Armada by Ernest Cline
Is there a right or wrong way to prepare for an alien invasion?
Who knew that Mr. Cline wrote something besides Ready Player One and Ready Player Two? Not me!! So I was really excited when someone I work with talked about having recently read this book.
I was told the following points:
It is not like RPO.
It still has lots of 80s references
It’s all about how classic and current video games are really real life training simulations preparing the world to pilot drone fighters in an alien attack.
Sold! Sign me up! This book sounds absolutely fantastic! This was such a fun read. A read that I really needed right about now. My initial thought was I can honestly say that I was expecting more 80s references than were actually present, but there was no virtual reality world to escape to or an 80s obsessed dead guy’s game to play. This story took place in the present time in the present world.
I really, really liked our protagonist, Zack Lightman. I loved that he was a flawed teenager in his last few months of high school with a major anger management issue. What I liked even more was the writing style Cline chose that allowed Zach to tell the story in his voice. Even though it is told in a single point of view, it is the conversational tone that sucks you into the plot. Zack’s experiences directly influence how he reacts, the words he uses and the consequences that result. There is an authenticity that comes with this style. It’s like sitting at Starbucks and having Zack narrate this amazing moment in his life over coffee.
Zack is like so many other teenagers. Between work and school and sleep, all other moments of the day are spent playing video games with friends online. Trying to land on the leaderboard. Playing Armada and Terra Firma lead Zack to secure a top 10 spot on said leaderboard, thus creating a situation where he is hijacked, I mean recruited, into the Earth Defense Alliance, a global organization monitoring and preparing for an impending alien invasion for the last several decades.
There are several comical moments throughout his learning of the whole “aliens are coming to destroy us” that are a direct result of Zach’s character. The continuity and flow create an ease to the reading.
The side characters are great too and either feed off of Zack or support his character. His mom for example. Not only is she created in a way that mirrors her son and their relationship, but her reactions are believable in real life. I think I would have the same “conversation” with my son at the same high pitched volume if he told me where he really was and what he was really doing! (I won’t give those spoilers!)
Lex, Zac’s two best friends, and the people that he ends up fighting beside are all very different and unique. At the end of the day, though, they never played a huge role, and as good as they are in playing their part, in many ways they are forgettable when the book comes to an end.
There is something to be said about the technology that is presented. The implications of having such technology in our society could save thousands of lives in time of war. Our troops and pilots manning drone crafts in battle. When one gets destroyed, they just move on to the next drone. However, that concept of war is a very real claim on society that Cline makes. Humans fighting humans is really what is at the core of the themes presented. The truth of humanity is thrown back in Zack’s face and the faces of everyone in the world at the end of the book. Cline makes that clear, and, sadly, I don’t think he’s wrong. Why is it in humanity’s nature to be threatened by others who think, look or act differently? Why do we tend to react first and talk, ask and process second?
There is a conundrum presented to the characters here in the face of the coming annihilation of the human race. How do you really know what is the truth? How do you know what the right choice is? But, isn’t that what life is all about? Having to make decisions and then hoping that it was the right one? There are clearly some interesting thoughts presented in the last several pages of the book. Ones that make the ‘fun’ of the rest of the book smack you in the face with a different perspective.
In the end, I appreciated the conclusion of the book. You know me. I want a nicely wrapped up storyline, and I got it for the most part. There are definitely some questions presented that leave the door open for a potential book 2, but there is enough closure that a book 2 isn’t essential. Oh, and I also loved the little twist that occurred when Zach was enroute to his deployment location.
Where does this land on my bookshelf?
This is the first read of the year that I am placing on the top shelf. It’s towards the back of the shelf, but it still secured a spot at the top. I loved the writing style, the characters, the concept and the themes. There was a steady stream of action that kept the pages turning without becoming overwhelming. Zack’s character kept the slower moments moving, so you don’t even realize there are moments of narration and preparation. I loved that it was different from Ready Player One, but is still clearly written by the same brain in the same technologically advanced world. I highly recommend this book. If you enjoyed Ready Player One, you will most definitely enjoy this one as long as you know that it is not supposed to be the same book.
Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!
Brand New Website for book lovers: www.tinyurl.com/desertbookshelf It has links to my podcast Speaking LITerally, book reviews, breaking literary news, games, links to small business and more!
Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated by the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on iHeartRadio!
If you are really bored you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.