The year is 2044. Not much has changed, except maybe the world’s problems have gotten worse. There are no flying cars, no hoverboards, no self-tying shoes. None of the bright and shiny cities of sci-fi lore came to be, and unsurprisingly, we haven’t evolved much as a species either. Much of the population while their days away strapped on devices that allow them to live in a virtual world where their lives are exponentially more interesting. Known as the Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation, or OASIS, this online utopia has become humanity’s only refuge from the harsh reality that is Planet Earth.

Behind this widely popular program is eccentric billionaire software developer James Halliday, a recluse who lived out his final years developing a game that would, as they say, break the internet. On the day of his death, it was announced that he had been busy designing the biggest Easter egg hunt in history. The reward: his assets, amounting to $240 billion, and control of the Gregarious Simulation Systems, the most lucrative company in the world and owner of the OASIS. But Halliday didn’t make it easy. All the clues were embedded in things he had liked as a child; things that were recreated and hidden across the vast universe that is the OASIS.

And just like that, the world had a new obsession.

Since Halliday grew up in the 1980s, everyone began binge-watching ‘80s films and TV shows, listening to old records, and of course, playing the most beloved 8-bit videogames. Everyone had a new hobby. But with that much on the line, you just can’t expect everyone to play fair, and some really vile elements prove that they are willing to do absolutely anything to get Halliday’s money and gain control of the OASIS.

The book follows protagonist Wade Watts, an exceedingly average boy whose barely livable circumstances make college dorm life seem luxurious, as he navigates his way through Halliday’s world on an epic egg hunt.

I almost wish I were born a decade earlier thanks to this book. Don’t get me wrong, I think the ‘90s was amazing, but the way the book talked about ‘80s pop culture sounded like so much fun. Every time the author referenced something I was not familiar with, I got the urge to Google it. I felt like I was part of the contest – like I wanted to know Halliday as much as the characters in the book did – and that’s part of what made this book so enjoyable for me.

Apart from being a fast-paced sci-fi adventure, this book also deals with some issues that are quite relevant in today’s tech-ridden virtual age. You’ll see the protagonist struggle to cope with real life problems while keeping up his rock star-esque persona online. You’ll see how it is so much easier for him to make virtual friends than to connect person-to-person. You’ll see his confidence falter at the idea of actually meeting his online amigos, even if he really wants to. The author explores the inner struggle that comes with living dualistic lives, and I think that is something that everyone can relate with on some level.

All in all, Ready Player One is both fun and serious, futuristic and nostalgic, real and virtual. You’ll stay up reading it the same way you stayed up playing Pac-Man.