I recently finished Armada by Ernest Cline – my second read by that particular author, after Ready Player One. And while it did not live up to the first book for me personally, there was still a lot to enjoy about Armada.
Gamers saving the world through mad gaming skills is always an enteraining theme. This was a light and fun read, particularly the first half with the setup of our hero (Zack Lightman) and learning how his upbringing and experiences have defined who he currently is. Cline explains how Zack losing his father led to his love of 80s/90s pop culture, and his journey to becoming one of the world’s top players in an online game called Armada. Eventually, this leads to a big reveal – the game has actually been real-life simulation training for an imminent alien invasion.
Again, this story had a lot of fun and funny moments. However, toward the end of the book, I started getting lost in some elements: complex descriptions of tentacle-y attack machines; dialogue between characters with so many pop-culture references that it felt forced rather than natural; and the “scrappy band of teens saving the world” narrative. However, while that’s enough to detract a star or two, Ernest Cline is still a gifted and descriptive writer who excels at tapping into nostalgia.
I’m not sure if the film adaptation of this book will ever actually come to be, but if so it may translate well as a fun family movie. Check this book out if you want to get your nerd on!