Book Review: Armada by Ernest Cline

It really is great poolside reading.

Let’s get this out of the way first: No, this is not as good as Ready Player One. Ready Player One was a story that felt new, a different approach to sci-fi. Armada isn’t that. However, it’s still a good book in it’s own right.

Armanda is the story of Zach Lightman, a teenager who is ranked in the top 10 worldwide of the video game Armada. One day, a ship from the game comes to earth and he’s recruited to fight. Ok, so Armada is basically The Last Starfighter. The fun part is that it lets you know that. Throughout the book, there are references to all the works that inspired Cline to write Armada. There are other bits of pop culture thrown in there just for fun. (I have to admit, I’m hoping the next generation of geeks read this just to get direction on what books/movies they should watch).

Even though I really enjoyed the book, it’s hard for me to find a lot to say about it. Probably because it’s not particularly deep or original. What makes it fun is Cline’s writing style and his references. Which is probably why this book was released in the summer. It’s a good summer read. It’s the book equivalent of a summer movie. You’ll enjoy your time, but it’s not going to keep you thinking after you finish it.

I do kinda want to watch The Last Starfighter again now.

You can pick up Armada on Amazon or get a signed copy on ThinkGeek for $25.99. One thing about the physical copy of this one, is that the book jacket is pretty cool. Instead of leaving the inside of the jacket white, they’ve added details about the Interceptor ship  from the book.

Inside the book jacket.

Disclaimer: I got this book for free for review purposes from Blogging for Books. Product links are affiliate links.