You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

A few of us are going to be reading Armada towards the end of August. We still need to work out an exact date so we'll do that here. Feel free to join in - the more the merrier! We had a great buddy read for Cline's previous book Ready Player One so I'm really looking forward to this one.

So definitely after the Toppler. So we could either go for the week commencing 17th August or 24th?! I'm easy although I think I'd prefer the latter.

24th is my vote

24th for me too

I've already read Armada and I liked it. Before I read it, though, I kept telling myself not to go into it expecting another Ready Player One. I would say, not as good as his first, but if it was from another author or a debut, you would say it was good.

The library here has it and I requested it :) I'll shoot for the 24th as well :)

My library has it. I placed a hold on both audio and ebook version. If I am lucky, I'll join you.

OK. Let's go with 24th then as that gives people more time to get hold of the book.

Ok. I'm in

Sounds great, I'm totally in.

Looks like they'll be a few of us then. Excellent!

Amy just bought this book for our Audible account so I will be listening as I work out in the yard.

I listened to Armada last month. I hope you all enjoy it!

Okay - so I started early!

I have been trying not to read the hype or any storyline of this book. I just finished listening to Chapter 2. Each movie, TV show, game, and location mentioned - so familiar and so nostalgic! Beaverton, OR - a 20 minute drive from my house. Malibu Grand Prix 30 minutes away - is it still there? LOL!

My ex would have lived there if we had had the money! He loved driving those damn little race cars and playing the arcade games.

I will probably start early, like tonight! My copy came in from the Library. Love to hear there's local OR flavor, Cherie. I lived in Newberg for a year, so I'm a little familiar with the area.

Picked up my copy from the Library :) it is not due back till September 7th so I don't have to rush through it and can wait till the 24th to start it :)

I have only listened up to chapter 3, Lynda.
What brought you to Newberg? School?
My father was born there and one of my daughters lives just up the road in Lafayette. Her kids go to school in Newberg.

Yep, Cherie, school. I went to George Fox, transferring back home to the PNW from Chicago. That was the year my father passed away, so I didn't go back, decided it was too much $. They have a good psych program, though.

I forced myself to stay up and finish Armada last night. I like it. I look forward to hearing what everyone has to say. :)

I'm about 1/3rd of the way through the book. I loved Ready Player One (audiobook) and I love listening to Will Wheaton's narration of....any book!!! The book has been pretty good but I'm hoping the best is yet to come because if it isn't...this one is going to pale in comparison to RPO.

Yeah the buddy read starts today :). I will start this one later this morning.

Yay!! Me too :)

Rats I forgot about this. I think a couple day will finish my current book so I will finish it first

I'm going to finish my current book too. not long to the end. can't wait to get started.

I've only read through chapter one so far and am really enjoying it...unfortunately I also have some schoolwork to do :(

I'm just starting now.

I will switch over to listening to Armada while I am working outside now, but it is going to be really hard. I am about half way through The Angel's Game.

I'm excited everyone is starting to read this...I read it a bit ago, because my Library hold was going to expire and there's been a long wait list for this book. For me it was a 3.5 star read.

I do like these geek-wish-fulfillment worlds that Cline creates. I'm not at all a gamer, but in every other cliched way, I'm a full-on nerd. I like that the characters never apologize for their gamer-geek world view, much like in Ready Player One. There's a joy in his love of this world that comes through.

I also like his characters, they are relatable, and I find myself always rooting for them.

There is an element (a key element), that I won't go into detail about now, that didn't quite work for me, but it was still a fun read. I never once felt like it became a chore.

Hey guys, I'm 16th in line at the library...wait for me? hehe
Might be October before I read this book!
Hope it's good and worth the wait :)

Annoyingly my kindle version doesn't have page numbers. I'm still in chapter 1 though and I'm loving it already. There is something very likable about Cline's writing style and it feels good to be back.

When I read RPO, I did wonder what it would have been like if you didn't know the things he was referring to with hi pop culture references. In Armada, in chapter 1 (view spoiler)[ the main character talks about being sat between his biggest enemy and ex-girlfriend in his Maths class and that it was like his "pwn private Kobayashi Maru". I knew what this was straight away so I got all excited like I did with RPO as I felt "in on it". It does go on to explain that it is a "brutal no-win scenario designed to test my emotional fortitude" and while that's a satisfactory description of it, people might still be left confused. (hide spoiler)]

There is a line that I really liked in chapter 1 (view spoiler)[ "I'd spent my entire life overdosing on uncut escapism, willingly allowing fantasy become my reality". This is in relation to him playing video games every night but I also thought it fit well with reading, or at least my reading habits anyway as I tend to read stuff far from reality in order to escape the big bad world. (hide spoiler)]

I did have to look up Aunt Beru - I knew it sounded familiar but couldn't put my finger on it. Now I know.

I like the artwork in the book for each "Phase" of the book.

That's a shame about having to wait Melissa. Lett;s hope it doesn't take too long.

Melissa wrote: "Hey guys, I'm 16th in line at the library...wait for me? hehe
Might be October before I read this book!
Hope it's good and worth the wait :)"

I promise not to spoil anything to you if you haven't read it before my visit :) maybe we should tell Katie and everyone to read it so we can talk about it at our girls night, lol!

Thanks for your empathy guys :)
There's an idea Steph! Maybe Crystal will read it? I don't know about the rest :) And it will help, since I'm sure we'll have noooothing to talk about! haha
Thx for not spoiling it, I hope to read it sooner rather than later. Then I'll just come back to the buddy read and read everyone's comments and spoilers! :)

Melissa wrote: "Thanks for your empathy guys :)
There's an idea Steph! Maybe Crystal will read it? I don't know about the rest :) And it will help, since I'm sure we'll have noooothing to talk about! haha
Thx fo..."

Yep nothing at all, lol :-)

I've read a bit more. I'm really enjoying it. I think it's slower paced (so far) than RPO but it's still early days - only 16% in.

Chapter 2 (view spoiler)[I think Zack's obsession with all things related to his father is sweet. It's a great way to get to know someone when you can't have the real thing. I can't imagine growing up not knowing your mother/father. I've been friends with people who have and while they can tell you what it's like, you can't fully understand.

I love the conspiracy theory! Alien/space films and books are released to get us used to the fact that aliens will invade and prepare us for such an event. Videogames are there to train us in combat against these alien invaders. Game scoreboards used as a military recruitment tool. I love a good conspiracy theory and I think this is ace! Liking all the references in this section.

My partner plays a game called Armed Assault (ARMA for short) and I believe that the same game engine has been used to train soldiers for combat. If this storyline continues as it is with this conspiracy at its heart I will be very happy and I think my partner would love this book too.

I loved the Karate Kid training comparison to this conspiracy.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapter 3 I found a little slow. Lot's of description about the computer games he plays. (view spoiler)[It's curious that the company Chaos Terrain decided to ship the new controllers early especially considering Zack has seen a space ship from that very game that day. Coincidence? Me thinks not! And I don't buy that Zack and his father were mad. There's definitely something in the conspiracy.

Zack's boss Ray is very generous to give him one of the controllers. Interesting that Ray still sticks to keyboard and mouse because “he's set in his ways”. But I'm wondering whether it's more than that and he knows about the real reasons behind computer games and it's his way of being a conscientious objector?! I might be thinking in to it too much here. ;-)

I like that the micro-transactions in games are talked about as "milking players for extra revenue". I hate games that are like this – free to download and play but you have to pay for extra lives or special bonuses otherwise you have to wait 5 hours before everything resets. Grr! They drive me mad!
(hide spoiler)]

Chapter 4 (view spoiler)[Wasn't it outrageous what Zack's grandmother said to her daughter upon the death of her husband? A blessing in disguise so she could marry someone more respectable? I'd have slapped her!

I had to laugh at the bit where Zack's mum blocks his passage to the stairs and shouts “You shall not pass” - I occasionally say this in our boat when my partner is trying to get by me (the corridors/gangway is very narrow).

I've been intrigued about the Incident for a while and now we know what happened.

I feel a parallel between myself and Zack – we both worked at a Computer Game store, played computer games and toyed with the idea of studying Games Programming. I never encountered aliens though! :-)
(hide spoiler)]

Just read a couple reviews for this book and they say that comparing it to RPO does the book (and ourselves) a great disservice. It is hard not to compare especially when I loved RPO so much. So from now on, I'm going to try hard not to compare. Just experience this book for what it is.Let's see how that pans out...

Sarah wrote: "I've read a bit more. I'm really enjoying it. I think it's slower paced (so far) than RPO but it's still early days - only 16% in.

Chapter 2 I think Zack's obsession with all things related to his..."

Totally agree with your chapter 3 spoiler and that it was a bit slow :)

I am really liking the book so far. I have read through chapter 4. (view spoiler)[I'm glad to know what happened now between Zack and the class bully. I can't believe someone would say that to a kid that lost his father. How cruel can you get? Then his grandma says what she said to Zack's mom about the dad..seriously..what is wrong with people? I love the relationship between Zack and his mom. It is quite sweet. I LOVED the Lloyd Dobler reference which made me smile because Say Anything is my all time favorite movie. (hide spoiler)]

So, you are a Trekker more than a Star Wars fan, Sarah? I saw your comment about the no win scenerio, but you did not recognize Aunt B. Just kidding.
Did you follow the X-files and get the Smoking Man references?

I am about where you are now and I have agreed with the comments so far. It is not hard for me to keep from comparing, but I agree that we should try not to.

Sarah wrote: "Just read a couple reviews for this book and they say that comparing it to RPO does the book (and ourselves) a great disservice. It is hard not to compare especially when I loved RPO so much. So fr..."

I absolutely agree with this stance. For me Ready Player One was this little gift last year that landed on my doorstep so unexpectedly and swept me away. Those type of stories don't come around very often, so they're to be cherished, and not not used as a yard stick by which to beat an author over the head with. IMHO.

That being said, there's such joy that Cline brings to his writing that takes you along on Zack's journey, just as it did with Wade's. I like the Zack isn't your typical, withdrawn, cliched version of a gamer-geek who is bullied and picked on, but someone who can take care of himself. (view spoiler)[He might even be the one who is the bully, even if his response is understandable. A gamer with anger issues, seems ripe pickings for some potential-covert government conspirators. (hide spoiler)]

It freaked me out to realize Zack's mom is my age, but she's so relatable. As my friends and I pretty much speak a hybrid version of English/Pop Culture.

Cherie, I geeked out so hard whenever there was an X-Files reference. Spoiler towards the end of the story: (view spoiler)[ The fact that the hub-thingy was behind the "I Want to Believe" poster = great big smile! (hide spoiler)]

Fortunarely my memory what it is I don't recall RPO. I mean I remember the jist of it but specific details to use to compare to this one. Not a chance. If I don't start tomorrow I'll get to it thursday. 2 more hours lwft of Count of Monte Cristo. After 50+ hours I'm finishing that sucker come hell or high water

@Cherie - While I have a good memory, sometimes I miss names in films especially if they are not prominent in the story. My partner knows heaps of lines from films and sometimes he'll use a line in general conversation and I'll recognise it but can't place where from. I may have even watched the film the line was from dozens of times.

Me being able to remember the no-win situation part might have something to do with the dishy Kirk and Spok in the recent film ;-)

I've seen both the Star Wars and Star Trek films many times and I watched Voyager and The Next Generation. Difficult to say which I prefer the most though - Star Wars or Star Trek?!

I watched all the X-files apart from maybe the last series I think. I must have missed the Smoking Man reference in the book though - where was that?!

Chapter 5 & 6 (view spoiler)[Zack is uber late to sign on for the start of his game but still manages to plug in, install and get to know how to use his new bit of gear all before the mission starts?! AND his skill level is exactly as it normally is even though he has to get used to a new piece of kit?! I didn't believe this bit. From experience, it always takes longer than you think to install a new piece of hardware. Configuring buttons etc. is not all that quick and easy either. I guess a line that Zack mentions earlier rings true for me now. He says something along the lines of if we can believe the fantastical elements of a film/book/game/tv show, i.e. aliens invading, superheroes with special powers etc. then it's stupid to get hung up on small plot inconsistencies or lack of a scientific basis. So I'll forgive Cline for this. Now I think about it, I wonder whether he has put inconsistencies/unbelievable things in to make it more like other films/books/games that he references and to back up Zack's musings?!?

Zack is number 6 in the rankings for Armada and I saw that AtomicMom is number 9 – what do you think the likelihood is that this is Zack's Mom's handle?

I liked when Zack talks about Armada being “only a videogame” but he'd never been one of the “best of the best” at anything before, and the accomplishment of being number 6 in the rankings gave him a “real sense of pride”.

I thought the explanations of some gamers was interesting and very true to life – those who are obnoxious, think they are above others and won't help anyone out and those who never read a mission briefing before starting and then moan that the mission has a bug or is too difficult to complete. I hear about these types of gamers a lot from my partner.

CRUZ'S CALL SIGN IS KVOTHE!!!!!!!

I do love all the pop cultures reference – I know I mentioned it a lot while reading RPO and possibly already further up in this thread. I guess it's because my partner and I (and many of our friends) quote lines from films/books/tv shows/song lyrics to fit the situation – not all the time but on occasions. I think this is quite common nowadays and it's good that characters in books do the same too as it makes it more real.

I kept losing focus while reading about the game action at first but then I became submerged. Then it was Game Over!
(hide spoiler)]

Chapter 7 (view spoiler)[Picking up that tire iron was a BIG mistake. I was screaming at Zack when he put it in his rucksack. I'm pleased Zack was able to reign it in. The transport ship turned up just at the right time. I knew Ray would be involved somewhere along the line. I can't wait to find out how it's all linked to Zack's father.
(hide spoiler)]

@Sarah in response to your spoiler of chapters 5 and 6. (view spoiler)[I thought the same thing about Atomicmom being Zack's mom! How cool would that be!?! (hide spoiler)]

Sarah wrote: I watched all the X-files apart from maybe the last series I think. I must have missed the Smoking Man reference in the book though - where was that?! ..."

oh oh, Sarah. I thought it was in this book, but I am not sure now. I am also listening to The Angel's Game - I don't think it could have been in there, but I am reading Hunted and Atticus could have talked about it in there. Sorry.

I am listening to Chapter 5 again. I think this is the third time. It is confusing listening to the battle. I actually listened to Chapter 6 too, but I fell asleep and was in the middle of Chapter 7 before I realized it, so I do not want to read the spoilers yet.

Stephanie wrote: "@Sarah in response to your spoiler of chapters 5 and 6. [spoilers removed]"

Me too!

No worries Cherie - that's the thing about reading a few books at the same time. I went to see a film about 12-ish years ago and it had trailers beforehand. I know one (either film or trailer) had Elizabeth I in it and another was Star Wars (one of the new episodes). Anyway, afterwards I was going on about Elizabeth I being attacked by someone with a light saber and how I couldn't work out how that fitted in the story - it didn't happen - my brain got confused and merged two films together!

I know I've started Phase 2 now which is Chapter 8 but I don't think I've finished the chapter yet. (view spoiler)[I agree on Zack's world view - a future more like Mad Max than Star Trek. Bleak I know.

I was wondering whether Zack's Mom knew he was going to be drafter up because that day she served him dinner-for-breakfast, a nice hearty meal, and told him she loved him when he left for school.

I love the fact they call the bunker the Crystal Palace rather than the Earth Defense Alliance Strategic Command Post Number Fourteen. It reminds me of one of the Iron Man films where the S.H.E.I.L.D guy turns up but they hadn't worked out an acronym for the agency then so were using it's full name.

I feel the urge to read some of the books mentioned in this book. I have Dune and Ender's Game on my kindle.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapter 9 (view spoiler)[We have the love interest arrive! She seems cool. When I look back at my teenage years, I don't remember myself (or any guys) being that smooth or comfortable chatting each other up. There's not enough awkwardness or worry about what the other person (and those around them) think. (hide spoiler)]

I'm in the middle of the briefing in Chapter 10. It makes for interesting reading.