Ready Player One

A bit too short, I kept waiting for it to get to the main plot, but then suddenly we were at the climax and the book was over.

Also there are sporadic mentions of the outside world, but very little exploration beyond a brief sublot near the end. Very little on the conflict of people choosing the virtual world over reality and thus the point of being alive or the broader geopolitical landscape.

Which meant a lot of it felt like a video game story, making it difficult for a lot of the stakes to have weight, and feeling detached from clear rules or consequences. Not surprising considering that's what it is, but there ways authors can avoid this issue. This author doesn't. Like any video game, its' more fun to actually beat the puzzle yourself than it is to listen to someone else explain how they beat it.

Heavy on 80's pop culture, if you're into that.