Ready Player One is among the most popular video game novels ever written, landing not just on the New York Times Best Seller list, but also getting a movie adaptation from Stephen Spielberg. If you haven’t read it or need a gift for the gamer of your family, consider picking it up while it’s on sale at Amazon for just eight bucks ahead of Black Friday 2023. You’ll also find its sequel on sale for $11 as well as deals on Ernest Cline’s other gaming novel and a superb 2022 novel that follows the lives of two game designers.
Ready Player One + Ready Player Two Novels
$8-$11
Ready Player One retails for $18, and its new price of $7.98 is one of the lowest we’ve seen all year. Ready Player Two, meanwhile, is $11.27 (down from $17). In other words, you can pick up both novels for less than $20, making this a fantastic deal. Both deals apply only to the paperback format. If you prefer hardcovers, Ready Player One is roughly $13 and Ready Player Two is $15. Outside of a sturdier binding, the other benefit with the hardcover editions is that they have matching covers that arguably look cooler than the paperback editions.
Ready Player One Ready Player Two Armada
Ready Player One takes place in 2045, with most of humanity spending time in a virtual world known as OASIS. But when the creator of the program dies, he sets up an elaborate puzzle–and the first to solve his riddles will become the new owner of OASIS. Ready Player Two continues this story, focusing on a series of new mysteries that could have serious implications for OASIS and the future of the world.
Amazon and Walmart each have other Ready Player One products that could be of interest for fans. You can grab an art book focused on the Spielberg adaptation for only $14 (down from $45). Meanwhile, a Ready Player One mystery box bundle loaded with merch is available for $50 at Walmart. The movie is surprisingly tricky to find in stock on Blu-ray, but Walmart has the 4K Blu-ray version up for grabs.
Folks who enjoyed Ready Player One and Ready Player Two should check out Armada. Also written by Cline, Armada tells the tale of a teenager who sees a flying saucer–though he’s not sure if everything is as it seems. It’s currently on sale for $11.44 (down from $17).
For a gaming-themed novel by a different author, we’d highly recommend checking out Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Amazon’s pick for the best book of 2022, this novel follows two game developers on their journey to industry stardom. It’s a truly wonderful story with brilliant writing and heartfelt characters. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is on sale for 50% off at Amazon.
If you love retro games, you’ll probably adore The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak. Set in the 1980s, it follows two budding teenage game designers who enter a contest for up-and-coming game developers. What’s especially neat about The Impossible Fortress is that the lines of code in the book actually work. You can even play the Commodore 64 from the book in your web browser.
If you’ve read all of those books, another great one is You by Austin Grossman. Released back in 2014, this gripping mystery follows Russell, a game developer who gets a job at a game studio where his childhood best friend worked before his mysterious death.
Novels about video games
Ernest Cline – Ready Player One — $8 ($18)Ernest Cline – Ready Player Two — $11 ($17)Ernest Cline – Armada — $11 ($17)Gabrielle Zevin – Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow — $14 ($28)Jason Rekulak – The Impossible Fortress — $12 ($18)Austin Grossman – You — $12 ($15)Best Nintendo Switch Cyber Monday DealsSee More