Armada by Ernest Cline

I must be one of the few people who read Armada without having read Ready Player One. And from reading other reviews it may be best to read Armada before RPO.


From an author hooked on retro games and pop culture comes a story pulling from so many previously told stories.

The main character, Zack Lightman, is into a video game called Armada. He and his friends play online all the time. Then one day Zack thinks he sees a spaceship similar to the kind in the game.

That's all I'm telling you about the plot.

I enjoyed reading this book for the most part. About 90% of it was enjoyable. The pop culture references were fun and the idea of using videogames/movies in order to train...well can't get too far into that.

I thought Zack was a likable enough character except for a couple moments where his anger or frustration came across as a little weird for how he had been portrayed. I guess I could chalk it up to teenage hormones and being thrust into such a crazy scenario.

The story did feel like a retelling of Ender's Game but that was okay for me. I liked experiencing the ride with Zack and the other players. The family aspects and military inclusions were right on target.

It didn't need to be soul-searing as this book is a fun, popcorn read.

Very enjoyable.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Crown Publishing.