What I have learned about Ernest Cline as a writer is that his stories can be a bit predictable. This did not bother me in Ready Player One because of all the action and moments that happened between the beginning and the end. In fact there is a point in that book where I wondered if what I had predicted all along was utterly wrong. But in Armada I found myself predicting what would happen and then turning the page to see it happen, over and over again. The only thing interspersed between these moments were fight scenes, whether real or in the video game, that were described in such painful detail that after the third one it just felt like they were there to take up space.
Armada did have some interesting theories, especially the idea that video games were created and funded by the government to train civilians how to fight aliens, but the theories were not overly original. It felt like Ernest Cline had taken a lot of scenes from his favorite movies and books and then smashed them all together into a novel. Now let me say that this is not a bad thing, it was really nerdy and cool and I loved it, but it just did not make me go "wow" at the end.
The only other complaint I have is the lack of deep underlying narrative. Armada seemed to be just a book about video games and alien invasions and then it turned out to be just that. There is a moment at the end that seems to try to make up for this by implying that humans need to be more compassionate and less war-driven, and I agree, but it did not feel like this was a point being reinforced over and over again throughout the novel.
I did enjoy that there was less of a love story in this novel. And I love that Ernest Cline wrote about a female president and a single mom who is kick ass and other women who can shine in their own right. I love that he writes nerdy books that feel accessible to me, not only as a nerd, but as a woman. Like I stated above, I also loved the many nods to current pop culture. This book was a fast read and full of action, which was a nice change of pace from the last book I read. I enjoyed Armada immensely, I just did not finish it and immediately want to start reading it again like I felt with Ready Player One.
Now perhaps it is not fair for me to compare Armada to Ready Player One. And maybe I would feel differently had I read them in reverse order. But Ernest Cline has only written two books and so it is inevitable that they will be compared. The thing is that I don't know if I would have even read Armada had I not loved its predecessor so much. This book just felt lackluster, I guess.
All of that being said, I think Armada will make a great movie. It has all the elements to help it translate beautifully to film and I will be one of the first in line to watch. I really enjoy Ernest Cline's writing and intend to read the next book he releases. Overall, I just feel that if I had to choose between Armada and Ready Player One to recommend to a reader, it would be Ready Player One every time. But if you like spaceships and video games and have an afternoon to kill, this is a great book for you.
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