Armada

Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure.

But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe.

And then he sees the flying saucer.

Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders.

No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it.

It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar?

At once gleefully embracing and brilliantly subverting science-fiction conventions as only Ernest Cline could, Armada is a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming of age adventure, and an alien invasion tale like nothing you’ve ever read before—one whose every page is infused with the pop-culture savvy that has helped make Ready Player One a phenomenon.

Quotes and thoughts while reading:

Honestly - this book doesn't hold a candle to Ready Player One - does that make it a bad book? No, it's incredibly fun to read. But there isn't much depth, it's pretty silly, lots of corners that get painted out of... but that's ok. Sometimes you want to eat Sour Path Kids - and yeah - they are much less healthy than peas - but as long as you have a varied diet - you can eat those Sour Patch Kids. And that's how I feel about this book. It was not a great book - but it hooked me! I sank into this world - and it just ran away with me. I read this book in the span of one day - and was so engrossed. Give it a whirl, have a packet of Sour Patch Kids!

p.s. If you love 80's nostalgia - Ernest Cline is definitely the author for you.