A short life of the author
Ernest Christy Cline (b. 1972) was born on 29 March 1972 in Ashland, Ohio. He grew up in the 1980s immersed in the decade’s pop culture — video games, science fiction films, Dungeons & Dragons, and heavy metal — which became the raw material of his fiction. He worked as a tech support specialist and spoken-word artist before publishing his first novel.
Life and Career
Ready Player One (2011) is set in 2045, when most of humanity escapes a ruined Earth by spending their time in the OASIS, a vast virtual reality universe. When the OASIS’s creator dies, he leaves his fortune to whoever can solve a series of puzzles hidden in the virtual world — puzzles that require encyclopaedic knowledge of 1980s pop culture. The novel’s protagonist, Wade Watts, is a teenager from an Oklahoma trailer park who becomes the world’s greatest gunter (Easter egg hunter).
The novel was an immediate bestseller, spending over 100 weeks on the New York Times list. Steven Spielberg directed the film adaptation (2018), which grossed over $580 million worldwide.
Armada (2015) — about a teenager who discovers that the alien-invasion video game he plays is actually a training simulation — was less well received. Ready Player Two (2020) — a sequel in which Wade discovers a technology that allows people to upload their consciousness — divided critics and fans.
Major Works and Themes
Cline writes about the consolations of pop culture — the idea that the shared knowledge of films, games, music, and books creates a community that transcends geography, class, and circumstance. His fiction is fundamentally about fandom as a way of being in the world.
Key Works
- Ready Player One (2011)
- Ready Player Two (2020)
Collecting Cline
Ready Player One (2011, Crown) — the first edition — brings $50–$200 for fine copies. The large print run means copies are available. Signed copies command moderate premiums.