Ready Player Two

Ready Player Two is a 2020 science fiction novel by American author Ernest Cline. It is the sequel to his 2011 debut novel, Ready Player One. Set after Wade Watts wins control of the virtual-reality system known as the OASIS, the novel follows Wade and his friends as they discover a brain–computer interface created by James Halliday and undertake another quest. Its story examines the benefits and risks of immersive technology, including addiction, surveillance, and the possibility of digitally reproducing human consciousness. Cline's plans for a sequel were first reported in 2015, and he confirmed in December 2017 that he was writing it. Ballantine Books published Ready Player Two on November 24, 2020, in hardcover and e-book formats, while Penguin Random House Audio released an audiobook narrated by Wil Wheaton. The novel debuted at number one on The New York Times Combined Print & E-Book Fiction list. Critical response was generally negative: reviewers praised some of the virtual settings and action sequences but criticized the characterization, prose, reliance on pop-culture references, and similarities to the first novel. A film adaptation is in development, with Steven Spielberg attached as a producer.