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Armada

The thrilling sci-fi novel from the global bestselling author of Ready Player One

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Armada

By: Ernest Cline
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
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Summary

THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF READY PLAYER ONE

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.

 Adventure First Contact Science Fiction Fiction Game
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Critic Reviews

A novel so fun, you'll want to reboot it and read it again…the best novel this gamer geek has read in a long, long time.
Those conspiracies you imagined when you were fourteen turn out to be true in this masterful tale of Earth's desperate struggle against a powerful alien foe.
Another geektastic celebration of the nerd and nerd culture…Really clever, really captivating.
A thrilling coming-of-age story.
Built like a summer blockbuster…Cline recombines the DNA of Ender’s Game, Star Wars, The Last Starfighter, and old-school arcade games like Asteroids into something that’s both familiar and unpredictable. It’s a mutant homage to sci-fi tropes past.
Expect Cline’s blend of masterful storytelling filled with nerdy references…with twists that’ll have you turning the pages like there’s no tomorrow.
All round a cracking title and for me, a definite Sci-Fi favourite of the year.
Must-read summer blockbuster novel.
Compelling…a love letter to the eighties.
It's epic, it is majorly, fantastically geeky, full of wonderful pop culture references and most of all it is just an amazing joy to read…I loved this, it is one of these rare books that lives with you afterwords, one to be discussed over and over again, it is a modern classic.
All stars
Most relevant
This one gets 3.5 stars from me. Comparisons will unavoidably be made with Clines' first novel, Ready Player One. This story wasn't as good as that one, but it's still a fun ride. The story is predictable and draws heavily from other well-known sci-fi classics. But at least Cline is unapologetically open about it.

The book is full of pop culture references for nerds and cinephiles, though not as heavily as in RPO. The story moves along at a good pace, but ends quite suddenly after the climax. Wheaton's narration is great. He's enthusiastic and gets right into the story, which excites you as a listener.

A fun ride, if a little derivative

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Loved ready player one and so I bought this book. I liked the majority of the book. Good humour, story and cultural references. But I can't help feeling that the The last 1/3 of the book was written under the looming deadline. The story final story brushed over and told in a rapid, slapdash manor which is a real shame.

Good but last 1/3 of book feels rushed

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Cline is amazing, the book was fantastic as expected. Can't wait for the next one!

LOVED IT!

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Holds a mirror to humanity's behaviour in a very real and entertaining way. Highly recommended listening.

A very engaging story

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yep! It has great character development, with a good story line. I'm glad I read it and even though some people comparing it to Ready Player One initially deterred me, I left enough space between listening to RPO to not expect the same, and I wasn't disappointed!

Any additional comments?

If you're a fan of RPO do yourself a favour before you listen to this story, and have a break. Listen to some other sci-fi/fantasy and then you'll appreciate how much of a great author E.C. is. Also Wil Wheaton again does a great performance, he's one of my favourite narrators.

A great, intricate story!

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