a little annoying but not brain-fryingly so. I guess what I am trying to say is that I was all meh about it. So, the reason why this book is getting three stars anyway is because of Wil Frakking Wheaton. His characterizations were fun and entertaining (was that really a George Takkei impersonation?) and kept me listening late into the evening until ALL the laundry was done.