Armada: A novel by the author of Ready Player One

· Sold by Ballantine Books
4.4
1.69K reviews
Ebook
384
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

From the author of Ready Player One, a rollicking alien invasion thriller that embraces and subverts science-fiction conventions as only Ernest Cline could. 

Zack Lightman has never much cared for reality. He vastly prefers the countless science-fiction movies, books, and videogames he's spent his life consuming. And too often, he catches himself wishing that some fantastic, impossible, world-altering event could arrive to whisk him off on a grand spacefaring adventure.

So when he sees the flying saucer, he's sure his years of escapism have finally tipped over into madness.

Especially because the alien ship he's staring at is straight out of his favorite videogame, a flight simulator callled Armada--in which gamers just happen to be protecting Earth from alien invaders.

As impossible as it seems, what Zack's seeing is all too real. And it's just the first in a blur of revlations that will force him to question everything he thought he knew about Earth's history, its future, even his own life--and to play the hero for real, with humanity's life in the balance.

But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can't help thinking: Doesn't something about this scenario feel a little bit like...well...fiction?

At once reinventing and paying homage to science-fiction classics as only Ernest Cline can, Armada is a rollicking, surprising thriller, a coming-of-age adventure, and an alien invasion tale like nothing you've ever read before.

Ratings and reviews

4.4
1.69K reviews
A Google user
June 22, 2018
His first book, Ready Player One, is great. It was original and well done, so they made it a movie. But this just feels like the rushed second attempt at the same type of book. It's been out for a good amount of time. And can be easily read at your local library, as I did about 2 years ago.. I dont think the $12 purchase is worth it, because RPO got picked up.
2 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?
M R
October 19, 2016
I really enjoyed ready player one. This book, not so much. It was just too light weight. The nature of the story requires the main character to relate what the reader had just experienced with him over and over and the mechanics that Cline uses are just clunky. Also there was no depth to the romantic storyline/character development and the whole story feels rushed. I know the single person view point is what made ready player one so enjoyable and easy to read, here it does not do the story justice. Strange twist at the end but not really one worth waiting for.
1 person found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?
Michael Rasor
July 18, 2015
I'm a fan of Ready Player One. I've read it several times. It had a logic to it that explained why people were obsessed with 80s pop culture. This book does not have that plot logic, so everyone is a huge 80s pop culture geek because that seems to be the only thing the author knows. The plot in this novel is flimsy at best. And it doesn't help that the references in the book make you painfully aware that (spoilers!) this feels like a direct rip-off of The Last Starfighter meets Ender's Game.
8 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

Ernest Cline is a #1 New York Times bestselling novelist, screenwriter, father, and full-time geek. He is the author of the novels Ready Player One and Armada and co-screenwriter of the film adaptation of Ready Player One, directed by Steven Spielberg. His books have been published in over fifty countries and have spent more than 100 weeks on The New York Times bestsellers list. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his family, a time-traveling DeLorean, and a large collection of classic video games.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.