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  • Armada

  • By: Ernest Cline
  • Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
  • Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,391 ratings)

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Armada

By: Ernest Cline
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
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Publisher's Summary

Zack Lightman is a dreamer. He fills his days with wishful thoughts of life on other planets and spends hours playing videogames, neither of which have helped him make friends or find a girlfriend. His refuge from the daily disappointments of life is Armada - an online space-fighter simulator based on defending Earth from an alien invasion. It’s when he’s playing that he feels closest to his father, a champion gamer who died when Zack was a baby.

He rises up the ranks until there’s only one other player who can challenge his worldwide supremacy. As he closes in on his ultimate enemy, the game suspiciously shuts down, leading Zack to investigate the many urban legends and myths that surround Armada. What he finds will take him beyond his wildest dreams.

The game was just the beginning....

©2015 Random House Audiobooks (P)2015 Random House Audiobooks

What listeners say about Armada

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A fun ride, if a little derivative

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.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Ernest and Wheaton - what a pairing!

I had just finished listening to Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, and jumped straight into Armada. The story is just as good and tears along at a steady pace. After reading some reviews stating it seems to wrap up quickly, I feel the total opposite and like the way Cline finished the story.

I felt a lot more for the characters in Armada than I did in RPO, Cline really has a way of drawing you into them.

Which brings me to Wheaton's performance. Better than on RPO for sure. More 'acting' used, throwing his voice and using accents to really create the world Cline had created.

If you liked Ready Player One by all means this will really be up your alley.

I always feel sombre when I finish a book with Wil Wheaton narrating! 5 Stars!!!

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I got the steak - I wanted the roast!

I personally found this book very enjoyable with a mix of modern and vintage sci-fi elements. However I sincerely wish most of the story was further explored in more detail. Many sections of the story felt glossed over and were finished before they felt like they had begun. Whilst not as gripping as 'Ready Player One' it shared a very similar vibe and is worth a read if you are a fan of his earlier work. Wheaton still unstoppable - great performance.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this book.

I did enjoy this book and the story.

Ready Player One is my favorite book. This was good but not in the same league.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Dreadful

Would you try another book written by Ernest Cline or narrated by Wil Wheaton?

Ready Player One was an enjoyable book but not great. This one is a step too far.

What aspect of Wil Wheaton’s performance might you have changed?

Wil Wheaton is at his best when he doesn't try to do different accents. Some of them here were just embarrassing. But I've enjoyed his work on other books.

Any additional comments?

The storyline was almost childish. Many won't care and will just enjoy it as a fun ride. But I found it too grating to ignore. And the gaming/nerd culture kitsch was just annoying this time around. I was born in the sixties and most of those films, tv shows, music mentioned was just bad the first time around.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • J
  • 06-05-2017

I had been meaning to get to this

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

Yes. It is a good story if you like the sci fi genre and you are of a certain age or nerdiness which allows you to "get" the references.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved the main character. Think great guy, sceptic and geek rolled into one.

Have you listened to any of Wil Wheaton’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Yes I listened to Ready Player One which put this book on my wish list and I finally got around to it. I think Wil Wheaton's voice is well suited to audio and I do not think of Star Trek at all.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes but I am not telling as it will give the plot away.

Any additional comments?

Not quite as good as Ready Player One but I thought that book was outstanding. A good listen.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A fun adventure.

Not Clines best work. Ready player one is better.

The book follows a young mans journey, with a long lead up to the main events, followed by an extremely short climax. I was a bit disappointed but it's still fantastic.

Wil Wheaton is amazing in his performance. I love his voice, the slight accents he does, his inflections, brilliant.

All in all, worth getting. It's a good adventure and great for someone new to the genre.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Pop Culture Nerdgasm

Not in the same league as "Ready Player One". Unlike RP1, the over-the-top pop culture references didn't really serve the story line past a certain point, and just felt like indulgence on the authors part. I did like how the story acknowledges how heavily it borrows on the body of sci-fi out there, leans into it and uses that as fodder for the narrative, but really starts to overdo it. Anticlimactic ending. Will Wheaton as narrator struggled (loved his performance of RP1, despite myself), there were too many accents and characters.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good but last 1/3 of book feels rushed

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.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It’s a boys own adventure

I really enjoyed RPO, and had high hopes for this…but I think Armada would fit more comfortably into the “young adult fiction” section of the library. I think my 13 year old grandsons would definitely have enjoyed it. A simple story, it wasn’t bad, and the narration was good but I’m glad I didn’t pay for it.

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