Best dystopian books

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The best dystopian books of all time

Armada

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF READY PLAYER ONE, NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG

A paean to the videogames of a bygone era – a tremendous amount of fun for anyone who remembers that time and played those games.

Ernest Cline is a #1 New York Times bestselling novelist, screenwriter, 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.

PRE-ORDER NOW - READY PLAYER TWO: THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED SEQUEL TO READY PLAYER ONE 
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'[A] masterful tale of Earth's desperate struggle against a powerful alien foe.' - Andy Weir, bestselling author of The Martian 
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It'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. 
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Here's what everyone's saying about this epic masterpiece: 
 
'a modern classic' - R.M. Rangeley on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'A modern masterpiece full of a new style of literary magic' - Spiros Kagadis on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'Excellent. Even better than Ready Player One.' - David Hay on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'One of my favourite books of all time. Incredibly well written' - Erin Coppin on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'Awesome! If you liked Ready Player One, would be very surprised if you don't like this' - T. Llewellyn-Sanders on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'Absolutely awesome!!! Read in less than 24 hours, hooked on every page' - R. Nicholson on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'Amazing and a great follow up read to Ready Player One!' - Chris on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'an incredible story which had me on the edge of my seat the whole time... a joy to read' - Helen Ratcliffe on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'Cline brings you back to all those amazing, unbelievable things you imagined could happen as a kid and makes them real' - Amazon reviewer, 5 stars 
 
'Absolutely brilliant! Couldn't put it down, a must read' - Sam Bean on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'a love letter to old school alien invasion sci-fi... Highly, HIGHLY recommended for all fans of Cline's previous novel, Ready Player One, as well as any classic science fiction fan' - Izzy on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'Ernest Cline is celebrating this culture in a way that's not just adding another book to the genre, but actually truly celebrating it, the possibilities, wonders and madness of it all' - Heather on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'majorly, fantastically geeky... Armada just ticked all my boxes' - H. Ross on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
 
 
This book has been published with two different covers and may be delivered with either cover. Please rest assured that regardless of the cover, the content of the book is the same.

Ready Player One

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG

At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, Ready Player One is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired byBlade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed

The science-fiction writer John Scalzi has aptly referred to Ready Player One as a 'nerdgasm' [and] there can be no better one-word description of this ardent fantasy artifact about fantasy culture…But Mr. Cline is able to incorporate his favourite toys and games into a perfectly accessible narrative

A most excellent ride . . . the conceit is a smart one, and we happily root for [the heroes] on their quest . . . fully satisfying

Gorgeously geeky, superbly entertaining, this really is a spectacularly successful debut

If you grew up with an Atari or maybe had a Commodore 64 back in the day, you are going to really enjoy this one. Cline really captures the feeling of those good old days in Ready Player One

The strength of Cline's first novel, other than its geeky referencing of 1980s pop culture, is the characterisation of the Candide-like Wade and his redemptive quest in both VR and the real world

Ernest Cline’s novel deserves to be a modern classic…the most relevant novel of the 21st Century to date

The mystery and fantasy in this novel weaves itself in the most delightful way, and the details that make up Mr. Cline's world are simply astounding. Ready Player One has it all

Enchanting . . . Willy Wonka meets the Matrix. This novel undoubtedly qualifies Cline as the hottest geek on the planet right now. [But] you don't have to be a geek to get it

Fascinating and imaginative...It's non-stop action when gamers must navigate clever puzzles and outwit determined enemies in a virtual world in order to save a real one. Readers are in for a wild ride

Terry Brooks, #1 New York Times bestselling author

This non-gamer loved every page of Ready Player One

Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Ready Player One expertly mines a copious vein of 1980s pop culture, catapulting the reader on a light-speed adventure in an advanced but backward-looking future. If this book were a living room, it would be wood-paneled. If it were shoes, it would be high-tops. And if it were a song, well, it would have to be Eye of the Tiger. I really, really loved it.

Daniel H. Wilson, author of How to Survive a Robot Uprising and Robopocalypse

The pure, unfettered brainscream of a child of the 80s, like a dream my 13-year-old self would have had after bingeing on Pop Rocks and Coke...I couldn't put it down

Charles Ardai, Edgar Award-winning author and producer of Haven

Pure geek heaven. Ernest Cline's hero competes in a virtual world with life-and-death stakes -- which is only fitting, because he's fighting to make his dreams into reality. Cline blends a dystopic future with meticulously detailed nostalgia to create a story that will resonate in the heart of every true nerd

I was blown away by this book...Ernie Cline has pulled the raddest of all magic tricks: he's managed to write a novel that's at once serious and playful, that is as fun to read as it is harrowing. A book of ideas, a potboiler, a game-within-a-novel, a serious science-fiction epic, a comic pop culture mash-up-call this novel what you will, but READY PLAYER ONE will defy every label you try to put on it. Here, finally, is this generation's NEUROMANCER

Will Lavender, New York Times bestselling author of Obedience

Completely fricking awesome...This book pleased every geeky bone in my geeky body. I felt like it was written just for me

Patrick Rothfuss, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of The Wise Man’s Fear

Pleasingly geeky novel ... No wonder there are plans to make into a film

Ready Player One is a fantastic adventure set in a futuristic world with a retro heart. Once I started reading, I didn't want to put it down and I couldn't wait to pick it back up

S.G. Browne, author of Breathers and Fated

Cline's novel is a nerdcore odyssey; engaging and fun, this Gen-X popcult thrillride drew me in like a Galaxian machine set to free play.

Cline [crafts] a fresh and imaginative world from our old toy box ... Cline strikes the nerves of nerd culture as expertly as Andy played that skeleton organ in The Goonies

I would recommend this book in a heartbeat...young or old - it's just brilliant!

In the safe hands of none other than Mr. Steven Spielberg, this is your last chance to read the book before the movie hype drowns out the written word. A mixed up dystopian fantasy adventure novel with more nods to 80’s pop culture than even the biggest John Hughes fan will be able to handle, it’s just a whole lot of fun to read

This is one you need to read before EVERYONE knows about it!

Ultimately entertaining, enthusiastic and enjoyable. A real must-have for any collection…a beautifully constructed piece of escapism which will pull you in with such vigour that you miss your train stop.

PRE-ORDER NOW - READY PLAYER TWO: THE SEQUEL 
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THE BOOK BEHIND THE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG 
Now available for the first time in a beautiful hardback edition, perfect for hardcore fans and collectors 
 
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. 
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If you loved READY PLAYER ONE and can't wait for more, check out ARMADA, Ernest Cline's 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

The Graphic Novel

Immerse yourself in the electrifying world of Ready Player One with this gorgeously illustrated graphic adaptation of the #1 New York Times bestselling sci-fi novel. 
 
A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready? 
 
In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days. 
 
When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune – and control of the OASIS itself. 
 
Then Wade cracks the first clue. Suddenly he’s beset by rivals who’ll kill to take this prize. The race is on – and the only way to survive is to win. 
 
Completely illustrated with breathtaking full-colour artwork, this stunning graphic novel adaptation brings you into Wade's exhilarating quest like never before!

Ernest Cline (Author) Ernest Cline is a 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 blockbuster film adaptation of Ready Player One, directed by Steven Spielberg. His books have been published in over fifty countries and have spent more than 150 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his family, a time-travelling DeLorean, and a large collection of classic video games. Meredith Laxton (Illustrator) Meredith Laxton is a comic artist, sequential arts professor, and former indie game designer and concept artist. Their work includes the Children's Book Council's Children's and YA Favorites and the Librarian Favorites award-winning Wait Till Helen Comes and the Russ Manning award-winning MPLS Sound. They’ve collaborated with IDW, HarperCollins, Humanoids, and Ten Speed Press, and they co-run Savage Zine Fest, a small zine festival that highlights independent creators and comic artists.

Ernest Cline

The highly anticipated sequel to READY PLAYER ONE

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. 
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'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

Ernest Cline

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