Ernest Cline

THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF READY PLAYER ONEIt's just another day of high school for Zack Lightman. He's daydreaming through another boring math class, with just one more month to go until graduation and freedom-if he can make it that long without getting suspended again. Then he glances out his classroom window and spots the flying saucer. At first, Zack thinks he's going crazy.A minute later, he's sure of it. Because the UFO 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. But what Zack'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. Yet even as he and his new comrades scramble to prepare for the alien onslaught, Zack can't help thinking of all the science-fiction books, TV shows, and movies he grew up reading and watching, and wonder: Doesn't something about this scenario seem a little too... familiar? Armada is at once 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 author Ernest Cline's trademark pop-culture savvy.

Brought to you by Penguin. ***NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG***A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready?It's the year 2044, and the real world has become an ugly place. We're out of oil. We've wrecked the climate. Famine, poverty, and disease are widespread. Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes this depressing reality by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be, where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, Wade is obsessed by the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this alternate reality: OASIS founder James Halliday, who dies with no heir, has promised that control of the OASIS - and his massive fortune - will go to the person who can solve the riddles he has left scattered throughout his creation. For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that the riddles are based in the culture of the late twentieth century. And then Wade stumbles onto the key to the first puzzle.Suddenly, he finds himself pitted against thousands of competitors in a desperate race to claim the ultimate prize, a chase that soon takes on terrifying real-world dimensions - and that will leave both Wade and his world profoundly changed.____________________________________If you loved READY PLAYER ONE and can't wait for more, check out ARMADA, Ernest Cline's latest geek masterpiece!'Wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, Ready Player One is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut' Independent'Part intergalactic scavenger hunt, part romance, and all heart' CNN 'Ernest Cline's novel deserves to be a modern classic' SciFiNow'Gorgeously geeky, superbly entertaining, this really is a spectacularly successful debut' Daily Mail (c) Ernest Cline 2011 (P) Penguin Audio 2012

Brought to you by Penguin._____________________AN UNEXPECTED QUEST. TWO WORLDS AT STAKE. ARE YOU READY?Days after winning OASIS founder James Halliday's contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything. Hidden within Halliday's vaults, waiting for his heir to find it, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the OASIS a thousand times more wondrous - and addictive - than even Wade dreamed possible. With it comes a new riddle, and a new quest: a last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize. And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who'll kill millions to get what he wants. Wade's life and the future of the OASIS are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance. Lovingly nostalgic and wildly original as only Ernest Cline could conceive it, Ready Player Two takes us on another imaginative, fun, action-packed adventure through his beloved virtual universe, and jolts us thrillingly into the future once again. _____________________'Delving back into the universe of OASIS is a nostalgic delight... fans will love returning to Cline's virtual world.'Press Association'Living up to the smash hit Ready Player One - turned into a film by Steven Spielberg - was never going to be easy, but Ernest Cline's wry and savage sequel shows how it should be done... A wild ride. Make this into a movie now.' The Times 'Ernest Cline takes Ready Player One, gives it a software update, adds some more nostalgia and delivers sheer joy in Ready Player Two.' Phil Williams, Times Radio 'A stunning, futuristic thrill-ride, full of nostalgia and wonderful set-pieces. Ready Player Two improves on everything from its predecessor.' Daily Express_____________________Praise for Ready Player One:'Enchanting . . . Willy Wonka meets The Matrix.' USA Today'An addictive read . . . part intergalactic scavenger hunt, part romance, and all heart.' CNN'Delightful . . . the grown-up's Harry Potter.' HuffPost'As one adventure leads expertly to the next, time simply evaporates.' Entertainment Weekly'Gorgeously geeky, superbly entertaining, [and] spectacularly successful.' Daily Mail'A smart, funny thriller that both celebrates and critiques online culture.' San Francisco Chronicle'A geek fantasia, '80s culture memoir and commentary on the future of online behavior all at once.' Austin American-Statesman(c) Ernest Cline 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020